MUST READ: Top 5 quotes from President Buhari’s meeting with Jonathan (photos)
President Muhammadu Buhari has met with his predecessor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential villa in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital.
During the meeting which was said to have lasted for 20 minutes, the pair were said to have discussed series of issues of national importance, especially the unrest in the Niger Delta region of the country.
After the meeting which was held on Wednesday August 3, the ex-president spoke with state house correspondents, during which period he explained that Nigeria’s unity is non-negotiable, among other statements.
NAIJ.com presents the top five takeaways from Jonathan’s meeting with his successor:
1. On the militancy rocking the Niger Delta region in recent times, Jonathan said: “It’s not just about me but about all the traditional rulers, elders and opinion leaders that are of the Ijaw ethnic nationality. We have been in touch to see that peace reigns in the country.”
Jonathan gave his candid opinion about the ongoing unrest in the Niger Delta region. Photo: Presidency.
2. Speaking on Nigeria’s unity, the former vice-president insisted that, “Those of you that have followed my talks when I was here, my emphasis is that we need a united Nigeria and I always emphasize that Nigeria is great not just about the oil, so many countries produces more oil than Nigeria and nobody notices them.”
We need a united Nigeria, the former president maintained. Photo: Presidency.
3. Nigeria’s division was also among the topics discussed during the meeting. The one time governor of Bayelsa state said: “We are great because of our size, the human resources we have, the diversity we have, if we fragmentize the country into small components, we will be forgotten by the world.”
Nigeria is a such a huge country which does not need diversification. Photo: Presidency
4. He further explained that, “That has been my focal position and without peace there cannot be development anywhere in the world. We are all working collectively to see that issues are resolved.”
The ex-president continued talking about the country’s diversity. Photo: Presidency
5. President Buhari’s anti-corruption war was also mentioned during the meeting. He told newsmen that, “I don’t want to talk about that one because there are too many cases that are in court, it will not be fair to make comments. I will talk at the appropriate time when most of these things are resolved.”
The current fight against corruption was discussed during the meeting and Jonathan lent his voice. Photo: Presidency
Meanwhile, Jonathan is to lead the African Union Elections Observation Mission (AUEOM) to the Zambian general elections scheduled take place on October 11.
In a statement posted on AU’s website on Monday, August 1, it was gathered that the former president would be leading members of the short term mission to join the continental body’s deployment of long term election experts who are already on ground in Zambia.
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