What Jonathan failed to do... by Bolaji Tunji

It has always been said that President Goodluck Jonathan is the most abused Nigerian president. This definitely is not in dispute. Apart from being called clueless and incompetent, he has always been the butt of abusive cartoons in the social media and among others who find it convenient to take a piece off the  president’s hide.

Now the elections are here and the stakes are high. The abuse has further escalated.  Different methods have been deployed most especially on the social media. The questions are; how did the president get to this pass? What are the things the president did or left undone that has led him to this situation? The most important of the questions are; how did the popularity of the president, which soared like that of an eagle before the presidential election of 2011 suddenly plummet to this abysmal level thus making his second term bid which should have been a smooth sail, become so difficult. The election which should have been a walkover for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thus become an almost intractable problem, especially considering that the main opposition candidate is still the same General Muhammadu Buhari who had been trounced on three different occasions by the same party. Today, General Buhari is giving the president a run for his money and if the president and his minders are not careful they stand to lose their deposit.

One of the issues that is worthy of consideration is whether the country is worse off under the Jonathan administration and whether Nigeria would fare better with a Buhari presidency. I recall that when the President announced his intention to contest for the presidency in September 2010, among the promises he made was on electoral reforms in order to make our elections flaw-free, as much as possible. Even the most ardent critics of the president would agree that he has made good that promise. The 2011 election that ushered him in was adjudged as being better than the previous ones. There was a major reduction in election petitions unlike before, indicating that things were better done. It would be recalled that the 2003 elections attracted about 560 election petition cases. This rose to 1,250 after the 2007 election, but the number fell to about 400 after the 2011 elections indicating that there was more transparency during that election. Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, who has been adjudged to be a man of impeccable character was appointed by the president. The INEC chairman was given the freedom to exercise his authority as the electoral umpire. The president did not interfere with his work. It is thus quite surprising when APC and its supporters have now become Jega’s supporters, insisting that he should not proceed on terminal leave as if such was happening for the first time with a public office holder.

To underscore the freedom and independence enjoyed by Jega’s INEC, under the Jonathan watch, four governorship elections were conducted. The Ondo governorship election was won by Dr Segun Mimiko flying the Labour Party (LP) flag, it was not as if the PDP didn’t field any candidate. The same thing with the Edo governorship election which was won by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of the All Progressives Congress (APC). There were the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections won by PDP and APC respectively. In none of these elections were there fiddling or interference from the presidency, the electoral commission was allowed to do its job.

Another area that the Jonathan administration should be commended is education. Under his watch the government established 125 almajiri or Tsangaya Model schools, as it is now called, in 13 northern states. This is a way of coping with the almajiri problem in the north, as majority of out-of-school children in Nigeria are from the northern part of the country. Indeed, one can even argue that the north fare much better under a southern presidency than when a northerner leads the country.

In tertiary education, the government has established 14 universities as at last count.  In the area of transportation, the administration should be applauded especially when one considers what it has been able to achieve. One of the busiest roads in the country which has been neglected over the years, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is now under construction. Most people especially from the southwest zone felt the road would have been constructed during the General Olusegun Obasanjo tenure, they were sorely disappointed. The Ilorin-Ibadan expressway which was started by the Obasanjo administration is incomplete with the the Ogbomosho- Oyo axis, believed to be one of the most dangerous, unattended to. Benin-Lokoja-Abuja road is ongoing with some sections being expanded to 10 lanes. Onitsha-Owerri road is complete while the Onitsha- Portharcourt road is nearing completion, just to touch on a few of the administration’s effort in that area.

What about the rail transportation? It is on record that the Jonathan administration has done very well. I was especially happy one evening on my way home.  Vehicles had been stopped, in the usual manner around Fagba area in Lagos, because a train was about to pass. Within a few minutes, the coaches started coming. Apart from the front coach which had the technical crew, all the other coaches were flatbeds with containers on which were inscribed MAERSK.  There were more than 30 of such containers. The development further brought home to me the effort of this administration in bringing back the train services. I have always believed that to reduce carnage on our roads and also ensure a longer lifespan for the roads, some of the heavy duty vehicles carrying containers and heavy duty goods should go to wherever they are being taken by rail. Before the Jonathan administration, we know the efforts made by previous administrations in rail transportation. There was nothing to show for it.

In the area of electricity, I am quick to agree with majority of Nigerians that much still has to be done. But the foundation had been laid. power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has been unbundled with the privatization of that sector. It is now left for the managers of the power generating and transmitting companies to recoup their investment in this area. Though Nigerians would say they are yet to see the effect of the unbundling, I am convinced this would come. The problem of power did not come in a day, and it would take more than a day to fix. New power plants have equally been commissioned.

Going to the states, majority of the governors have performed very well. Some of such high performing governors are Governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Ibrahim Shema of Katsina, among others. I have been to those two states and I know a lot has been done there. In the south, the transformation of  Godswill Akpabio is unprecedented. The governor even confessed that when he visited the United Kingdom and was making a presentation of his stewardship, someone in the audience stood up to accuse him of presenting computer-generated images. In Delta state, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has also wrought wonders. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state also did very well before he became a later day convert to APC.  All these were achieved under the Jonathan watch. There is no way one would talk about the achievements of these governors without reference to the conducive and enabling environment created by the Jonathan administration. These are achievements which should be counted in favour of the administration because there is no way the parts can be greater than the whole.

Now, with some of the achievements of this administration, why is it that majority of Nigerians believe the president has not performed? I will lay the blame squarely on the president and not his minders. The president, to me, believes that his work should speak for him. That is only possible in more saner climes, not in a Nigeria where everything is over politicized.

The president, to me has hidden his light under a bushel, to borrow from the biblical expression. All the achievements of President Jonathan and the governors are parts of the whole and this should be clear to even the most ardent critics of the president. Some of these would not have been possible if he had not made the environment conducive.

Never in the history of Nigeria have we had a PhD holder presiding over the affairs of the country, this should count for something. A  president with this qualification would feel more comfortable working with people of equal qualifications, there  would not be a case of inferiority complex here. He would not be interested in putting anybody down on account of superior reasoning unlike what we use to have in the past when some past leaders believe there is little or nothing they can learn from the younger, more educated generation.

There have been a clamor for a change under the Buhari presidency. I am convinced that this would be a retrogressive step. Apart from the age factor, there are so many things that would be difficult for General Buhari to grasp as president in this digital age. If it had been a younger Buhari, I would have been a volunteer to campaign for his election. There is no doubt that he has impeccable credentials and unimpeachable character, but age is definitely not on his side today and that is a major minus. The APC would have helped its case more with a younger candidate than what many would want to consider as a relic from the past. There is no way a Buhari would do what he did in the 80s today. Apart from age, the environment is also different.