VP charges politicians on mandate delivery
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- Category: Politics
- Published on Wednesday, 16 December 2009 08:50
- Written by Admin
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The Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan has charged politicians to focus on completing their current mandates in flying colours rather than dissipate energy on forthcoming elections.
He said too many times politicians in the country spent so much energy and state resources "trying to crush perceived political enemies" rather than concentrate on delivering on their mandates.
The Vice President was reacting to a question by Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State who had sought to know whether as an elected politician, the Vice-President was also scheming for re-election.
He counselled elected politicians to concentrate on good performance stressing that, elections themselves remain a walk over for elected politicians that deliver to the electorates.
He said, "whenever you perform creditably it becomes difficult for your opponents to stop your re-election. Some of us holding political offices instead of concentrating on good governance, we will rather engage in an attempt to crush the opponents and all this is driven by the fear of election".
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has announced that it requires an annual GDP growth rate of 13 per cent translating to a total investment of about $100 billion in infrastructure development to achieve the vision 20:20-20 targets.
Vice-President Jonathan, who stated this in his opening remarks at the NESG listed the critical areas to include: Power which requires about $18 to 20 billion, rail track to gulp $15 to 17 billion; road $14 billion and oil and gas $50 billion.
The Vice President was joined at the Presidential Dialogue moderated live by a broadcast journalist from CBNC, a South African Television channel, by the Minister of National Planning Commission, Dr. Shamusdeen Usman, World Bank Managing Director, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala and President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Mr. Gbenga Adefeye.
