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President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday said although he was ready and willing to continue to serve as the President of the country, he was not desperate to continue in office.
He said that was the reason why he had remained unruffled despite the various things that had been said or written about him.
Jonathan spoke at the public launch of a book, “The People’s Choice: The story of President Goodluck Jonathan written” by Rev. Fr. Charles Imokhai.
Over N175m was donated by individuals and groups at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja venue of the launch of the four-part book which chronicles the life of the President, including his educational background, political career and family, among others.
Jonathan advised politicians who are interested in occupying any elective position either at state or federal level not to be desperate.
He said the only things needed were readiness and willingness.
The President said, “My second message is to all of us, especially those of us who are politicians, that for all of us who want to serve, we should be ready to serve but we should not be desperate to serve our people.
“Sometimes, people ask me that Mr. President, from what we read and what we see, we see you are still smiling and unruffled.
“Yes, nothing will really ruffle me because I am willing and ready to serve but I am not desperate to serve. That is what keeps me going.
“All of us who want to hold offices from the least, a counsellor of a ward or a chairman of a council, a member of the state House of Assembly or member of House of Representatives, Senate, Governor or the President, if all of us are always ready and willing to serve our people but we are not desperate in that mission of ours, then of course Nigeria will be a better place for all of us.” Jonathan, who described the story of his life as a humble one, noted that most accounts of his life so far published were not accurate.
He said while the book being presented provided an account that is close to being accurate, he would write the most accurate one after leaving office.
A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), who acted as the chairman of the book launch, said he stood in for Ambassador Yusuff Maitama Sule, who he said had to travel back to Kano to attend to his ailing wife.
He used the opportunity to clear the air on the agreement he reached with the former Biafran leader, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, that was popularly known as the Aburi Accord.
Gowon explained that Odumegwu-Ojukwu made a statement that was contrary to what they discussed at the venue of the accord.
He said the late Biafran leader was able to accomplish that task because he (Gowon) was down with fever when Odumegwu-Ojukwu returned to make the statement.
“I have seen that you (the author) have gone back in history in your research when Ojukwu and myself had the Aburi Accord.
“I was fascinated by that because I can assure you that that meeting was to break the ice and for all of us to allow the military leaders at the time to be able and to agree to be discussing our problems in Nigeria and to solve them.
“What happened to us at Aburi was that I couldn’t make it down because I was unfortunately down with a fever.
“Ojukwu got back and made a statement and that wasn’t what we discussed and that was the beginning of the misunderstanding, not because we agreed to work with Ojukwu.
“Since you presented that we had a meeting I thought I should make that comment and to correct that,” he said.
