Gov Mimiko's welcome address at Presidential Campaign Flag-off

Protocol
We welcome you to the historic city of Lagos, a city that has produced

icons in different fields of human endeavour – first generation

medical doctors, lawyers, politicians, engineers and entrepreneurs.

This is a city that truly prides itself as one of Africa's foremost

educationally advanced centres, a veritable city of culture and

learning. Mr President, leaders of our great party, distinguished

Nigerians, I stand on firm ground to state categorically that hardly

is there any home in Lagos and indeed the Southwest that cannot boast

of tenth generation school certificate holders. This is why, among

others, we will not settle for a President with less than a University

degree.
Let me welcome again, Mr President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Ph.D – a

democrat in words and in deed, a believer in the rule of law, a leader

who is genuinely humble, kind, accommodating, forthright, competent,

transparent and tolerant. A leader who in spite of challenges has

remained cool, calm and level-headed.
We thank you Mr President that, in spite of being the most abused and

negatively-profiled President in the history of this country, you have

refused to roll out any obnoxious law of the semblance of Decree 2 of

1984.
To you Mr President, discipline is about compliance with high

democratic ethos rather than the promulgation of retroactive laws to

intimidate the citizenry through state murder.
You definitely are a true democrat (not a born-again democrat). You

are a true lover of Nigeria – from the wetlands of the Delta, through

the thick rainforest of the Southwest and East to the Savannah of the

North, you have touched the lives of Nigerians, both high and low. You

have allowed the private sector to thrive, yet you have not abandoned

the under-privileged of the society. While the private sector is

encouraged to invest massively in Agriculture, Power, Aviation and

other strategic sectors of the economy, you are also building Almajiri

schools and unprecedentedly expanding access to tertiary education.

You are proactively investing in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

(MSMEs) and providing productive engagement for our young ones in

Agriculture, ICT and the creative industry.
Mr President, you are indeed a progressive.
On behalf of the people of Southwest, we welcome you and your

entourage to Southwest Nigeria. You have started the Lagos-Ibadan

expressway, you have also embarked on the rehabilitation of the rail

system, you are giving a face-lift to our airports including Ibadan

airport. For these and many more, the people of the Southwest are

grateful. Afterall, we can remember the anti-human decision to

terminate the Lagos metroline project by some other government. That

project into which the Jakande-led administration had committed a

whopping sum of N70 million (about $75 million at that time) was meant

to put an end to the traffic nightmare in Lagos metropolis through the

installation of a circuit of rail lines that would have stretched from

Agege to Marina, Ikorodu in the north and Badagry in the east,

ferrying nearly a million people a day, 31-years ago. While some chose

to destroy, you have chosen to build.
Today, Mr President, Benin-Ore-Shagamu expressway is witnessing

massive rehabilitation, the Lagos-Kano rail lines, moribund for over

15years have been re-activated, Agriculture has regained its pride of

place and you have strengthened our democratic institutions through

free, fair and credible elections.
I am convinced that the hands of Goodluck Jonathan that started these

good works will surely complete them.
Let the good works of Goodluck continue.
Thank you, God bless Nigeria.
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