NPC Minister advocates evidence-based campaign

Abuja (National Planning Ministry Report) – The Minister/Deputy Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman has tasked the members of the Women of Action Campaign Team, a political group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure that their campaign towards ensuring victory for President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 Presidential election is evidenced-based.

The Minister stated this at the weekend in Abuja when the group paid him a congratulatory visit on his appointment as Minister and to wish him well as the Minister of National Planning. 

“Elections and campaigns should be evidence-based not sectional. I am elated with your slogan: ‘Evidence-based Campaign.’ Ensure that your campaign follows this pattern. It should be a form of enlightenment. This way you can better promote and propagate the tremendous achievements which the President has recorded so far,” he said.

 Abubakar Sulaiman stated that President Goodluck Jonathan has performed well despite the challenges facing the country. He further cited areas such as infrastructure development, education, energy and agriculture as areas that have received great transformation under the present administration. He described the President as a man with large heart, arguing that despite the role he played as a member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the strike that paralysed the universities for months, the President has invited him into the cabinet as a Minister.

“It is only a man with big heart that can bring me into his cabinet to serve as a Minister, despite the role I played as a member of ASUU in the last strike,” he averred.

 He charged the group to ensure that they play their role towards ensuring the emergence of President Jonathan as the President of Nigeria come 2015 and also urged the group to partner with the Commission in the area of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), social security, Servicom and macroeconomic issues.

 Speaking earlier at the event, the Director of Policy and Strategy, Osa Asemota stated that the verifiable track record of President Jonathan attracted them to form the group in 2013 when they observed the well arranged programme formulated by the opposition to belittle the President and the PDP.

 Osa Asemota also said that the group was motivated by the giant strides recorded in the economy with the country’s GDP now number one in Africa in terms of US dollars. He stated that the PDP Government has successfully ridden the country out of economic gridlock, resulting to the favourable ratings that was received from Moody, Fitch and S&P and also paid off the external debt worth $30billion.