I’m not an enemy of the North — President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has described those calling him an enemy of the North, as liars noting that his administration had achieved a lot in the region particularly with the transformation in the educational and agricultural sectors. He said this yesterday during the Peoples Democratic Party campaign rally in Sokoto State at Shehu Kangiwa Square.



“When I came on board as president, I established 14 new universities, four were built in the South while 10 were built in the North, yet they keep telling you I hate the North. If truly I hate the North and I do not want the children from the North to be like me, will I take such action?” he asked.

On the issue of education, Jonathan said: “Federal Government has no business with basic primary education because they are functions of the state government, but I took it upon myself to build Almajiri schools here because we realised there is a higher percentage of children out of school in the North than in the South. So we intervened massively. Is that hating the North?

“In the area of agriculture, tell me of any government that has supported the North with several agricultural equipment and with billions in cash loans. Is that hating the North? If I don’t like the North, will they benefit up to 70 per cent of agricultural reforms we are doing?” he asked.

The President further noted that “Those who say I do not like the North were also presidents in the past, but what did they do for the North? How many schools or universities did they build in the North and what did they do to ameliorate the problems in the agricultural sector?”
He also used the opportunity to caution politicians in the state against any act of violence during next month's elections.

“We must learn to exhibit the spirit of sportsmanship in politics because on my arrival this morning, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saadu Abubakar, drew my attention to the unwarranted rivalry that existed among political parties in the state and he condemned the development in its entirety.

“I visited Ogun State recently and the state Governor, Ibikunle Amusun, who is of the opposition party accommodated me at the Governor’s Lodge, where both of us passed the night without any rancour. I believe this is what politics should be,”President Jonathan said.