The immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday declared that he thought his people of Bayelsa State will curse and boo him for some decisions taken by his
administration and its failure to bring expected development to the state.
Jonathan, who was treated to a rousing welcome in Yenagoa, the state capital, after handing over to his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja, moved to tears upon seeing the large turn out of people.
He declared, “After six years in Abuja, I thought Bayelsa people will curse and boo me
for some decisions made and development not attracted to the state.”
He asserted that he was short of words to express his feelings about the crowd that lined up the streets of
Yenagoa to welcome him.
The former president who was accompanied by his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, the Ondo State Governor,
Olusegun Mimiko, among other dignitaries, said when he was about leaving Abuja for Bayelsa State, said, “Because you are exposed to the decisions of high office and the thought that you may not
have satisfied the people, sometimes you think they will curse or boo you. But instead, the people have decided to celebrate me.”
He acknowledged the role played by some political leaders in the state for his emergence as a politician
and said sometimes he thought that if he had stayed in Bayelsa, he would have done better as a governor, “but I left to allow others
grow politically.”
The former president used the opportunity to announce that he would dedicate his life to peace building across the country, adding that “Nigeria has given me so much and the
only thing I can do with the rest of my life is to dedicate myself to peace building. We need peace and development. Political crisis don’t bring development. I believe the new administration will work with everybody. I am happy the new President said he does not belong to any clique”.
