It is pertinent to be reminded, more so now, that Goodluck
Jonathan PhD spent a total of 12 years in political office before commencing his present tenure.

Of these, he had six years of being a Deputy Governor, two
years as Governor, Two as Vice-President, Three months as
Acting President, Twelve months as substantive President
before triumphing in the election of April 9, 2011, continuing as Nigeria’s 14th Head of State Not surprisingly, many accorded his ascendancy to the fortuitous happenstance, or to put it better ‘an act of God’, as he profited from the impeachment of his first principal and the death of the second.

The years when he had no shoes, the years spent in the underdeveloped creeks of the Niger Delta with its environmental degradation and the lack of infrastructure in the university where he trained... All these where the preparation he needed to be an exemplary leader. After all, ‘it is in times of crisis that leaders are born’.

Despite being in office as President a whole fourteen months before being sworn in on May 29, 2011, it took Mr Jonathan 2 months to appoint the first member to his the cabinet (the Secretary of State), waiting a few more weeks to announce the ministers.

In the first executive bill he sent to the Legislative Houses, he proposed the elongation of tenure of political office holders from four years to six years, citing among other reasons, a reduction in the cost of conducting elections...
The bill failed to fly, however, it showed that of all the problems confronting our nation at the time, Mr Jonathan considered the elongation of tenure the most paramount.
He had argued that with 6 Billion naira spent every four years on elections, if we extended tenures to six years, we would save 6 billion every 12 years. Which could have been an impressive standpoint had it not been that a year earlier, the same President had proposed to spend 50 billion naira on celebration of Nigeria’s 50th Independence anniversary, a figure the National Assembly pruned down to 9 billion for apparent imprudence.

In December 2011, he announced the removal of Petroleum subsidies to be commenced in the New Year 2012, citing measures which were necessary to revamp the economy.
This initially saw prices of petrol more than double, but amidst industrial action and civil unrest, he conceded to a compromise fifty percent hike.
Part of the ‘austere measures’ in that year was the purchase of a Gulfstream jet, bringing the planes in the Presidential fleet to nine.

In sharp contrast, his colleague Joyce Banda, in 2012, sold off the entire Malawian Presidential fleet and sixty Mercedes Benz cars in Malawi’s austerity measures. Such that, Ms Banda now flies commercial, and Goodluck Jonathan sent her one of ours to ferry her to the African First Ladies Summit held in Nigeria in July 2012.
Goodluck Jonathan intends to stretch his luck further in 2015, as this should see the addition of another plane, this time a Bombardier, to the fleet.
It should be noted that Nigeria presently has no official national airline, and that the Presidential fleet outstrips that of many of our local carriers.
And that in the last five years, Nigeria’s aviation sector could not have been at a lower ebb with its spate of mishaps.

In other to put his stewardship in the right perspective, one should first recall, that in 2007, crude oil production was at its lowest in years on account of pipeline vandalism and militant insurgency. It was perhaps, no higher than 750,000 barrels per day, down from about 2.5million bpd in 2005 and with crude oil prices between $55-$65 per barrel.
With the late Musa Yaradua’s efforts at curtailing the Niger Delta crisis, crude oil production rose to about 1.4 million bpd in 2009 and continued to rise till above 2 million bpd in 2011 and has remained north of that figure.
This surge in production, coupled with a boom in prices that were steady above $100 almost throughout Goodluck Jonathan’s current tenure, are proof that Goodluck Jonathan reigned over the most profitable period till date in our nation’s history.
Albeit, with little to show by way of results.

Furthermore, in 2007, at the end of Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure, Nigeria’s foreign debt profile was $3.5bn down from $36bn in 2005, with foreign reserves at about $65 billion. Eight years later, Nigeria’s total debt profile is about $70 billion (About $9bn foreign) with foreign reserves about half the size of that and the excess crude account at $3bn at the end of November 2014.
This scale of wastage and mismanagement that can be inferred by the above is in very least, severe on the imagination.

As at present, many Federal civil servants including the police are still owed salaries of the last quarter of 2014.

Lastly, in the first Boko Haram uprising, Umaru Musa Yaradua, who being in the extreme of his health most times during his Presidency, was outside the country.
He, ‘apparently’, ordered a military solution, the rebels were effectively crushed, their ringleader was arrested, but unfortunately killed.

