Democracy will flourish in Africa if leaders value elections process—Jonathan

Former Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, at the mayor’s office in Newark, New Jersey, Thursday spoke to Friends of Africa coalition on the theme of strengthening democracy and elections and also touched on some of the legacies of his administration.

Speaking to the elite group, former President Jonathan said that real democracy will continue to flourish in Africa as long as leaders “value the process (of elections) more than the product of the process”.

Jonathan also argued that if the process that brought leaders to power “did not flow through the people, they naturally administered their governments to first and foremost serve the constituencies that brought them to power.”

He also stated that he was fulfilled that during his tenure as Nigeria’s President, the nation emerged as the largest economy in Africa and the 24th largest in the world.

Also, Jonathan met with the CEO of Moskeeto Armor, Robin R. Crespo and his team as part of events leading up to the World Malaria Day on April 25th, 2016.

The meeting held in New York on the 21st of April, 2016. Moskeeto Armor manufactures clothing to protect against malaria, the zika virus, Dengue and other vector-borne diseases. Moskeeto Armor was successfully clinically field-tested in Nigeria in 2014. When worn by children as a standalone product, Moskeeto Armor was 90% effective at reducing the malaria infection rate, and when combined with a bed net, the Moskeeto Armor combination was 97% effective at stopping the spread of malaria.

The Goodluck Jonathan Foundation is partnering with Moskeeto Armor to protect African children against malaria and other vector-borne diseases.

“The simple principle of ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’ lays a foundation of commitment to protecting nations,” said former President Jonathan during the meeting with Moskeeto Armor.

Continuing, he said “these crises caused by such small insects, transmitting these deadly diseases, have devastated so many lives across Africa and the world, but with one just as small idea, there is hope for a better tomorrow.”