The Economist magazine has endorsed Muhammadu Buhari for next week's elections.

While they acknowledged Buhari's past as a military dictator and heavily criticized his regime's economic and social policies; they still prefered him to Jonathan who was described as "an utter failure".

SOMETIMES there are no good options. Nigeria goes to the polls on February 14th to elect the next president, who will face problems so large—from rampant corruption to a jihadist insurgency—that they could break the country apart, with dire consequences for Nigerians and the world.

And yet, as Africa’s biggest economy stages its most important election since the restoration of civilian rule in 1999, and perhaps since the civil war four decades ago, Nigerians must pick between the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan, who has proved an utter failure, and the opposition leader, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator with blood on his hands. The candidates stand as symbols of a broken political system that makes all Nigeria’s problems even more intractable.

Start with Mr Jonathan, whose People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has run the country since 1999 and who stumbled into the presidency on the death of his predecessor in 2010. The PDP’s reign has been a sorry one. Mr Jonathan has shown little willingness to tackle endemic corruption. When the governor of the central bank reported that $20 billion had been stolen, his reward was to be sacked.

[b]Worse, on Mr Jonathan’s watch much of the north of the country has been in flames. About 18,000 people have died in political violence in recent years, thousands of them in January in several brutal attacks by Boko Haram, a jihadist group that claims to have established its “caliphate” in territory as large as Belgium. Another 1.5m people have fled their homes. The insurgency is far from Mr Jonathan’s southern political heartland and afflicts people more likely to vote for the opposition. He has shown little enthusiasm for tackling it, and even less competence. Quick to offer condolences to France after the attack on Charlie Hedbo, Mr Jonathan waited almost two weeks before speaking up about a Boko Haram attack that killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of his compatriots.

The single bright spot of his rule has been Nigeria’s economy, one of the world’s fastest-growing. Yet that is largely despite the government rather than because of it, and falling oil prices will temper the boom. The prosperity has not been broadly shared: under Mr Jonathan poverty has increased. Nigerians typically die eight years younger than their poorer neighbours in nearby Ghana.[/b]

Goodbye Jonathan
Voters have ample cause to send Mr Jonathan packing. In a country where power has often changed through the barrel of a gun, the opposition All Progressives Congress has a real chance of winning through the ballot box. Yet its candidate, Mr Buhari, is an ex-general who, three decades ago, came to power in a coup. His rule was nasty, brutish and mercifully short. Declaring a “war against indiscipline”, he ordered whip-wielding soldiers to ensure that Nigerians formed orderly queues. His economics, known as Buharism, was destructive. Instead of letting the currency depreciate in the face of a trade deficit, he tried to fix prices and ban “unnecessary” imports. He expelled 700,000 migrants in the delusion that this would create jobs for Nigerians. He banned political meetings and free speech. He detained thousands, used secret tribunals and executed people for crimes that were not capital offences.

Should a former dictator with such a record be offered another chance? Surprisingly, many Nigerians think he should. One reason is that, in a country where ministers routinely wear wristwatches worth many times their annual salary, Mr Buhari is a sandal-wearing ascetic with a record of fighting corruption. Few nowadays question his commitment to democracy or expect him to turn autocratic: he has repeatedly stood for election and accepted the outcome when he lost. He would probably do a better job of running the country, and in particular of tackling Boko Haram. As a northerner and Muslim, he will have greater legitimacy among villagers whose help he will need to isolate the insurgents. As a military man, he is more likely to win the respect of a demoralised army.

We are relieved not to have a vote in this election. But were we offered one we would—with a heavy heart—choose Mr Buhari. Mr Jonathan risks presiding over Nigeria’s bloody fragmentation. If Mr Buhari can save Nigeria, history might even be kind to him.

Ouch!

GMB brings a lot of baggage. For instance, I fear for say ho.mosex.uals if he ascends. But GEJ, oh GEJ

Where to even begin.... It's too much.....

