GOODLUCK JONATHAN: A PRESIDENT IN SEARCH OF A LEGACY

It is no use saying, We are doing our best. You have got to succeed in
doing what is necessary. Sir Winston Churchill
The Goodluck Jonathan administration is in its twilight. There is a chance the President will get another
shot at the top job if he wins a second term into office. But lets ask ourselves a question: What if he
doesnt return reelected; are his achievements impressive enough for Nigerians to remember the
President for good? Right now, the answer may well be in the negative. Jonathans presidency has been
beleaguered within and out with criticism especially because of the Boko Haram leads insurgents and
incursions in the North-Eastern part of the country. Important aspects of National discuss critical to
Nigerias development such as the economy, power, education and road infrastructure have taken the
back seat.
It is unclear the direction Mr. President has taken the nation in the last four years. The transformation
agenda has been more a rhetoric than a blue-print. Although the Presidency will lay claim to some
accomplishments; on the whole, they are not enough to save Jonathans name for posterity.
On foreign policy, Jonathans administration has made commendable progress. Nigeria has responded
promptly and responsibly to the needs of her citizens abroad. For instance: when the issue of the 3000
visa bond by the United Kingdom came up, the Nigerian government rose to the occasion. Also, after
South Africa deported Nigerians for allegedly possessing phony yellow cards, the Nigerian Government
responded in kind. Nigerians felt proud and a level of patriotism was palpable because we saw that the
government would come to our defense whenever the need arose. Under Jonathans administration,
Nigeria also assumed membership of the UN Security Council. Furthermore, trade ties with the Asian
giant, China have been robust under the Goodluck era. On the African continent, Nigeria may not
possess the Big Brother mien she did under Obasanjo (in trying to stabilize other African countries
democracies) but she is well positioned to assert herself in the committee of nations both in the African
Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Still, the presidents
progress in foreign policy is not enough and will not guarantee Goodlucks legacy.
If there was ever any area one could call a quick-win for the President, it was in power. A solution to
Nigerias power problem is sure to confer a savior-like status on anyone who delivers on the mandate.
Nigerians have not seen remarkable improvements in this sector even after the privatization of the
PHCN. A large number of people still live in darkness and have to generate their own electricity. Despite
the 7% growth in GDP between 2002 and 2012 and the increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into
the country, it would be near impossible for this growth to be felt by the poor without stable electricity.
The much talked about diversification of the economy through agriculture is still a work in progress.
Nothing this administration his working on is complete! So here again, Jonathan will not be venerated
for his efforts in the economy and agriculture or for improving power. The Obasanjo era achieved better
in terms of debt relief, telecommunications and banking reforms. As outlined earlier, Jonathans

administration may have made some strides in some areas but these developments are too slow and
too minuscule to give a long lasting legacy.
It is becoming clear that it is the security challenge that will define Jonathans legacy for good or bad.
Violence linked with Boko Haram have claimed at least 10,000 lives. Boko Haram have burned schools,
killed teachers and raised churches and mosques. They have gone after traditional rulers and governors.
Women and children have turned refugees in their own country. The physical infrastructural damage
run into billions of naira while the psychological cost will not be quantified for years to come. Boko
Haram is public enemy number one. This terrorist group sunk a new low when they kidnapped over 200
Chibok girls in the dead of the night. The world was aghast and queried the government in power whose
responsibility it is to safe-guard the girls. Celebrities and notable figures around the world including
Michelle Obama got on #BringBackOurGirls campaign demanding the release of the girls. Jonathans
administration floundered in its military and media response following the abductions. World-wide
criticism from local and foreign media including Aljazeera and CNN did not spare disparaging remarks on
Mr. President and his armed forces. Jonathans already wounded image took yet another plunge. In a
self-redeeming effort, the President put up an OP-ED in the Washington Post explaining his silence over
the Chibok abductions. The editorial has done little to help him because so long as the girls remain at
large, it is considered another failure in his responsibilities. There is a growing hopelessness and despair
about his leadership style and Nigerians and the world await any kind of good news about the girls and
the security of the country.
I am certain the Chibok abduction would define President Jonathans administration forever. He has
done well in trying to galvanizing international support in fighting terrorism in Nigeria. He has also
sought more funding (about $1 billion) from the National Assembly to fight terror. As much as Nigerians
want Boko Haram stopped, we are also skeptical to believe the money would be utilized for what it is
voted for given our antecedence with corruption. It would indeed be sad if this money find its way into
private pockets. While we await the findings on the $470 million invested in the procurement of CCTV
cameras in the FCT and Lagos; we are yet to highlight a single crime that these cameras helped prevent
since their deployment.
Although Boko Haram is the obvious threat to our dear nation, corruption is the cancer that has made
Boko Harams activities thrive. Aside from security issues, our inability to prosecute corruption has
undermined Jonathans efforts to transform Nigeria. It is fact that the EFCC is no longer revered like it
was under Nuhu Ribadu. Under Late President YarAdua, Farida Waziri lead the arrest of ex bank chiefs
accused of corruption. There was sanitation of the banking sector that saved Nigerias economy from
taking more damage from the global melt down. Under this administration, Nigeria has had to rely on
the British Justice System to bring her citizens to justice. This President has also pardoned crimes that
bother on corruption. It is the prerogative of the President to pardon whoever he wants, but he pardons
send a clear signal to the world that President Jonathans anti-corruption mantra was a tale for the
moonlights.
A television advertisement has tried to draw a parallel between President Jonathan and great leaders
such as Nelson Mandela, Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and President Obama. Our President must know

that these great leaders are praised for actual achievements and not for campaigns. These men stood
up for something or against something and these defined their legacy. Mandela stood against apartheid
and stood up for the rights of black South Africans. Lee Kuan Yew grew Singapore from a just another
country to one of the most developed in Asia. And of course President Obama brought a new meaning
to the word-change- when he defeated John McCain in the stiffly contested election to be the first black
President of the United State of America. It is a good thing that President Jonathan has set such high
standards for himself and aspires that his name be called in the same breath as such great figures; but
this can only be done if he achieves the mandate he was actually voted for and not with foreign PR firms
helping to launder his image.
Whether he likes it or not, President Jonathans actions or inactions regarding security especially the
return of the Chibok girls will be the defining moment for him. Winston Churchill will forever be known
as the man who in war time rallied the support of the world especially President Franklin D. Roosevelt of
the United State, against the evil Adolf Hitler. It is clear that the war defined Churchills legacy. President
Goodluck can do same and can be that man who will lead Nigeria out of the doldrums of terror. He can
be that man if he decides to face the battle headlong devoid of political interests.
Nigeria has had more than her share of killings. The security problem has claimed innocent lives and the
blood of the innocent knows no religious or ethnic cleavage. There is no Christian, Moslem, North or
South divide when it comes to life. The air we breathe has no color or race or religion. President
Jonathan must be that man to bring Nigerians together and win the fight against terror which has tried
to change the way we live. He can bring his people together like President Bush did after 9/11. He can
show us who we are as Nigerians. He can inspire faith in him once again and it has to begin with bringing
the girls home. Gandhi did it, Mandela did it and Obama is doing it. President Jonathan, can also achieve
greatness if he will just put his personal ambitions aside and put Nigeria first. That is the only way he will
succeed. Nigeria will work someday, I am certain of it, but whether it will be Jonathan who would lead
the people from the wilderness into the promise land, time as they say will tell.