- Politicians Should Stop Killing for Personal Gains
Former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday accused African politicians of systematically replacing military coups with political coups.
Speaking at Okada, Edo State after being conferred with an honourary doctorate degree of Science at the 17th convocation ceremony of the Igbinedion University, Jonathan said; “Only yesterday in one African country, we were discussing the politics of our continent. Most of us were former Heads of State, presidents, former presidents and vice presidents. The way African politics is going, we are replacing military coups with civilian coups and that cannot sustain the continent.”
Speaking on behalf of other awardees, Jonathan said, “Let me plead with my fellow politicians, they should stop killing the people, destroying properties because people want to own offices.
“What happened in the last governorship elections in my state, Bayelsa, and Kogi State, especially in Kogi State where a woman was burnt alive in her house, it is something that should not happen in any normal society. Something is fundamentally wrong with our political system.”
He noted that what makes one in life is not the temporary position he gains through politics but his creative ability and God-given talent in any form.
Jonathan described the vice chancellor of the university, Sir Gabriel Igbinedion, as a trail blazer, being the first Nigerian to establish a private university and an airline, saying Nigeria wants him to resuscitate the Okada airline because the aviation industry is expanding in Nigeria.
Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki while commending Igbinedion for establishing the first private university, noted that Edo had become the home of human capital development.
He said his administration placed priority on basic education, the foundation of quality education, through the EdoBest Programme which places emphasis on training and retraining of teachers.
According to him, Edo is moving from schooling to learning, using technological application to strengthen the quality of education.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Lawrence Ezemonye, said the institution had become a selling point for other Nigerian universities globally.
Others conferred with honourary degrees include Oba Eleguishi, Oba Saheed Ademola Eleguish (Kusenla III), Mr Sow Bertin Agba, and Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalande-Ekeinde.
