If someone had told me I would be writing this
piece just a month after I decided to cut President
Jonathan some slack, I would have waved if off as a
big joke. My focus in recent times has been on
analyzing state budgets, most recently that of
Ogun State, which is at best a comedy of some
sort. My conclusion on Governor Ibikunle Amosun
for now is that he might end up being an even
worse governor than his predecessor, the
legendary and alleged master thief Mr. Gbenga
Daniel. But lest I stroll off the point, let us return to
President Jonathan's administration. In the past
few months I have come to pity this 'Doctor' from
Otuoke.
At the risk of been labeled a PDP apologist, I
disagreed with twitivist and other opinion writers,
asking them to cut our president some slack. The
art of criticism had hit an all time low; we had
people who simply joined the bandwagon, because
criticizing the government was the in-thing in
town. We had people practically calling President
Jonathan names like fool, idiot, crazy, crook, stupid,
clueless, dull, illiterate and worst of all corrupt.
"He has shown himself worthy of these names"
they said, with his actions and inactions ranging
from the unconstitutional sack of Justice Salami,
who was likely going to give judgment against his
election, to the fuel subsidy brouhaha and the
bribery scandal that rocked the panel charged with
investigating rot in the petroleum sector as
instigated by his friend and personal confidant -
Femi Otedola.
I decided to cut President Jonathan some slack
because I erroneously believed he wasn't prepared
for the leadership position he plunged himself into.
Reason being, he had always been satisfied with
second position or assistant leader right from
secondary school to the presidency, he was always
in a position of assisting until something
unfortunate happened to the leader.
Having witnessed his actions this past week alone,
it is now clear that President Jonathan was
prepared for the presidency, he was prepared to
murder sleep and sleep he has murdered.
How could he possibly explain the granting of a
presidential pardon to his mentor, godfather and
political benefactor, the disgraced thief and
fugitive Mr. Alamieyeseigha (who jumped bail in
December 2005 and bolted to Nigeria from the U.K.
after he allegedly disguised as a woman to deceive
the U.K. border officials)? If you still don't realize
how immoral this act is, let me give you a snip
view into the atrocity committed by Mr. President's
mentor.
Bayelsa state, created on October 1, 1996, is a very
small state with eight ( local governments and a
population of 1.99m people. It is endowed with
natural resources and adjudged the richest state in
Nigeria. Bayelsa State has one of the nation's
largest crude oil and gas deposits which makes it
earn a lot from the Federal government, but as rich
as the state is, its citizens wallow in poverty. There
is no fully functional health facility in the state
(remember that President Jonathan's brother had
to be flown to the State House Clinic in Abuja for
treatment before he passed on), transportation is a
joke and education is virtually non-existent save
for the federal government established Niger Delta
University.
Bayelsa has no trade or commerce worthy of note
as the little subsistent farms have been destroyed
by oil spillage and the fishes rendered inedible by
polluted waters, thus making the Bayelsa State
Government the highest employer of Labour in the
state.
It may interest you to know that only one major
road runs through the entire state, yet Mr.
President's guide and tutor looted the state dry. In
my opinion, my president hates his state of origin. I
see no other reason why he would grant a
presidential pardon to that lunatic (yes, it takes a
lunatic to loot at that alarming rate knowing the
amount of poverty and suffering his people are
entangled in).
The U.K. authorities seized $1.5 million (N225
million) cash in Mr. Alamieyeseigha's London home
as well as $2.7 million (N405 million) held in bank
accounts at Royal Bank of Scotland PLC and
Santolina Investment Corporation. His London real
estate valued at $15 million (N2.25 billion) was
also seized by U.K. authorities. He had £203,753.34
in his Barclays Bank Plc accounts while his Bank of
America had $1, 600,000.00 account balance as at
January 2005. £1.9 million in a Royal Bank of
Scotland account belonging to his company
Santolina which he had requested to be transferred
to an account in Cyprus was also seized.
Other properties acquired with Bayelsa State funds
in London include one at 247 Water Gardens, W2
2DG which he acquired for £1.75 million, another
at 14 Mapesbury Road, NW2 4JB which cost £1.4
million and yet another at Flat 202, Jubilee
Heights, Shoot uphill, NW2 3LJQ with an
approximate cost of £3 million. Properties in South
Africa acquired with Bayelsa State funds include
but are not limited to V & A Waterfront, Cape Town,
which is worth over £1 millon.
You have to understand that the stolen assets
listed above are just a fraction of the total amount
stolen by one of Nigeria's greatest thieves –Ex-
governor DSP Alameyeisigha.
Contrary to what twitivist, politicians and ferocious
writers conjure about the President, Dr. Jonathan is
not clueless. In fact he has got lots of clues, vicious
clues. Though one cannot trace an intelligent
intervention, programme or policy he has thought
of himself in critical sectors of our economy, he has
come up with brilliant ideas for taking Nigeria
backwards. President Jonathan was prepared for
the presidency, so prepared that he doesn't have
to think twice before unleashing his unpardonable
ideas on Nigerians.
This latest of his gaffes is worth condemning by
every reasonable person on earth. Several CSOs,
politicians, professionals, and international
agencies like Transparency International (TI),
among others, have condemned it. The only
reasonable course of action left for President
Jonathan is to reverse the pardon with immediate
effect like he back tracked on the renaming of
Unilag and the removal of the fuel subsidy.
It is clear to all that Nigeria's President Jonathan is
not fighting corruption. His wife clowns around
with millions of Naira in cash, dolling it out to every
Tomi, Dada and Akande. His friends and close
confidants are convicted felons, criminals, ex-
militants and folks who allegedly enriched
themselves corruptly. Examples abound in Bode
George, who he nominated as an executive in his
party, also appointing his wife – Roli George – the
chairman of the board of National Population
Commission (NPC). Anthony Anenih, Asari Dokubo,
Government Tompolo, Doyin Okupe,
Alameyeisigha, Femi Otedola and several others
are those the president who is supposed to be
fighting corruption dines and rolls with.
The United States has come out to strongly
condemn this act; it is up to the President to do
what is expected. The US had in a statement
through their Nigerian embassy twitter account,
@USEmbassyAbuja, said "We see this as a setback
in the fight against corruption." It further tweeted
that "the #USG (United States Government) is
deeply disappointed over the recent pardons of
corrupt officials by GON (Government of Nigeria)"
and added, "We see this as a setback in the fight
against corruption." A State Department official
has also said the American government is not
taking the matter lightly and might apply
sanctions. Speaking at the U.S. Department of
State's daily press briefing in Washington D.C. late
Friday 15th March, 2013 Spokesperson Victoria
Nuland said "the development in Nigeria might
jeopardize the governance projects America is
executing in Nigeria."
Mr. Jonathan knows all that he is doing, he knows
his chances of returning to power in 2015 are one
in a hundred, and so he his perpetuating all these
immoral acts he had carefully planned out before
ascending the 'throne'.
It is my hope that president Jonathan will reason
with majority of Nigerians and the international
community to reverse this latest gaffe, carefully
serve his 'mandate' and vacate the seat by 2015.
Enough of this international embarrassment called
government in Nigeria.
In conclusion, here is a piece of advice for Mr.
President if he is looking for people to pardon. He
should go to the prisons, ask for Bayelsan residents
who were convicted for stealing less than N10,000
due to hunger and unemployment during the
tenure Mr. Alameyeisigha and pardon them. It is
then and only then posterity can give him the
benefit of doubt.
And if you still have hope in the presidency of Dr.
Goodluck Azikwe Ebele Jonathan, you are of all
men most miserable.