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Jonathan Spendthrift: Enough is enough

December 3, 2012 by Punch Editorial Board ⁠48 Comments

NOTHING typifies the frivolous, insensitive and completely inept leadership troubling Nigeria currently than the recent approval of a N2.2bn banquet hall for Aso Villa by the Federal Executive Council. Coming at a time when the country is buffeted by serious security and other challenges, it demonstrates that this government is not a thinking one. Just one of the dozens of eye-opening government expenses, President Goodluck Jonathan is proposing to build a party hall in the palatial Aso Villa while millions of Nigerians are hungry and jobless. Like the fifth Roman Emperor, Nero, Jonathan is fiddling around while the nation is burning. This disgustingly lavish lifestyle must be curbed. 

President Goodluck Jonathan
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The justification is as galling as the project. The FEC hinged its decision to award this contract mainly on its belief that smaller countries have better banquet halls near their seats of power. The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Bala Muhammed, who briefed the press on the issue, added that the existing hall was inconveniencing and that the proposed 150-seater hall would have such facilities as “security, hall conveniences, technical room and press briefing room that are more and more enhanced so that national broadcast can be done from there.” This has taken profligacy in public expenditure to absurd lengths.

Jonathan probably expects Nigerians to give him and the other FEC members a standing ovation for initiating the project. But he is greatly mistaken. This is as reckless as it is feckless. With all its wealth, the United Kingdom houses its Prime Minister modestly at 10 Downing Street.  Its State Dining Room accommodates just up to 65 guests and is also used to host the PM’s monthly press conference.

Other reasonable leaders, including the Presidents of Malawi and Uruguay, have demonstrated good leadership values by their modest lifestyles. As soon as she came to power earlier this year, Malawian President, Joyce Banda, decided to sell off the country’s only Presidential aircraft and a fleet of 60 Mercedes Limousines. She prefers to use private airlines. Banda’s predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika, had defended the purchase of the jet as a “must” for a national leader in 2009. The same woman recently announced a 30 per cent cut in her salary. This means that Mrs. Banda’s salary will drop from the reported £37,000 a year to £26,000.

On his part, the Uruguayan President, Jose Mujica, not only drives a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle, but also stays at his wife’s farmhouse. Besides, he donates 90 per cent of his monthly salary to charity.  “I’m called the poorest president”, he had said, “but I don’t feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more…This is a matter of freedom. If you don’t have many possessions then you don’t need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself.” 

Also, the King and Prime Minister of Norway reportedly fly commercial airlines. The interesting thing about Norway is that it produces almost the same amount of oil as Nigeria. But while it has successfully navigated through resource curse to be among the richest countries in the world, Nigeria, in spite of its abundant natural resources, is among the poorest. Norway’s success is not by magic but by prudent management of its resources.

Jonathan government has continuously demonstrated that the interest of the larger Nigerian citizens is not its priority and that profligacy is its cardinal principle. There are many depressing examples.  In the 2011 budget, N18bn went for the maintenance of presidential planes, which could provide decent accommodation for 18 million people going by the UN-Habitat estimates. In the 2012 budget, it set aside N1.9bn for the purchase of an additional aircraft for the already bloated Presidential fleet and N1.5bn for guest houses for some senior lawmakers.  This is happening in a country where a prized possession for many is a generating set.

Nigeria is buckling under the weight of Jonathan’s propensity for the absurd. Allegations are flying everywhere about the monumental level of government ineptitude in responding to insecurity. Almost on a daily basis, bandits and Boko Haram terrorists are killing scores of innocent Nigerians.  A recent report by the British-based Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Nigeria as the worst place for a baby to be born in 2013. Nigeria is 80th out of the 80 countries surveyed. Infant and maternal mortality in the country is among the highest in the world. Life expectancy for a child born in Nigeria is 51.9 years whereas, for a small country like Gabon, it is 62.7 years; Mauritius is 73.4 years; and Libya, 74 years.

The 2011 Human Development Index report by the United Nations’ Development Programme placed Nigeria 156th out of 187 countries surveyed. UNDP says, for almost a decade now, Nigeria has been recording consistently high economic growth rate that has not produced commensurate employment opportunities and reduction in poverty among its citizens. Poverty is endemic in the country as over 70 per cent of the citizens live from hand to mouth. An estimated 11 million Nigerian children of school age are out of school. Out of this number, about 7.5 million are girls.

