Does Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Deserve a 2nd Term as Nigeria President? I am totally bemused that some supposedly well-meaning Nigerians could be calling for support for President Jonathan run for a second term. I find it very offensive that some of these Jonathan apologists would actually want us to reward one of the most incompetent leaders we have ever had the misfortune of electing President in Nigeria, with another 4 years in the saddle. Seriously, who in their right minds would want another 4 years of the type of mind-boggling tragi-comedy, we have witnessed in Jonathan Goodluck’s 6 years as President of Nigeria? It is very sad Really. Unlike all those ethnic jingoists like Asari Dokubo; who were unashamedly basing their support for Jonathan because of his state of origin, I don’t care if President Jonathan came from my village, or my wife’s family for that matter. The bottom line is that his laughable incompetence in dealing with the palpable insecurity in the land, and the lingering Boko Haram menace, is enough for us to kick him out of Aso Rock and all the way back to Yenagoa for good in 2015. Without a doubt, a government’s primary responsibility is to protect the lives of its people, and ensure security and stability for business and life to thrive. Our dear President has shown us over the last few years that he has no clue, no vision and no ideas on how to provide that security. So why should any rational thinking person want to give him another 4 years? Let’s talk about the issue of security and why I am so upset about the idea of countenancing another 4 years of the Jonathan Presidency. The current State of Insecurity in Nigeria crept on us like a thief in the night, while our leaders and watchers of our collective security under President Jonathan’s watch, were asleep or too blinded by greed to see what was going on. In less than 6 years, Nigeria has moved from a country where the issue of suicide bombing was totally inconceivable, by the even the most imaginative minds, to where suicide bombing is now a daily occurrence. We have moved from a nation where church buildings and mosques used to be held sacred by everyone, including unbelievers, to a tragic situation where churches are now being bombed with regularity. Our nation has transformed from a country where our National Independence day celebrations was always a time of unbridled public expression of pride and joy, to a situation where our President was not even embarrassed to deliver Independence day speeches from his bedroom, simply because terrorists dared him to come to the stadium. This Presidency has been largely responsible for allowing our country to go from the days where our Presidents were celebrated on the streets with flags as they visit their home towns, to an inexplicable low point where our President could not visit his own home state, because terrorists warned him not to come or die. Nigeria is now surrounded, and hemmed in on all sides, in a deadly siege by the Militant Terrorists in the South-South; escalating menace of armed robbery in the west; kidnapping for ransom and political assassination in the east; and suicide bombers of Boko haram in the North. That NIGERIA IS UNDER SIEGE ON ALL SIDES, not by a foreign power, but by our own home grown terrorists is no longer a matter for debate, but a deadly and sober reality. It’s a fact that even the most ardent patriots have come to acknowledge While the State of Insecurity in Nigeria continued to worsen on an hourly basis, our government appeared paralyzed and incapable of dealing with the level of savagery and arrogance of the terrorists from everywhere. Our own president first hinted us that he was clueless in dealing with this problem when he solemnly told us that terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon and that maybe it is Nigeria’s turn. That singular pronouncement from our President should have told us very clearly that our President is clueless on how to deal with the rapidly escalating problem. Elsewhere in the world where terrorists have struck, we have seen their presidents coming out with venom in their mouths promising their citizens that all terrorists will be hunted down without mercy, followed by swift reassurances for their citizens’ safety. In Nigeria, our own president told us to get used to it since terrorism is now the hip thing all over the world! The State of Insecurity in the nation has reached such an alarming level that even some of the most ardent patriotic, well meaning, and optimistic Nigerians are beginning to accept the obvious fact that Nigeria is gradually tottering towards becoming a failed state. One writer actually called it the ‘Somalization of Nigeria’. To some, this may be an exaggeration of the reality on ground, but I personally will not disagree with those sentiments. When a Nation can no longer guarantee a basic necessity for survival in the country, then it is tending towards failure though it may not have totally failed. I am sure those who have been living with the Boko Haram nightmare on a daily basis in Jos, Maiduguri, Kano, Abuja and other cities will definitely agree that Nigeria has failed them in the area of security. While our President continues to travel the world in his very comfortable jet, and his wife continues to paralyze economic activities all over relatively safe areas on a belated THANK YOU tour of her husband’s supporters, Nigeria continues to be under siege. The effect of this problem is so farfetched that I am still surprised that our National Assembly and the Executive have not even appreciated the economic, social and political impact of what we are dealing with here. 80% of our capital market activities involved inflow from overseas. Obviously no reasonable investor will put his money in a failing state. Also, over 70% of food supplies in the country come from food supplies from the north and the state of insecurity in the country has led to drastic cuts in supplies