With the steady gains the Nigerian military has made in the fight against insurgency in the north-East geopolitical zone coupled with the massive commissioning of projects by Mr. President, especially in the past three weeks, Nigerians are no longer in doubt they have a capable president in Goodluck Jonathan.
I recall that former President Ibrahim Babangida reechoed this position when President Jonathan paid him a courtesy visit at his Minna residence as part of his nation-wide electioneering campaign. Babangida was blunt and straight to the point when he said that ‘Nigeria is safe under President Goodluck Jonathan.’
For me, I have never for once doubted the capability of the President leading this country having critically studied his performance in the past 6 years. Forget the demonization by the opposition, and the campaigns of calumny mounted against him by other subterranean forces, President Jonathan has been anointed by God to right the wrongs of this country and place it on a steady path of growth and development.
There are many good things some people do not know about this President. I must confess that initially I never believed in his ability to successfully lead a complex and heterogeneous nation as Nigeria, because of some misplaced perceptions. I had seen him as too weak and soft to drive a nation of over 200 ethnic blocks. I had expected somebody with iron fists to beat our obdurate people into line.
But later events have since proved me wrong. In fact, I was too quick to judge him – also for obvious reasons. The most critical at the time was the security situation in the country, which was assuming an embarrassing proportion. I remember the frightening situation then in the Southeast, to which kidnappers and other criminal elements had laid siege. They had a field day terrorizing and killing innocent people. When the President stepped in the situation was brought under control. The presence of the military in strategic towns and cities in the zone has helped tremendously in restoring law and order.
Then enter the northeast zone. Boko Haram and their sponsors set out on a dangerous mission to destabilize the country. The dreaded sect was taking over towns and cities with ease. It got to a point when Nigerians started asking if at all they had a military. Faced with this dispirited development the President stood firm and carried on with the mien of a combatant general. Despite all the media criticisms he maintained his cool and kept assuring the nation that the government was on top of the situation.
Nigerians were visibly and ostensibly tired of this refrain from the President each time there was an attack by the sect. They wanted action. They cried out for it. But nothing seemed to be working. State of emergency was declared and renewed on a few occasions – all in an effort to find a way round the problem to no avail.
One thing many critics of the president did not take into consideration was the complex nature of the operations by the military to flush out the insurgents. The northeast geopolitical zone is a very wide and difficult terrain. It is also accessible to some of the most difficult neighbours – Chad, Niger and Cameroun. Curiously, Chad and Niger had been under constant threats of terrorists and different kinds of militias for as long as I can remember. So, with the eruption of insurgency in the northeast it was easy for criminal elements to gain access into Nigeria, using many of the porous borders around the region.
Again, Nigerians should consider that before the ascendancy of President Jonathan to power Nigeria had never witnessed terrorism in any form. Therefore, it could be safe to conclude that our security agencies were not mentally and materially ready for the war. That was why it took some time to prepare it sufficiently for the onslaught against the sect.
I was alarmed when some persons chose to describe President Jonathan as clueless. Clueless? That was a harsh word to use on a man who has spent all the days of his presidency so far working to make Nigeria great.
It was simple to understand why the President was described as clueless by some disgruntled elements: he restrained the military from using too much force on Boko Haram terrorists which would have resulted in massive loss of civilian lives. As a passionate and compassionate leader the President chose to protect his people instead of allowing many of them to die for him to gain some cheap publicity. For a power-hungry leader the latter option would have been more appealing.
I would want Nigerians to take some time out, in the quietude of their rooms, to think about Nigeria and the effort this President has made to keep it one and united. The emergence of Jonathan at this time of our national life was not by accident. God brought him, aware of the delicate nature of our unity, to take Nigeria to the next stage of development. I doubt if any other President could have had the sanity of mind and the patience to direct the affairs of the nation as Jonathan had done. You know it is easy to destroy than to build. Let me ask: would there have been a nation to lead if the President had confronted the challenges of the nation with such brutality as some people had anticipated?
For close watchers of global events it is germane on every Nigerian to consider the way other nations had handled their own crises. Rwanda, Somalia, Congo Democratic Republic (CDR), Sudan, etc are embroiled in internecine wars for not properly handling their differences. Nigeria’s situation would have been worse if a man like Jonathan had not been in the saddle.
I am sure those that predicted the dismemberment of Nigeria had thought it was going to toe the infamous path of these crisis-ridden countries. However, they underestimated the strength of Jonathan and had thought he would have easily succumbed to pressure and led Nigeria into crisis.
Unfortunately, what critics saw as cluelessness was actually tact and diplomacy. While critics were busy abusing the President and calling him all kinds of derogatory names, he was busy re-equipping and retraining the military on how to deal with terrorism. Now his perseverance has started yielding the desired dividends. The evidence is all over the place.
