THE MANY SINS OF JONATHAN
Never in Nigerian history has a sitting President or Head of State, or even a Governor ever received so much derision, derogation and name-calling as the current President Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ). It is a very misleading incongruent and irreconcilable blend of both vilifications cum glorification that the name of the president often experience whenever it is mentioned in a public political discourse. Those who vilify him call him all sorts of unprintable names like ‘clueless’, ‘retard’, ‘visionless’, ‘weak’, ‘tactless’, etc. They allege that Mr President does not respect his own promises even when he’d made them openly to the public—not talk of some purported ‘gentleman’s agreements.’ This category of citizens says he’s the worst performing Nigerian president. They say that he’s underperformed to the most mortifying low ebbs. They say that the president upon assumption of office had promised Nigerians to not only fight corruption but also to initiate institutional reforms to plug the loopholes from which corrupt officials find the act so easy. But this promise was raped recently by the declaration of a state pardon to a former boss of his Mr Alamieyesiegha Diepreye. This he did through the instrumentality of the Council of State made up of more individuals that he alone—including stocks and scions from the oppositions.
The country’s major opposition political parties are the Congress for Progressive Change CPC (strong mostly in the Muslim north), All Nigerian Peoples’ Party ANPP (strong mostly in the Muslim north), Action Congress of Nigeria ACN (strong mostly in the South west), and the All Progressives’ Grand Alliance APGA (with fair presence in the South east). There’s also Labour Party LP and Democratic Peoples’ Party DPP, among others. The first three mentioned are at the final stages of arrangements to form a mega merger party. This opposition, especially those in the north and south west have exhibited frontal opposition against the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP at the centre. But what are the sins of this man at the centre? Firstly, it was a very on smouldering and sweltering disagreement between the president and some religious and political leaders of the Muslim north right from the period the ill-health of former president Umaru Musa Yar’adua under whom GEJ had served as vice president worsened. From about November 2009 when the late president took serious illness, the fear of the southern (Niger/Delta) vice president succeeding the late president caused a frightening wrangling and so much loss of love between the north and parts of the south, especially the South/south and South/east. This situation was worsened when after serving out the Yar’adua/Jonathan joint ticket Jonathan indicated another interest to run for the presidency, defying an alleged zoning ‘gentleman’s arrangement’ in the ruling PDP. This was GEJ’s first unforgivable sin. He was seen as an avaricious betrayer, impatient, and inconsistent and inconstant. This caused some northern elders and leaders to threaten to make the nation ungovernable for GEJ should he eventually emerge president from the poll. And very true to this promise, from the very moment the results of the presidential polls started suggesting that GEJ was winning heavy violence erupted in several parts of the north claiming several lives including Youth Corps members. Up until this moment, this violence seems not to be abating.
It was widely speculated that as soon as GEJ assumed full control of the presidency, an alleged petrol tank farm in Kaduna (North/east) where large volumes of products have been hoarded by the northern feudal elites for several years was opened by the federal government for public use. This definitely received the anger of the north with the apprehension that this was leading to disempowerment of the wealth of the north. Another undercurrent was the discontinuation by the federal government to pay emoluments to religious and traditional leaders in the north which they hitherto exclusively and unobstructed- ly enjoyed. The presidency had argued that if religious and traditional leaders in the north should receive federal govt stipends so such those in the south. But since the govt cannot afford such huge wage bill it had to completely exorcise itself of that evil possession. The South west which is a mix of both Muslim and Christian natives also became victims of this reversal. It is important to note however that the key Leaders of the three major opposition parties are all Muslims. Also, the presidency’s insistence on the Petroleum Industry Bill PIB is a major headache to the north and South/west which have been said to control 83% stake of the oil blocs in the Niger Delta. The passage of the Bill will lead to the loss of a lot of petrodollars to these oil bloc owners. Hence, the inexplicable terrible delay the Bill has suffered in the national assembly.
At the dawn of January 1, 2012 the presidency announced the total removal of subsidy on petrol in the country. This announcement stroked up public disquiet never witnessed since the full return of democracy in the country in 1999. Although the many public and private, formal and informal debates on the issue before and after the announcement have suggested that most Nigerians agree that fuel subsidy with all the corruption that have wrought it must go if the petroleum sector must grow. But the problem is when? How? And who would remove it. Govt officials have strongly accused ‘rogue’ oil marketers for being responsible for the large scale protest in most parts of kano, Abuja, Kaduna (north), and Lagos (South west). Though there were pockets of protests in some parts of South/south and South/east, where about 95% of the oil is produced, all of them put together can’t compare to any single of the former.
The presidency and the PDP have been accused of trying to muscle and muzzle the planned merger of opposition political parties against the 2015 General elections. As at today, the acronym APC toasted by the opposition is still a matter of litigation, and by Law the election regulating body cannot register the merger with the disputed acronym until the courts say who the real owners of the acronym is. All Peoples’ Congress has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to court for its refusal to register the group with the name and acronym. The opposition merger All Progressives’ Congress says the ruling PDP is afraid of the mammoth crowd behind the proposed merger and is doing everything to frustrate the fusion. One would wonder why the president would want to do that. Opposition says that it’s because he has another presidential ambition. That leads us to another sin of GEJ.
Jonathan had promised Nigerians that he’d be running for a single four year term, after that step down. Jonathan despite all attempts to make him come straight has chosen to keep all Nigerians under the blanket of their uncertainty as to whether or not he’ll contest in the 2015 election. He has not said yes or no in the public
