Dear compatriots, four months ago, providence placed me at the leadership of our dear country, following the untimely death of our dear former President, my brother and leader, President Umaru Musa Yar’adua. It was a very solemn and trying moment for me personally and for the country as a whole. My immediate task and priority was and still remains to give the nation purposeful leadership and to focus on the priorities of our administration in order to maintain national peace and stability and pursue our key development priorities. In these few months as leader of the country, I have concentrated on managing the affairs of the nation, and resisted all efforts to respond to the drums of partisan politics which have been sounding very loud across the land. As President and leader of government, I decided not to place partisan politics above the immediate needs and priorities of our people. I came under intense pressure to make a declaration concerning my political future, but declined to do so because that would have immediately distracted us from all the development initiatives we have accomplished so far. I therefore told Nigerians to give me time to concentrate on my work and that at the appropriate time I would make a public statement on my political future after due consultations with all the segments and leaders of our nation.
Today, I confirm that after wide and thorough consultations spanning the six geo-political zones that make up Nigeria, with members of my family, my party, the opposition, civil society, the Private Sector, members of the Labour Unions, religious leaders, youths and student groups and our revered traditional institutions, I Goodluck Ebele Jonathan by the grace of God hereby offer myself and my services to the Nigerian people as a candidate for the office of President in the forth coming 2011 elections. In presenting myself for service, I make no pretense that I have a magic wand that will solve all of Nigeria’s problems or that I am the most intelligent Nigerian. Far from it. What I do promise is this – If I am elected President in 2011, I will make a covenant with you the Nigerian people to always do right by you, to tell you the truth at all times, to carry you along and most importantly to listen to you, fellow citizens in our communities and also those of you on this page. I do not want to win your affections by giving you promises of things I would do in the future which others before me have given and which have largely been unfulfilled. Rather, I would want you to judge me by my records. Since God Almighty and yourselves permitted me to serve you in the present capacity, I have busied myself with setting Nigeria on the path of peace and progress.
My team and I made no promises on adequate fuel supply in Nigeria. We simply did what was expected of those who govern, we delivered it, and you are living witnesses to that. We made no promise to revamp the textile industry. We delivered a bailout package worth 150 billion naira that is being dispensed as I write. We made no promises of securing the highest U.S Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation clearance, the Category 1 Certificate which enables Nigerian registered airlines to fly to ANY U.S city. We delivered. We made no promise to give Nigeria a brand new INEC under a proven God-fearing and incorruptible leader. We placed Nigeria first and delivered. We made no promises of protecting your loans, deposits and investments in the banking industry over and beyond what is covered under the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Scheme. We delivered it via AMCON. Rather than tell you what we could do to improve power, this administration demonstrated it by initiating a brand new national Super Grid as well as launching a concrete Road Map to the Power Sector with realistic goals tied to realistic dates. I understand from some of your mails that there has been some small improvements in electricity supply in some communities. We met an economy that was beginning to slow due to the global recession. Today, the economy has verifiably grown by 7% this half year ending in June.
I know you are tired of empty promises, so I will make only one promise to you today. The only promise I make to you my friends, fellow citizens and Nigeria, is to promise LESS and deliver MORE if I am elected. I call on you to join me to work together in harmony and synergy to forge a nation where we understand our differences instead of pretending they do not exist and work towards a perfect union founded on transparency, equity and justice. A nation that is on her way to repairing her International reputation and project to the world that things have changed and the people of Nigeria have now taken Nigeria back from a few into the hands of her people who are eager, very eager to pull her weight in the forward movement of the African continent and the world in the pursuit of peace, prosperity and happiness.
I will by the special grace of God be making a formal declaration to this effect at the Eagle’s Square, Abuja, on Saturday 18 September 2010.
I call on you my friends on this page and all Nigerians to give me your support and prayers so that together we can liberate our country from the confines and self –inflicted wounds and limitations of the past. My dear friends and fellow citizens, to borrow an often used slogan by our youths, please join me in proclaiming: Forward Ever, Backward Never! Please let us all unite across tongue and creed to move our long suffering nation forward together. I thank you and may God bless our country Nigeria. GEJ


I guess this guy likes facebook so much. Somebody should tell him that we need him on nairaland

this is the link to his facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/jonathangoodluck#!/jonathangoodluck?v=wall

justdtruth:

I do not want to win your affections by giving you promises of things I would do in the future which others before me have given and which have largely been unfulfilled. Rather, I would want you to judge me by my records.

