By Jefferson Ibiwale, BeninÂ
Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomole, has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to serve only one term in office in emulation of late South African President, Nelson Mandela, noting that it would earn him respect at home and abroad.
The governor spoke in Benin, the Edo State capital, on Friday when residents and various associations in Egor local government area visited him to thank him for the construction and dualisation of the Upper Siluko Road.
Osjiomole who noted that an advertisement on television stations across the country was comparing President Jonathan with Mandela and other great world leaders, said that the best thing for him to do is to emulate the late African statesman who spent only one term in office but impacted on the lives of many South Africans.
“Like in the PDP jingle, the PDP says our President is like Nelson Mandela, it was not easy, but he did it. Then they talked of Martin Luther King, it was not easy but he did it, but they didn’t know Martin Luther was never president,” Oshiomole observed.
But he continued: “So how many terms did Nelson Mandela spend as president? Is there any black man who does not respect Mandela? Dead or alive, Mandela is respected. He is respected in America more than they respect American President. He is respected in Europe more than they respect any European President.”
Governor Oshiomole observed further that it not the number of years that the President spends in office that matters but how well and impactful his tenure is.
He posited that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had spent 10 years in power in Edo State but did not do as much as the All Progressive Congress, APC, which has been only six years at the helm of affairs.
“In Edo State, PDP did 10 years. We in APC have only done 6 years. In those 10 years, PDP did not do your road, they blamed it on Water Goddess (Mammy water), but you have come to thank us for using APC bulldozers to chase away the mammy water and now we are constructing the road,” Oshiomole stated.
While urging the people to bring about change in the next general election by voting for the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, the governor also called on them to shun divisive campaigns based on religion.
He said that what is important in the election is not whether a candidate is a Christian or Muslim or from the North, South, East or West but about whether he or she has the capacity to deliver dividends of democracy to the Nigerian people.
“In Edo State, religion is not a problem. Let them not deceive us at all, this matter is about truth. 16 years ago, N75 was equivalent to $1 but today, it is N230 to one dollar. The hike in the value of the dollar against the naira will have spiral effect on the economy. If the dollar goes up, it affects all other segments of the economy. Prices of other products will go up,” Oshiomole stated.
Speaking at the occasion, chairman, Egor branch of the Sawmillers Association, Lucky Odeh, who spoke on behalf of the residents of Upper Siluko, said the visit was to show appreciation to the governor whom he said had taken steps to better the lives of residents of Upper Siluko and its environs.
“The fear of the unknown, the appearance of Mammy Water, the goddess of water, had prevented previous governments from even attempting to work on the road because no one was willing to die for the people. You took the bull by the horn, approached it with courage and determination and today, the story is better told than imagined,” Odeh said.