Look at what is happening in the northeast axis of the country, where terrorists had held sway. What do you see? Terrorists scampering for safety with some of them even drowning? I had wished this did not happen when I joined my voices with those of other well-meaning Nigerians to appeal to Boko Haram to lay down their arms and embrace peace. I foresaw what is happening today about three years ago when I offered to broker peace between the government and Boko Haram.
I had always believed in President Jonathan’s ability to deal with Boko Haram. So I am not surprised at the present gains by the military over the sect. What I did not, however, anticipate was the swiftness of the operations. Is it not amazing that in less than one week almost all the territories hitherto under the control of the sect had been recovered by the military. Even in one of the communities normal activities had resumed, with the markets swinging back to life.
For critics of Jonathan, the shift in the dates of the elections was a ploy by his government to buy time. Which time? I dismissed this insinuation in this column two weeks ago. Jonathan does not need to buy any time to win the forthcoming elections. His performance will make it possible. Later events have since proved that INEC was not fully ready for the elections. If the elections had gone ahead as planned, probably, what happened in 2011, when the elections were aborted mid way, would have recurred.
Because of the tact and managerial ability of the President this calamity was averted. Imagine what embarrassment it would have caused the nation if the elections had gone on and ended in disaster. Who would have been blamed? Definitely not INEC as many would make us believe. The blame would have been levied on the President. Aware of the enormity of the task on his shoulders the president did the needful.
I must single out the Service Chiefs for commendation. Their wisdom and courage in advising for a shift in the dates of the election has saved the nation from destabilization. It has also shown the military as an apolitical and professional organization with its focus on the stability of the nation.
Interestingly, INEC is already leveraging on the postponement as more PVCs are being distributed and other materials needed for credible, smooth and peaceful elections produced. Nobody needs further assurances to believe that the new dates for the elections are realistic, going by the progress made so far.
Those who accuse the president of not fighting corruption enough should bear in mind that he has the capacity to fight corruption. Corruption is like insecurity. They are cankers that do no nation any good. Without necessarily defending the President, it is common knowledge that corruption did not get to its present magnitude overnight. It took many years for it to mutate and spread. What we have in Nigeria today is institutional corruption, and to destroy it requires the cooperation and support of every Nigerian. My take on the matter is that President Jonathan will fight corruption with the same commitment he has dealt with insecurity. I know very well that he is planning a huge offensive against corruption. It is just a matter of time.
Let me quickly add that President Jonathan’s style of fighting corruption will differ significantly with the way a man with military background would. Don’t forget we are under a civilian dispensation, where protection of fundamental rights of every citizen is guaranteed by the Constitution. Therefore, there is a limit to the quantum of force to be applied in the enforcement of the laws that punish corrupt practices.
In my reasoning, the best way to fight corruption is through reorientation and cutting off all the roots that give it life. How can this be achieved? We need to create more jobs, provide more amenities to make life worth living, boost agriculture to provide more food, bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, and reduce poverty to the barest level. It is inequality that pervades every sphere of our national life that makes corruption flourish. And the way President Jonathan is going about the task of eradicating corruption it will become a thing of the past sooner than expected.
Having said that it is important to state at this juncture that the critics of President Jonathan are yet to tell us what difference replacing him with another person would make on the lives on Nigerians. All they keep chanting is change. Change to achieve what? They have not told us. I have read the economic blueprints of the opposition political parties and none of them could match the transformation agenda of President Jonathan. Any unbiased assessment of the agenda shows that it has the capacity to turnaround the life of the nation positively. Already its implementation so far has given hope that the twin-problem of power and employment will soon be addressed.
Nobody will disagree that youth unemployment coupled with unavailability of steady power has contributed adversely to the growth of the Nigerian economy. So, if the two problems could be addressed then we are on the road to economic boom that will lead to more jobs for the youth and lesser crimes.
What President Jonathan has achieved in 6 years will take a new government another 10 years to accomplish. Lack of sufficient time to midwife and nurture a programme to fruition has been identified as one of the problems working against the development of the nation. With another four years (which is like a short hour in the night) the President will be able to complete ongoing projects started by his administration. It is always better for somebody who initiated a project to complete it according to specifications.
One thing going for the president is that he is a silent achiever. I was perplexed when I saw him in Olorunsogo, Ogun State last week commissioning a new power project. I was wondering when the project was started and already completed. That is the hallmark of responsible leadership. I believe President Jonathan has many more surprises for Nigerians only if they can trust him and re-elect him.
He has demonstrated a determination to build a new Nigeria in which everybody will enjoy the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution; hunger and penury chased away, crimes and other forms of criminality reduced drastically; life more pleasurable; and peace and tranquility reign.