With a GDP Per Capita of $2,500, malnutrition wracks 46 per cent of the population, unemployment rate was 23.9 per cent in 2011 and youth unemployment rate was as high as 46.5 per cent in the same year.  It is insulting that the President is creating an atmosphere of wealth and luxury for himself.  In the 2012 Mo Ibrahim Index for African Governance, Nigeria was ranked 43 out of 52 countries assessed. The country’s overall score of 42.0 did not even match up to the West African average score of 51.9. Smaller countries just emerging from the ravages of war, such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Angola, are relatively better in development indices. Poor infrastructure and harsh economic environment have led to the shutdown of many companies. Some of these companies have relocated to these same smaller countries, leading to massive loss of jobs in Nigeria. This is a grim reminder of North Korea whose leader lives in opulence while the entire populace live in abject poverty.

Regrettably, the Jonathan administration is no longer evincing any hope. The cavalier attitude of the National Assembly is also regrettable. In the life of this administration, corruption has assumed a monstrous status. According to SUNDAY PUNCH investigation, over N5tn in government funds has been stolen through fraud, embezzlement and theft since President Jonathan assumed office on May 6, 2010. Sadly, as The Economist puts it, “Many Africans are ambivalent about their leaders’ extravagance; disgust at profligacy mingles with pride at the display.”

The Jonathan government has demonstrated complete lack of judgement in initiating this project. The citizens, through civil society groups, should rise up to salvage what is remaining of this country. Nigerians should wake up and demand modesty from their rulers. Leadership is about self sacrifice, assertiveness, service, prudent management and the ability to think and galvanise the populace towards achieving the vision of the leader for the common good of all.

Jonathan should curb this regal lifestyle and lavish spending of public money. He should step aside if he cannot do this.

FreeGlobe: Gbawe lets start from home https://www.nairaland.com/1120280/looting-lagos-tinubu-fasola-exposed

FreeGlobe: Gbawe lets start from home https://www.nairaland.com/1120280/looting-lagos-tinubu-fasola-exposed

take dat: @Taharqa, I quite appreciate your opinion but the fact still remains that the government is a spendthrift by planning to build a hall for 2.2billion which isn't reflected in the budget for year 2012 and 2013. The 6.2billion for the PIB awareness campaign is another example of the government profligacy.
30.2million budgeted for animals and animal supplement and so many other examples that I can't begin to mention. My tough and livid stands is borne out of what I'll describe as government's inconsistency to cut cost of governance and the frugal wastages it has embarked upon. The share of recurrent spending in relation to aggregate expenditure being reduced from 71% in 2012 to 68.7% in 2013 is still high and the pace of reduction slow.
My greatest wish still remains for GEJ to prove the cynics wrong but for now we have to take a deep scrutiny into all government action

Gbawe:

Jonathan is simply a very, very mediocre administrator promoted far, far above his station .

President Goodluck Jonathan is proposing to build a party hall in the palatial Aso Villa while millions of Nigerians are hungry and jobless.

Prof Corruption:

That tells it all. GEJ does not have history of competence and can not all of a sudden become a competent leader.

FreeGlobe: ^
Charity they say begins from home hypocrite start with your pay masters ACN, Tinubu and Fashola.

Soul_caine:

are you really sane ?

Am still trying to grasp if you read the write up or simply lack the ability to comprehend. You have before you examples of graft and nonchalance and you decide to toe tribal or party lines ? ?

Shame on you!

Do you just type before thinking or you are paid to do so ?

Have you mortgaged your kids future too ?

Do you have a conscience ?

Ever heard of equity ?

Are you sane ??

Sincere 9gerian: I'm not too bothered about the fake outcry of corruption by Punch and those outside of govt. The ROOT CAUSE of corruption in Nigeria is SHARING OF FREE OIL MONEY. Right from the Nzeogwu coup, the reason for wanting to replace a sitting govt has ALWAYS been allegation of corruption. But somehow, we ended up WORSE OFF with successive govt. The Punch and El Rufai SUPER STORY of corruption growing monstrously under GEJ is not any different from the SUPER STORY of corruption growing monstrously in the first republic told by Nzeogwu and co in Jan 1966- which was why the said they said they struck. Only FOOLS will be carried away by such SUPER but SILLY STORIES. As for me, I have grown WISER with age. What matters to me in this current dispensation is not an INTANGIBLE fight against corruption. Rather, what matters to me are TANGIBLES like- the power sector reforms to guarantee stable power supply, construction of power plants, construction of highways, construction of power transmission and distribution facilities, construction of new higher institutions, equipping of hospitals, building of 2nd Niger bridge,etc,etc. These are the TANGIBLES that I care about and if GEJ continues with the SLOW BUT STEADY progress in these TANGIBLES, the likes of El Rufai and PUNCH can go to hell.
There can NEVER be any EFFECTIVE fight against corruption UNLESS the tap of FREE oil money stops flowing. Go and ask the likes of Oby Ezekwesili so they can tell you about the CURSE OF OIL.
The best you can get are half-hearted measures like we see under GEJ. Let them steal but not TOO MUCH. Let them steal small but still tarr our roads and do other things that'll benefit the masses. Shagari's govt was toppled for alleged corruption but with benefit of hindsight we can now see clearly that successive govts after Shagari were MONSTERS in terms of corruption. Shagari and Ekwueme today lives in a very humble apartments and can never muster the funds to contemplate contesting an election. But we cannot say same of Buhari, IBB, or even Abacha. Moreover, a govt that fights all the corruption in this world but fails to deliver on infrastructure is MEANINGLESS

Gbawe:

This is the damn truth and all the ethnically bigoted folks can follow me around as long as they want saying absolutely senseless and irrelevant things repetitively. Those who don't lie to themselves know the truth.

