Former President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and wife, Patience, at the weekend took time out to meet governor Udom Emmanuel at the Government House, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital at the weekend, where they ex-rayed the development strides in the last six years and gave the governor a pass mark.
Speaking at a special luncheon in their honour, Jonathan commended the pace of development in the state under Emmanuel’s watch, especially in the areas of infrastructural and industrialization, Jonathan prayed for a successor that would sustain the tempo and enjoined the people to be in the vanguard of choosing another development-minded governor in 2023.
Describing Emmanuel as “a brilliant and competent governor”, Jonathan commended his efforts at social and economic re-engineering, stressing that “the governor is a competent gentleman that deserves to be encouraged for greater roles”.
Dr Jonathan, who is in the state for the annual conference of the Nigeria Environmental Society (NES) as well as to attend the marriage ceremony of the first daughter of his long time friend and fellow pioneer student of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof. Richard King, recalled: “that given my acquaintance with the progress of Akwa Ibom since 1994, I am in a good position to judge the development of the state”.
“You are a gentleman, very competent person, a brilliant young man that needs to be encouraged and I believe you will continue to grow”, he noted.
“From what we read and from what we see, you are doing very well. If you come into Akwa Ibom, you see a state that is growing. From 1994 when I was employed as the Assistant Director of Environmental Protection, OMPADEC, till I left office, there was almost no year I didn’t come to Akwa Ibom, so I can monitor the development of Akwa Ibom and I’m quite pleased with the way the state is going.
Therefore, my prayer for him is for God to grant him a good successor who will follow his good steps and continue to lead the state towards greater heights”, Jonathan said and enjoined the people to galvanize supports for the governor to have a clear focus in achieving his completion agenda before leaving office in 2023.
However, Emmanuel, was quick to express great pleasure on the visit of the former President and wife, describing him as the pride of the country, even as he commended the former first family for identifying with him and his family during his father’s funeral,
Reflecting on Jonathan’s era as President, Emmanuel said Nigeria, in all indices, was better and expressed regrets that Nigerians have only come to realize what they have lost after his exit, noting that such regrets were “like a spilled milk or medicine after death”.
“I made a speech the other day. You know I like talking data. I analyzed the growth, the GDP, the exchange rate, by the time I finished the analyses, it was so clear that we did much better and today, everybody, every eye have seen how the economy has been debased; that’s why I say, we feel proud of you anywhere we go to”.
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