President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed insinuations in Nigeria and other parts of the world that his government is weak.
He said that if he is weak and lack focus,, he would not have been able to record many achievements.
President Jonathan spoke today when he kick-started his 2015 presidential campaign in Lagos.
Addressing a mammoth crowd at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Jonathan said that the 2015 election will be about the young people whose interest he assured, he would continue to protect.
“2015 election is about the young people. It is either you vote to be relevant in the Nigerian history or to be irrelevant.”
He urged those who are voting for the first time to vote rightly “to be relevant in this country”.
He said INEC has already been directed to ensure that all eligible voters are allowed to discharge their civic duty, saying “Nigeria is for the youths, the youths must defend this country.”
President Jonathan said that his government has been tackling corruption. He said that if his predecessors had fought corruption, it would not have grown to the magnitude it is today.
He promised to focus on three critical areas: insecurity, corruption and governance in his campaign across the 36 States and the FCT.
The President said that the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, who he said has been promising to end insecurity if elected in February 14, did not purchase single rifle for the soldiers when he was military Head of State.
The President wanted Nigerians to ask the APC candidate what he did with the defence budget when he was iHead of State.
Jonathan said that Buhari has nothing new to offer the country now, even as he said that his government has invested in the Armed Forces.
According to him, military hardware cannot be purchased overnight but over a period of time, adding: “somebody who wakes up and tell you people of 23 years old that he wants to fight insecurity, ask him when he was the Head of State, did he buy one rifle for the Nigerian soldiers?
“These people did not buy anything for the Nigerian soldiers.
“They refused to equip them. Ask them what they did with the defence budget that the whole time they were in office they couldn’t equip the Armed Forces.
“No country equip Armed Forces overnight because what they need are quite expensive, they are built over the years.
“Even if you spend $10 billion today, you cannot equip the Air Force, equip the Navy, equip the Army. The capacity is built over a period of time.
“They refused to build the capacity, they instigated crisis and now they are telling us they are going to fight insecurity.”
Speaking at the rally, the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, said the leadership appreciated the members for been loyal and committed.
He assured them that PDP remains the only party that guarantees equal opportunity, adding: “Whatever your ethnic group, whatever your religion, you equally have an opportunity to whatever you intend in this party”.
Mu’azu presented party flag to President Jonathan as party’s presidential candidate as well as to all the governorship candidates in the 36 States of the Federation.
Also speaking on behalf of the 36 governorship candidates, Jimi Agbaje of Lagos State, assured that they would put up impressive campaigns that will ensure victory for the party in their respective states.
Present at the rally were Vice President Namadi Sambo, who said the Jonathan administration has transformed the country, Senate President David Mark, party chieftains, ministers and top government functionaries. [myad]
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