Mid-term Report: CNPP Scores Jonathan 35% On Performance

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP said it has taken up President Goodluck Jonathan’s challenge to Nigerians to develop a marking scheme and “mark” his government, and has therefore awarded a total score of thirty five per cent to the President based on what they described as his “6 point Transformation Agenda”.

The amalgam of some opposition party, released the result via a release Sunday signed by its spokesperson, Osita Okechukwu. CNPP said “in the absence of any concise pamphlet on the Transformation Agenda”, it has taken the 6 Points Agenda he delivered during his inaugural address on 29 May 2011 to access his performance in office.
The release quoted Mr. Jonathan as saying on 29 May, 2011 as saying: ‘Fellow Compatriots, lift your gaze towards the horizon. Look ahead and you will see a great future that we can secure with unity, hard work and collective sacrifice. Join me as we begin the journey of transforming Nigeria:-
i] I will continue to fight for your future, because I am one of you.
ii] I will continue to fight for improved medical care for all our citizens.
iii] I will continue to fight for all citizens to have access to first class education.
iv] I will continue to fight for electricity to be available to all our citizens.
v] I will continue to fight for an efficient and affordable public transport system for all our people.
vi] I will continue to fight for jobs to be created through productive partnerships.’ CNPP said it held an emergency meeting to take “a careful assessment of the 2 years and indeed 3 years of the Jonathan regime and scores the regime 35% on the 6 Points Agenda Mr President enunciated”. The group added that based on the assessment, “Nigeria today is more divided than ever, more in a state of despair and despondency than ever.
Answer, inept and clueless leadership”. “Going by his address, as a minority who galvanized national support in an unprecedented scale to discard ancient prejudices and win peoples mandate, President Jonathan in our assessment is far from fighting for Nigeria’s future, especially as one of us, those who went to school without shoe? No! Where is the Fresh Air?” they asked.
CNPP said it expected the President to embark on massive peoples social programs and invest heavily in critical infrastructure, to restore the peoples hope for a better future. “He has no excuse, for he inherited over $20 billion Excess Crude Account, Oil sales has been above budget bench mark and Nigerians has been paying all manner of taxes,” they said.
On public health, CNPP said “Our medi-care has not improved; otherwise Mrs Patience Jonathan and other elites will not be wasting our foreign reserves on overseas medication. The poor also do not get adequate medical attention from our primary health clinics”. For the education sector, the group said “West African Examination Council, and other similar examination bodies pay testimonies to the unfortunate decay of our education. Our mismatch and poor quality degrees, need urgent attention, yet 3 years down the line Mr. President seems not to give a dam, even though he is a teacher”.
“The question is, what is wrong in using the 5 trillion generated annually by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS and over 1 trillion from Customs Service to provide efficient medi-care and first class education? Answer, officially approved corruption”. The President and indeed many top officials of his government had consistently postulated that his administration has greatly improved power supply to Nigerians, but CNPP in its assessment said “We had gone through the well calibrated Electricity Road Map, President Jonathan crafted then with Professor Barth Nnaji as Minister, from our assessment it seems to be abandoned”.
“The question is, what is the problem in using our unprecedented oil revenue to generate electricity and embark on other critical infrastructure?,” CNPP asked. In the area of transportation, CNPP said “We regret to note that efficient and affordable public transportation cannot be guaranteed with patch-patch roads and patch-patch rail lines, compounded with tepid implementation of annual capital budget”.
“The Chinese did 4000km of modern rail line of 150kmph between Beijing to Lhasa at $4.2 billion, while Nigeria in 21stCentury is doing old gauge of 20kmph from Kano to Lagos at $8.3 billion” the release added. The group said Nigerians could have been on side of President Jonathan if the squabble today in the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, is over investing money from the Federation Account on 1st Class Medi-care and Education, Refinery in Bayelsa State, Mambilla Power Plant, Enugu Coal, Modern rail lines, Water ways or any other critical national infrastructure, Rather, it said “the squabble is Do-or-Die Battle for power as we approach 2015”.
According to the CNPP, “It is a maxim that using the same failed method and expect to get pass mark is mere illusion; President Jonathan cannot succeed as long as he maintains the philosophy of his party that ‘Food is Ready’ and the motto of ‘Share the Money’.” The group added that it’s candid opinion is that the country is presently operating a “primitive economy, earnestly yearning for huge public investment, which providence has graced us with. Over reliance on our captains of industry is a misplaced priority, as 98% of them have no factories, even pure water factory”.
“Consequently, it said, any regime that lacks the political will to wage strident war against the endemic and pervasive corruption in the land; cannot achieve any meaningful result. “And for as long as President Jonathan or any other president that comes in 2015, condones corruption and continues with the inchoate and failed economic policy that government has no business in business, so long will it be a mirage to provide electricity, medi-care, first class education or create jobs,” they said.

Source: Premium Times