It will not serve the nation any useful purpose to change a winning horse midstream. What we need now is to allow President Jonathan to consolidate on the achievements of his administration and steer the ship of state to a safe berth come 2019.
I recall that former President Ibrahim Babangida reechoed this position when President Jonathan paid him a courtesy visit at his Minna residence as part of his nation-wide electioneering campaign. Babangida was blunt and straight to the point when he said that ‘Nigeria is safe under President Goodluck Jonathan.’
For me, I have never for once doubted the capability of the President leading this country having critically studied his performance in the past 6 years. Forget the demonization by the opposition, and the campaigns of calumny mounted against him by other subterranean forces, President Jonathan has been anointed by God to right the wrongs of this country and place it on a steady path of growth and development.
There are many good things some people do not know about this President. I must confess that initially I never believed in his ability to successfully lead a complex and heterogeneous nation as Nigeria, because of some misplaced perceptions. I had seen him as too weak and soft to drive a nation of over 200 ethnic blocks. I had expected somebody with iron fists to beat our obdurate people into line.
But later events have since proved me wrong. In fact, I was too quick to judge him – also for obvious reasons. The most critical at the time was the security situation in the country, which was assuming an embarrassing proportion. I remember the frightening situation then in the Southeast, to which kidnappers and other criminal elements had laid siege. They had a field day terrorizing and killing innocent people. When the President stepped in the situation was brought under control. The presence of the military in strategic towns and cities in the zone has helped tremendously in restoring law and order.
Then enter the northeast zone. Boko Haram and their sponsors set out on a dangerous mission to destabilize the country. The dreaded sect was taking over towns and cities with ease. It got to a point when Nigerians started asking if at all they had a military. Faced with this dispirited development the President stood firm and carried on with the mien of a combatant general. Despite all the media criticisms he maintained his cool and kept assuring the nation that the government was on top of the situation.
Nigerians were visibly and ostensibly tired of this refrain from the President each time there was an attack by the sect. They wanted action. They cried out for it. But nothing seemed to be working. State of emergency was declared and renewed on a few occasions – all in an effort to find a way round the problem to no avail.
One thing many critics of the president did not take into consideration was the complex nature of the operations by the military to flush out the insurgents. The northeast geopolitical zone is a very wide and difficult terrain. It is also accessible to some of the most difficult neighbours – Chad, Niger and Cameroun. Curiously, Chad and Niger had been under constant threats of terrorists and different kinds of militias for as long as I can remember. So, with the eruption of insurgency in the northeast it was easy for criminal elements to gain access into Nigeria, using many of the porous borders around the region.
Again, Nigerians should consider that before the ascendancy of President Jonathan to power Nigeria had never witnessed terrorism in any form. Therefore, it could be safe to conclude that our security agencies were not mentally and materially ready for the war. That was why it took some time to prepare it sufficiently for the onslaught against the sect.
I was alarmed when some persons chose to describe President Jonathan as clueless. Clueless? That was a harsh word to use on a man who has spent all the days of his presidency so far working to make Nigeria great.
It was simple to understand why the President was described as clueless by some disgruntled elements: he restrained the military from using too much force on Boko Haram terrorists which would have resulted in massive loss of civilian lives. As a passionate and compassionate leader the President chose to protect his people instead of allowing many of them to die for him to gain some cheap publicity. For a power-hungry leader the latter option would have been more appealing.
I would want Nigerians to take some time out, in the quietude of their rooms, to think about Nigeria and the effort this President has made to keep it one and united. The emergence of Jonathan at this time of our national life was not by accident. God brought him, aware of the delicate nature of our unity, to take Nigeria to the next stage of development. I doubt if any other President could have had the sanity of mind and the patience to direct the affairs of the nation as Jonathan had done. You know it is easy to destroy than to build. Let me ask: would there have been a nation to lead if the President had confronted the challenges of the nation with such brutality as some people had anticipated?
For close watchers of global events it is germane on every Nigerian to consider the way other nations had handled their own crises. Rwanda, Somalia, Congo Democratic Republic (CDR), Sudan, etc are embroiled in internecine wars for not properly handling their differences. Nigeria’s situation would have been worse if a man like Jonathan had not been in the saddle.
I am sure those that predicted the dismemberment of Nigeria had thought it was going to toe the infamous path of these crisis-ridden countries. However, they underestimated the strength of Jonathan and had thought he would have easily succumbed to pressure and led Nigeria into crisis.
Unfortunately, what critics saw as cluelessness was actually tact and diplomacy. While critics were busy abusing the President and calling him all kinds of derogatory names, he was busy re-equipping and retraining the military on how to deal with terrorism. Now his perseverance has started yielding the desired dividends. The evidence is all over the place.
