Goodbye Jonathan, go away!

As for the 13 of them who died as a result of President Jonathan’s belated response to the kidnapping of the Chibok girls and his subsequent ineffectual actions afterwards, they wish they had lived in a Nigeria where a Goodluck Jonathan did not assert himself.Therefore, Goodbye Jonathan.  Go away.His government is a spot of bother […]

As for the 13 of them who died as a result of President Jonathan’s belated response to the kidnapping of the Chibok girls and his subsequent ineffectual actions afterwards, they wish they had lived in a Nigeria where a Goodluck Jonathan did not assert himself.
Therefore, Goodbye Jonathan.  Go away.
His government is a spot of bother and a dangerous blot on our history. Instead ofestablishing itself as a fertilizing event, it stepped forth as a flagship of anything that can be bad with African leadership.  
Therefore, Goodbye Jonathan.  Go away.
In the only US presidential debate of 1980, between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, Reagan asked Americans to reflect on one question before voting: “Before you vote, ask yourself if you are better off today than you were four years ago.”
Nigerians are worse off today than they were last month.  And when they were ready to vote, they asked themselves a question not too different from what Reagan asked of the Americans and voted accordingly.
Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.  The naira has been violated and dishonored; and therefore fatigued.  It’s suffered the worst performance in decades.  It’s lost face, confidence and absent of a bounce in its steps.  Unsurprisingly, immediately Gen. Buhari was declared winner, the value of the naira started improving because it started receiving favourable transactions from foreign currency traders who are confident of the new leadership.
Therefore, Goodbye Jonathan.  Go away.
Even though our economy continues to grow, it does so despite Jonathan who helms, probably, the worst economy in the history of Nigeria.
The Economist of London gave this verdict:
“The single bright spot of his rule has been Nigeria’s economy,” The Economist wrote, “one of the world’s fastest-growing. Yet that is largely despite the government rather than because of it, and falling oil prices will temper the boom. The prosperity has not been broadly shared: under Mr Jonathan poverty has increased. Nigerians typically die eight years younger than their poorer neighbours in nearby Ghana.”
As of this moment, Nigeria is broke.  Sam Nda-Isaiah, the publisher of LEADERSHIP newspaper had been complaining for a very long time that Jonathan was giving the states half of what they were due.  Right now, we don’t even know if they get up to half.  Add to that, the insanity of the naira, which continues to dive south. And we’re not sure the president and his chief central banker can address the decline.
Therefore, Goodbye Jonathan.  Go away.
Our lives have not been threatened or assaulted this badly since the civil war.  There’s nothing that reflects the inability or unwillingly of our military to end Boko Haram than a recent The New York’s report regarding Nigeria’s equivocations to receive Damasak in Borno State after it had been liberated by Chadian and Nigerien soldiers.
“I fear that any further display of valor on the part of my troops,”Nathan Bedford Forrestwas reported to have said, “might bring them into contact with the enemy.”
The way our military behaves at times, you would be forgiven if you think it’s averse to any contact with Boko Haram; and the satiated generals balk at any suggestions for improvement.
The New York Times reported that after the liberation of Damasak in Borno State, “rather than a display of important regional cooperation in the battle against Boko Haram, the visit [by foreign journalists] instead pointed out some of the confusion and resentment that are creating tension among neighbors. The soldiers from Chad and Niger had succeeded here, but there was not a single Nigerian soldier to be found. The force members were bewildered to find themselves as foreign liberators without any help from the Nigerians.”
Foreign military succeeded in defeating the insurgents and liberated a town, even if you’re not going to say thanks, at least do the patriotic thing and take back your territory.  Nah!
We’re told that the army is winning the war.  But we don’t exactly know what’s going on.  A few weeks ago, Oby Ezekwesili requested that the government should allow independent reporting.  That has not happened. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Chadians not Nigerians soldiers allowed foreign journalists, Nigerian military prefers to send press statements.
“Even as the Nigerian government, with a national election looming, insists that its forces have chased Boko Haram fighters out of much of their northern territory,” The New Times reported, “the deserted streets and all-foreign force here paint a different picture. Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians still cannot return home to towns that have been, nominally at least, freed from Boko Haram.”
While some Nigerians think the government is not really interested in ending the crisis, our foreign partners think it’s because they are afraid.  “We asked them to come, to receive this town from us, but they have not come, it is because they are afraid,” New York Times quoted a Chadian soldier.
Chadian foreign minister, Moussa Faki Mahamat, also expressed his frustration: “The Nigerian Army has not succeeded in facing up to Boko Haram.  The occupation of these towns, this is up to Nigeria,” he continued. “My fondest wish is that they assume their responsibilities.”
President Jonathan has not touched anything that he didn’t mess up.  For his troubles, we wish him safe journey to Otuoke.
Therefore, Goodbye Jonathan. Go away.
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