COUNT-DOWN TO FEB. 14, 2015; JONATHAN VS. BUHARI: By Dr. Josephine Olatomi Soboyejo The furor over Buharis educational certificate is yet unabated. We are aware that Jonathan holds the highest degree in education; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). A man with education will invest in education and investing in education is the single most effective way of reducing poverty. Education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future and is critical to reducing poverty and inequality. Education majorly affects the understanding of the difference between right and wrong. An educated person is well aware of the consequences of wrong/illegal actions and he is less likely to get influenced and do something which is not legally/morally right. It is very important to examine the public records of what both candidates did while in office; Buhari was past Head of State while Jonathan is the current President. History matters because it serves to operate as guides to the future. Globally it is acknowledged that the most important resource for a nation is its human capital, its people, their abilities and capabilities and how these capabilities are enhanced through education, formal and informal. Buhari stopped food subsidies in Nigerian universities and thereby prioritized the introduction of malnutrition into universities as an opportunity cost for other economic decisions. In contrast, Jonathan built more Universities in Northern Nigeria within three years from 2011 to 2013 than any northern leader ever did between 1960 and 2013. The list of these universities include, Federal University Lafia (2011), Federal University Wukari (2011), Federal University Lokoja (2011), Federal University Kashere (2011), Federal University Dutse (2011), Federal University Dutsin-ma (2011), Police Academy Wudil (2012), Federal University Gashua (2013), Federal University Gusau (2013) and the Federal University Birnin-Kebbi (2013), before this only the Gowon and Babangida governments built up to four universities each while others established one or two between 1962 and 1988. Apart from the overwhelming and unprecedented investment in primary school education, through the universal basic education, vocational schools, and the launching of the special funding of the all-embracing education called Almajiri education -the very first in the history of northern Nigeria- the Jonathan administration took children from the streets of northern Nigeria and gave them new opportunities, whereas some elders of northern Nigeria including Buhari who called western education Haram denied them formal western education but offered instead religious knowledge. No building of educational facility or training is associated with Buhari. 2. Security issue is an important one. National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic power, diplomacy, power projection, and political power. National security refers to policy enacted by governments to ensure the survival and safety of the nation-state, including but not limited to the exercise of diplomatic, economic, and military power in both peace and war. Whereas the threat to the security of Nigerians came from forces external to government in the Jonathan regime, with the Buhari regime, government itself was the source of the greatest threat to the security of Nigerians. Jonathan declared a state of emergency and changed several Service Chiefs, towards combating the menace of Boko Haram. The fact is that the well-resourced Boko Haram, like ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as their Salafist comrades in Chechnya, Russia are still holding ground against the Nigerian government and Army. We must remember that religious zealots have periodically caused mayhem in the North generally and the North East in particular, in other regimes although it has escalated with ferocious impact on Nigerians during Jonathans administration. No country has been successful yet combating terrorism; even USA with all his forces are still fighting terrorism. Under Buharis regime anyone could be detained at his whim using his draconian decrees, the list of those incarcerated under Buhari is lengthy, Ekwueme, Pa Obafemi Awolowo (House Arrest), Sam Mbakwe, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Pa Adekunle Ajasin, Lateef Jakande, Bisi Onabanjo, Bola Ige, Ambrose Alli, Audu Ogbeh, Ebenezer Babatope, and so many others. Individual security was so bad under Buhari that when Pa Adekunle Ajasin was acquitted three times by courts that found him not guilty of Buharis accusation of corruption, the Buhari regime re-arrested and detained him under Decree no. 2. While Buhari detained Tai Solarin and denied him medication even while Tai Solarin was having persistent asthmatic attacks. Even worse, Buhari ordered the judicial murder of Bernard Ogedengbe , who was sentenced to death under Decree 20 for a crime he committed before Decree 20 was enacted whereas it carried a lighter sentence when he committed the crime. Buhari refused to accept any pleas to spare Ogedengbes life, hence under Buhari the state denied the individual his life at the whim of President Buhari. Professor Wole Soyinka expressed shock that any Nigerian will ever contemplate voting for Buhari as a president thus, Buhari enslaved the nation. He gloated and gloried in a master-slave relation to the millions of its inhabitants. It is astonishing to find that the same former slaves, now free of their chains, should clamour to be ruled by one who not only turned their nation into a slave plantation, but forbade them any discussion of their condition. 