It is all too glaring. Even
to the not-so-politically
conscious, it is evident
that President Goodluck
Jonathan will save
himself and this country a
lot of trouble if he does
not seek re-election in
2015. Do not get me
wrong. I am not talking
about his constitutional
eligibility. This is not an
argument about his rights
as a citizen to vote and
be voted for. This is not
even about the intrigues
and politics of 2015 that
have factionalised his
party into a breakaway
group known as the New
PDP. Nigerians know that
they are birds of the same
feathers who will soon
find compromise under
their old battered
umbrella.
Of course, President
Jonathan has all the
rights in the world to seek
another term. After all,
against all odds, despite
the fact that he had no
known track record of
performance.
Nigerians, rightly or
wrongly, kept faith with
him in 2011. They also
supported him in his
trying times - when a
devious cabal almost
denied his ascendancy as
President after the death
of his boss, Umaru
Yar’Adua.
Never mind these latter
day ethnic bigots now
whipping up sectional
sentiments and making it
seem that Jonathan is
being criticised because
of his ethnic background.
It is either they have no
sense of history or are
deliberately creating a
decoy to detract Nigerians
from the real issues about
the Jonathan’s
Presidency.
But Nigerians know their
recent history. It bears no
repeating. They know that
during Jonathan’s dark
days, it was the
opposition block and a
vociferous media, those
now being harangued and
labelled anti-Jonathan,
that marched on Abuja
and vehemently
demanded that his rights
be respected. But that
was then. Now, times
have changed. Now, it is
about the moral
justification of re-
contesting a lacklustre
Presidency.
Having assessed the man
and his Presidency, I have
come to the conclusion
that this President may be
pushing his luck too far if
he decides to seek
another term in 2015. The
circumstances of his
emergence should speak
to the President himself.
He must be thankful for
his ‘’good luck’’ and
Nigerians for getting this
far. But he must not over
reach himself. He has
been vice-president. He
also completed the late
Yar’Adua’s tenure. Now,
he is mid way in his
tenure of a four-year term
as an elected President.
Looking back, President
Jonathan’s style, his
attitude to governance
and the precarious state
of our nation, have shown
that Nigerians were naïve
in entrusting him such an
epic responsibility in the
first place. A second term
will be asking for too
much from a President
who has so far not shown
the capacity to make a
radical difference in a
nation adrift. And the
President must know that
blind ambition is the
Achilles heel of an ego-
driven leader. He must not
allow himself to be
afflicted by its dangerous
virus.
Now is the time for him
to reflect and quietly ease
himself out in 2015. It will
be the right thing to do.
That will be the path of
honour. If this President is
discerning enough, he
would know that there is
massive discontent in the
land. A general angst
hangs precariously in the
air. Not even the curious
afterthought of a National
Dialogue will douse an
imminent danger that
lurks ahead. The
President must know that
he stands on the threshold
of history if he takes the
honourable way out in
2015. He could choose
the Mandela option.
Indeed, this President has
two choices ahead of him
in 2015. One can lead to
perdition. The other, to his
eternal redemption; the
choices are his. He could
decide to listen to the
babbles of sycophants
and ethnic praise singers
egging him on;
threatening fire and
brimstone if he does not
get a second term. At
worst, he could decide to
bully his way out of his
party convention; make
the 2015 election a do-or-
die affair and sit tight till
2019. The consequences
will be dire. That may be
his Russian roulette. If he
takes the hard way, he
must know that his
ambition could drag the
country to the edge.
Already, the year, 2015,
ominously hangs on us
like the sword of
Damocles. It is a
portentous year. The
balkanisation of Nigeria
has been predicted for
this date. But no one
knows yet what form the
distingeration will take. It
may never happen. But
make no mistake. Our
brand of politics is too
divisive. Ethnic mistrusts
run too deep. They could
trigger a chain of events
that may spiral out of
control. Let it not be said
that it is the over ambition
of one man that drove our
country to the path of
extinction. On the other
hand, he could write his
name in gold by rejecting
all selfish entreaties to
perpetuate himself in
power till 2019. Either way
is his choice to make.
There are many things
wrong with the Jonathan
Presidency. Where does
one begin without
sounding like a broken
record? Is it his record of
performance? Is it his
lackadaisical approach to
governance? Is it his
pandering to a corrupt
elite? Is it his
indecisiveness and lack of
political will to fight
corruption- all of which
has combined to create a
vicious cycle of impunity?
Name it: It is no longer
news that the President
cannot fight corruption.
He confirmed this himself
recently when he was
reported to have blamed
Nigerians for encouraging
corruption. He said he
would not name corrupt
individuals because he
‘’feared being attacked’’.
Now, that’s our
Commander-in-Chief.
But I am not surprised.
Under Jonathan, buck
passing has become an
effective excuse for non-
performance. Our
Commander-in-Chief is
afraid of rocking the boat.
Our President is afraid of
naming and shaming
those that have stolen us
blind. If our President
cannot name names for
the fear of being attacked,
then who will? Can
somebody tell this
President that the buck
stops at his table? At his
recent media chat, the
President said corruption
is not Nigeria’s major
problem. What more do
we need to know that a
President who denies the
existence of corruption
which is the bane of
underdevelopment cannot
take us to the Promised
Land?
Really, where does one
begin to talk about the
disappointment of this
administration? Do the
stark realities of its
failures not stare us in the
face? Never before has a
Presidency been this
divisive. Jonathan, rather
than being a unifying
figure, has been the most
divisive president in
Nigerian history. It is
scary. In 2011, when
ordinary Nigerians gave
him a Pan-Nigerian
mandate, never for once
did they imagine he would
clandestinely pursue a
sectional, ethnic mandate
that would prop up ethnic
bigots championing
sectional interests.
These ethnic champions
are making him look more
of a sectional President
than a Nigerian leader.
What about the state of
our nation? The economy
is comatose, the claims of
the likes of Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala
notwithstanding. All
national and international
development indices have
shown that poverty
continues to drive
ordinary Nigerians to their
deaths. Unemployment
rate is at an all time high.
A recent report by the
World Bank has confirmed
that unemployment is
first-time high under the
Jonathan administration.
Yet, only his Finance
Minister and the
administration believe that
the economy is buoyant.
And to think this is
happening in a
government that promotes
a culture of waste and
mindless borrowing
leaves a sour taste in the
mouth. The strike by the
Academic Staff Union of
Universities continues to
linger. The Niger Delta
does not fare any better,
the shambolic amnesty
programme
notwithstanding. Poverty
in the region continues to
grow. Isn’t it delusional to
think that because we
have a Niger Deltan
president, the region will
be transformed into the
Dubai of our time?
But now the depressing
news out of the delta is
that of unparalleled oil
theft threatening the
economy and
environment. The Niger
Delta Development
Commission reeks of
corruption. A culture of
entitlement inimical to
genuine development
pervades the entire
region. In saner climes,
this President would have
been impeached a long
time ago. But our National
Assembly is part of the
rot. Certainly, this is not
the breath of fresh air
Nigerians were promised.
The air of the Jonathan
Presidency has become
dangerously polluted and
toxic. In 2015, if our
situation does not
radically change for the
better, Nigerians must
collectively tell this
President he does not
deserve a second term
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