by Onwuasonya FCC Jones
1. THE PORT HARCOURT AND KADUNA REFINERIES:
The contracts for the re-activation of these refineries were awarded and effectively funded by the Jonathan administration and in a matter of weeks, the Port Harcourt refinery will resume production. The Buhari government did not contribute a dime to this.
2. THE DEFEAT OF BOKO HARAM:
It will amount to a dismal disappointment on the part of the Buhari government if by the end of this year, the Boko Haram insurgents have not been fully eliminated. This is because Goodluck Jonathan has done almost all the jobs that needed to be done in the fight against that terror group. We must not forget that Jonathan’s government sacked these terrorists from territories bigger than the entire Belgium, which they occupied and also led a massive onslaught against them in Sambisa Forest. Jonathan oversaw the killing of the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau and in the latest video released by that group, the seemingly invincible Shekau was nowhere to be found.
3. IMPROVED POWER SUPPLY:
The Jonathan administration laid down a solid foundation for the effective take-off of stable power supply in the country. Jonathan ensured that the seemingly impossible privatization of power distribution was achieved and raised our electricity generating capacity to about 6000 Megawatts and laid down infrastructures that will ensure the raise to about 40,000 in the next two years. Therefore, Buhari should be called to question if he fails to follow up Jonathan’s achievements in the power sector.
4. REFORMS IN THE PETROLEUM SECTOR:
The Jonathan administration is most responsible for the massive turnaround experienced in the petroleum sector. Many of the reforms pursued by the Jonathan administration threatened the criminal interests of some of Nigeria’s biggest political heavyweights, hence, their desperation to throw him out of power. Jonathan’s ‘defeat’ in the 2015 elections would not have been possible, if he had looked the other way, as these criminals continued to have their way in destroying our petroleum sector. The absence of any vote for subsidy in the 2015 budget is one of the best legacies, Jonathan left for the country. If Buhari follows this up, then, we should be in for good tidings in that sector before the next three years.
5. DIVERSIFICATION OF THE ECONOMY:
The Jonathan administration has done very well in diversifying the Nigerian economy, pulling us out from an oil dependent economy to an economy that can be sustained through agro products, mining of other mineral resources resident in the country and also non-tangible resources like the creative industry and sports, where Jonathan called attention to and which ensured that Nigeria took its rightful place as Africa’s biggest economy.
6. THE EDUCATION SECTOR:
The government of Goodluck Jonathan holds the record as the administration that gave the highest percentage of its budgetary allocations to the education sector, he raised the standard of education in the country, raised the salaries of teachers and tertiary education workers. Jonathan also ensured that the ETF, TETFUND and other educational funds worked optimally, which saw to the massive construction and rehabilitation of many infrastructures across our campuses.
7. CREDIBILITY OF OUR ELECTIONS:
The Jonathan administration is duly credited with conducting the best and most credible elections in the history of Nigeria. The 2011 elections received due encomiums from various election observer groups and agencies, and the 2015 election while fraught with mind boggling irregularities was also commended by observers as one of the best elections to be conducted in Nigeria. Jonathan succeeded in improving our electoral processes, because he refused to interfere in the workings of the electoral commission. Buhari is a direct beneficiary of this great reform.
8. IMPROVED SECURITY:
Already the gains made by the Jonathan administration in the area of security of lives and assets are being eroded as criminals are beginning to resurface where they fretted to appear during Jonathan’s reign. We must not forget that Jonathan met a Southeast deserted by its biggest men because of the fear of kidnappers, but in less than two years of his administration, the kidnappers were sent packing from all parts of the Southeast. Jonathan also met a restive Niger Delta, but he was able to calm the region by continuing with the implementation of the Amnesty program designed by his predecessor, and also coming all out against other militants who refused to surrender. We cannot forget in a jiffy, the troubles of John Togo and his recalcitrant criminals who terrorized the oil region till Jonathan cut them to size. Also, the splinter Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), led by Henry Okah were effectively cut to size. Buhari inherited a relatively peaceful and well secured country, and he would be failing Nigerians, if he allows the country to relapse into insecurity.
9. CIVIL SERVICE REFORMS:
The Jonathan administration scored good points in reforming our civil service and making it more productive. He blocked lots of avenues through which public funds were being frittered away. One of such is the introduction of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which has drastically reduced incidents of corruption in the civil service by more than fifty percent.
10. SPORTS DEVELOPMENT:
You may recall that our sports sector started witnessing great fortunes after the retreat for the sports sector convened at the instance of former President Jonathan, and this ensured the great successes we recorded in the sports sector during Jonathan’s reign. Our sportsmen were adequately motivated by the government and top of the class sports administrators were appointed into the right positions, while government kept regular tabs on our sports development to see where and how best they can help. Today, the only thing President Buhari really needs to do is to just relax, grease the machinery Jonathan had put in place and Nigerians will be in for celebrations as laurels will continue flowing in from our sportsmen and women.
NIGERIA MUST PREVAIL!
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