Jonathan and his 2015 campaigners

The U.S. publication in the article titled The most inappropriate political hashtag of the year, lampooned Jonathan’s campaigners’ #BringBackOurGoodluck slogan, a poor copy of the more popular and globally-recognised hashtag launched to press the Nigerian government to be more proactive in the efforts to rescue more than 200 schoolgirls abducted from their dormitory at Government […]

The U.S. publication in the article titled The most inappropriate political hashtag of the year, lampooned Jonathan’s campaigners’ #BringBackOurGoodluck slogan, a poor copy of the more popular and globally-recognised hashtag launched to press the Nigerian government to be more proactive in the efforts to rescue more than 200 schoolgirls abducted from their dormitory at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 15, 2014.
Blindsided by its all-consuming focus on the election, the Jonathan administration consistently ignored local complaints about the inap-propriateness of the support it provides groups that have sprung up to sell his candidature to a public worried by the rising corruption in government and apprehensive about the apparent lack of will to face down and defeat the insurgency that has shaken the foundation of the state in ways that draws parallels with the 30-month Nigerian civil war that ended in January 1970. Indeed, even the president was quoted a couple of years ago as saying that the insurgency was far more threatening to the stability of the nation than the Biafra rebellion.
Unfortunately, President Jonathan does not seem to match his words with action. While he declared a state of emergency in the three North East states of the country most affected by the Boko Haram scourge, the enduring narration is of an underequipped army despite the unprecedented levels of budgetary and extra-budgetary funding on the security services. One of the continent’s battle-tested and respected armies is being severely challenged by the policies of political leadership that has no coherent plan, and by a determined and brutal insurgency that is taking and holding territory. Into this vortex of uncertainty are the incongruous campaign groups, which in contrast to the national mood, organise rallies and dance all day-and all night-, moving from one state capital to another to demonstrate their conviction that only Jonathan would be best man for the country after  the presidential election, some six months away.
For many weeks after the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, the government, at least some of its top officials, including the president himself, gave the impression that the act was a political gimmick by certain politicians in the North of the country to scuttle any chance of Jonathan succeeding himself in 2015.  After the hashatag #BringBackOurGirls went viral on practically every social media platform all over the world, and presidents and prime ministers and celebrities identified with it at public fora, some response, clearly taken reluctantly, the government set up a panel to ascertain the facts of the matter. Its attitude since then reflects that initial reluctance.  It is what the media and civil society organisations have been pointing out, namely that the government should focus more on addressing the security challenges of the country, curb the massive oil theft in the Niger delta, and tackle the haemorrhage in the public finance system caused by stealing and corruption, and good governance issues generally, and less on his transformation agenda that is transforming only a handful of individuals.  
As the president, again through Dr Abati, once declared, he didn’t give a damn about what other Nigerians say or think about the direction the administration’s policies are taking the country. But he apparently gives a damn to what outsiders say or think about the manner he is carrying on, with the 2015 elections in focus. Abati noted in his statement on the now discredited hashag that the billboards were being used without President Jonathan’s knowledge or approval. That’s disingenuous. These campaign groups have been around for some time and are known to be linked to many of the president’s close advisers. They seem to have access to enormous amount of money, buying expensive newspaper advertisement space and hours of live television coverage; and they have security cover.  The day that the country’s leaders ignore the voices of reason from within, but pander to outsiders who only echo them, is the day they lost it.