I am in Ghana currently. There is the Presidential election coming up on Friday. Ask Nigerians here if they are not ashamed of Nigeria and our clueless and gaffe prone President who sweats bucket when he has to address Nigerians because of his mediocre mind and total unreadiness for the job he gained .

The two main candidates here have been eloquent and knowledgeable when speaking , several times since I got here, in details about plans and policies. You know they are fully up to speed with what they want to achieve. Their history is there for Ghanaians to inspect. No one has gone and brought any mediocrity from anywhere and roped a 'catchphrase' around his neck only for Ghanaians to be shouting that around naively while ignoring other dangerous signs such as empty and unimpressive CV, corrupt past et al.

It was what I said before the 2011 elections only to be insulted by bigoted people ever ready to spite their face by cutting their nose. Many Nigerians voted with their eyes fully closed to what matters i.e GEJ's abject mediocrity and sordid past that should make him far below the standard Nigeria or any ambitious Nation, with many great leaders, must demand.

Instead everything remained about how 'Aboki' should not lead us despite many of us urging folks to please look at Jonathan's past before they voted. Anyway, I may be sad for my own Country but happy for Ghana and other African Countries because they seem to have gotten to a place, democratically, where only a certain calibre of leader can become President and VP. In that respect the Nation will be okay and developing whoever wins. Let us remain in Nigeria insulting others, hating others automatically because of their ethnicity, rejecting and/or nominating leaders based on ethnicity and bigotedly backing our kinsmen blindly.

Sincere 9gerian:
My friend, stop comparing apples with oranges. Nigeria is not Ghana. Ghana is not as complex and complicated as Nigeria. There's no northern governors forum in Ghana, No states in Ghana, Ghana population is small and effectively served by a meagre 2,000 megawatts of power. More importantly, the average Ghaninian see himself first as a Ghaninian while other things come secondary. Also, Ghana had the privillege of having NATIONAL leaders like Kwame Nkrumah. Nigeria on the other hand had NO national leader (Zik, Awo and Sarduna were tribal leaders) neither is it a united country. The hausa man see himself first as a hausa man before being a Nigerian. Same also applies to other tribes. I can bet you today that majority of hausas do not see Jonathan as their president simply because he's not hausa. We have northern governors forum, eastern governors forum,etc Most importantly is that Nigeria is many nations in one country and each of this nations have been trying to outdo one another since independence. This is the TRAGEDY of Nigeria

FreeGlobe: ^
Charity they say begins from home hypocrite start with your pay masters ACN, Tinubu and Fashola.

Gbawe:

The vacuous arrogance of the deluded citizens of a semi-failed nation on display again. Folks like you can never simply tell the truth and call a spade a spade. You are the sort ready always to begin the diversionary talk, such as that in bold above, instead of admitting that GEJ is mediocre and indeed spendthrift.

Keep fooling yourself with your silly and empty "apples and oranges' that lack intellectual sense or logic. We are talking about competence and good record of solutions provisions , as pertains to leadership, and you are here paying homage, once again, to the notion you and others like you are too given to the worship of personalities to the extent you can never grasp ideas.

I don't know which is more pitiful. The highly mediocre and clueless President or those into trying to launder his poor image with pathetic, lame and entirely impertinent excuses.

Gbawe:

The vacuous arrogance of the deluded citizens of a semi-failed nation on display again. Folks like you can never simply tell the truth and call a spade a spade. You are the sort ready always to begin the diversionary talk, such as that in bold above, instead of admitting that GEJ is mediocre and indeed spendthrift.

Keep fooling yourself with your silly and empty "apples and oranges' that lack intellectual sense or logic. We are talking about competence and good record of solutions provisions , as pertains to leadership, and you are here paying homage, once again, to the notion you and others like you are too given to the worship of personalities to the extent you can never grasp ideas.

I don't know which is more pitiful. The highly mediocre and clueless President or those into trying to launder his poor image with pathetic, lame and entirely impertinent excuses.

FreeGlobe: ^
Charity they say begins from home hypocrite start with your pay masters ACN, Tinubu and Fashola.

basher:

What a silly thing to say. Is he the one controlling tinubu & fashola?