By James Orji
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has flayed the sharp division among the 17 southern state governors and their northern counterparts, noting that the development will not serve the interest of the country.
But, the former president while delivering his address, at the 50th birthday celebration of President of the Rock of Ages Christian Assembly, Apostle Charles Osazuwa, the former president stressed that people would always be remembered for the legacies they left behind.
Jonathan spoke, on the crest of recent meeting by Southern Governors’ Forum, in Asaba, Delta state, where they agreed to ban open grazing across the 17 states. The governors, led by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state, among others things demanded the restructuring of the country.
The position of the Southern Governors has not been well received by Northern political leaders, many of who said the governors were only trying to blame President Muhammadu Buhari for the country’s woes. The critics said the governors must wake up to their responsibilities, rather than passing the bulk.
The former leader said, on Sunday in Benin that there should be national consensus on how to tackle the many challenges confronting the country at this times, adding that, the governors who are in charge of their various states should come together and proffer enduring solutions.
According to him “The governors should continue to meet; I don’t love a situation where the Northern governors will meet, then the Southern governors will cry foul and vice versa. This will not help our country.The governors through the governors’ forum should meet, they are the people who run this country, the President is just one person in Abuja.
“I don’t really enjoy the antagonism between governors, they should come together and discuss. “If there are issues affecting one or two states, I think the governors should see how they can collectively come with a way to address those issues,” Jonathan said.
The ex-president who left power in 2015 for the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari also used the occasion to berate leaders who used power to oppress others, noting that political power which is not forever, should be used for the good of mankind
He said “My belief, particularly when I joined politics is not to use a temporary privilege, a temporary position God has given to me to punish people.“Some of the things I did while in office to which people still make reference was based on the conviction not to use my position to cause the death of anybody.
“Any position I have occupied by divine providence should not be used to create hardship for other people. Just at 50 years, you have impacted significantly on many lives.’’
