We Are Political Jobbers, Says Okupe
The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public affairs, has said most of them in public service are “political jobbers”. He made this assertion Tuesday morning while speaking on Channels television programme, “sunrise” about the early campaign for the 2015 elections which we are witnessing in the Country now.
He said people who lost elections begin preparation for the next elections almost immediately hereby heating up the polity and causing distractions for elected officials. He said, “elected persons are usually distracted with these campaign here and there and that is the bane of our political system”.
When confronted that his party, Peoples Democratic Party is also guilty especially when President Jonathan was endorsed by some people in Anambra State where he had gone on a day working visit last week. Okupe said, ” that was spontaneous, people who endorsed President Jonathan in Anambra were not politicians, they apprecia
ted what he has been doing and they only endorsed him because he is their hero. It is different from politicians going about campaigning for elections that are three years away”.
“Most of us are political jobbers, we do not have anything doing and that is why we begin campaign almost immediately for another election which is 4 years away after one election has just been concluded.”, Okupe added.
On employment, Okupe who was unable to give the rate of unemployment in the Country when asked, said 240 manufacturing companies and 200,000 jobs have been created while 400billion naira injected in the last one year into the economy. He said the figures were given by Chief Jamodu, the chairman of manufacturers association.
Okupe who said a silent revolution is on going in transportation section, especially in rail was full of praises of President Jonathan. He said the railway from Lagos to Kano is near perfect state and that the one from Abuja to Kaduna is 40 percent complete.
On capital flight away from Nigeria especially in the education sector where 160 billion naira was reported to have been spent by Nigerians in Ghana to get tertiary education in 2011, Okupe said Jonathan should not be blamed for rot that has been accumulated over years. Even though the figure alone is more than the budget for education in 2011, Okupe insisted that the Federal Government would not be distracted and efforts that have been made by this administration which have produced results especially in the power sector will continue and that of education would not be an exception.
