Shun antagonism, Jonathan tells govs

Former President Goodluck Jonathan says the Nigeria Governors Forum remains the best platform to discuss issues affecting Nigeria.

The former president, who made the observation in Benin on Sunday while addressing journalists, said the antagonism among governors was uncalled for. Jonathan stressed that the coming together of all the governors in a round table to discuss and proffer solutions to issues affecting Nigeria would help President Muhammadu Buhari.

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He said: “Governors themselves should continue to meet.

“I don’t really love a situation where the Northern governors will meet, then the Southern governors will cry foul. The Southern governors will meet, then the Northern governors will cry foul, that will not help our country.

“The governors, through the governors’ forum, should meet, they are the people who run this country, the president is just one person in Abuja.

“The states, especially in a country where the local governments are very weak, it’s the states that people fall back to.

“So, if the governors of the states meet and dialogue, interrogate things that are good for this country, then we will move forward.

“I don’t really enjoy the antagonism between governors, they should come together and discuss. “If there are issues that is affecting one or two states, I think the governors should see how they can collectively come with a way to address those issues”,

Earlier while delivering an address at the 50th birthday celebration of Apostle Charles Osazuwa, President of the Rock of Ages Christian Assembly when he made the submission, Jonathan said he never believed in the use of temporary political office to punish people.

“My belief, particularly when I joined politics is not to use a temporary privilege, a temporary position God has given to me to punish people,’’ he said.

Jonathan stressed that people would always be remembered for legacies they left behind.

“Some of the things I did while in office to which people still make reference were based on the conviction not to use my position to cause the death of anybody.

“Any position I have occupied by divine providence should not be used to create hardship for other people,’’ he said.

“Just at 50 years, you have impacted significantly on many lives,’’ he told the cleric.

In his address, Edo’s Gov. Godwin Obaseki lauded Apostle Osazuwa for using the word of God to address current realities and challenges facing the country. (NAN)