President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday met with top Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) politicians from the north-west geo-political zone at the State House, Abuja.
A former Minister of Defence, Bello Haliru Mohammed, led the powerful delegation which included three governors on a solidarity visit to the President.
On the delegation were Governors Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina), Muktar Ramalan Yero (Kaduna) and Seidu Dakingari (Kebbi).
Vice President Namadi Sambo and PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur and ministers from the zone joined the President in receiving the delegation.
Also present were Mohammed Abacha (son of the late Head of State, Sani Abacha), former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba and Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Muktar Shagari, Hon Farouk Lawan, Bala Bawa Kaoje, Mohammed Magoro Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, Ahmed Makarfi among others.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa, both top PDP politicians from the north-west were however, conspicuously absent.
Addressing the delegation, President Jonathan assured them that he had nothing against the north and would continue to ensure the development of the region.
He noted that “Sometimes people say Jonathan is anti-north, he does not want to develop the north and sometimes they sell these ideas to people from outside especially those from the United States of America.”
“Some people call themselves progressives they have done that before, did they change the system? Today if you can abuse Jonathan you are a progressive, if you can attack the federal government you are progressives, even if nothing is happening in your state you are progressive. We have seen the progressives”.
“So if I am against them will I have done that? The issue of Almajiri education if I am against the north would I have encouraged that we work with the governors to provide for quite a number of children who are out of school? We can go on and on but this is not the time for that.”
The President also spoke about what government is doing to make life comfortable for the people of the zone.
According to him, “We have also agreed to tackle the issue of desert encroachment robustly. I’m yet to get the last briefing, I believe it is because there is no substantive minister yet, but immediately the National Assembly resumes, they will get the list of ministers, so that we will get a law that will establish a body. We are no longer going to play with this”.
“We have assigned N10 billion as a takeoff fund, this is from the ecological fund not from line budgeting. And we will make sure that it is not just planting trees but planting trees and grasses that would create income for the people”.
“On agriculture, I read an article in the paper where somebody said government has budgeted N2 billion for the north, how can a government budget N2 billion? That was seed money. In some northern states alone we are intervening with N14 billion which I have approved and that is outside line budgeting. I don’t know whether the ministry has received it”.
Jonathan was confident that once the security challenge is resolved, there will be rapid progress in the region.
He said, “The northern part of this country has more resources. What is in the Niger Delta is oil, the land there is not good for farming, we have the best savannah area from the green savannah to the Sudan Savannah to the Sahel savannah to the mambila plateau area, we have the best ecological zone and this is where the resources are.
“The indivisibility of Nigeria is guaranteed, there is no one person or group of persons that can divide us. Lord Lugard brought the north and the south together, there is a reason why that was done, it was not by chance”.
“Nobody should intimidate you, we will continue to support you, PDP is still the number one party, and will remain,” he said.
Earlier, the leader of delegation, Mr. Bello Mohammed said the recent defection of PDP members to the opposition party notwithstanding; the party still remains very strong in the zone.
He assured the President that his Vice, Namadi Sambo, was for working very hard to organize and reinvigorate the party and to maintain its vibrancy in the zone and the north generally.
Mohammed said “This is evident not only from the various consultative meetings he has been holding across the north and particularly in our zone, but also from the dignitaries that are here present.” It is an indication of what he has been doing to galvanize the party in our zone and in the north in general.
“We can only pray that God will bless our collective effort under your dynamic leadership to move Nigeria forward and away from the era of dashed hopes and wastage of our national natural resources.
“Our political party, the PDP on whose platform we still stand ‘daram dam dam’ as Kaduna state people will say, is not under any threat and we urge you to continue the implementation of the manifesto of our great party.
