President Goodluck Jonathan is set to send a list of new ministerial nominees to the National Assembly for approval upon their resumption.
The President disclosed this when a delegation of the Peoples Democratic Party from the North West Zone paid him a solidarity visit yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Punch reports;
President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he will be sending a list of new ministerial to the National Assembly upon resumption.
The President said this on Thursday while receiving a delegation of the Peoples Democratic Party from the North West Zone who paid him a solidarity visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“We have also agreed to tackle the issue of desert encroachment robustly. I’m yet to get the last briefing; I believe it is because there is no substantive Minister of Environment yet, but immediately the National Assembly resumes, they will get the list of ministers so that we will get a law that will establish a body.
“We are no longer going to play with this. We have assigned N10bn as a take off fund, this is from the ecological fund not from line budgeting.”
He also said contrary to the belief of many, he did not become the President of Nigeria merely by luck.
Jonathan who served as deputy governor of Bayelsa State, became the state governor after the state lawmakers removed his former boss, Diepreye Alamieyesegha.
He also became the President following the death for the late President Umar Yar’Adua, who he served as Vice-President. Many ascribe his unique ascension to power to luck as epitomised by his first name.
But he said, “I believe that the very first thing you use to emancipate people is education.
“I often use myself as a good example, I grew up in a peasant home. If I did not go to school, there is no way I would have been here today. What has made me to be here today is education.
“They said I am lucky, if I didn’t go to school, will luck bring me to be President of Nigeria?”
He said the only qualification politicians who claim to be progressives could flaunt was their ability to criticise him and his government. The President said they also failed to fix the nation while they were in positions to do so.
He sought for collective efforts at tackling the security challenges in the northern part of the country and developing the region’s economy.
He reiterated his position that he would not interfere in the process of the planned national dialogue.