Perhaps, being fair to GEJ, he's all round completely clueless. ie, he's as incompetent at highlighting his successes as he is at recognizing his glaring missteps. Perhaps it's not been all bad. However, the bad is real pronounced... And like the article notes, the good likely is in spite of him, not because of him

At the end of the day though, we get the government we deserve.... We support these clowns...

^^^To be fair, no Nigerian leader has done more to harm the gay community than GEJ. Buhari hasn't said anything particularly bad concerning homosexuals and didn't persecute them when he was head of state. Besides, Osibanjo is a constitutional lawyer so he's probably our best chance of getting that law stricken off.

One way or the other sha, GEJ has to go. Nigerians have to start punishing rubbish leaders if we are ever going to progress. If we keep rewarding incompetence who knows where we'll end up.

EvilBrain1:
^^^To be fair, no Nigerian leader has done more to harm the gay community than GEJ. Buhari hasn't said anything particularly bad concerning homosexuals and didn't persecute them when he was head of state. Besides, Osibanjo is a constitutional lawyer so he's probably our best chance of getting that law stricken off.

One way or the other sha, GEJ has to go. Nigerians have to start punishing rubbish leaders if we are ever going to progress. If we keep rewarding incompetence who knows where we'll end up.

GMB will also have a weary international community watching. If he wants their support he'll have to play nice, so there's that too. Of course he could go semi-'axis of evil' should he choose to.

That said, yes, he doesn't seem like the type that enjoys kicking the underdog's teeth in actually. Provided they kept to themselves he very likely won't bother, at all sef. GEJ, on the other hand, in his bid to look tough went down that silly path instead of say facing BH. Can't wait for the clown to leave.

wiegraf:


GMB will also have a weary international community watching. If he wants their support he'll have to play nice, so there's that too. Of course he could go semi-'axis of evil' should he choose to.

That said, yes, he doesn't seem like the type that enjoys kicking the underdog's teeth in actually. Provided they kept to themselves he very likely won't bother, at all sef. GEJ, on the other hand, in his bid to look tough went down that silly path instead of say facing BH. Can't wait for the clown to leave.

Also, Buhari's circumstances back then were completely different from what they are now. People think he single-handedly made the government brutal forgetting that it was a military government with notorious hardässes like Idiagbon also having their say. Nowadays, he couldn't whip anyones's ynash even if he wanted to. Democracy means limited government, oversight, separation of powers and individual rights; things Buhari cannot get rid of without undermining himself since he'll be getting his powers from the same constitution.

This is actually the best time to have a brutal ex-dictator as president. He can't touch law abiding citizens, but he can channel his brutality towards Boko Haram and the criminals bleeding us dry.

EvilBrain1:
^^^To be fair, no Nigerian leader has done more to harm the gay community than GEJ. Buhari hasn't said anything particularly bad concerning homosexuals and didn't persecute them when he was head of state. Besides, Osibanjo is a constitutional lawyer so he's probably our best chance of getting that law stricken off.

One way or the other sha, GEJ has to go. Nigerians have to start punishing rubbish leaders if we are ever going to progress. If we keep rewarding incompetence who knows where we'll end up.

For this reason alone, I'm voting Buhari.

masonkz:


For this reason alone, I'm voting Buhari.

That's more than enough reason. Fight for your rights.

EvilBrain1:
^^^To be fair, no Nigerian leader has done more to harm the gay community than GEJ. Buhari hasn't said anything particularly bad concerning homosexuals and didn't persecute them when he was head of state. Besides, Osibanjo is a constitutional lawyer so he's probably our best chance of getting that law stricken off.

One way or the other sha, GEJ has to go. Nigerians have to start punishing rubbish leaders if we are ever going to progress. If we keep rewarding incompetence who knows where we'll end up.

Well,one thing I know is GEJ never initiated that law though but as a sitting president he could have done much more to stop it from passing in parliament.Obasanjo shelved aside this law all through his tenure.Amidst the selfish reasons of passing the law,Jonathan was weak and insecure of his presidency,the parliament saw this and used it as an advantage.

