Igbo World Assembly (IWA) Endorses Goodluck Jonathan for President in 2015 Elections

The Igbo World Assembly (IWA), the global union that represents all the Igbo organizations in the Diaspora endorses President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for the 2015 Presidential election. In a crucial general meeting held with participants from all over the world, the prominent Igbo organization in the Diaspora gave a resounding endorsement for President Jonathan as the PDP flag bearer in the 2015 election.

IWA is the Umbrella Organisation that represents the Apex National Organizations in the various countries in the world such as USA, UK, France, Spain, Finland, Italy, Netherland, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, Denmark, Japan, Sweden and Canada. The Igbo World Assembly (IWA) works very closely and recognizes Ohanaeze Ndigbo as the mouthpiece of Ndigbo World Wide.

Founded in 2008 on the twin principles of Njikoka and Igba Izu (synergy and collaboration) as an Igbo advocacy group, IWA is committed to good governance, rule of law, equity free and fair elections everywhere particularly in Nigeria.  IWA stands ready to work, collaborate, and partner with all genuine Igbo political, economic and social expression vehicles. We are watching with keen interest, the unfolding events leading to the 2015 elections. The group said that it reached a conclusion to urge Jonathan to contest on the basis of the favorable result of a thorough and fair public opinion poll among Nigerians in the Diaspora. It is the overwhelming impression of the Nigerians in the Diaspora that President Jonathan’s second term will usher in a more peaceful polity and consolidate our nascent democracy.

After a long, thoughtful, and vibrant deliberations on the future of Nigeria, the sustenance of Nigeria’s nascent democracy and the forthcoming 2015 general elections in Nigeria, the IWA general assembly reached a consensus that President Goodluck and his Vice President Namadi Sambo are the most suitable candidates the presidency and vice presidency, respectively.

IWA BASED ITS DECISION ON THESE SALIENT REASONS:

First, IWA believes in the incontrovertible position of the Nigerian constitution that gives full rights to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, above all other considerations, to aspire to the position of president at the 2015 elections, more so as the South-south zone, in spite of its enormous contributions to Nigeria’s GDP, is just producing a President or Head of State who deserves to serve a second term in the fifty (54) years of Nigeria’s existence as a sovereign nation. IWA rejects the nauseating indignity of political exclusion because of one’s ethnic background.  Where is it stated in the Nigerian constitution that a freeborn, qualified Nigerian cannot contest for the highest office in the country because of his or her geographical origin?

Second, IWA believes that judging from any objective measures that President Jonathan is super qualified to continue to lead Nigeria. He possesses all the requisite qualifications, academic credentials, character and integrity to lead a nation that so desperately needs a role model in words, actions and deeds. Having served as the governor of one of the major oil producing states in Nigeria with ample opportunities to enrich himself with ill-gotten wealth, President Jonathan resisted the corruption, which is synonymous with success in Nigerian politics, and maintained his high moral standards and tenacious adherence to anti-corruption, fairness, transparency, rule of law and orderliness in Nigeria.

Third, in President Jonathan, Nigeria is blessed to have a polished gentleman with a clean record both at home and abroad. He is so humble and down to earth and his demeanour radiates wisdom and compassion. Jonathan is a detribalized Nigerian who appeals to every ethnic group in the country on the basis of his humble background, endearing utterances and outstanding peoples’ skills. He is calm, confident, measured and in complete control of every situation.

Fourth, in comparison with other aspiring presidential candidates, President Jonathan looks quite different from what a typical Nigerian politician appears to be. He did not meet the other hidden requirements like some other presidential candidates who have proven to be good looters and ardent thieves. Contrary to most of his predecessors, he possesses the skills needed for the next leader of a re-branded Nigeria – top notch education, admirable and rich life experiences as someone who has led the life as an average Nigerian with a fervent desire to effect positive changes in Nigeria.

Fifth, President Jonathan has proven that he can work with all the governors in the country regardless of their party affiliations. In other words, he considers himself the president of all Nigerians, not the president of PDP. He reaches out to all states and works hard for the best interest of all Nigerians. A great testimony to this claim was the leadership he showed during the Anambra State Gubernatorial election in November 2013.

Sixth,  "Without a doubt, and apart from Gowon's era of 1967 -1970, President Jonathan continues to face more security problems than any other Nigerian leader. Igbo World Assembly (IWA), Igbo Diaspora Leadership Caucus (IDLC), et al are particularly impressed that he and his security operatives have so far been able to keep the East, the West, and most of the Middle Belt safe from the destructive campaigns of Boko Haram, while he engages the terrorist group in the North East for with the ultimate goal of restoring law and order in that region as well. The imperative of protecting the East and West lies in the fact that any successful Boko Haram bombing in these 2 regions could lead to reprisals from local vigilantes against Northern Muslim communities in the aforementioned regions and inevitably plunge Nigeria into another civil war that it may not survive. So far, President Jonathan has kept the peace and deserves to be commended. "

Seventh, “Unlike past leaders with sectional and/or ethnic proclivities, President Jonathan recognizes that the only way forward for a balanced, sustainable Nigerian economy is even, across the board infrastructural development of Nigeria. To that effect he has been pursuing that principle and providing the springboard for the unleashing of the hitherto caged entrepreneurial spirit of the typical Nigerian with a can-do attitude."

Eighth,. "In the past 6 months, President Jonathan has driven for reformation of CBN to strictly keep to the terms of its establishment as a fiscal institution as framed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as opposed to acting and behaving in ways that suggest that it is a parallel government, dispensing money in a rather profligate manner. Hopefully, the prevailing discipline at the Central Bank of Nigeria endures for good"

Other notable accomplishments by President Jonathan in just a few months of his presidency include the stabilization of naira in spite of the current global recession; reduced and affordable price of gas, improved electricity in the entire country, and the on-going aggressive voter registration to ensure a free and fair elections next year.

AGRICULTURE

It is an incontrovertible fact that Nigeria under Jonathan has reduced its food imports by about forty percent and increased its local production of rice, cassava, sorghum, cotton and cocoa in percentages ranging from 25 to 56 in the last two years.

For the first time since independence, the Nigerian agricultural sector is attracting unprecedented Foreign Direct Investment. Over the past two years, the sector has attracted $ 4 billion in private sector executed letters of commitment to invest in agricultural value chains, from food crops, to export crops, fisheries and livestock.

The number of private sector seed companies grew from 10 to 70 within one year. Over $7 billion of investments from Nigerian businesses have been made to develop new fertilizer manufacturing plants, which will make Nigeria the largest producer and exporter of fertilizers in Africa. It is also noteworthy that agricultural lending as a share of total bank lending has risen from two percent to six percent in two years.

       Other notable accomplishments of President Jonathan in this sector include:  

1.     Implementation of the National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) aimed at industrializing Nigeria and diversifying our economy into sectors such as agro-processing, light manufacturing, and petrochemicals. The government has also negotiated a strong Common External Tariff (CET) agreement with our ECOWAS partners, which would enable us to protect our strategic industries where necessary.                                                 

2. Revolution in the agricultural sector and the results are evident. The administration has tackled corruption in the input distribution system as many farmers now obtain their fertilizers and seeds directly through an e-wallet system. In 2013, 4.2 million farmers received subsidized inputs via this programme. This scheme has restored dignity to our farmers.    

                                                         

3. Production of over 8 million metric tonnes of additional food; and this year, inflation fell to its lowest level since 2008 partly due to higher domestic food production. Nigeria’s food import bill has also reduced from N1.1 trillion in 2011, to N648 billion in 2012, placing Nigeria firmly on the path to food self-sufficiency.