2015 polls: Jonathan in closed door meeting with Ex-Prez Obasanjo in Abeokuta

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President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, held a secret meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the latter’s residence.
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Obasanjo, who had initially left his residence in Abeokuta around 3pm, didn’t attend the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential campaign rally which was addressed by President Jonathan in Abeokuta, in pursuit of his re-election bid ahead of next month’s general elections.

Obasanjo’s absence at the rally is in line with his earlier position to withdraw from any PDP activity. Jonathan arrived the state capital around 3:50 pm, and headed straight to the MKO Abiola International Stadium, venue of the rally.

Many had thought the president would snub the former Board of Trustees (BOT) chairman of the party, Obasanjo, who was conspicuously absent at the rally.

But Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo, and the national leadership of the party stormed the hilltop residence of Obasanjo about 8:30pm where they held a closed door meeting.

Details of their discussions were not yet known as at the time of filing this report. Earlier, Jonathan said at the rally that he would create additional eight million jobs for Nigerian youths within the next four years if re-elected.

He explained that a technical committee headed by Sambo, in conjunction with investors, including Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA),Tony Elumelu, has been set up to work out the modalities for the creation of at least two million jobs yearly. “We are working out modalities to create jobs; our target is to create not less than two million jobs every year. We are working with private sector operators; Tony Elumelu is part of them and when we are talking about Elumelu, you know we are talking about a serious investor,” Jonathan stressed.

The president chronicled some of his achievements in different sectors of the economy, noting in particular that his administration had changed the face of agriculture in the country.

He assured that commercial agriculture would be integrated into the secondary schools’ curricula to create wealth, more jobs and to reduce importation of foods. He noted that the Federal Government’s industrial policy facilitated the recent establishment of 56 companies in Ogun State with its spiral advantages. The president explained that more silos and produce storage facilities would be constructed across the nation, including Ogun State.

Earlier, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, revealed that the Jonathan-led administration had reduced annual expenses on food imports from N1.1 trillion to N697 billion through a vibrant agricultural programme.

He added that the nation under the administration of President Jonathan was the only country that first introduced e-wallet fertilizer scheme to prevent alarming fraud rate in the agriculture sector. Among the dignitaries and chieftains of PDP at the rally were the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu; the BoT Chairman, Tony Anenih, and a host of other party leaders.

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