I'd be voting Jonathan out for the many things he never did not the one thing he did.I don't see Buhari being any different,he and Osinbanjo come across as people who would append their signatures to harsher law,am sure the both of them support the law.GEJ may be the only one to undo his mistake,Buhari in power may be another 4-8years of persecution to the gay community,a bad precedent for Nigerian democracy.

I may be totally wrong though,who knows,Buhari may be totally indifferent to the cause.

CyrusXandria:
Well,one thing I know is GEJ never initiated that law though but as a sitting president he could have done much more to stop it from passing in parliament.Obasanjo shelved aside this law all through his tenure.Amidst the selfish reasons of passing the law,Jonathan was weak and insecure of his presidency,the parliament saw this and used it as an advantage.

Jonathwn signed the bill therefore he's responsible for it, no excuses. He could easily have rejected it until the national assembly removed all the unconstitutional parts. He could even have had the Justice ministry draft a version that didnt strip people of basic human rights and sent it to the legislators under the table. Instead, he chose to throw gay people under the bus in order to distract attention from his own faiked government. Jonathan is not as stüpid as eveyone makes him out to be. Shortsighted, yes; selfish; definitely but not that stüpid

I'd be voting Jonathan out for the many things he never did not the one thing he did.I don't see Buhari being any different,he and Osinbanjo come across as people who would append their signatures to harsher law,am sure the both of them support the law.GEJ may be the only one to undo his mistake,Buhari in power may be another 4-8years of persecution to the gay community,a bad precedent for Nigerian democracy.

I may be totally wrong though,who knows,Buhari may be totally indifferent to the cause.

If you think Jonathan cares enough about gay people to go through the trouble of fixing that law, youre on a long tin. This is a man who was smiling and dancing at a rally less than 24hours after 59 boys were murdered at a Federal Government College. A man who was sending condolences to France over 11 deaths when he hadnt even mentioned the 2000 of our own people who died the same time. Let me assure you that he doesnt give a fück about gay people.

We shouldnt assume the worst about Buhari and Osibanjo especially since they havent addressed the subject. Plus this election is not about voting for Buhari, its about punishing the incumbent for his terrible performance. If Buhari gets there and misbehaves, we'll vote him out as well in 2019. Eventually the politicians will see the pattern and theyll learn.

EvilBrain1:


Jonathwn signed the bill therefore he's responsible for it, no excuses. He could easily have rejected it until the national assembly removed all the unconstitutional parts. He could even have had the Justice ministry draft a version that didnt strip people of basic human rights and sent it to the legislators under the table. Instead, he chose to throw gay people under the bus in order to distract attention from his own faiked government. Jonathan is not as stüpid as eveyone makes him out to be. Shortsighted, yes; selfish; definitely but not that stüpid



If you think Jonathan cares enough about gay people to go through the trouble of fixing that law, youre on a long tin. This is a man who was smiling and dancing at a rally less than 24hours after 59 boys were murdered at a Federal Government College. A man who was sending condolences to France over 11 deaths when he hadnt even mentioned the 2000 of our own people who died the same time. Let me assure you that he doesnt give a fück about gay people.

We shouldnt assume the worst about Buhari and Osibanjo especially since they havent addressed the subject. Plus this election is not about voting for Buhari, its about punishing the incumbent for his terrible performance. If Buhari gets there and misbehaves, we'll vote him out as well in 2019. Eventually the politicians will see the pattern and theyll learn.

Yes he is responsible for signing the bill,and I rightly said he could have done more to stop the passage.

You speak of Jonathan like his person is something alien to you and I.I know Jonathan very well,I know exactly what the Otueke PHD holder stands for.Like I rightly said,I may be totally wrong and I stand to be corrected.I don't see Buhari being any different to the plight of gays in Nigeria.



The whole election is based on trials and errors,Jonathan was probably the best option Nigeria had in 2011,its 2015,he failed woefully,we'd be sending Buhari to Aso Rock to get rid of Jonathan and also finally give Buhari a shot after this years.Buhari has never been Nigeria's best option in the past 3 elections but now he suddenly is

Hope you get where am coming from.