Look at what is happening in the northeast axis of the country, where terrorists had held sway. What do you see? Terrorists scampering for safety with some of them even drowning? I had wished this did not happen when I joined my voices with those of other well-meaning Nigerians to appeal to Boko Haram to lay down their arms and embrace peace. I foresaw what is happening today about three years ago when I offered to broker peace between the government and Boko Haram.
I had always believed in President Jonathan’s ability to deal with Boko Haram. So I am not surprised at the present gains by the military over the sect. What I did not, however, anticipate was the swiftness of the operations. Is it not amazing that in less than one week almost all the territories hitherto under the control of the sect had been recovered by the military. Even in one of the communities normal activities had resumed, with the markets swinging back to life.
For critics of Jonathan, the shift in the dates of the elections was a ploy by his government to buy time. Which time? I dismissed this insinuation in this column two weeks ago. Jonathan does not need to buy any time to win the forthcoming elections. His performance will make it possible. Later events have since proved that INEC was not fully ready for the elections. If the elections had gone ahead as planned, probably, what happened in 2011, when the elections were aborted mid way, would have recurred.
Because of the tact and managerial ability of the President this calamity was averted. Imagine what embarrassment it would have caused the nation if the elections had gone on and ended in disaster. Who would have been blamed? Definitely not INEC as many would make us believe. The blame would have been levied on the President. Aware of the enormity of the task on his shoulders the president did the needful.
I must single out the Service Chiefs for commendation. Their wisdom and courage in advising for a shift in the dates of the election has saved the nation from destabilization. It has also shown the military as an apolitical and professional organization with its focus on the stability of the nation.
Interestingly, INEC is already leveraging on the postponement as more PVCs are being distributed and other materials needed for credible, smooth and peaceful elections produced. Nobody needs further assurances to believe that the new dates for the elections are realistic, going by the progress made so far.
Those who accuse the president of not fighting corruption enough should bear in mind that he has the capacity to fight corruption. Corruption is like insecurity. They are cankers that do no nation any good. Without necessarily defending the President, it is common knowledge that corruption did not get to its present magnitude overnight. It took many years for it to mutate and spread. What we have in Nigeria today is institutional corruption, and to destroy it requires the cooperation and support of every Nigerian. My take on the matter is that President Jonathan will fight corruption with the same commitment he has dealt with insecurity. I know very well that he is planning a huge offensive against corruption. It is just a matter of time.
Let me quickly add that President Jonathan’s style of fighting corruption will differ significantly with the way a man with military background would. Don’t forget we are under a civilian dispensation, where protection of fundamental rights of every citizen is guaranteed by the Constitution. Therefore, there is a limit to the quantum of force to be applied in the enforcement of the laws that punish corrupt practices.
In my reasoning, the best way to fight corruption is through reorientation and cutting off all the roots that give it life. How can this be achieved? We need to create more jobs, provide more amenities to make life worth living, boost agriculture to provide more food, bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, and reduce poverty to the barest level. It is inequality that pervades every sphere of our national life that makes corruption flourish. And the way President Jonathan is going about the task of eradicating corruption it will become a thing of the past sooner than expected.
Having said that it is important to state at this juncture that the critics of President Jonathan are yet to tell us what difference replacing him with another person would make on the lives on Nigerians. All they keep chanting is change. Change to achieve what? They have not told us. I have read the economic blueprints of the opposition political parties and none of them could match the transformation agenda of President Jonathan. Any unbiased assessment of the agenda shows that it has the capacity to turnaround the life of the nation positively. Already its implementation so far has given hope that the twin-problem of power and employment will soon be addressed.
Nobody will disagree that youth unemployment coupled with unavailability of steady power has contributed adversely to the growth of the Nigerian economy. So, if the two problems could be addressed then we are on the road to economic boom that will lead to more jobs for the youth and lesser crimes.
What President Jonathan has achieved in 6 years will take a new government another 10 years to accomplish. Lack of sufficient time to midwife and nurture a programme to fruition has been identified as one of the problems working against the development of the nation. With another four years (which is like a short hour in the night) the President will be able to complete ongoing projects started by his administration. It is always better for somebody who initiated a project to complete it according to specifications.
One thing going for the president is that he is a silent achiever. I was perplexed when I saw him in Olorunsogo, Ogun State last week commissioning a new power project. I was wondering when the project was started and already completed. That is the hallmark of responsible leadership. I believe President Jonathan has many more surprises for Nigerians only if they can trust him and re-elect him.
He has demonstrated a determination to build a new Nigeria in which everybody will enjoy the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution; hunger and penury chased away, crimes and other forms of criminality reduced drastically; life more pleasurable; and peace and tranquility reign.
It will not serve the nation any useful purpose to change a winning horse midstream. What we need now is to allow President Jonathan to consolidate on the achievements of his administration and steer the ship of state to a safe berth come 2019.
0 comments:
Post a Comment