₦airaland Forum

While speaking with Friends of Africa Coalition at the Mayor’s office in New Jersey in United States of America, former President, Goodluck Jonathan replied his critics who accused him of handing over a nation at the verge of collapse to his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Bayelsa-born former lecturer recounted the achievements of his government to include, handing over a country that produced the richest man in Africa.

Jonathan said, “I am proud to say that while I took over a Nigeria that was the second largest economy in Africa with a GDP of $270.5 billion in 2009, I handed over a Nigeria that had grown to become the largest economy in Africa and the 24th largest economy in the World with a GDP of $574 billion.

“I inherited a Nigeria in which the trains were not working, and handed over a Nigeria in which citizens can safely travel by trains again. I inherited a Nigeria that was a net importer of cement, and handed over a Nigeria that is a net exporter of cement. In 2009 the richest Nigerian was the 5th richest man in Africa, but I handed over a Nigeria that produced the richest man in Africa.”

The former President stated that democracy will continue to grow in the African continent if leaders value the process of elections more than the product of the process, adding that his reasons for handing over to his successor after losing the 2015 Presidential election, stressing that he respected the will of the people.

“Even in the 2015 general elections in my country, Nigeria, there was potential for major crisis if I was not a President duly elected by the will of the people.

“The campaigns leading to the elections almost polarized the country into Christian v Muslims and North v South divide. Most World leaders were worried that our elections will result into major crisis. Some pundits even from here in the United States said that those elections would spell the end of Nigeria and that we would cease to exist as a nation because of the polls.

“That is where the leadership question comes into play. As a leader that was duly elected by the people, I considered the people’s interest first. How do I manage my people to avoid killings and destruction of properties? With the interest of the people propelling all the decisions I took, we were able to sail through.

“Indeed, we sail through because I refused to interfere with the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, having appointed a man I had never met in my life to run it. My philosophy was simple. For elections to be credible, I as a leader, must value the process more than the product of the process. And the citizens must have confidence in the electoral body.

“These are but a few of the parameters that illustrate some of the economic transformations we engineered during my term in office. This was made possible by the fact that there was a stable political leadership in Nigeria that did not have to pander to any other constituency except the electorate who brought me to power. And these actions have a contagious effect.”

http://www.nairaland.com/2016/04/i-handed-over-nation-that-produced.html?m=1

CC: lalasticlala, mynd44

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people can love to hate him or hate to love him, but the truth is that he attained a feat no other president (dead or alive/currently ruling) will ever achieve.

Huh

in less than a year that APC and buhari came into power they have already destroyed our economy.

good. we need you in uniben

When did producing the richest man in Africa become an achievement of a sitting president? In have never heard Bill Clinton mentioning Bill Gate's wealth as one of his major achievements while in office. Oga Jona should also have said NIGERIA nearly went bankrupt under him. Good riddance......

Holy shit . How did we even get here and how did this guy even acquired his PhD . Just look at what he list as an achievement.

Truly truly I say unto you meet the best president ever in the whole world.

bakol:
When did producing the richest man in Africa become an achievement of a sitting president? In have never heard Bill Clinton mentioning Bill Gate's wealth as one of his major achievements while in office. Oga Jona should also have said NIGERIA nearly went bankrupt under him. Good riddance......

It's ridiculous if not even in.sane to make such a statement - especially when more than 50% of the population live in poverty.

He is still my president until I see a capable hand....all I see is dullards in Aso Rock

Sall:
Holy shit . How did we even get here and how did this guy even acquired his PhD . Just look at what he list as an achievement.

Copy and paste PhD. Na wetin e don invent? Na who him invention epp?

TomLepskie:
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How dare you refer to that buffoon as Mr president? Call him a fool next time and edit your post abeg.
Jona the fool who couldn't do anything even for his own state.

I thought concentrating wealth in the hands of a few individuals is a bad sign.What a slowpoke

Country leaders reel out stats on how they lift single or double digits percentages of their populations out of poverty...
Here's your former President praising himself for helping an already significantly affluent Tier one individual(almost monopoly) become the richest man in Africa.

Wow!

Jonathan & achievements in the same sentence!!

Wow!

What a simple man.

In summary:

-a country of 181 million citizens
-fast forward 4years later....
-makes only one citizen very rich
-travels 8,767km to brag about it

Good job mr president sir.

Uncle Jonah just confirmed the fears of some PDP supporters who suspected there might be some truth in describing him as an ineffectual buffoon.

Filmewell:
Truly truly I say unto you meet the best president ever in the whole world.

That's why Nigeria is a Third World hell hole.

Dundee united.

1 Dangote's wealth has nothing to do with him.
2 Dangote's wealth is a symptoms of a bad disease
3 Jonathan mass produced rent seekers,Thugs and thieves masquerading as businessmen
4 Nigeria is not the largest economy in Africa, was never the largest economy and will never be the largest economy at this rate.
( I can point to many facts. One fact is, south Africa alone has 25 steel plants and controls a substantial share of all sub-saharan African countries including Nigeria ).
Now enjoy this ride through cape town. Those who are used to western European countries and American cannot but notice the sheer no of business hidden behind the buildings in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khRDs2SKS0k




The massaged GDP figures

Kainene77:
It's ridiculous if not even in.sane to make such a statement - especially when more than 50% of the population live in poverty.

Bros 80% lives in chronic poverty. This man should just close his mouth its pliqued with rubbish.