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Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on governors to meet under the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to discuss issues that affect the country.
During the 50th birthday celebration of Charles Osazuwa, president of the Rock of Ages Christian Assembly, the former president, who is rumored to be eyeing another run for the presidency, said this to reporters in Benin on Sunday.
According to Jonathan, bringing all of Nigeria’s governors together in a round table to address and propose solutions to problems affecting the country will benefit the president, who relies on briefings from around the country.
“Governors themselves should continue to meet, I don’t really love a situation where the northern governors will meet then the southern governors will cry foul,” Jonathan said.
“Then the southern governors will meet then the northern governors will cry foul, that 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.
“The states, especially in a country where the local governments are very weak, it’s the states that people fall back to.
“So if the governors of the states meet and dialogue, interrogate things that are good for this country, then we will move forward.
“I don’t really enjoy the antagonism between governors, they should come together and discuss.
“If there are issues that are affecting one or two states, I think the governors should see how they can collectively come with a way to address those issues,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jonathan noted that while he was in office he never used his position to punish people.
Jonathan, who was once the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, later governed the state and from there became Vice-President before he emerged president of Nigeria.
The former President said while in politics, he had a conviction to never cause the death of anyone.
“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,” he said.
“Some of the things I did while in office to which people still refer 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.”
