Nigeria’s Miserable Choices
By THE EDITORIAL BOARDFEB. 16, 2015

The Nigerian government was supposed to hold presidential elections this past weekend, which presented voters with the dispiriting choice of keeping a lousy incumbent or returning to power a former autocratic leader. Now they will have to wait at least six weeks to cast votes.

The Nigerian election commission said earlier this month that it had pushed back the vote until at least March 28, after the country’s security chiefs warned that they could not guarantee the safety of voters in northeastern areas of the country where Boko Haram, the extremist militant group, captured international attention last spring when it abducted hundreds of schoolgirls. On Friday, Boko Haram fighters attacked a village in neighboring Chad for the first time, an alarming sign of the group’s expanding strength in a region that also includes areas of Cameroon and Niger.

Any argument to delay the vote might be more credible if President Goodluck Jonathan’s government had not spent much of the past year playing down the threat posed by the militants and if there were a reasonable expectation that the country’s weak military has the ability to improve security in a matter of weeks.

It appears more likely Mr. Jonathan grew alarmed by the surging appeal of Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who has vowed to crack down on Boko Haram. By dragging out the race, Mr. Jonathan stands to deplete his rival’s campaign coffers, while he continues to use state funds and institutions to bankroll his own.

That Mr. Buhari, who helped launch a coup against a democratically elected government in 1983 and ruled until late 1985, has emerged as potential winner is more of an indictment of Mr. Jonathan’s dismal rule than a recognition of the former military chief’s appeal.

Nigerian voters have grown increasingly worried about the stunning rise of Boko Haram, which has committed terrorist atrocities including bombings.

The abductions and attacks by the group have exposed the weaknesses of Nigeria’s armed forces and the dysfunction of the government. Although Mr. Jonathan’s government has in the past been less than enthusiastic, and at times obstructive, in response to offers of American and European aid, he appears to be growing increasingly worried. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, he said he would welcome American troops to fight the insurgency.

Beyond security matters, entrenched corruption and the government’s inability to diversify its economy as the price of oil, the country’s financial bedrock, has fallen have also caused Nigerians to look for new leadership. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, and a relatively young democracy, cannot afford an electoral crisis. That would only set back the faltering effort to reassert government control in districts where Boko Haram is sowing terror. The security forces may not be able to safeguard many districts on Election Day. But postponement is very likely to make the security threat worse.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/16/opinion/nigerias-miserable-choices.html?_r=0

Foreign media just know how to embarrass our president

Boss13:
Foreign media just know how to embarrass our president

our Dressident just Knows how ridicule himself

I think the words "miserable choices" are apt.

O boy see finishing. Wow! Mehn Jona is a mess.

Boss13:
Foreign media just know how to embarrass our president

They read the insult we give to the presidency and act like wise.

No matter how weak you are, until your people insults you no stranger dares

Agents of neocolonialism. Who takes their jaundiced and condescending views seriously? Arrant nonsense.

No amount of provocative words would make us change our stance on Gay law.

Forward ever, backwards never.

hedonistic:
Agents of neocolonialism. Who takes their jaundiced and condescending views seriously? Arrant nonsense.

I do.


Its so much better than listening to Tony Anenih, Bode george, Buruju Kashamu, Namadi Sambo, Prez Jonathan, Fayose, FFK and the new generation of PDP that represent the future (of PDP of course).

mods,oya front page.or make op rewrite topic to new york times endorse jonathan.

endorse indeed sha.

Its glaring to everybody, everywhere Jonathan has failed us. He is putting our democracy at risk. How can a man fall so low from public appeal in 2011 to public ridicule in 2015.

When our President failed to take offense when Aljazeera called him "Bad luck Jonathan", I realized there's no reason for me to get angry.





After all, he has but a few months more

America can go hug transformer we love this "lousy" incumbent just they way he is. with all there fire power where is Afghanistan and Isis i guess the are doing a proper work in those region for the past 10 years.

front page oya oya....

Boss13:
Foreign media just know how to embarrass our president

Like King Saul, the glory of God has departed from Jonathan.

Na house wey fall make goat climb am.

Jonathan should have kept to his word. He should not hv contested this election. He should have acted like a stateman and choose someone to succeed him. He would hv been seen as a hero today.

The clown is disgracing the country all over the place.

atbu1983:
Jonathan should have kept to his word. He should not hv contested this election. He should have acted like a stateman and choose someone to succeed him. He would hv been seen as a hero today.

True.
But you know what ?

He doesn't give a damn, never has..

Yeye foreign media

hmmmmmmm

Lousy incumbent is being mild on Jonathan,

WHy not call it the way it is

Jonathan is a clueless retardeen

The president needs a whole lot of re-branding. The international press use unsavory terms to describe him largely on the account of how he handled the Chibok girls kidnap case

Dbboy:
America can go hug transformer we love this "lousy" incumbent just they way he is. with all there fire power where is Afghanistan and Isis i guess the are doing a proper work in those region for the past 10 years.

Oh pls bro, speak for yourself.

It appears more likely[b] Mr. Jonathan grew alarmed by the surging appeal of Muhammadu Buhari, a[/b] former military ruler who has vowed to crack down on Boko Haram. By dragging out the race, Mr. Jonathan stands to deplete his rival’s campaign coffers, while he continues to use state funds and institutions to bankroll his own.

That Mr. Buhari, who helped launch a coup against a democratically elected government in 1983 and ruled until late 1985, has emerged as potential winner is more of an indictment of Mr. Jonathan’s dismal rule than a recognition of the former military chief’s appeal.

That's all.

front page oooooooooooooo