Someone on this forum says Let him [Jonathan] go were tired of him. Whatever his reasons, he wants someone different as president, and shares the wish of several others on the forum. Im not of the opinion that it must be Jonathan that must rule Nigeria. My concern is about who will replace him. There is a dearth of leadership in Nigeria, a reality that all of us must wake up to, else what do you make of the trend or preference for recycled leadership today? Isnt it an obvious indication that we subconsciously agree that real leaders are scarce in the country? If you need Jonathan out of power, you must as well bother about who should replace him, and honestly your reason shouldnt be religious or tribal-based else your position is bias. It should neither be that you score him low in terms of performance: you will be denying the obvious fact that his achievements are unparalleled. Anyone who holds a contrary view that Jonathans Transformation Agenda has impacted positively on the country, either lacks information or is one of those who will NEVER appreciate any good thing or who deliberately denies the obvious! Leadership isnt as easy as it seems. Many of us who are criticizing Jonathan today cant achieve an inch of his achievements if given the chance, yet we judge him as a failure and want him out of Aso Rock. In all fairness, a man making unprecedented efforts to salvage this country that was manufactured through deceit, and gradually buried in corruption and decadence cannot possibly be scored low. Were just so good at deceiving ourselves, no wonder we easily get deceived by politicians looking for cheap points. Nigerias perennial problems are not Jonathans invention; theyve been around with us, he only inherited them. You must be living in another planet to think that there are quick fixes for those problems! Dont be so naïve, anybody who tells you Jonathan has failed for not being able to solve the problems is the man to watch; he wants you to believe that theres a magic wand for quick fixes so you can vote for him or his preferred candidate. If we are honest, well agree that Jonathan has made remarkable efforts in addressing some of our national issues: abandoned agriculture, moribund railway system, unstable power supply, non-diversified economy, dilapidated roads, housing deficits, ill-equipped military, poor airports, abysmal healthcare system, alarming unemployment rates etc. He may not have eradicated the problems but he has made significant verifiable improvements on what he inherited. And before you criticise him for one or two things hes not doing or getting right, remember that hes only human, and not an angel. You shouldnt ignore the many other good things hes done and is doing, and write him off for the few hes not doing. Im sorry to say that some of us want change but we dont have a good criteria to select leaders that can occasion the needed change. Some of those who wish Jonathan out of power want him replaced by Buhari of APC. I have no issue with that except that they are yet to give me convincing reasons why hes their choice. They promote the former Head of State for his integrity and say he can put an end to terrorism in the country. I dont mean to insult anyones rationality but any wise person can see that both are vague grounds to advance in any argument. If I may ask, is it just these qualities that a president must have to be effective? I think Nigerians should rather be selling Buhari as a better substitute because of his legacies as former Head of State. But what can you really pinpoint as his legacy? Honestly, Im yet to hear of any (and I stand to be corrected) yet thats the man theyre backing as Nigerias next president. Ive been wondering why not Governor Fashola of Lagos for instance with an indisputable track record of achievement and leadership capacity? Perhaps zoning knocked him out of the bid! Now lets even take a careful look at those points before someone does us Moju Moju. In a country where corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of society, people of character are like gold. While this explains the rationale behind the propagation of the idea of a Buhari of integrity, we need to query whether Buhari is really a person of integrity as claimed? Ill leave that for you to judge as I humbly invite you to read an article bordering on some of the actions of your integrity figure during his tenure as Head of State. (Please find the link at the end of this write-up). Much as I dont hold the view that President Jonathan is a saint, but I dont think it is okay to denigrate or vilify a man using another man who may be less of a saint. Granted, Buhari is a former general and of course we cant take that credit from him. The question is: does being a soldier guarantee victory at war? What will Buhari do differently from other generals to curb terrorism. Will he wear uniform and report in Sambisa Forest or will he overhaul Nigerias military? Wow, Id be stunned! I no fit laugh jare. And if I may ask, why hasnt he come forward with that magical recipe as expected of a patriotic citizen who has the interest of all of us at heart; mind you, he and other former heads of state are members of the Council of State constituted to advise Mr. President. Let me digress a bit: why must he choose to help out only if elected president and why must heads roll if he loses at the polls? When you look at the issues involved in the fight against BH, you cant but agree that winning the war is easier said than done. It takes more than words to quell insurgency! Our current CDS had bragged that he will stump out BH within months of his elevation to the office, but when he eventually faced the realities on ground, he came back denying the statement. Similarly, US Government promised to assist us in the fight against BH, and in fulfilling their promise they sent some troops down. We were all hopeful and optimistic that as a military superpower theyd do something extraordinary and bring about a lasting solution to the menace. By the time they entered the BH territories and came to terms with the nature of the war, they retracted and said they were around just to provide technical support to our military, not for direct combat. Leave tori for tortoise! I ask you: what hasnt Jonathan done to address terrorism yet? He has provided adequate financing for security, encouraged high-level training of the military personnel, acquired sophisticated hardware for the tri-services, built regional front with neighbouring governments to assist in the fight, created a fund to assist victims of terrorism, called on BH severally for dialogue, fired service chiefs... Please if you know what else can be done, do come forward with it, especially about the recovery of Chibok Girls. I dont mean that the war against terrorism cant be won, but I need Nigerians to realise that Mr. President hasnt been folding his arms, though thats what they want us to believe. Has somebody heard Buharis campaign advert airing in Hausa already? I heard it while on transit in Lafia, Nassarawa State. Its is unapologetically religion-based, and calls on the MUSLIM UMMAH in Nigeria to vote for Buhari as a solemn duty to ALLAH, and as opportunity to enthrone their own...The leadership tussle has been publicly reduced to religion, a tool politicians are using it to further tear us apart. This is ridiculous and totally unacceptable. Personally, I can vote a capable, detribalised, non-fanatical non-christian who has what it takes to take Nigeria to the Promised Land. Until we come to that point where the determinant of our vote is neither tribe nor religion but indisputable credentials of candidates, we cannot claim to belong to so-called one Nigeria nor can we support the Nigeria Project. As a firm advocate of democracy, I agree that political opposition is beneficial for any democracy, but Im afraid, we dont have a healthy one in Nigeria where political opposition currently means political antagonism (instead of ideological differentiation). In my opinion, while the fundamental objective of opposition is to unseat the leading party, it shouldnt be at all cost. I cant identify with a party that lacks values, that displays flagrant disregard for the office and person of the president, encourages citizens to tour that path, discrediting his achievement, criticises his every and any move, inciting hatred against the leading party, inciting violence with unguarded statements like If they rig the election we will run a parallel government! Must power be clutched at all cost? I dont think so. My position is this: if you want Jonathan out of power, provide us with a better substitute. Why seek to replace a bad tyre with another bad one? Fellow citizens, in concluding I urge you to vote wisely during the forthcoming elections as posterity will judge you for it. God bless Nigeria! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nsikan Ekaette is a political analyst and chartered economist. The write-up is his response to a messaging platform group chat. Please share if the issues raised make sense to you.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 23:11:16 +0000
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