Jonathan visits Kwara, pledges to rescuscitate economy

THE imperative of resuscitating the nation’s comatose economy as fast as possible formed the fulcrum of President Goodluck Jonathan’s speech yesterday as he paid an official visit to Kwara State.
And in what appeared to be a hint on the policy direction of the in-coming federal administration, the President stressed the need to stick with the Private, Public Partnership (PPP) initiative in running the economy, with a view to putting the private sector on the driving seat for national rebirth.


Towards this end, President Jonathan disclosed that he would convene a meeting of captains of industry and leading businessmen after his inauguration to chart the way for the nation’s economy.
The President also hinted that the Federal Government might soon divest itself of its commitments in secondary schools, which would be exclusively run by states and the private sector, and focus on tertiary institutions in order to boost the quality of education at that level of education.
The President made the disclosure while commissioning the new multi-billion naira International Aviation College (IAC) Ilorin, Kwara State.
He noted that the air transport sector was critical to Nigeria’s economic recovery and that it should be private sector-driven.
According to him, the dream of a second multi-billion Naira aviation institution was realised by the joint efforts of the Kwara State government and the private sector, adding that government alone could not handle the infrastructure problem in the country.
The President said: “Air transport is very important to our economy and this is one of the good stories of the PPP. It is a good start. We believe private sector participation is very key to the economy. I am planning that after the inauguration of May 29, I will call a session of businessmen to prepare them for the job ahead, we will provide the enabling environment for PPP to thrive.
“The partnership we will form thereafter will create job opportunities for Nigerians and enabling environment for economic growth.
“I wish to thank the state governor for this college and I hope it would help significantly in training more pilots for Nigeria and bridge the gap in human capacity in the aviation sector.”
Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki, who received the President at the Ilorin airport alongside the state’s Governor-Elect, Abdulfattah Ahmed, sought the cooperation of the Federal Government in taking the new aviation school to enviable height.
Saraki said: “This is an edifice that has been realised through PPP.   We will continue to play our role. This will also provide employment for people in our country as all the important aspects such as the simulator and the hangar are on ground.”
Chairman of the institution, Captain Edward Boyo, who fielded questions from reporters said the vision of the school is to be producer of professional pilots, engineers and aviation managers for Nigeria in particular and Africa in general.
According to him, “we are long overdue for another school. We will be complimenting the efforts of NCAT in Zaria adequately because we don’t have enough schools in Nigeria right now and our nationals are going abroad to train as pilots. There is global shortage of pilots and engineers all over the world and it is affecting our industry here.”
Boyo noted that with the establishment of the college, “we have moved another step forward towards curbing brain drain and building indigenous capacity.”
Ishola said: “There is an urgent need for the Federal Government to address the rising cost of living in the country. If citizens enjoy government attention through the provision of basic amenities, they will be committed to the success of such administration. Nigerians on their part, should be patient and ready to tolerate elected officials as they assume office on May 29.”
Ishola, who congratulated President Jonathan and other elected persons on their victory at the polls, added: “We challenge the winners to make sure that they add value to our economy and improve on our lives, particularly as it relates to security of lives and property.”
The Presidential jet touched down on the tarmac at 11.15 a.m. Chairman, Kwara State Traditional Council and Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, led other prominent traditional leaders in the state to receive President Jonathan.
During a courtesy call on Alhaji Gambari, President Jonathan thanked the Emir for his pre-election supports when he led his campaign train to the Ilorin palace.
He promised to fulfil his electioneering promises to the people of the state, especially by supporting the robust agricultural policies of the state towards making Kwara a leading commercial agriculture state in the country.
Jonathan said: “Let me sincerely thank you for the reception given to us this afternoon, most importantly the warm welcome you gave us during the campaign period. You prayed for us then and I believe that was one of the reasons we succeeded. We promised that if we succeeded that we would run an open-door administration where we will take Nigeria as our own constituency. We are still committed to that.
“We again promised to take agriculture in Kwara to the next level. The Federal Government will push further the agric policies here in the next four years. We therefore need more of your prayers and cooperation.”
The Emir, who described the President as “God’s chosen for the nation,” urged him to prioritise power generation and resuscitate the country’s transportation system for the growth of the economy.
He attributed the large turnout of Kwara residents to welcome the President to their love and support for his administration and advised him on the need to promote the country among the comity of nations as “all Nigerians are looking up to you in this regard.”
The monarch charged President Jonathan to remain firm and patriotic even under pressures from the Niger Delta people.
He commended the President for keeping to his promises of conducting credible polls in the country, stressing that “you never made it a do-or-die affair. God indeed has used you to give us a credible election in Nigeria.”
Gambari urged the President to be courageous, assuring that many Nigerians would continue to pray for him as he ruled the nation with the fear of God and higher commitment.
President also commissioned the Kwara State University (KWASU) Malete, Asa Dam water project in Ilorin and Railway transportation network between Offa and Ilorin.
He was later given a civic reception at the Metropolitan Square, Ilorin where security personnel had a hectic time managing the huge crowd at the peaceful event.
Saraki thanked the President for the visit and the people of the state for conducting themselves well through out the period.

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