EvilBrain1:


. Plus this election is not about voting for Buhari, its about punishing the incumbent for his terrible performance. If Buhari gets there and misbehaves, we'll vote him out as well in 2019. Eventually the politicians will see the pattern and theyll learn.

Bro, dis people will never learn...They're all bunch of self-centered beings and 4 years is more than enough to loot Nigeria's treasury.

Oboy, gays don't take over this thread. As long as you are on the GeneralMarch4buhari, I pray that you change your ways and become straight again. I'm not saying I'm better than you, but something is not just right with your sexual orientation.

#gaysArePartOfTheMarchForBuhari

CyrusXandria:
Yes he is responsible for signing the bill,and I rightly said he could have done more to stop the passage.

You speak of Jonathan like his person is something alien to you and I.I know Jonathan very well,I know exactly what the Otueke PHD holder stands for.Like I rightly said,I may be totally wrong and I stand to be corrected.I don't see Buhari being any different to the plight of gays in Nigeria.



The whole election is based on trials and errors,Jonathan was probably the best option Nigeria had in 2011,its 2015,he failed woefully,we'd be sending Buhari to Aso Rock to get rid of Jonathan and also finally give Buhari a shot after this years.Buhari has never been Nigeria's best option in the past 3 elections but now he suddenly is

Hope you get where am coming from.

oboi, I love those that love BUHARI.

wiegraf:


GMB will also have a weary international community watching. If he wants their support he'll have to play nice, so there's that too. Of course he could go semi-'axis of evil' should he choose to.

That said, yes, he doesn't seem like the type that enjoys kicking the underdog's teeth in actually. Provided they kept to themselves he very likely won't bother, at all sef. GEJ, on the other hand, in his bid to look tough went down that silly path instead of say facing BH. Can't wait for the clown to leave.

The biggest concern of the international community today is Islamic terrorism. If Johnathan had tackled that, rather than turn it to an avenue for looting and political gain, they would have looked the other way ( greater good bollocks and all that) .as it is, they have seen BH grow from small time thugs to a force that requires armies to be tackled. They can also see militant warlords being armed by the Nigerian government. Tompolo and co could be the next joseph konys.



If push comes to shove, they may interfere directly.



In a short while we may see sagir koli on international media

CyrusXandria:




The whole election is based on trials and errors,Jonathan was probably the best option Nigeria had in 2011,its 2015,he failed woefully,we'd be sending Buhari to Aso Rock to get rid of Jonathan and also finally give Buhari a shot after this years.Buhari has never been Nigeria's best option in the past 3 elections but now he suddenly is

Hope you get where am coming from.

Johnathan was never the best option. He already had a history of non performance , and his callousness was already visible for anyone who wanted to see. The fg and the world had advance warning of the October 1 bombings but gej went right ahead without informing the citizens. Then he appeared on TV with mend chiefs telling us they are his brothers.


Nigerians just allowed themselves to be suckered by religious and tribal bigotry and the delusion that running a country is like winning a lottery; by luck alone

Caseless:
Oboy, gays don't take over this thread. As long as you are on the GeneralMarch4buhari, I pray that you change your ways and become straight again. I'm not saying I'm better than you,but something is not just right with your sexual orientation.

#gaysArePartOfTheMarchForBuhari

Come oh,don't change the topic here,but its wrong to say something you can't prove.

oyb:


Johnathan was never the best option. He already had a history of non performance , and his callousness was already visible for anyone who wanted to see. The fg and the world had advance warning of the October 1 bombings but gej went right ahead without informing the citizens. Then he appeared on TV with mend chiefs telling us they are his brothers.


Nigerians just allowed themselves to be suckered by religious and tribal bigotry and the delusion that running a country is like winning a lottery; by luck alone

I'll conclude he was the best option for every Nigerian who voted him out of religious and tribal bigotry.

oyb:


Johnathan was never the best option. He already had a history of non performance , and his callousness was already visible for anyone who wanted to see. The fg and the world had advance warning of the October 1 bombings but gej went right ahead without informing the citizens. Then he appeared on TV with mend chiefs telling us they are his brothers.


