People Are Now Scrambling For Aba Made Products – Goodluck Jonathan

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan has commended the producers of goods in Aba, insisting that there has been an improvement in the quality of products.

He declared that the negative perception by consumers of made-in-Aba products has changed.

Jonathan shared his thoughts in Umuahia during the University of Port Harcourt 1980s Alumni reunion and award event.

Jonathan, who was represented by Godknows Igali, said that the downgraded outlook on Aba products had changed and that the place was attracting more customers, following the efforts of Governor Alex Otti.

“The presence of Alex Otti in Abia State shows intentionality in leadership.

“He came prepared. Before, in Abia State, once they say Aba made, people would laugh, but today, people are scrambling for Aba made”, Jonathan said.

The former President said that the University of Port Harcourt was the only institution in Nigeria that had produced 6 Governors, a Vice President and a President

Responding, Otti thanked the members of Uniport Alumni for the meeting and for visiting some sites of projects he was executing.

The event was attended by Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi and others.

Meanwhile, former president Goodluck Jonathan has stated that failure to ensure justice and fairness in decision making endangers a nation’s stability and future prosperity.

Jonathan gave the warning while sharing his thoughts on the state of emergency declared in Rivers State.

He argued that no country can succeed when government officials abuse power and act as a dictatorship.

He argued that the crisis in Rivers State reflects wider governance challenges in Nigeria, where key executive, legislature and judiciary figures fail to uphold justice and the rule of law.

Jonathan delivered his remarks on Saturday at the Annual Colloquium of the Haske Satumari Foundation in Abuja, an event aimed at amplifying marginalised voices and promoting equitable governance.

The former president expressed concern that compromised institutions deter investment and impede economic growth, as investors are wary of environments where judicial rulings may be influenced.

The former Nigerian leader said, “We’re talking about building a society where no one is oppressed, as reflected in the top paragraph of our national anthem. 

“What is happening in Nigeria today regarding the situation in river states is like an Indian proverb that said that if somebody is sleeping, really sleeping, you can easily wake up that person. But if that person is pretending to sleep, you find it difficult to wake up that person. The key actors in Nigeria, from executives to the legislature, and the judiciary, they know the correct thing to do, but they are refusing to do it. They are pretending to sleep.

“Waking such a person is extremely difficult, but the person knows the right thing. The clear abuse of offices, clear abuse of power, clear abuse of privileges, cutting across from the three arms of government, from the executive to the parliament to the judiciary. And I always plead with our people that whatever we do affects everybody.

“And if we want to build a nation where our children and our grandchildren, no matter how painful it is, we must strive to do what is right. It may cost us, but we must endeavour and pay the price to insist on doing what is right. Whether you are holding an executive office as a president, a minister, governor, or special advisor, executive, whether you are holding an office in the parliament, senate, or rep, whether you are a judicial officer in high courts or appellate courts, we must strive to do what is right.

“If we want to build a nation that our children will be proud of. As we engage in these discussions, let us remember that promoting social change is not a one-time event, but a continuous process. It requires a sustained commitment, collective action, and unwavering dedication to the values that promote good governance.”