A lot of people are certainly traumatised by the heaps of invectives and abuses, which Nigeria’s President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan receives on a daily basis, particularly since the drumbeat for 2015 general elections began. Beyond political jabs which themselves ought to be restrictive, Nigerians are deeply growing the culture of disrespect for constituted authority especially at the highest level of governance.
Criticisms of government policies is part of democracy, but the habit of cursing and abusing the President is exceeding bounds and innocent watchers of how we treat our own elected President must be thinking that something is wrong with our style as a people.
Nigerians have a habit of being seen as very religious. They believe in God or at least, they pretend to be. For that reason, they call on God’s name on nearly every occasion, good or bad and even armed robbers pray to God before embarking on their evil missions. Christians and Muslims alike believe that a Supreme God is the Master of everything and whatever happens to us on earth is a direct impact of His wishes. So if that reasoning is true, we must, in the same vein, consider the fact that others too are under the same umbrella of God’s divine wishes. Similarly, God gives promotion and also demotes those in high places when He wishes. God made Jonathan husband of Dame Patience Jonathan, Deputy Governor, Governor, Vice President, Acting President and today, the President of Nigeria.
This is the point that the First Lady Dame Jonathan made on the Children’s Day events in the Villa in Abuja. She pleaded with Nigerians to stop abusing her husband. Rightly, she has also observed how many Nigerians have chosen to humiliate God’s appointed one at every point. We are not speaking to elevate Jonathan or do him any favour but in every situation particularly as we find in the leadership apex in our country, there is need for moderation and diligence in our utterances. This has been lacking for sometime, making a mockery of the right of free speech. As a nation, we cannot continue along this path of ignominy and the First Lady’s call is timely and appropriate.
Nigeria is a totally complex nation. General Babangida said this much about her economy. As a young man, way back in the university, I had taken special interest in the politics of Nigeria. It has been a gory tale of pain and lost opportunities. The climax of my disappointment was in the annulment of the 1993 presidential election that Chief Moshood Abiola of the then Social Democratic Party (SDP) won convincingly. That annulment threatened the fundamentals of our nation and many thought that the end of Nigeria had come. One of my friends, Captain Shuaibu Alfa told me at that time that I was only being exuberant as a young graduate, noting that in a matter of months, Nigeria would be Nigeria and the matter would be over and the nation and her people will move on as if nothing had happened. True to prediction, the annulment paled into insignificance before our eyes.
What my sad experience about Nigeria tells me is that there is near no workable prescription to cure Nigeria’s malaise or so it appears. In our view, not even partitioning of Nigeria can solve these problems, and, we fear, it may get worse. Unfortunately, as the problems are mounting, so are the people being more difficult.
Leaders after leaders in Nigeria have a fair share of leadership blame from the citizens as if nothing good can come out of Nigeria. None in their views qualify for any mention in a global hall of fame, not even on isolated local issues. Starting from Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir Abubkar Tafawa Balewa to President Jonathan, the story is nearly the same. Therefore we are tempted to believe that it is part of the character of Nigerians not to choose good leaders or not to appreciate how to relate with their leaders.
Things are getting bad everyday and unfortunately President Jonathan is unlucky to be the President at this time. Dwindling global economy, lack of patriotism, some citizens’ love for corruption, ethnic and religious dichotomies, failure of the electoral process as well as sectarian insurgency are combining to weaken the fabric of the Nigerian polity. They are not peculiar to Jonathan. They have been with us for years. One peculiar issue which has traumatised the present government is the problem of Boko Haram. This is a new kind of violent invasion on the people of Nigeria and like any other asymmetrical war, it has proved very difficult to tame. Nigeria is not the first in Africa or other continents to face these challenges but what makes the difference is the collective effort and will to tackle challenges. Al Quaeda was not part of America’s major policy focus until that fateful day of 9/11. Since then everything else has revolved around a collective effort by all Americans irrespective of political or religious or other divides to safeguard their country because they do not want to live in fear. That is the advantage the American nation has over our country. So it is impossible to compare the two situations because the foundations are not the same. While Americans believe in the American dream, the Nigerian man believes in his region, ethnic group, religion and political party over and above his nation. Therefore in times of conflict the interest of the country is sacrificed.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo may be enjoying the highlights today that opposition groups and other Nigerians are bullying Jonathan but how many Nigerians are asking about the kind of leadership that Obasanjo imposed on Nigerians after his Third Term scheme failed? He knew that late President Umaru Yar’Adua was terminally sick and incapable of carrying out the tasking responsibilities of leading a difficult country like Nigeria. Jonathan did not say he would be President or Vice before Obasanjo dragged him into it. So why are we abusing him or crucifying him as if he is the worst that Nigeria has had when we all know where the problem lies?
Since Nigerians have allowed the electoral process that Obasanjo abused in 2007 to remain, many of us will be reluctant to abuse Jonathan not because he is from the Niger Delta like some of us but because even if another president is there the hate syndrome may not abate. If it has pleased God to have Jonathan as President of Nigeria today, let that divine will be.
This is the manifestation rule of law under GEJ administration