How many times would one have to forgive Mr. Jonathan?By Tunde Fagbenle Sunday, 13 Feb 2011

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201102130174518

How many times would one have to forgive Mr. Jonathan? By Tunde Fagbenle  Sunday, 13 Feb 2011

I can’t knock Mr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) too hard. He’s our president today by whatever providential turn and, if it must be said to exculpate him, he really, before events forced it upon him, never once thought he could ever be president of Nigeria. Not that he would have thought he wasn’t good enough but just that simply becoming Nigeria’s president was farfetched, say, some five years ago!

Even the governor thing was an accident. He was an innocent teacher plucked from the classroom to be running mate to Alams of infamous memory, only for GEJ himself to be saddled with the governorship power proper when Alams went in and under. Then Obasanjo plucked GEJ, again providentially, to become Umaru Yar’Adua’s running mate for president of Nigeria!

All that could be dizzying, I admit, to a poor village boy.

But that’s not why I can’t knock him entirely. Ebele surrounds himself with some of my old time pals and aburos, aside from the fact that I have a son whose mother comes right from GEJ’s neck of woods and I had journeyed to Turofani (boat miles from Patani) about 20 years ago for my father-in-law’s funeral and bear witness to the horrors of neglect and suffering those from that deep in the creeks undergo.

But, for Christ’s sake, how long will it take Ebele to shake off the innocence and reverie of creek life and realise that he is now Mr. President for real? And with that comes an expectation of carriage and presence of mind.

Not for the first time, neither of that was present out there in Ibadan on Monday (February 9) when he went on his campaign — his first, to earn our vote in his own right. What I heard on radio live broadcast (no, I wasn’t at Mapo Hall and I didn’t watch it on TV — thank goodness!) was not good enough.

Although I also admit that “godfather” Obasanjo’s babysitting and loquacious presence could be confusing, if not intimidating, still… wetin?

First, was President Jonathan referring to himself and his running mate, Sambo, as being in Oyo State to ask for the people’s vote in “our governorship race as we did last year for the PDP primaries?”

What? Did I hear right? Governorship race? But our President carried on, his voice not the most assuring, until some minutes into his speech, someone could be overheard whispering to him to correct the blunder:

“You said governorship, sir, you meant presidential race.”

“Oh, I did?” said our President. “Of course, I meant presidential race. We don’t want to take Akala’s job o.”

Well, at least, he tried to joke it off nicely.

But was that a mere faux pas or a Freudian slip? What state of mind would make a President, even “momentarily,” forget he was running for president and not governor? Something tells me GEJ hasn’t truly in his heart grown beyond the guber-level dreamland. This presidency thing is damn too big a shoe to wear.

And, GEJ went on further in his long, winding speech that qualified to be described as rambling were I to knock him, to commit the most reckless and inexcusable of opposition ridiculing: He called the governors and the political parties controlling the majority of the states in the West “rascals.” Each time he, like a child stuck on a new word, pronounced it, I cringed. And I cringed six times.

If GEJ and his handlers think that was a smart talk, they are wrong. Nothing could be dumber, uncalled for and inappropriate. You come to a region that, by his admission, is primus inter pares in education and enlightenment and you call their elected leaders (not riggers from the “nest of killers”) “rascals”? C’mon!

The worst thing is that it is out of character of gentleman Goodluck Jonathan that we know.

Who told him to come up with such - to borrow from his own terminology - rascality? Was it a need to be funny? I heard mumblings and not a laugh. Need to be rough on the opposition? Wrong. These are the people he could most count upon to save his neck in rough weather, as they did for him in the turbulent times of Yar’Adua’s last days.

President Goodluck Jonathan has done enough damage to himself talking when he shouldn’t and saying things he shouldn’t have said. And we keep forgiving him because of the “underdog” thing.

If Mr. Jonathan is tired of being the underdog, good; I am also tired of forgiving his gaffes. Shi kenan.

The Ribadu/Okonjo-Iweala ticket storm

My column of last week on the probable pairing of Nuhu Ribadu and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for presidential ticket under the Action Congress of Nigeria shocked me by the deluge of response it got from readers — rivalling the highest any of my columns had gathered — suggesting it is a matter dear to the hearts of my readers.

In deference, I run a couple here. Hundreds would still have to wait. I apologise.

My friend ‘Advocate’ of Buharism is not letting off, and his own text was first to come:

“Tunde, my brother,

“Yes, those who love Nigeria want Buhari to lead us. You forget that the Prince of Journalism, Tony Momoh, is CPC chairman. As a country, Nigeria has everything in human and material resources - a large market and nations that worship us. But we lack one critical factor - Discipline.

“Please, write to rebuild the ACN/CPC alliance under a Buhari candidacy to save a fumbling Nigeria. That is our hope!”

Lawson Omokhodion,

Then, a counterpoise:

“Dear Uncle Fagby,

“This was one of the greatest thought-provoking submissions I have read from you. I am sure your critics are going to lay ambush for you, once again, at the evil forest of the much-misappropriated issue of experience.

“Experience in what? Experience in making false and fraudulent promises? Experience in presiding over massive corruption and annulment of credible elections? Experience in overseeing election rigging and treasury looting? Experience in presiding over political and economic instability, terror and grave insecurity? Experience in do-or-die politics?

“Nigerians do not desire and deserve this kind of experience. All over the world, the vogue now is all about CHANGE. The kind of experience craved for in this land today is that of track record in excelling in whatever assignment entrusted on one at any particular point in time. Nuhu and Ngozi perfectly fit this bill.

“Particularly, it presents a big opportunity for Nd’igbo to record two firsts with one stone. That partnership is heavily pregnant with the prospect of paving the way for Ngozi as President after Nuhu. And that will make her the first executive President of Igbo extraction and first female president of Nigeria.

“If the Nuhu/Ngozi real deal happened, you would rejoice and dance. And I would make myself available to blow vuvuzela for you. If it didn’t, you would lament yet a missed prospect. And I would respond to those likely to laugh at the calamity of their nation with the satirical line: o ma se o!

“Thank you.”

Dele Akinola (del.prof@writing.com)

And my ‘star response’ from one Tonsoyo on the Nigeria Village Square website:

“We are not going to recycle any of the geriatric former dictators, period! And I do not care if he is Saint Buhari or Mother Theresa.”

Note: For readers who wonder how the Ribadu/Iweala ticket is still possible when ACN has already submitted another name as Ribadu’s running mate, INEC’s window of opportunity to change names remains open till February 15, I’m told. TF




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