OPC SUPPORT FOR JONATHAN NOT BECAUSE OF...- GANI ADAMS

The National Coordinator, Oodua Peoples Congress, Chie Gfani Adams, has said that the group’s support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term bid is not because of the pipeline contract his organisation recently secured from the Federal Government.

In an interview with Saturday PUNCH on Wednesday, Adams said his open support for President Jonathan had nothing to do with the contract reportedly worth N9bn.
He insisted that his major reason for supporting Jonathan was because of the President’s promise to implement the recommendations of the National Conference report, saying it didn’t matter if the Presidency’s moves were political.
Adams said, “Whether it is a strange coincidence or not, an empowerment is an empowerment. We are citizens of this country. I have paid my dues and I never got this opportunity in my life. I have never got a job from the government. Whether Jonathan has done it to his advantage or not, he is our President. We are his subjects.
“When your brother failed to give you a job and somebody from South-South gives you, then your brother should be ashamed. The budget of Lagos State is a lot and we never benefited a dime from the state government. Meanwhile, our presence here is a security advantage to Lagos State.
“They say an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. If we have enough resources, our standard of living will be improved. We have lost about 7,000 members to this struggle. Many people have been handicapped and some are in detention. Some have been frustrated.
“The Niger Delta (ex militants) have been enjoying amnesty for the past four years. We refused to accept amnesty because we believe we didn’t commit any offense. Now this is not amnesty, it is about a job we have been doing free of charge or by getting peanuts on the street.”