USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE: Advice for Nigerian President Goodluck: "Forget Re-Election, Fight Boko Haramism!"

FORGET RE-ELECTION, FIGHT BOKO HARAMISM!

by

Anthony Akinola

 

Those comparing Goodluck Jonathan to Nelson Mandela are being dishonest. President Jonathan knows from the inner temple of his thoughts that he does not possess the strength of character that defined Nelson Mandela as one of the greatest icons in modern history.

            There was once upon a time one Nelson Mandela, who took on the apartheid system in South Africa, and he paid dearly for it; he was incarcerated for 27 years.  Mandela came out of prison to restate exactly the statement that earned that incarceration in the first place.  He would later become the first black president of his nation.  Unlike the culture of his greedy cousins and nephews in the rest of Africa, Mandela voluntarily vacated office after serving a single term of 4 years. 

            In contrast to Nelson Mandela's experiences, it has been an easy ride to political power for Goodluck Jonathan. He is not known to have ever carried a placard demonstrating anywhere on behalf of Nigeria.  On various occasions, he has made rather ambiguous and conflicting statements about his intentions for the future.  Jonathan would have been Vice-President and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for eight years by May 29 2015.

            President Jonathan should be fighting the Boko Haram insurgency, not seeking re-election.   Although he inherited bokoharamism from previous administrations, the phenomenon has nevertheless defined his own administration.  The abduction of more than 200 school girls from their Chibok hostels captured the imagination of the rest of the world.  Failure to rescue those girls after more than 200 days in captivity, if one must be brutally honest, has inevitably rubbished the leadership capability of Goodluck Jonathan and the efficiency of the Nigerian military.

            It should be worrying that Boko Haram insurgents have acquired a substantial portion of Nigerian territory, declaring it an Islamic Caliphate.  Quite a number of Nigerians holding sensitive positions, even in the military, have become more or less like refugees!They cannot go home because  their towns and villages have been taken over by the insurgents.  Re-election should, in the present circumstances, be the least priority of Goodluck Jonathan, knowing fully well that disputed elections could be one distraction the Boko Haram insurgents would exploit to devastating advantage.

            The putative 2015 presidential election promises to be the  most divisive election in the history of Nigeria.  Unlike the 2011 election which pitched Goodluck Jonathan against three presidential candidates from the North, the 2015 election could be one between him and a candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) from that region.  The current tension between regions and religions suggests a most acrimonious election in prospect.

            There could be a time in the life of a nation when the sacrifice and patriotism of an individual is what a nation requires to navigate a most trying period.  We are facing that time in the history of our nation.  The rights and privileges of a genuinely patriotic leader would take a secondary position when the national interest is at stake.  The participation of Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election promises  an outcome that could be violently contested, going by the threats from regions with perceived vested interests.

*Anthony A. Akinola, the author, lives in Oxford, UK, with his family.