Abuja (WorldStage Newsonline)-- Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo on Tuesday asked Nigerians to trust in the ability of President Goodluck Jonathan to transform the economy, saying “President Jonathan is honest, patriotic, transparent and fair and would faithfully implement the programmes that would make the country one of the twenty most developed nations by the year 20:2020.”

Speaking at the launching of the book “The Servant Leader 2 - 3 Years Presidential Watershed of Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua” held at International Conference Centre, Abuja, he solicited for the support and cooperation of all Nigerians in the effort to transform the country, said the president is honest and transparent.

Sambo who was the guest of honour at the book launch also extolled the servant leadership qualities of Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

He said the country had lost an apostle of servant leadership as “the late President popularized the concept of servant leadership in Nigeria.

“It is a generally held belief that the late President Yar’Adua had wanted to genuinely and meritoriously serve the Nigerian people up till the end but his illness and eventual death cut short this avowed intention and service to the nation,” he said.

Sambo also recalled the late president's inaugural speech when he was sworn-in 2007, where he said “I will serve with the fear of God, I will serve with humility and I will be a servant leader.”

He also recalled the policy principles of Late President Yar’Adua who declared war on the energy sector, noting that “his 7-Point Agenda was coherent and many felt that when that was faithfully implemented, would be the answer to the myriad of problems plaguing the nation and that it will remove the nation from the incessant quagmire of darkness into light.”

Sambo also noted that as a servant leader, “President Yar’Adua was loving and compassionate as he had expressed love for all Nigerians and showed genuine affection for all without discrimination or bias.

“He listened to the people of Nigeria and in so many cases, reversed certain key government decision, he was problem solver who demonstrated empathy for the people he was called to serve, he had served Nigeria faithfully until his untimely end,”, the VP said.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the event, Chief Solomon Lar, represented by former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, said the Late President Yar’Adua brought a fresh dimension to bear on governance in the country as an avowed democrat.

He eulogized that Late Yar’Adua committed his administration irrevocably to transparency and the true rule of law as he demonstrated both attributes through his policies and programmes.

Gana disclosed the intention to establish a Foundation called ‘Servant Leader Foundation’ whose main aim would be to encourage Nigerians to aspire to the high goals of selfless service to the fatherland. The Guest Speaker, Alhaji Maitama Sule, also said Late President Yar’Adua was a just and fair leader who died for the service of his fatherland and urged that leaders at all times should emulate the qualities of the late President.

The book which has 20 chapters, deals with electoral reforms of the late President Yar’Adua in the first part.

Others deal with Civil Service reforms, Niger Delta as well as health problems of the Late President in the last chapter, according to the book reviewer, Prof. Essiet U. Essiet from the Bayero University, Kano.