What Jonathan Penned On Facebook

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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.

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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

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