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.