Faced with a worsening scenario in 2012 , Goodluck Jonathan ordered the declaration of a State of Emergency in 15 local governments across four states, coupled with military action.
He would later extend the State of Emergency to cover the entire Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, but by then a containment strategy appeared no longer effective.
We should be reminded that it was a 'mere' political crisis in the Ekiti House of Assembly that lead to a declaration of a State of Emergency across the entire state by Olusegun Obasanjo in October 2006.
Despite having excess of 1 Trillion naira to spend on Defense in Budget 2014, with an additional $1bn appropriated in June, the Insurgency in the North continues not only to fester, but to wax stronger.

The military surprisingly, still lacks the equipment to combat a rag-tag militia...
Inexplicably in contrast is the fact that Nigeria’s military has led successful regional expeditions in Liberia, Sierra Leone and are presently involved in Sudan and Somalia.
Unlike many Nigerian leaders before him who came to power precipitously, Goodluck Jonathan couldn’t have had a better opportunity to prepare himself for the leadership of the world’s most populous black nation.
With a PhD, he is Nigeria’s most qualified President till date. Under him, Nigeria has made light work of the golden opportunity to diversify the economy with the increased proceeds from the Oil sector. We have seen an incessant loss of lives precedented only by the Civil war, as well as continued infrastructural decay.

This is not to mention the institutionalised corruption which can be inferred from the scale of financial mismanagement. Our refineries have refused to rise above 30% production despite huge funds earmarked for their maintenance.
By way of the proposed budget of 2015, we would spend more on debt servicing than on capital expenditure. Recurrent expenditure will amount for 86% of the entire budget.
Government will continue to spend more on salaries of public officers than on deployment of crucial infrastructure.

Despite being an austerity budget the vote for the Presidency will increase to about 350 billion naira from about 300 billion in 2014.
The modest gains of previous years are almost entirely lost...
We couldn’t possibly have it worse...
Nigerians must understand that the elections of this year are not about tribe, race, religion or power rotation but about the soul of our nation and the future of our children.

If we are to have a future individually and collectively as a
people, the present order must change. We need to have a responsible government that will massively reduce its cost of governance, slashing the pay of political office holders and other benefits, reducing the number of political appointees and of course plug the giant loop holes of corruption.

The government will also need to build new refineries and replace other ailing infrastructure, ensure stable power supply to reposition the real sector for growth in order to diversify the economy.
These problems are not new to our nation, even Goodluck Jonathan would agree that in these past five years, he has
done little to tackle them.

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What a brilliant piece. I feel bad each time I review Nigeria's situation under the watch of goodluck jonathan. We need change! We need Muhammadu Buhari

A lot people won't consider this because they are so brain washed and blinded by religious bigotry... they don't mind the country experiencing another four years of deterioration all because they seem to have forgotten that in the end, it's we the masses who would bear the consequences of a bad government which religion will not save anyone from. Only if our level of God fearing is the same with our level of religiousness. God help us

Do the saTanoids see this part? Firefire, Whitetechnology and all you goons?

Furthermore, in 2007, at the end of Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure, Nigeria’s foreign debt profile was $3.5bn down from $36bn in 2005, with foreign reserves at about $65 billion. Eight years later, Nigeria’s total debt profile is about $70 billion (About $9bn foreign) with foreign reserves about half the size of that and the excess crude account at $3bn at the end of November 2014.
This scale of wastage and mismanagement that can be inferred by the above is in very least, severe on the imagination.

"Eni ti oleti kogbo" Those who have ears should listen.

Nigerians must understand that the elections of this year are not about tribe, race, religion or power rotation but about the soul of our nation and the future of our children.

Someone pls push this to the Frontpage.. Nigerians deserve some enlightenment. This is about the future of our nation!!

Change 2015.

We dont need this advice. We are NOT voting Jonathan. Only people in the SE are voting Jonathan.

vote who? team buhari for President come February. vote for change vote wisely

Well, "A word is enough for the wise" they say. We were cajoled with "I had no shoe in 2011" but now our eye don open.
Myself and the entire members of my household say no to bad government. See you at the poll...

Fr. Mbaka has said it, whatever Goodluck touches turns to Bad-luck; Nigeria doesn't need bad luck, so pls vote wisely.

Vote for Change, Vote Buhari.

GEJ lovers... A piece for you to ponder upon and have a rethink.... I just wonder how this mods choose the post makes front page!!!