THE CONCLUDING DAYS OF PRESIDENT JONATHAN. Femi Ojo

photo courtesy of google

There have been many interesting series of theatrics in our polity shortly after the conclusion of 2015 presidential elections.  The incumbent President, in addition to his acceptance of his electoral defeat has systematically displayed his anger and frustration as a result of the unfavorable outcome of these concluded elections in many ways.  The concluding days of President Jonathan’s five years stay as the number one citizen of our country obviously are being characterized with many interesting scenarios, some of these recent happenings are good but for the wrong timing while many of the current happenings in our polity are bad and perhaps this is how Mr. Jonathan wants to punish Nigerians for not voting for him.

The first interesting political action of Mr. President after his great political loss and that of his party was the sack of some political appointees who interestingly but disloyally shifted loyalty to the incoming elected government in a bid to secure their future politically. In the last three weeks or so, quite a few of former associates of Mr. President have been shown the way out…the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, the former executive secretary of National Health Insurance Commission, Dr. Femi Thomas, the former Director General of National Port Authority, Mallam Habib Abdullahi just to mention but a few.  Expectedly before May 29^th, some other people will be shown the way out too. One must at this period sympathize with President Jonathan; this is because the outcome of the election has really shown that he was not surrounded by loyal associates but with men and women who exploited his weakness and political ingenuousness for personal aggrandizement. Too late for Mr. Jonathan to save himself and those other political characters who fell disgracefully in the just concluded elections!

Mr. Jonathan did something not too wise before the election, thinking that Nigerians would fall for such a political gesture. The President woke up one day and announced to the nation the reduction in the price of fuel pump from N97 to N87 an action done at a wrong period. One wonders why Mr. President did not do such at the heat of 2012 fuel crisis when many lives and properties were lost. It was for the re-election purpose Mr. President did announce such silly political gesture thinking this will amount to acceptance for another tenure in office, it was not indeed done based on the reason advanced by Mr. Jonathan that it was because of the falling price of oil at the international market that prompted that action by his administration. Paradoxically, in the concluding days of Mr. Jonathan’s administration for three weeks now; Nigerians have been on long queue across the country for petrol in order to power their cars and many other devices at exorbitant prices, yet Mr. President has not taken any drastic action to put an end to this horrible experience that Nigerians are going through right now. This is perhaps another way to punish the nation for not voting for the continuity of a weak leader in office.

The current last minute looting of the national treasury is unprecedented and this is one bad event that has characterized the concluding days of the incumbent administration. The nation is broke, no thanks to many billions of dollars used by the government to prosecute the electioneering campaigns which apparently were stolen from our commonwealth. Currently the country pays its recurrent monthly expenditures by borrowing  billions of dollars. How do we expect such a nation to commit its energy and resources to the resuscitation of infrastructural developments and true economic growth? Currently some civil servants salaries are being owed; this is no thanks to the current administration that has milked the nation dry!  The nation is currently broke due to corruption and mismanagement for so long but the government has denied this fact for a long time but when it became so obvious due to the inability of government to meet up with its basic responsibilities, our dear Madam Okonjo and the coordinator of our national economy has started saying the truth that she had hitherto denied.

Amongst all these post elections happenings there is one good effort by the current administration though if this had been taken earlier as at when due perhaps the outcome of the election might be different. Mr. Jonathan is currently gaining victory on the war on terror and indeed our uniformed men must be commended for sacrificing for the good of our country but Mr. President should have really empowered, motivated and committed resources to the war on Terror before now. The slow action and inability of Mr. President to act timely caused us not only international embarrassment and unnecessary exposure of our committed uniform men to political tantrums but also the untimely termination of mortality of great destinies that would have brought positive values and future development to our country. Mr. Jonathan will be remembered for a President who achieved success on war on terror too late!

The concluding days of Mr. Jonathan’s administration will also be known for the many internal dynamism and political contradictions within his party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, a political party that once boasted to be the largest in Africa but which has been reduced to a regional party with the outcome of the just concluded elections.  Currently, the party has been on the verge of complete demise in our national politics as a result of many silly debates on the events that led to its loss at the national level. One expects that the party’s proximate political actors at this period will strategize on how to play a very significant opposition politics to check the policies and political actions of the incoming government. But it is shameful that the internal contradictions and many issues of financial mismanagement of the campaign funds are tearing the party apart.

Lastly, Mr. President and his remaining   strategists are trying hard to give Nigerians their last minute positive   impression of an over-hyped few success stories and perhaps to control the already damaged image of President Jonathan and his party at the midnight of the termination of this administration. The President and his men in these their concluding days have been showcasing their perceived achievements in various sectors in the media. Recently, the President commissioned various projects to showcase the success of his administration. For those that care, Mr. Presidents wants to be remembered as that man who resuscitated the railway transportation in Nigeria and this has been on the hype as he completes his tenure in some days to come. To  end his administration, like he claimed to have done when he was first elected as the President, he has gone to the church with madam Peace and few remaining political associates to thank God for the just concluded elections and to commit the future of Nigeria to God. In all, one thing is sure no matter the last minute damage control by Mr. Jonathan, most Nigerians will remember him as a President who shops for pity in a looming post-power jungle and who gives gratuitous barrenness parting shots to Nigerians. Goodbye Mr. Jonathan!