My team and I made no promises on adequate fuel supply in Nigeria. We simply did what was expected of those who govern, we delivered it, and you are living witnesses to that. We made no promise to revamp the textile industry. We delivered a bailout package worth 150 billion naira that is being dispensed as I write. We made no promises of securing the highest U.S Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation clearance, the Category 1 Certificate which enables Nigerian registered airlines to fly to ANY U.S city. We delivered. We made no promise to give Nigeria a brand new INEC [/b]under a proven God-fearing and incorruptible leader. We made no promises of protecting your loans, deposits and investments in the banking industry over and beyond what is covered under the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Scheme. [b]We delivered it via AMCON. Rather than tell you what we could do to improve power, this administration demonstrated it by initiating a brand new national Super Grid as well as launching a concrete Road Map to the Power Sector with realistic goals tied to realistic dates. I understand from some of your mails that there has been some small improvements in electricity supply in some communities. We met an economy that was beginning to slow due to the global recession. Today, the economy has verifiably grown by 7% this half year ending in June.
I know you are tired of empty promises, so I will make only one promise to you today. The only promise I make to you my friends, fellow citizens and Nigeria, is to promise LESS and deliver MORE if I am elected.
I will by the special grace of God be making a formal declaration to this effect at the Eagle’s Square, Abuja, on Saturday 18 September 2010.
I guess this guy likes facebook so much. Somebody should tell him that we need him on nairaland

Can somebody help me to debunk these lies/halftruths
We are in trouble - integrity is a scarce commodity!

OK.

We dont need empty promises, but we definitely still need to have his manifesto. So we'll be able to judge his performance at the end of the day in case he wins.

OAM4J:

OK.

We dont need empty promises, but we definitely still need to have his manifesto. So we'll be able to judge his performance at the end of the day in case he wins.

Simple hedging his bets
without promises, there is no way to hold him to anything - afterall when there is no law, there cannot be any crime
Now he is free to act as the spirit directs - I wonder which country is run this way

The choice of words, has used in this write-up, sounds rather simplistic and not too logical. I want to believe that the president did not vet this write up.

No manifesto, no plans, nothing to guide him for 4 years. he want to spent 4 years directing as the spirit guides him. he better not go for presidential debate with this rubbish.they will take him to cleaners,i trust pastor Okotie and co. GEJ might be the best among the lot but he is not the best person Nigeria needs

We should be asking what manifesto IBB delivered today. I have this vague memory that he declared today.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/180447_ROTFLMAO_gif3d0c775232c7f27cf80592785b9635b6

niniman:

No manifesto, no plans, nothing to guide him for 4 years. he want to spent 4 years directing as the spirit guides him. he better not go for presidential debate with this rubbish.they will take him to cleaners,i trust pastor Okotie and co. GEJ might be the best among the lot but he is not the best person Nigeria needs

He is not the best!
What are these achievements
Now he has set us up so that we cannot mark his achievements to any promises
Some people will of course tell you it is strategic, visionary etc - but can you enter into a deal without any objective?

I am just worried that he is positioned to use the typical state power to force his way in
After that, we are on our own. Just look at how
he replaced a small crook (Ogbulafor) with a bigger one (Nwodo of the ID card scam)
PDP suddenly decided to shift their NEC meeting to the time IBB is declaring

^
Dude, go and rest. Your battery is too weak.
You guy's have been reciting the same old scratched record that is getting weaker and weaker with each passing day. Shame!
The usual foolish argument of "he is weak" has proven to be stup!d with the clearing away of the service cheifs that some were looking up to to forment distress, chaos and bloodletting in Northern states. . . There will be peace in the North in 2011.

Bloody gathering of losers and failures.

You know, we all know that the PDP will be winning, manifesto or seven point agenda, it does not matter. Who has delivered on manifestoes anyway?

my only concern is that, as usual, these politicians are not blowing those 'big big grammer' associated with campaign. At least to give us a laugh,

One wonders if ending fuel queue is an achievement,

Even in 2004 Nigeria airway had direct flight from lagos to New york. It was virgin airline who stop direct flight, because virgin had to make stop over to london since it was a british airline. I know I was onboard nigeria airway several times to lagos from new york.