3. Governance must be embracing not lopsided. No one has monopoly of knowledge to administer the nation. Democracy is not run by the head of government alone but it also encompasses other elected leaders on other levels of government. Let us remember the whole nine years of General Yakubu Gowon, the seven months of General Murtala Muhammed, the four years of Shehu Shagari. The almost two years of Buhari, the eight years of General Ibrahim Babangida, the five years of General Sani Abacha, the one year of Abdulsalami Abubakar and the two years of Umaru YarAdua. For almost 40 years of the 54 that we have had flag independence, the North has ruled the nation, but what did their leadership do for Nigeria? Why is the Northern elite now hell-bent on taking back power at the top? What did they do with it for their people when they had it? The poverty level and lack of western education in the north is one singular factor that brewed Boko Haram insurgents. The northern leaders impoverished their own people. President Goodluck Jonathans name will be written in gold for his administrations pragmatic efforts at reviving the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) which has been comatose for nearly 30 years. The feat is more evident with the presidents recent inauguration of two Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) train sets and six air-conditioned passengers coaches at the NRC terminus in Lagos. This is part of the concerted efforts of Jonathans administration to steadily improve the railway rolling stock. Whereas Buhari stopped the water project and the Metro Rail in Lagos State. Even when the military Administrator for Lagos State, alerted him a clause in the contract agreement ($60 million metro rail project) that would put the state into debt, if the contract was cancelled unilaterally. His reply to Mudashiru was I dont care. Lagos State already deposited $25 million for the project and the state paid another $60 million in arbitration. This total sum would have covered 2/3 of the total cost. The fund for the execution of the project which would have given Lagosians an intra-city light train transport system was not coming from Buharis Supreme Military Council, Buhari, cancelled this project of the state government, without genuine reason. Till date no Nigerian city has metro rail. 4. allAfrica featured a story, Africa: Why do African Presidents Keep Dying? The story was published a week after Ghanas President, Professor John Atta Mills, died in office. Malawis former President, Bingu wa Mutharika, died while in office. Earlier in 2012, Guinea-Bissaus President Malam Bacai Sanhá died during his tenure (and the former President of Guinea-Bissau, João Bernardo Vieira, was assassinated in 2009); Umaru Musa YarAdua died on 5th May, 2010 at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. Since 2008, Africa has lost not less than ten heads of state. Africa parades only 54 states yet there is a presidential mortality rate of over 15% in contrast to other continents. Analysts points to age: African presidents are dying in office in greater numbers because theyre older. Buhari is already 72 years old which in fact is the official age with the military; there is a likelihood of him being older than 72 years when we remember that most public officers in Nigeria reduce their ages to retain them longer in service. Whereas, Jonathan is 57 years old. Though death knows no age but the likelihood of an older dying before the younger is present. Also a younger man is more vibrant and proactive than an older man. Buhari slipped a step during his campaign in Enugu and now rumours of his impending US trip for medical treatment. The world is a global village so we need to take a preview from other continents. According to the research conducted by Dadakim and published by him on 3rd August, 2012; The average age of African heads of state is 62.5, the European equivalent is just 55. This is also the average age of American presidents at the time of their inauguration. Barack Obama is 53 years old while David Cameron is 48 years old now. These are world leaders, youthful and vibrant. Again on the very critical issue of the economy, some have attributed Buharis regime with stabilizing the economy at a turbulent time by using counter trade to keep the IMF in abeyance, but this defers from the independent assessment of evaluators who observed that the counter-trade mechanism was abused to siphon public funds by converting Nigeria crude to laundered funds for cronies of the Buhari regime. Independent assessors at the GATT, later the WTO wrote in their report number BOP/W/102 of September 1986 that on the Counter trade, Four principal countertrade agreements were concluded with Brazil, France, Italy, and Austria. This policy, while permitting a certain amount of extra imports to enter, was subsequently seen as causing considerable diversion of trade and substantial extra cost to the economy as a whole. In contrast the past four years of the Jonathan administration has seen a steady economic growth of over 6% with a much larger GDP. My candid advise for the North who think it is their turn to take over is to wait till 2019 when they can field a younger candidate with real national appeal to contest for the presidency.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:03:51 +0000
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