Street Cleaners Campaign For Jonathan

Street cleaners in Plateau on Thursday trooped to the streets in Jos to express their support for President Goodluck Jonathan and Gov. Jonah Jang.

The cleaners, who were all women, said that they were supporting Jonathan and Jang because of the steps they had taken to empower women and alleviate their suffering.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the street cleaners are mostly widows, who were employed by Jang in all the 17 Local Governments when he assumed office in 2007.

Mrs. Asabe Joseph, the Coordinator of the women, told NAN that many of them were now able to send their children to schools because of the governor’s gesture.

“Before now, many of us could not even afford to cater for our children after the death of our husbands. But we are no longer beggars because one man decided to do the right thing.

“We are no fewer than 5,000 spread across all the 17 Local Government Areas whose lives have been touched by the kind gesture of the governor,” she said.

Joseph also said that both Jonathan and Jang had “soft spots for women” as shown in their appointment of more women into highly-placed positions that were formerly the exclusive preserve of men.

The coordinator claimed that they had considerable influence on the electorate and their support would spur more votes for Jonathan and Jang, the PDP presidential and gubernatorial candidates.

“An average street cleaner has three grown up children who are eligible to vote. Each of us also has some five other people who we can influence because they have seen his (Jang’s) impact on our lives.”

She said that their group was embarking on a house-to-house campaign for both the president and the governor to ensure their success at the polls.

Joseph called on fellow women to come out en masse during the presidential and governorship elections and vote for both Jonathan and Jang.