Nigerians just allowed themselves to be suckered by religious and tribal bigotry and the delusion that running a country is like winning a lottery; by luck alone

I remember the first time I became aware of Goodluck Jonathan back when he was a deputy governor. Alamco had just been arrested in London and NTA went to interview him. It was a delicate situation that GEJ possibly stood to benefit from and I expected him to pick his words very carefully. Instead he said he was 100% behind Alams and didn't even care that the guy had stolen his people's money. A few weeks later, Alams had escaped (and was claiming God had magically teleported him to Yenagoa), the London police had showed their evidence and everybody was condemning him. And there was Jonathan again on NTA supporting his fugitive thief of a boss 100% even when the Bayelsa people were protesting out of embarrassment. There was no hedging, no nuance , no sublety in his language, no hint that he had any problem with the blatant stealing. Just 100% blind loyalty.

I remember thinking: "What a möron!".

ebbie9ja:

Bro, dis people will never learn...They're all bunch of self-centered beings and 4 years is more than enough to loot Nigeria's treasury.

They'll learn.

Nigeria is not different from other countries no matter what people say. If it works elsewhere, it will work here. We just need to stop being deceived by religious and tribal nonsense.

EvilBrain1:


They'll learn.

Nigeria is not different from other countries no matter what people say. If it works elsewhere, it will work here. We just need to stop being deceived by religious and tribal nonsense.

Sure. It will take time, even years. But at the end, we would find a system that works for us and we will adjust.

EvilBrain1:
^^^To be fair, no Nigerian leader has done more to harm the gay community than GEJ. Buhari hasn't said anything particularly bad concerning homosexuals and didn't persecute them when he was head of state. Besides, Osibanjo is a constitutional lawyer so he's probably our best chance of getting that law stricken off.

One way or the other sha, GEJ has to go. Nigerians have to start punishing rubbish leaders if we are ever going to progress. If we keep rewarding incompetence who knows where we'll end up.

Are you a gay?

Rilwayne001:


Are you a gay?

No, but I support equality for gays (and everybody else) out of enlightened self interest. The anti-gay marriage law was Christians and Muslims ganging up together to impose their sharia beliefs on a helpless minority and stripping them of their constitutional protections. It's not hard to see that if they can do that, then they can come after atheists like me as well.

Everybody is in the minority in one way or another. People's constitutional rights must remain sacrosanct no matter how disgusting you think they are. Otherwise, our democracy will end up as 2 wolves and a sheep voting on what to eat for dinner. It won't be long before you find yourself on the menu.

There's an old thread where I thrashed out this issue when the bill was still in the senate. Read it and get back to me.

for the fun of it.. i know the PR team that called the editorials n got this done...justsaying

EvilBrain1:


No, but I support equality for gays (and everybody else) out of enlightened self interest. The anti-gay marriage law was Christians and Muslims ganging up together to impose their sharia beliefs on a helpless minority and stripping them of their constitutional protections. It's not hard to see that if they can do that, then they can come after atheists like me as well.

Everybody is in the minority in one way or another. People's constitutional rights must remain sacrosanct no matter how disgusting you think they are. Otherwise, our democracy will end up as 2 wolves and a sheep voting on what to eat for dinner. It won't be long before you find yourself on the menu.

There's an old thread where I thrashed out this issue when the bill was still in the senate. Read it and get back to me.

Okay sir

adonbiliv

EvilBrain1:
^^^To be fair, no Nigerian leader has done more to harm the gay community than GEJ. Buhari hasn't said anything particularly bad concerning homosexuals and didn't persecute them when he was head of state. Besides, Osibanjo is a constitutional lawyer so he's probably our best chance of getting that law stricken off.

One way or the other sha, GEJ has to go. Nigerians have to start punishing rubbish leaders if we are ever going to progress. If we keep rewarding incompetence who knows where we'll end up.

Frigging GAY.