Nigeria Content Online

President Goodluck
Jonathan yesterday said his appointment of the Chief of Army Staff,
Azubuike Ihejirika, a Lieutenant General, was hinged on merit and his
resolve not to discriminate against any ethnic group in the country but
to ensure equal opportunities for all.

He stated this
during a courtesy call on members of the Abia State traditional rulers
council led by its chairman, His Majesty, Eze John Akaniru, in Aba,
where the PDP campaign train touched yesterday.

Mr. Jonathan said
he chose Mr. Ihejirika after much submissions and analysis and
conviction of his brilliance and competence amongst his contemporaries,
to buttress his administration’s policy of equal opportunities for all
Nigerians.

“He is a brilliant
and competent officer and when people thank me for his appointment I
say no, because we are re-creating a Nigeria where no one or ethnic
group suffers discrimination of any kind. I did not know him, I did not
know he was from Abia State, but I did my analysis and I was told he
was the best and I decided that being the best he has to take the job,”
the president said.

Mr. Jonathan also
reassured the people of his government’s commitment to eradicate
kidnapping and to also tackle security issues in the South East region
and the entire nation.

“We are working day
and night and we are going to employ all modern technological methods
to halt the trend of insecurity across the country, particularly in the
South East,” he said.

Mr. Jonathan, who
at the ceremony was conferred with the title of ‘Omezuri Abia’ (meaning
the one that has built Abia) by the Abia traditional rulers, thanked
the traditional rulers and their counterparts across the South East for
the honour bestowed on him and his wife, Patience, and also for their
overwhelming support for him and his running mate during the PDP
primaries.

He called for their
continued support in the forthcoming elections where he is standing as
the presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Earlier, Eze
Akaniru commended President Jonathan for appointing prominent Igbo sons
and daughters into key positions in the country, and for restoring
security of lives and property in the South East particularly Abia, “at
a time when we almost lost hope security-wise.”

“Your campaign is a campaign of hope for all Nigerians and we are
praying for your success. Rest assured that no single vote from Abia
State will go to any other political party or aspirant apart from you
and the PDP,” the traditional ruler said.