For me, justice is the first condition of humanity” - Wole Soyinka, Africa’s Nobel laureate
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is often given to shooting
himself in the foot. When you expect him
to act as a sage he will often behave like Abacha, whom Professor Wole Soyinka
once called a cretin. The 6 years GEJ has been in power in Nigeria is littered
with miscues and lost opportunity. His luck often ran out when he is on the
verge of making monumental and transformative decisions that could impact
Nigeria for good. This is why many doubt his ability to lead Africa’s most
populous nation south of the Sahara.
Let’s go through some monumental decisions where he chose to
side with the enemies of the country and corrupt politicians instead of making
a tough call. Take the sacking of Barth Nnaji, his erstwhile power minister.
The world renowned engineer was begged to serve in GEJ cabinet with the promise
that he will be given power to turn around the power and electricity sector of
our economy. Within his first few months he put a lot of efforts and
intellectual acumen into the sector and prepare the sector for a monumental revolution
only for him to be sacked unceremoniously at the time the government needed
him, on a trumped up charge that he has an interest in one of the power
generating company. Even though the government knew all along and he even disclosed
it during his screening at the National Assembly. A full and frank disclosure
of interest and refrain from making decision on any issue that impact your
interest is all that is required. This was conscientiously abide with by the
minister and yet he got sacked and Nigeria is today with electricity. We lost
his talents due to spurious allegation from the office of the Vice president.
It gets better, the same vice president is also rumored to have interest in
several power generating companies. All the companies awarded the concessions
had little or no experienced personnel in power generation in Africa so Nigeria
ended up on the losing end while politicians made out like bandits selling NEPA’s
resources.
Similar disastrous decisions were made with the sacking of
former National Security Adviser, General Owoye Azazi. He was not perfect but
he took Boko Haram seriously and brought the full force of the international
community focus on their nefarious act. Jonathan sacked him upon complaint from
the office of his vice president. The same way he sacked the CBN governor, Lamido
Sanusi, when he dared complain about corruption in the office of the Petroleum
minister.
Perhaps the saddest of Jonathan’s inglorious decision is the
sacking of Festus Odumegwu on a trumped up allegation from the office of the
Vice president that he was anti-North. Odumegwu, a former CEO of Nigeria’s blue
chip company is as cosmopolitan and Nigerian as anyone could be. His plans on
the conduct of the Nigerian census were on the cusp of breakthrough when the
silent campaign started. His headship of the Nigerian Population Commission
would have brought a breakthrough to our economy planning.
The saddest part is that it is when you expect him to sack
corrupt minister and advisers that Jonathan will dig trenches and protect them.
Take the case of the former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, for several weeks
after he corrupt car gate scandal, Jonathan kept her on as minister until the
outcry became too much, even then the administration gave a soft landing and
she is now running as a senator on the platform of PDP. Similar protections
were afforded a Southwest chieftain of the party, Buruji Kashamu. For more than
2 years, long before the presidential election campaign party chieftains in the
Southwest had been urging the president to sideline Kashamu and put a new face
on the party in the Southwest but the president did not listen. As one former
PDP Representative, Dave Salako put it, “ the activities of Kashamu were inimical
to the interests of the party in the South West geopolitical zone and
especially, Ogun State”. The president ignored all entreaties and
now it has led to the departure of former president Olusegun Obasanjo and other
PDP leaders in the southwest.
And now the president has nominated Musiliu Obanikoro, a former
minister of defense who has a cloud of impropriety around him based on the
inglorious rigging at Ekiti guber election exposed recently by Saharareporters!
Even if Obanikoro had not voluntarily resign to contest election how can any
sane president re-nominate him given what we know now? How can he listen to the
audio of Captain Koli and still proceed to insult Nigerian with the nomination
he made this morning to the National Assembly?
When a president surrounds himself with people who care less
if he wins or not, he is bound to lose. When he surrounds himself with people
who love corruption more than they love Nigeria the stench in Aso rock will
surely stink to high heavens. And now the chicken is coming home to roost.
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