of essentials such as Tomatoes, Pepper and Yam. As it is, many Nigerians have not even connected the rising cost of these staple foods to the terrorism in the North. People just knew prices are rising without even understanding why. As this condition continues to worsen, Nigerians are going to be in for a season of famine and hunger. It may well get to the point where the poor have nothing else to eat but the rich people around them. Then, we will really see anarchy. As we continue to cower in our bedrooms praying for the scourge of Boko Haram, militants and armed robbery to be taken away by God, many have tried to find the cause of this modern day siege of the most populous black nation. Some have traced the root causes to poverty; some have fingered corruption of our leaders while others have tried to pin it on foreign influence. Lately, the National Security Adviser pointed at his own party, PDP, for causing the escalation in bombings through their internal policies and politics. Meanwhile as allegations and counter allegations continue to assault our already frayed mental condition, we are yet to hear any practical solutions to this scourge on our country. All the government can tell is that Boko Haram will soon be a thing of the past. How this will happen in view of the daily bombings, nobody has told us. Nigeria continues to burn at a rate where even some of the most patriotic and courageous Nigerians alive are now wringing their hands in despair, with a scary acceptance of the fact that Nigeria could be tending towards anarchy. The last interview of General Danjuma sacred me more than anything I have read on this issue. When a courageous and knowledgeable warrior of his caliber starts raising the alarm of ‘fire on the mountain’, then it may be time to start panicking. Our Government is obviously confused and powerless to stem the tide of this siege and state of insecurity. Our President AGAIN appears to be way out of his depth in dealing with this disaster. He appears totally disassociated from the climate in the country. He has moved from one of the most popular presidents to be voted for, just a couple of years ago, to a President that everyone now looks at with anger and scorn. The President appears to be way out of his depth and this situation is made even worse because of his apparent ignorance about that fact. From a University lecturer who ‘lucked’ his way through a bizarre happenstance of fate, to move with dizzying speed to Deputy Governor, to governor, to vice president and then President in a space of 4 years, the President is obviously realizing that luck can get you to the position, but luck cannot run the government. It is a clear case of ‘what got him here cannot take you there’. We need our president to assemble the best rains he can find in the country regardless of party affiliation, and lock them up in a room until they give him solutions. Maybe it is also time for the President to consider some previously inconceivable options in confronting the siege on his country. Perhaps it is time to call on Jack Bauer from the Counter Terrorism center in the 24 thriller; or maybe it is time we set up our own Counter Terrorism Center and bring out our own vicious killers too to fight fire with fire. Perhaps it is simply time for the president to own up to what we all can observe, and admit that he and his people are simply not trained, or equipped, to deal with the level of sophistication from people who are presumably illiterates, and call in the terrorism experts. Or perhaps it time to set up a Northern development commission like the Niger Delta commission and offer amnesty. More realistically, maybe it is time for the President to simply hold up his hands and tell Nigerians that he is way out of his depth, and resign from the position honorably along with his Vice President instead of asking us to vote for him again for another 4 years of insecurity. I know I do not have all the answers either. Maybe the issues are not as clear as I am thinking but then, as Jack Bauer told the President of the United States who had to make a terrible choice when terrorists attacked U.S. in that thriller TV series called ‘24’, ‘I am not the President of this Country. I did not run to be president and I did not get lucky to be President.’ Dr. Ebele Jonathan is the Man and the buck stops on his desk. It is time to pick up the buck and do something to alleviate the state of insecurity in this country. Until President Johnathan has redeemed himself, and showed us he has a lot more than ‘dumb luck’ going for him, Nigerians do not want to hear any whimpering about why they should vote for him for re-election to avoid power going back to the North or some other stupid excuse. Contrary to the lemon that people from the President’s camp have been trying to sell on why we should vote Jonathan again, truth is that most Nigerians would gladly vote for a Northerner if he would provide security and progress. One thing is for sure, the continued ineptitude of President Jonathan in handling the security and Boko Haram menace is further proof that he does NOT deserve a second term. Nigerians cannot afford 4 more years of insecurity. For him to stick his head in the sand and believe the lies of the people around him that Nigerians love him may be the worst mistake of his life – He would not only lose the 2015 election if things did not improve drastically soon, he may actually lose a lot more than that when the people finally decide to take their destinies in their own hands, as we have seen happen in many countries already. Considering President Johnathan’s record so far on the issue of security alone, I personally think he should call it a day in 2015 and retire to Yenagoa where he can still enjoy some of the booty he has amassed in the last 8 years. Yes, that may be HardTalk, but it’s a true talk nevertheless.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 09:30:52 +0000
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