IN DEFENCE AND IN DEFIANCE

It is patently obvious that I was once a supporter of Goodluck Jonathan, but never an admirer. I supported him because of my belief that the provisions of the Constitution simply had to be complied with. It was fate that positioned him perfectly for high office, not for the first time in his political life. I was incensed, just like all conscionable Nigerians, at the power play that was unfolding before our very eyes to try and nudge him out of his constitutionally-guaranteed entitlement that he, as the Vice President to the terminally ill President Yar'Adua, had to be Executive President. So, my defence was not of him per se, but of his rights to ascend to the position of the First Citizen of Nigeria. Suffice to say that my defence of his constitutional rights was not borne out of any serious expectations of him to be a useful President. We were in a unique situation (being the first time this would have happened in the Third Republic) that demanded an absolute adherence to the letters of the most sacred document in our country. In the past, I had regretted taking this strict stance in the support of his rights, but that was merely out of frustration at the way he has turned out to be a dasher of hope, and a cold-blooded killer of aspiration. I should not express any regret for standing against forces that were bent on trampling upon the Constitution of my country. 

In further defence of Goodluck Jonathan, he never aspired to be where fate has brought him today. He was neither prepared for the highest office in the land nor was he blessed with the intellectual fortitude to be a success in that capacity. This is not to derogate him as a human being, nor to accentuate his character flaws, but to highlight his distinctive lack of the unique attributes necessary to deliver in such an onerous position. Jonathan is simply a vulnerable man in a venerable office. We are not equally endowed with the ability to be useful in particular circumstances; human beings are endowed with different abilities. Some people are good at playing football, some are exceptionally good boxers, some are great physicians, and so on and so forth. Jonathan just happens to be one of those that lack leadership intellect and moral direction. 

Political history is replete with people that found themselves suddenly thrust into positions of authority and a lot of them turned out to be exceptionally great visionaries and leaders. An example would be Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), who became the 26th US President upon the assassination of President McKinley in 1901. Another great example that turned out to be a great success was Harry S Truman (1884-1972), who became the 33rd US President upon the sudden death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Truman was Vice President for only 82 days (Note that our Jonathan spent a considerably longer period of time as Vice President to Yar'Adua). Truman famously said that the buck stopped with him, while our Jonathan couldn't give a damn. Some people are wired to cope quite well and achieve exceedingly great success in the face of adversity, but our poor old Jonathan isn't cut of the same silk.     

However, I shouldn't come down too hard on him for being Jonathan. He could be a good husband, a good father, a good friend, and even a very good man all round. Problem is I couldn't give a rat's behind if he were any, or all, of those! My problem, and indeed most Nigerians', is that he has been such an ineffectual President. Some other Nigerians obviously disagree, and love Jonathan to bits. That is the beauty of freedom, of which freedom of speech is a basic ingredient. Just as we do things differently, we also see things differently and thus, come to different conclusions. I have no problem with that. The only problem I have is of people burying their heads in sand by obstinately refusing to countenance the suffering of the vast majority of Nigerians, who on a daily basis see criminals, both convicted and indicted, run the affairs of State. I despair when distinctions are being made between stealing and corruption. I despair when my fellow citizens are being slaughtered in their thousands and Jonathan blames internal opposition and extraneous forces for the slaughtering. When has Jonathan ever taken responsibility for anything? To paraphrase Truman, with whom does the buck stop? I despair when the instruments of State are used against the very people they are designed to protect and serve. I despair when any dissenting voice is threatened by the high and mighty. I despair to see forlorn hope etched on to the faces of our youngsters. I despair when billions of dollars are being blatantly siphoned on a daily basis and our Jonathan is either helpless or implicit or both. I despair when a man with so much positive authority uses it in negative ways. As the world-renowned American Liberal activist and Professor of Linguistics at MIT, Noam Chomsky, said "For the powerful, crimes are those that others commit."
Yes, I despair for all those reasons, and more. In defiance, I despair.
Jonathan and his gang would do well to heed the words of The 'Father of the United States Bill of Rights', George Mason IV (December 11, 1725- October 7, 1792): " If we do not provide against corruption, our government will soon be at an end." However, I fear this may be too late in the day.