Jonathan In Benin, Says Nigeria Needs Transformation, Not Change

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday took his 2015 presidential campaign to Benin, the Edo State capital, saying what the country needed, for now, was transformation and not the change being bandied about by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking to a mammoth crowd at the Benin Township Stadium, the president who spoke in Pidgin English, noted that his administration had concentrated its effort in building schools instead of prisons.

He said it was for this reason that the federal government was building its construction technology school in Edo State to take care of young people who want to develop competent skills in the construction industry.

Insisting that the country needs transformation at the moment and not change, Jonathan said that “change takes place every day.

“If you move from you bedroom to your sitting room, you have made a change but you have not transformed yourself. If you move from your sitting room to your kitchen, you have changed but you have not transformed yourself.”

And addressing the people in pidgin English, the president said: “As we dey talk today, it is that we go move this country forward. If you don read some books, person wey transform a country called Singapore. Singapore and Nigeria been dey the same level but e transform Singapore from third world country to first world country.

“That is the transformation we are talking about. We dey talk about transformation and that is why as we dey talk about school, this is a government wey be say when we come, we know say so many Nigerian young people no fit get space for our university because we know say universities wey dey our country no plenty reach.

“Them they go Ghana, go everywhere to study. Na im we come say make we get enough universities, too; make we see whether people go come here. So, we open 14 new universities. For secondary schools, if you look our law wey them dey call constitution, no be de work wey federal government dey do but because we know say we go make sure say our young people go school, we build them plenty.”

Maintaining that his government was interested on building schools and not prisons, he said, “We know say if person do bad thing, government say make you no do dat thing again. That is why police dey.

“But wetin we like be say we go build schools for Nigerians, no be to build where we go go lock people where them dey call prison. Prison no dey bring better thing out; na schools. The people wey dey say them want change, ask them say when they were there, how many schools them build for us?”

In his remarks, Vice President Namadi Sambo urged Nigerians not to vote for a person who cannot produce his primary school certificate. He noted that President Jonathan is a PhD holder and a scientist who can represent the country anywhere in the world.

He said, “He (Jonathan) is a PhD holder and he is a scientist. By every global standard, Mr. President can go anywhere as one of the most educated people in this world. And me, Architect Sambo, a fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Architect, I am an experienced vice president. (Leadership)