President Jonathan Is A Giant

The ultimate measure of a man according to Martin Luther King Jr, is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. When President Goodluck Jonathan became the third democratic president of Nigeria, little did he know that this line from a great revolutionist will crown his strengths and empower his weaknesses. I stand to be corrected, but there’s no president in Nigeria, either during the military era or this democratic dispensation, that has ever carried such a heavy load as Jonathan does today. In spite of this spate of challenges not just from the security angle, but also in all other sectors that has a role to play in our collective development as a nation, he still manages to take substantial positive lead and make remarkable successes at it. A majority of other past Nigeria leaders as record would prove it, often leave challenges to fate.

It’s difficult finding the right balance in this generation. Too much criticism, sycophancy and hypocrisy. The election that brought Jonathan to power came from the people’s vote. Mother, father, and children, gathered to put their voice to vote because of the man himself and not the political party under which he contested. A simple translation of that gesture is that he was the most favoured and as a reciprocation, he vowed to bring to Nigerians, a breathe of fresh air, an air that was quickly polluted by power mongers. Quite a lot of Nigerians today wants to see an ousting out of President Jonathan and an installation of according to them, a more CLUED president who can spit fire and shake mountains. In this demand of theirs, they don’t think past Gen.(rtd) Ibrahim Babangida, Gen.(rtd) Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku Abubakar, Rochas Okorocha or Ahmed Tinubu. Individuals who did nothing when power was given to them in the capacity for which it came, individuals who cannot profer a single solution to the present challenges that befall the nation, individuals who have never made a single contribution to national development. Drop Jonathan today and pick a popular choice, his performance will embarrasse you, especially if it has to do with the present crops of prospective, struggling presidential party flag bearer.

Yes there’s the ongoing case of the 276 abducted schoolgirls from Chibok community in Borno State of Nigeria. Boko Haram running around causing violence, bloodshed and mayhem. Holding Nigeria and Nigerians hostage through violence and fear. And of course there’s the big issue of corruption that’s still parading its wings in our government. Argue all you want, corruption has been there far before Jonathan got in(though not a justification for its continuity), and terrorism, Boko Haram’s creativity inspired by opposition’s power tussle. Some of what’s happening today in our nations history, came as a result of the compounding inequality and injustice in the system, but one thing however, is that all of these never started during Jonathan’s leadership, they are issues that have been there for ages, issues many Nigeria presidents caused and never cleaned up. Though the planted insurgents opened up loopholes in our security system as a country, however, their emergence is as a result of Northern conspiracy.

No one is talking about the re-engineering going on in the railways, the The transformational agenda motivated by President Jonathan has resulted to a series of development that many today have chosen not to acknowledge due to their negative and hidden agenda that is distantly geared away from national development. If Jonathan decide not to go for re-election tomorrow, history will pronounce him the hero of out time and a silent giant. Fighting him will do Nigeria no good, if we join forces with him, then Boko Haram, corruption and other negative vices can be driven out of Nigeria sooner than we think.

If this administration must survive, we as Nigerians must give the president what he deserves -justice.

God bless Nigeria!