By Matthew Mahmood
President Goodluck Jonathan has forgotten millions of Nigerians that supported him, during his cold war with the cabal; when he was the Vice President of Nigeria while late President Umaru Yar’Adua was seriously ill. Millions of such supporters have lost confidence in him because as soon as he was sworn in as their president he failed to take up the responsibility of a president. He went on a spending spree, bought three new presidential jets at $154.3 million or N23.2 billion and refused to take commercial flights like the British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Solar or Wind Energy
Jonathan, the poor boy who had no shoes to wear to school does not understand that a leader should save money and lead by good example. He presented a national budget proposal of N4.749 trillion ($29.29 billion) for 2012 to the National Assembly, which is another attempt to milk Nigeria dry while the masses wallow in penury.
He must be a clueless president if he didn't know that he does not need millions of Naira to run electricity in Aso Rock Presidential Villa. Why can’t he search for a renewable energy company to buy and install wind turbines or solar panels in Aso Rock? He could save millions of Naira. Despite the fact that he is from the riverine region of Nigeria; he is not even interested in Wave Power for the benefit of his people.
Food and cars
The President and Vice President plan to spend N992.57 million on food and caterers in 2012. They might as well have asked for a billion Naira. Are they not reckless spenders when the masses are starving? Were they elected into office just to eat and feed their guests? They should be nicknamed the gluttons of Aso Rock. Awon Ole! There are different types of robbers in Nigeria and presidential robbers are robbers too.
According to the Premium Times, the Vice-President Namadi Sambo spent N323 million on cars in 2011 and hopes to buy exquisite cars worth about N161 million in 2012. The presidential fleet should not include flashy cars for personal enjoyment. Sambo is getting too big for his boots. Jonathan and Sambo hope to both spend N1.9 billion on vehicles in 2012. They are most unlikely to stop 'bipolar excessive spending' until they leave office although the sadists removed fake fuel subsidy today and ruined the New Year celebration for the masses. They don't buy fuel with their salary, that is why they are forcing people to pay N141 per litre from N65 per litre.
Border
Jonathan must be a clueless president if he only thought of closing the border temporarily after the terrorists had smuggled most of their apparatus, arms and ammunitions into Nigeria with ease. He is not ready to fight corruption and the customs service is corrupt just like other paramilitary and military forces in Nigeria. Closing the border would minimise corruption for a while and deflate the protruding stomachs of overfed customs and immigration officers.
What action did Jonathan and the Service Chiefs take on the allegations of arms, ammunition and smuggled immigrants into Nigeria from Libya apart from raising alarm in newspaper reports? Nothing! Are some displaced Libyan soldiers living in Nigeria? Jonathan and the Service Chiefs are incompetent, sluggish and self centred.
The Inspector General of Police had the guts to say that the police had only arrested the errand boys of Boko Haram when the police have less suffocated weapons and training than the terrorists. The Ministry of Police Affairs should be closed until 2015 because it is a useless ministry. The money used to run it can be used towards training the police and buying equipments. Retired police officers from the UK could be hired to train the Nigerian police for sometime.
Fighting Terrorism in Nigeria
It may not be useful for the presidency to dialogue with terrorists as suggested by different people. It is a sign of weakness. It could also mean that the government is not ready to fight terrorism but step down for terrorists. Moreover, Boko Haram is unlikely to engage in any form of dialogue with their perceived ‘enemies’. What happened when former President Olusegun Obasanjo visited Alhaji Babakura Fugu, the in-law of late Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf? Fugu was quickly assassinated by Boko Haram, probably to stop him from revealing some secrets or vital information that could be useful to the government.
A way to tackle Boko Harm is to delist Nigeria from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) with immediate effect if Jonathan is not a coward and if Nigeria is not an Islamic country. Boko Haram terrorists do have a point. They believe that Nigeria is an Islamic country and the whole country should practice Sharia Law, which is practiced in 12 states in Northern Nigeria, since the presidential tenure of Obasanjo. This is a fact that all Nigerians ‘must’ accept although Nigeria was enlisted in OIC during the military regime of former dictator Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) in 1986 without the knowledge of Christians in Nigeria. IBB ‘sold’ Nigeria to the OIC and Obasanjo was instrumental to the implementation of Sharia Law in Nigeria.
During the Islamic Banking controversy, it was alleged that the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives Emeka Ihedioha did not allow the Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi to take part in the Q & A session, probably to avoid questions on Nigeria’s membership of the OIC. Such questions still need to be addressed.
If Nigeria remains a member state of the OIC; some OIC member countries could pity the plight of Boko Haram and show solidarity. Boko Haram could receive international funding from various sources and recruit more militants with the hope to eventually take over Nigeria. If the sect is successful, a new nation could be formed even if it does not constitute the whole of Nigeria. May the presidency not be caught napping…
