by Ben Ezeamalu
Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan, on Friday took to the podium to explain to women in Akwa Ibom State the meaning of ‘corruption’.
While addressing the crowd during the Peoples Democratic Party Women Presidential Rally in Uyo, Mrs. Jonathan said the promise by the All Progressives Congress to fight corruption were “all lies”.
“Akwa Ibom people, judge o. Because we are not here for lies. We are not here for propaganda. Because their own number one campaign is corruption. As if them are not corrupt. They are not corrupt,” Mrs. Jonathan said.
“What do you call corruption? He has a house. You, are you living outside? Are you living in the forest? It’s corruption.
“In abroad, if a young boy works so hard and buy a copter, we praise the boy. But in Nigeria, if a young boy works so hard and buy a copter, we say he’s corrupt. Why?
“Why can’t we encourage the young ones to grow? Why can’t we encourage them to do better? We, our mother born us and train us, why they train us is that we should be better than them. Are we to bring the young ones down? It’s not our portion.”
Mrs. Jonathan urged the women not to vote for the APC because, according to her, they have nothing to offer.
“A bird at hand is worth a million in the bush. Nigerian women, let us shine our eyes. Women of Nigeria, are you ready to go to prison? Are you ready to go and give your father food in the prison? It is not our portion. We reject it.
“Akwa Ibom State is a PDP state. It’s not for expired drugs, because APC cannot heal you, outdated drugs cannot heal you. Let them call it any name. Just like as my husband younger brother (Governor Akpabio) have said, they will continue changing name until they will reach Ebola. And they will call it Ebola.
“You know what Ebola normally do? Although Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said Nigeria is not Ebola country. So they cannot bring Ebola to Nigeria because Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and PDP government will wipe it off. And they will bury it, because it cannot stay here at all.
“So let them continue changing their name. If they fail this time, because I know they have failed, you will hear they will change their name again. They will change it and answer another name.”
Helen Mark, wife of Senate President, David Mark; Amina Sambo, wife of Vice President, Namadi Sambo; as well as Kema Chikwe took turns to urge the crowd to vote for the party.
Akon Eyakenyi, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban development, was also in attendance.
Their speeches lasted barely 10 minutes.
When it was time for Mrs. Jonathan to deliver the keynote, she rose from her seat, danced her way to the podium, and spoke for about one hour.
“A good man borns (sic) a good son. You cannot deliver what you don’t have, and that’s why he has brought somebody that can also deliver you from the APC. The one that will heal you,” Mrs. Jonathan said of Mr. Akpabio and the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the state.
The First Lady also described the PDP as a moving train that is unstoppable.
“Remember I was here in 2011 and I came here, I told you that PDP is a good party and I told you vote Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Sambo. And you know that they will never fail you. And they promised you 35 percent, and they fulfilled their 35 percent,” she said.
“So you can see that your deputy governor today is a product of 35 percent. You can see that the minister today is a product of 35 percent. So I have come again this time, 2015, to talk to you again.”
Mrs. Jonathan said the PDP would increase the quota of women’s participation in governance if the party wins in the elections.
“We are here to tell you what PDP government has done. We are here to tell you the truth,” she said.
“We are not propagandaly (sic). We are not here to deceive you. We are not here to lie for you. Because whatever we say go and search because you will see it.
“Remember when the men were campaigning, I just follow them quietly because I was waiting for them to give me go-ahead. I was waiting for them to tell me what they have for Nigerian women.
“And they told me that this time we have given you 35 percent, go and tell their women that if they vote us back, that we are going to give them 45 percent.”
“Ask them, when they were there, what did they do for you? Women of Nigeria, did they do anything for you? This is the time they have come to tell you ‘I will,’ I will what? What you did not do before, is it now that you will come and do it?
“Remember that they were in that Aso Rock before. All the things that they keep there, they did not take it. Now they want to go back there. Ask them a question, what do you forget there?
Won’t you leave Aso Rock for the new generation? Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Governor Godswill Akpabio are the new generation.”
Mrs. Jonathan also stated that President Jonathan is committed to improving the country’s health sector.
“Under SURE-P, Goodluck said that for health sector, that no woman will die again under pregnancy. He said that all Nigerian women you have died enough. Remember before PDP come into power, every 100,000 live births a women that born, 840 will die. 840 will die when they were there o.
“When the people were there o, women were afraid to born child. Women were afraid to produce the kids. They cannot produce. They are afraid, ‘I should not die.’”