Even Asari dokubo is a nigerian and has right to run. You can run too, if you want Okeymadu, but does it mean you would win.

okeymadu:

You know, we all know that the PDP will be winning, manifesto or seven point agenda, it does not matter. Who has delivered on manifestoes anyway?

my only concern is that, as usual, these politicians are not blowing those 'big big grammer' associated with campaign. At least to give us a laugh,

One wonders if ending fuel queue is an achievement,

Those who run businesses or are productive in some fully appreciate the ending of fuel scarcity as a major achievement. On the other hand, those who make funny money or still live with their parents might not.

Becomrich0:

Even in 2004 Nigeria airway had direct flight from lagos to New york. It was virgin airline who stop direct flight, because virgin had to make stop over to london since it was a british airline. I know I was onboard nigeria airway several times to lagos from new york.

So since what you have said is the case can you explain why the US had to issue a Category 1 Certificate which enables Nigerian registered airlines to fly to ANY U.S city?

We go fit vote through Facebook? abi na Like button we go use?

Look if I look around the house. I would still find the ticket. and show you, there were fight.

Look there are many airline that fight directly to the USA daily. even from small country.  If you tell me the time line they claim they stop it. If it was muttalh case. it is just recent.

But people are going to vote for who they like. they are not going to vote because they have direct flight into the USA. most of them cant travel. 99% of nigerian do not have nigeria passport. It does not affect thier lifes.

Ethnicity is going to play a major factor /satellite pictures are going to play a majority factor , how they vote. Ethnicity is important in Nigeria. Jonathan can not beat me in Yorubaland because I am Yoruba. You need to understand the mind set of african. And this is why Jonathan needs to go to the united nation for help after seen the satellite picture.

It is not an issue of pride of Nigeria been brought before the world. Isreal allows the USA to mediate in talk. hillary clinton is in Isreal at the moment as a mediator. So the united nation coming in is common. Do google search.

Becomrich0:

Look if I look around the house. I would still find the ticket. and show you, there were fight.

Look there are many airline that fight directly to the USA daily. even from small country. If you tell me the time line they claim they stop it. If it was muttalh case. it is just recent.

But people are going to vote for who they like. they are not going to vote because they have direct flight into the USA. most of them cant travel. 99% of nigerian do not have nigeria passport. It does not affect thier lifes.

Ethnicity is going to play a major factor /satellite pictures are going to play a majority factor , how they vote. Ethnicity is important in Nigeria. Jonathan can not beat me in Yorubaland because I am Yoruba. You need to understand the mind set of african. And this is why Jonathan needs to go to the united nation for help after seen the satellite picture.

It is not an issue of pride of Nigeria been brought before the world. Isreal allows the USA to mediate in talk. hillary clinton is in Isreal at the moment as a mediator. So the united nation coming in is common. Do google search.

This dude is even more retarded than i thought. Geez aren't u due for some new medicine stash

IDIOT, IDIOTS, IDIOT, SHOOOO, THAT WAS HIS INTENT TO RUN NOT HIS ACTUAL DECLARATION BUFFONS, CAN'T YOU GUYS JUST SIMPLY READ

Look if I look around the house. I would still find the ticket. and show you, there were fight.

Look there are many airline that fight directly to the USA daily. even from small country. If you tell me the time line they claim they stop it. If it was muttalh case. it is just recent.

But people are going to vote for who they like. they are not going to vote because they have direct flight into the USA. most of them cant travel. 99% of nigerian do not have nigeria passport. It does not affect thier lifes.

Ethnicity is going to play a major factor /satellite pictures are going to play a majority factor , how they vote. Ethnicity is important in Nigeria. Jonathan can not beat me in Yorubaland because I am Yoruba. You need to understand the mind set of african. And this is why Jonathan needs to go to the united nation for help after seen the satellite picture.

It is not an issue of pride of Nigeria been brought before the world. Isreal allows the USA to mediate in talk. hillary clinton is in Isreal at the moment as a mediator. So the united nation coming in is common. Do google search.

Dude can't you decipher what he meant, he was only trying to say Nigeria has regained reckoning in the sight of USA to grant us this, that's our foreign image is getting better to achieve this status in spite of all our upheavals and battered image, and we just got that status now to fly to any state in the US from naija.