but all his body language seems to suggest clearly that he wants to re-contest for the coveted post. The lingering rift between him and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state—a Niger/Delta state, in fact the state is the very stock from which Bayelsa the president’s home state was born—has been widely seen as open arm twisting of any perceived competitor from that region. Although the Constitution grants GEJ the right to contest in 2015, the north has handed down several vociferous threats (even war and secession) of the dire consequences of such attempt by GEJ. Recently, the people of the Niger/Delta have equally issued similar ‘reprisal’ threats through the mouths of persons like Kingsley Kuku, Asari Dokubo, and Miss Annkio Briggs. One begins to wonder if these sins are strong enough to deter GEJ from re-contesting. Do these sins amount to underperformance? It thus seems if Jonathan declares an interest Nigeria is in trouble, but it does appears if he’s coaxed into not contesting Nigeria is in perhaps a bigger trouble.
Now, talking about those who glorify GEJ, they insist that GEJ has in about two years outperformed all other past Nigerian presidents and Heads of State. (I wonder if this not rather bourgeois claim). They say that in the course of his electioneering he had promised to build at least 100 Almajiri schools in the north to help push up the region’s match towards literacy and civilization and also to build new federal universities there. Several of such Almajiri schools have become fully operational with full scholarship and free books, uniforms and sandals and schoolbags plus other fringe motivations like Conditional Cash Transfer, feeding. The federal govt in 2013 reduced drastically the examination score requirement for students from educationally backward states in the north seeking admission into federal govt owned secondary (Unity) schools across the nation. In fact, it is zero for candidates from Yobe state. The north is the major food producer of food for Nigeria. He promised agricultural revolution and to dismantle the federal govt tractor and fertilizer purchase and distribution corruption that has bedevilled the sector from time immemorial. The Agric minister Dr Adesina Akinwumi seems to be carrying out this revolution order to the letter. He promised to improve irrigation and to revitalize the dams for both agricultural purpose and hydroelectric production. GEJ supporters are busy photographing pictures of every other progress made these areas and uploading them on all known social networking sites. They also claim that the trains are fully back (my friend had called from Kwara state lately to tell she’ll be travelling from there to Lagos and that it’s cheaper and more fun). I saw the trains last Christmas in Lagos. There are confirmations that the Lagos-Kano corridor is back and running. Though the machines used are said to be antiquated and is time wasting. Pictures of work progress in the Maidugri-Port Harcourt axis fill the internet, as well as that for the City rail for Abuja. I am personally a testifier that federal expressways have improved across the country. I have travelled through more than a lot, even though they are not all perfect examples of a 21 st century Trunk A roads. My friend visited from South Africa last Christmas and travelled across almost the entire length of the country and when we spoke he said that in just few years Nigeria seem to have consulted a better dibia man. He was impressed at the progress made so far and expressed hope.
All standard indices used to measure a nation’s economic growth suggest that Nigeria’s economic growth is a 21 st century wonder, except for GDP per capita
which in fact is the real measure of standard of living. Nigeria’s GDP per capita is a public shame yet to be cleaned up. Unemployment among the 70million youth is put at alarming 40million—this excluding the underemployed. And then adults! Granted that, considering this huge number, it’ll be very difficult to easily notice progress made to reduce this—coupled with population surge. The federal govt YouWIN programme has directly empowered some hundreds of Nigerian youths with innovative businesses with the target that these youths will in turn employ others thereby contributing to the employment milieu. Power (electricity) is about Nigeria’s worst shames both home and abroad. Incidentally, this sector has been variously feed with billions of dollars without any known achievement. The problem almost appears obdurate. Before 2011 records have it that Nigeria could generate only 2500MW of power. Today we hear that it has risen to a measly 4500MW. This is still insufficient for Lagos state alone! The administration seems to be making great commitments towards improving the situation. Building power infrastructure from ground zero does not happen in just a wave of a wand. The country’s airports have received a recognizable face-lift in the past few months. Due to space I’d choose not to roll out all the good these supporters credit to GEJ.
GEJ supporters continue to remind Nigerians and the entire world of the ‘most free, fair, transparent and credible’ elections of 2011 and the others that have followed in some states since thereafter. While I’d admit that it was far better than that of 2007 in a million ways, I’d frankly say that it wasn’t devoid of corrupt practices entirely. At least I witnessed multiple voting in favour of GEJ at the polling centre I was and I quickly registered my disapproval and insisted on discontinuation of that (eheh, opposition has noted that…lol. But omo na die I for die that day oo). One uncommon gift GEJ has given Nigeria is independence of the Judiciary, at least at the federal level, and the big one…freedom of information. Yes, in fact in all its definitions. This freedom has brought him more pain in the butt than anything else perhaps. Unlike with Decree IV of the Buhari’s administration, people openly ask even the most sensitive questions even on public stages and get away with it. People even threaten the person of the president and the presidency with violence. Whatever stops Jonathan from taking these rampant abuses seriously beats the imaginations of many men. Could it be the said freedom of information Act or could it be Jonathan’s personal temperaments. Only a strong babalawo can tell. Yet, there seem to be some little kind of harmony between GEJ and the people in power (I know you want to mention Amaechi, Aliyu, and Lamido): the judiciary, executive, and legislature. Even opposition members and governors are hardly seen publicly disagreeing with this man—unlike during the era of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Could it be that there’s something these people (opposition legislators, governors and ministers) see that some GEJ haters on the streets do not see? Or could it be that old table manner they taught us while we were growing up—that you don’t talk while (on table) still eating? Maybe only time has the answer.

Who's reading all dis?

I truly do wonder. But perhaps that's why it's called MANY

Yeh!!!!!!!!!!!!
I read it all,
Now I need to sleep****my eyes hurt****

I no fit read am o! Please, break this article down into paragraphs.

OP. These are old lines. You have been left behind. LOL