by Sam Itauma
Whereas the frequent road mishap in Nigeria has been scaled down or is now almost a forgotten issue could only be attributed to the building of new roads and rehabilitation of dead-trap roads and potholes, fixation of gully erosion across the nation by Jonathan.Whereas the multiple police checkpoints on the roads which lead to extortion of money from motorists and frequent deaths from some trigger-happy police is now a history for first the time in the annals of Nigeria is a pointer to the war against corruption of Jonathan’s administration.
Whereas I can see that even the people of South-South region of Nigeria are not tribalistic that’s why some of them sit in their cozy rooms to adorn and heap wild criticism, send out spleens and cynical tantrum just as other region on President Jonathan, even as they never sit back to say that ” he’s from my region I should not criticize him.” That’s why they deserve a big pat on the back. But why should they fail to reward President Jonathan with commendation where he deserves it?
Whereas today we have the voice to criticize a sitting president and call him fouled names without going to jail or being brutalized shows that democratic principles such as freedom of speech are respected by President Jonathan.
Whereas Mr. Jonathan has improved the economy of Nigeria beyond our imagination and to the surprise and scope of any previous government is only left for those who can see, feel, understand and appreciate good things.
Whereas, the Chibok girls kidnapping is a crude, calculated attempt to discredit Goodluck Jonathan administration’s towering performance is no longer in doubt to the discernible minds.
Whereas, we all know that insurgency is not in Nigeria alone, even President Barak Obama of the United States, at the moment, is yet to ” ultimately degrade and destroy” ISIS, one of the most callous and dreaded terrorist groups doesn’t make him a weak president.
Whereas the world leaders are collectively fighting ISIS, Al Qaeda, the Khorasan group and other terrorist groups in the Arabian Peninsula, Irag, Syria, and in the Maghreb region, etc. while leaving Jonathan to battle Boko Haram insurgency alone. And you wonder why?
Whereas, why are we blaming President Jonathan for the Boko Haram devilish activities as if he is the creator and manufacturer of the terrorist group, while we sympathize and empathize with the Iraqi, Afghan, Moroccan, Algerian, Libyan, French presidents the similar terrorist activities? The case of Charlie Hebdo comes to mind. Is it just about the usual hypocrisy inherent in man?
Whereas, Islamic parents and scholars have the primary responsibility to orientate and reshape the mindsets of their children and youth ab initio to prevent them from sipping the ideologically extremist mentality of the Jihadism doctrinaire; so have they not failed us and their generation yet unborn?
Whereas we now have the groundnut pyramid back in the Northern region of Nigeria after 50 years in limbo; is truly the will power and administrative acumen of one man, President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan.
Whereas, the only president in Nigeria to remember the down trodden like the Almajiri by building more than 100 (?) boarding schools for them and equipped with computers and internet facilities can only be seen by people who harbor hearts of gratitude.
Whereas, we all know that Boko Haram insurgency is the creation of man, by man-made doctrine, by religious profiteers and by extension, leadership failure of past administrations that refused to address the country’s age-long abject poverty; abandoned, street children and beggars called Almajiri in the Northern region of Nigeria which constitutes about 45% of the Boko Haram insurgents, according to recent statistics.
Whereas, we must not ignore the salient fact that the dreaded monster, Boko Haram we have in Nigeria today is the offshoot of extremist inspiration from the Jihadist ideology entrenched in the Islamic religion, just as we have “Suffer not the witch to live” an ideology which is also an extremist inspiration for the Christian fundamentalists who lynch and kill anyone suspected to be a ‘witch’. Thanks to the Nigerian soldiers who are sending to where they belong.
Whereas, I almost forgot the “Crusade and the Inquisition” question which recently brought President Obama under a viciously intense criticism for daring to make mention of, and comparison to the terrorist groups like ISIS. #Americanhypocrisy?
Whereas no one should blame Buhari for the Islamic insurgency or otherwise of the Boko Haram activities but as a father figure in the Northern part of Nigeria and indeed a well-known Islamic advocate if not scholar, he has the onerous task of educating, enlightening and reshaping the Islamic populace to create a congenial environment of non-religious violence, non-extremism; and not waiting to be the country’s president before evoking his acclaimed magic wand to fritter away Jihadism ideology preached by the insurgents and other extremist scholars, while thousands of innocent people in the Northern Nigeria are being annihilated and slaughtered more than the rams during the major Islamic festivals, to wit: the Id Al Fitri, Id Al Kabir, and Id Al Maulud. Thanks to the Chad and Cameroun soldiers that joined forces with the Nigeria army to deal deadly blows on the insurgents.
Whereas, there’s no doubt that General Buhari is a man imbued with integrity philosophy, is no guarantee that his senile demeanor, even at the septuagenarian age of 73 will bring about the much touted messianic leadership of “change” some Nigerians are clamoring for today as if we’ve not tasted leadership style of our beloved general before. Don’t get me wrong, I love and respect Buhari more you do. That’s why I’ll prefer him not to go through rigorous ordeal of electioneering campaign at this fatherly and statesmanlike age.
Whereas, Nigerians should by now be wary of military government by extension as if Nigeria does not have true democrats anymore, or are we so infatuated with the ideology of ‘militocracy’ in our brain that we cannot make adjustment any longer?
Whereas, my beloved General Buhari is surrounded by the recycled old breed politicians and old faces known to have ‘drilled’ the Nigeria economy to a halt; leaves a big gorge to be filled.
Whereas it begs the question why the so called change movement sound resonates and becomes so loud only when some of the People Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants for Councilor, Chairman, House of Assemblies, Representatives, Governorship and Senates failed to grab the tickets to enable them stand for election under the PDP platform.
Whereas 85% of the so called ‘change’ movement advocates were all card carrying members of the PDP for the past 15 years raises a big doubt cloud as to what change they really want to hoist now when they couldn’t make during their sojourn with the PDP canopy.
Whereas, one wonders why some PDP big daddies junket to the opposition party only when their hidden oil blocs were exposed and either seized from them or the number scaled down.
Whereas, President Geoduck Jonathan is branded all sort of puerile and ridiculous names like ‘clueless’, ‘weak president’ simply because he’s a man endowed with the culture of a sublime mind, peace, tolerance, live and let’s live and truly does not have killer squads and kidnapping secret agents who maraud the streets during the day and wee hours of the night to murder and abduct perceived enemies at will unlike previous administrations that sent snipers, soldiers and militias who traumatized, brutalized, murdered fellow citizens, and even decimated communities and tribes. Do you remember the genocide in Odi, Zaki Ibiam, the Kudirat Abiola, Pa Rewane, Sgt. Rogers #NADECOLspirit
Itauma is a charity worker with Itauma Foundation (IFOUND)
You can follow him on Twitter @SamItauma, @IfoundLoves
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