GEJ has declared, if you are not happy with that- then go and drink acid

Its madness to compare years of other rulers to the few months he has stayed, and expect him to pass their records.

You , we are not going to be the first country, were mediation took place, we are not going to be last.  Nigeria would get the required number of countries to get an extra seat at the united nation for the north or if we remove edo,delta and Yorubas from Nigeria. I am 100% confident.

Look here is hillary as a mediator.  I am 100% confident, we would get the extra seat at the united nation to get the north in the united nation.  100% confident. We dont have to kill over 15,000,000 like the rest of the africa. I am telling you Obama govt would support us, so is britain, china, Russia, France and even the Organisation of Islamic council and the Africa union. Even OIC and AU, carribean  vote alone is close to 110 vote which is 100% would vote for us.  even if we remove  edo,delta and Yorubas from Nigeria, we already would get over 110 countries. We need less than 20.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2010/09/100915_middle_east_talks_wt_sl.shtml

Those who run businesses or are productive in some fully appreciate the ending of fuel scarcity as a major achievement. On the other hand, those who make funny money or still live with their parents might not.

@Beaf, I use to like your posts they make lots of sense, but this one^^ you allowed ur sense of love of Jonathan for becloud the writing,

Is fuel scarcity not as a result of maladministration, misrule and lack of clear cut vision? ehnn if he created fuel scarcity and then solves them do u credit him for solving a problem he created? NO, I beg to differ.

Why can't he solve the pressing problems like electricity, bad roads, How many of such problem did he frontally confront?

Beaf, Beaf, Beaf. How many times I call you? count your teeth with your tougue, assuming that you knew what I mean.

simple grammar you cannot SPOKEN

steroid:

simple grammar you cannot SPOKEN

Dont vexing with me, is bicos i have stomach warrior when i am typing last time.

steroid:

GEJ has declared, if you are not happy with that- then go and drink acid

Its madness to compare years of other rulers to the few months he has stayed, and expect him to pass their records.

Wrong! Goodluck has only declared that he plans to run. He has not declared that he is actually running.  

I know it is Grammar . . . but it's ok!

@ Kobo, could you please expatiate.

Is there really a need for that? If you read what your president posted there on his facebook page and take it as it is written, it explains itself. The title/subject of the post sums it all up for anyone unwilling to read the rest of it.

okeymadu:

@Beaf, I use to like your posts they make lots of sense, but this one^^ you allowed your sense of love of Jonathan for becloud the writing,

Is fuel scarcity not as a result of maladministration, misrule and lack of clear cut vision? ehnn if he created fuel scarcity and then solves them do u credit him for solving a problem he created? NO, I beg to differ.

Why can't he solve the pressing problems like electricity, bad roads, How many of such problem did he frontally confront?

Beaf, Beaf, Beaf. How many times I call you? count your teeth with your tougue, assuming that you knew what I mean.

Abeg, no call my name like dat, you wan make I fear?
Ok, no vex.

The man has only been there for 4 months, so how can he solve problems like bad roads and electricity in such a short time? You will understand that with electricity, there has already been noticable improvement and a firm plan for the future has been kicked off; I have faith that roads will come later.

Back to fuel scarcity and your question, "How many of such problem did he frontally confront?"
The reason why we had fuel scarcity was because NNPC was serving private pockets alongside other massive instances of gangsterism, institutionalised incompetence and corruption. NNPC was also declared as unauditable because of the staggering level of corruption that existed there before Jonathan cleared out the ugly nest.

That Jonathan was able to break that mafia scenario and deliver constant fuel is a laudable fit in itself. We really need to recognise that.
NNPC has also been audited for the very first time in its history and our oil, for once is beginning to serve we, the masses to whom it belongs. Dude, these things are outstanding fits of leadership; Jonathans issue is that he is so quiet, but thats what we need, not talkers who walk away with the national purse.

Jonathan for 2011.

I was wondering why you highlighted a part of my post. I thought you wanted to correct something. all the same- NO QUALMS.

I did that . . . corrected the portion I highlighted!

well, it's not visible.

steroid:

GEJ has declared, if you are not happy with that- then go and drink acid

Its madness to compare years of other rulers to the few months he has stayed, and expect him to pass their records.

Wrong! Goodluck has only declared that he plans to run. He has not declared that he is actually running.

I know it is Grammar . . . but it's ok!