President Goodluck Jonathan nationwide popularity rating continues to surge, this time he has been endorsed for a second term by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, who went on to offer prayers for him. Although it is not clear how this will impact on the electoral fortune of Jonathan in the south-west — which is considered by many analysts as the battleground for the March 28 presidential poll — it is still a symbolic gesture from one of the most revered traditional rulers in the country.

At the palace on Saturday, Jonathan said: “One of the key things that we must do is to ensure that we have some significant changes in the country in terms of social and political structures and we believe that for us to really have a changed society we must go beyond just infrastructure and that is one of the reasons why we set up the national conference, which they came up with some key recommendations, that if we implement it will move Nigeria forward.

“When some people talk about change, we are talking about moving Nigeria forward, and to move Nigeria forward, we believe that that the implementation of that report is key . Yes as a government we can work on our infrastructures like roads. But those clamouring for change, they won’t be able to bring about real change since they have refused to be part of the process that would bring about the change they are shouting about. “Some political parties that are advocating for change I believe they don’t have the blue print for the development of this country as enunciated in the report of the national conference. And they cannot give out what they don’t have because they boycotted the conference and I don’t see how they will implement that report and if they will not implement that report, where will they take this country to?”

Jonathan said the issue of skewed political appointments against the south-west had become a major subject he had to address in the course of his interaction with the people of the zone. He gave a commitment that the trend would be reversed in the next dispensation.

“One of the matters that keeps cropping up is the issue of political appointments for people from the south west. I promise that in the exit dispensation whatever lapses we have, will be taken care of. We will sit down and make sure that while appointing people into offices, the south west is not short hanged in any way,” he said.

“We knew what happened that led to that skewed distribution in a way, over the period we tried to correct it and I believed because of that major problem at the beginning not caused by me, you know the reason, I believe my good brothers and sisters, my fathers and mothers from the south west let me promise you that in my second tenure, we will make sure that thing doesn’t come up at all. “We promise that we will do our best for the whole country and south west must play roles in government so that whatever is due to the south westerners, they will surely get it, and we promise that we will do our best for our country,” he said.