The
immediate past President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, Friday, said he had
been worried about the kind of reception he would receive in his home state,
Bayelsa.
Speaking
at a civic reception in his honour, in Yenagoa, Mr. Jonathan said he would
dedicate the remaining part of his life to peace building across the country.
“I
thank all of you here and my brothers and sisters outside who cannot come in
because of the size of the hall,” Mr. Jonathan told a capacity crowd at the
Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre.
“Sometimes
when you are exposed to some high offices and you finish serving, you are even
afraid of going back home. Because in one way or the other you will feel that
you did not satisfy the people.
“Sometimes
at the late hour it dawns on you that you could have done that, you could have
done that, you failed to do this you, failed to do that.
“Sometimes
you begin to fear whether the people that came to receive you, will they curse
you, will they hoot at you?”
Mr.
Jonathan said he had wanted to come back to a private visit but the state
governor insisted it must be a celebration.
“I
really don’t have anything to say. The only thing I can do is to thank all
Bayelsans, all Ijaw people, all people from the South South, and indeed all
Nigerians for giving me the privilege,” he said.
“Sometimes
when I step back, I used to say that probably if I had stayed back in Bayelsa
I’d have been more useful to the people. But vacating the seat here gave the
opportunity for others and they have done wonderfully well.
“So
this period from 1999 till date, my people Bayelsans and Nigerians have given
me rare opportunity to serve. First as governor of the state, vice president
and president of the country.”
Mr.
Jonathan recalled how his political journey started when the former Bayelsa
State governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, invited him to join his campaign team.
“I
joined the campaign not because I was interested in any elective office,” he
said.
“What
drove me into joining Alamieyeseigha team was that those of us from very small
communities, we always have problems and sometimes we have to go to government.
I said that probably if I work with him, and probably he wins election, I will
know some of the people who will be in government.”
He
further spoke of his belief that the new administration will work with all
Nigerians to make better the lives of the people.
“I’m
indeed happy that one of the statements the president made was that he does not
belong to any clique, that he belongs to Nigerians. I congratulate him for that
bold statement.”
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