WHO ELSE BUT JONATHAN? - by: Tai Emeka Obasi

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan GCFR

It is a huge surprise to me that there are calls from many Nigerians to vote for General Muhammadu Buhari as against President Goodluck Jonathan. Most of them garble under that fallacious garbage, CHANGE.

I could forgive some kids who joined this obnoxious bandwagon, kids who either weren't born when the same Buhari toppled a democratically elected president in 1983, then hid under a noise-making Tunde Idiagbon to reduce his country men and women to mere wild animals. .. or kids who never bother to check up on history.

But seeing adults far older than me diving into this highly adulterated demeaning liquor of deceit makes me wonder who are more vulnerable…the leading class or the led? The answer is quite obvious!

Whoever thinks for the tomorrow of this country should first of all ask himself/herself why this great country took the fetish backstage of development shortly after our colonial masters departed our shores, thereby making us an independent entity. Those that follow events would tell you that if the army led by Kaduna Nzeogwu hadn’t intervened in 1966, Nigeria and not South Africa would be leading the African continent in all spheres of advancement.

But the khaki boys intervened and continuously truncated every attempt meaningful civilians of an otherwise great country made at stabilizing her into the perfect gear for greatness. After plunging us into a most unfortunate civil war they held onto governance temporarily vacated in 1979 when General Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to become a hero by handing over to Alhaji Shehu Shagari…but Shagari’s government operated in perpetual fear of the military…a fear confirmed when they struck, bringing in Buhari…then the self-styled Maradona in name of General Ibrahim Babangida…to General Sani Abacha … and back again to General(now retired) Obasanjo.

After eight years of pure military dictatorship anchored under the facet of democracy, Obasanjo again handed over to a civilian…and in so doing, wittingly or unwittingly gave Nigerians her first true leader, a leader who had been like an ordinary Nigerian in the street…a leader who had gone through the pains of all the military interventions heaped on dear nation…a man who once had no shoes!

Today, Jonathan’s Nigeria is the only Nigeria that has practiced real democracy…the only Nigeria that offers her citizens unlimited freedom of speech…the only Nigeria that is free of political killings as a means of shutting up an opposition…the only Nigeria that allows the opposition to operate freely without undue arrests, incarceration or witch-hunting with agencies like the SSS and EFCC. But Nigerians, ever impatient, ever tribal in every endeavour and always blaming the government for his/her business misfortune, poor planning and evident laziness to change with the times, would want an ex-lecturer, who inherited a vast entity like Nigeria on a platter to perform miracles overnight. Without the benefit of learning from his mistakes?

Who doesn't know how deeply these men that should have stayed permanently in the barracks have buried this nation with lack of quality leadership and foresight to plan for tomorrow? Who doesn't know that Nigeria’s FESTAC 1977 excessively money-wasting fanfare started our plunge into economic nonentity? Who doesn't know how sharply downturn our nation dipped within the two years Buhari and Idiagbon held her by the jugular?

My dear country men and women…this is not ethnic war…it is not about party … it is not about religion.

It is about democracy…it is about allowing Nigeria a full eight years under democratic civilians for the first time in her history. It is about copying developed nations and chase these military men away from sending us deeper into irredeemable pit. It is about freedom of speech. It is all about willingly practicing a government of the people, for the people and by the people. President Jonathan is the first Nigerian leader who is practicing this system of government the way it is done in saner climes. He may not have got everything right but the basic of development is setting the right atmosphere. He has…if we all offer help instead of sponsoring Boko Haram to destabilize him, we’ll start enjoying the gains of democracy… for I believe our true independence started that moment Jonathan was sworn in as the President. He’s certainly no Zik (forget the one he bears) neither is he an Awolowo but God has used him to give us real democracy…let’s help him stabilize then look for our Ziks, Awolowos, if indeed our shores still harbours them, to take over.

Buhari is certainly not the person. If APC ever meant well for this nation they should have done better than presenting us with a military man yet again!

Note: For those who believe this General Buhari detests corruption, I’ll give you excerpts of the report of the probe panel that looked into the activities of PTF… how he managed over N181 billion in four years! Keep a date.