Does Jonathan deserve another term?

At that time I was convinced as I am today that the only way Jonathan could ever face Nigerians again in future was if he lived up to his campaign promises. In a piece titled “Memo to Jonathan”, published in May 2011, in which I tried to set agenda for the mint-fresh president, I said […]

At that time I was convinced as I am today that the only way Jonathan could ever face Nigerians again in future was if he lived up to his campaign promises.
In a piece titled “Memo to Jonathan”, published in May 2011, in which I tried to set agenda for the mint-fresh president, I said inter alia:
God uses the foolish things of this world confound the wise, some people are still wondering how a poor Ijaw boy with your unflattering social background could emerge to lead Africa’s most populous nation…
But just as a new day has dawned physically and metaphorically, Nigerians expect you to hit the ground running. You have fewer excuses than all your predecessors put together. Your educational attainment is more than adequate. As the first doctorate holder to occupy the exalted seat, you cannot hide under the tent of feigned or real ignorance to excuse yourself from achieving what your intellectual training has equipped you to do…
You promised to ensure uninterrupted power supply. That is one of the reasons Nigerians voted for you. We have had enough of darkness. The transformation that power supply will do to Nigeria’s economy need not be catalogued here…
Another crying need is the national road network. I do not know of one single inter-state road in Nigeria that is not in some state of disrepair… Just imagine what transformation proper roads would have on the economic well being of our people.
Most of our problems are linked. You don’t have to have a list of 20 problems. Just fix some and you will see the multiplier effect. For example, uninterrupted power supply and good roads will positively affect health, the environment, commerce, agriculture, poverty alleviation, etc.
You, Mr President, don’t belong in the ranks of those members of our elite who are ashamed from the poverty from which they emerged. You know that the hyena of poverty has been ravaging the land. During the campaigns, you did itemise a number of measures you hoped to take to tackle poverty… Nigerians are looking forward to the translation of those ideas into reality, especially the part that has to do with providing jobs for the teeming number of unemployed graduates.
Nigerians are not difficult people. Most of our people will be satisfied if government will just do its duty and leave them to do theirs… Mr. President, you will find that you cannot escape the historic task of fighting corruption. Your government will not have the funds to prosecute your lofty vision if most of Nigeria’s money is dribbled into private pockets. You will need more than a pair of eyes to monitor the veritable goalkeepers who always find their way into ‘lucrative’ areas in government.
May God grant you the wisdom of King Solomon, the wit of Mohammed Ali, the attention to detail of Obafemi Awolowo and the undying tenacity of Tajudeen Abduraheem. History beckons, President Jonathan. Embrace it.
I have quoted that article extensively to show that from the onset the media did set criteria by which the president would be assessed. Many other commentators also weighed in with their own perspectives.
In another piece titled, “If I were president”, I listed some of the urgent things I would do as president. I wrote as follows:
It is better not to be a chief, say the elders, than be one whose orders count for nothing. The need to tackle the issue of security is the most urgent of all because nothing good can be achieved in a chaotic atmosphere. The president has to continue to be his benevolent self but must be firm and single-minded in routing out threats to lives and property and indeed to our corporate existence as a nation…
On corruption, my policy would be “let guilty heads roll”. The implication of unfettered corruption is that those with filthy lucre usually become so rich that they can threaten (and indeed often do threaten) national security. Poor people don’t finance the production of improvised explosive devices; nor do they plan coups.
This is but an incomplete précis of do-ables. There is a lot to do in the areas of health, petroleum (more refineries), housing (housing for all by Kingdom Come) aviation, judicial reform (if you Alu me, I will Salami you)!, sports, environment, etc.
You can see why as president, I literally have to get on the bike — a lot of unscheduled visits to project sites and trouble spots are required. I can’t afford to ‘manage’ incompetent people. I have already set realisable targets for each ministry/parastatal on the short, medium and long terms. Those who can’t cope will be shown the way back to their villages.
If we have underachieved as a nation, it cannot be on account of paucity of ideas. The formal and social media both provide ample evidence that public affairs commentators have done their bit. Some of us may have gone over the edge sometimes but there is no denying the fact that on balance we have endeavoured to help set the government on the path of rectitude and performance.
I believe we have to judge President Jonathan’s performance by the extent to which he has fulfilled his campaign promises and not on his ethnic origin, his religion or any other criterion. The president himself can grade his own scripts by asking himself honestly, have I done enough to deserve another term as president?
The avalanche of diatribes being directed at the president’s opponents will eventually not cut any ice as regards the 2015 elections. Luckily for Nigerians both President Jonathan of the PDP and his main opponent, General Buhari of the APC are well known to Nigerians. For the first time since 1999 there is a real choice. My guess is that Nigerians will cast their lot with the man they perceive as being the more competent of the two.
Congrats, Nda-Isaiah
In case you missed the point, APC presidential aspirant Sam Nda-Isaiah has cleared the road for patriotic professionals without billions to join the political fray. What he lacked in billions of naira and dollars and Ghana-must-go’s, he had aplenty in solid courage, vision and cerebral disposition. Congratulations, Sam.