The agama-lizard fell from a great height and landed stomach-flat on the bare ground looked around but did not find anybody to praise him and gave himself repeated nods. That was exactly what the government of President Goodluck Jonathan at the Federal level did which is equally the modus operandi of other levels of governments in Nigeria. They indulge ri unwarranted self-eulogies for the sheer lack of popular approval for their performance records while in office. Recently, the Federal Minister for works a Arch Mark Onolemernen was quoted to have said that Nigerian roads are no longer the dead traps they used to be, which is enough credit to this administration. In view of that and other angles in other sectors the Federal Government Nigeria (FGN) under President Goodluck Jonathan has performed creditably well above average. In my last article housing delivery in the 15 years of democratic Nigeria was X-rayed. To be candid it was opined that the millennium development goal (MDG) of housing for all by 2015 remains a mirage in that Nigeria still grapples with about 17 million housing deficit. It is true that President Goodluck Jonathan has just observed his half-time with two(2) years gone out of the four (4) years term of office.
It is also true that he (the President) has been in the saddle as the number one citizen of this country four a period spanning four years when the two outstanding years of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was taken into cognizance. It is equally true that he (Jonathan) was p’ and parcel and of course in the vanguard of the demised seven-point agenda of the proceed regime. It is bitterly true that the 7-point agenda among other things did not accord lrous3 delivery any priority and even re-integrated the ministry of housing with the ministry of works against the vision of the previous administration under former President Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ). The most surprising aspect of the Present government was the outright deviation and abandonment of the much-spoken about seven-point agenda that was intended to reform Nigeria and revamp her ailing economy, rather it took up what is today known as transformation agender It is acknowledged that this President Goodluck Jonathan’s government inherited a troubled political climate because the Boko Haram insurgence was already looming.
At least there were spates of restiveness in the volatile Northern regions traced to the time of Senator Yerimah’s imposition of Sharia in the Zamfara State under the watchful eyes of C)EJ as the then commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But that situation never threatened the secularity status of Nigeria until recently when the crisis escalated to its ugly stage. We are not unaware of the fact that the administration of President Jonathan being confronted with teething issues of security problems exacerbated by the intensified Bok Haram insurgence. It is equally certain that the Boko Haram nuisance is a promise kept b General (rtd) Mohammadu Buhari and his CPC acolytes to make this country un-governable to the president.
Consciously, it is a fact that security problem of no mean dimension constitute a major distraction to no matter who is involved. But, that does not debar a decisive and focus. administration to deliver on its promises and at least fulfill the fundamental role of ensuring the security of lives and property of the citizenry. In the first instance, the government of President Goodluck Jonathan was not enthroned by accident. They would not deny the fact of being fully aware of the problems, peculiarities and tasks ahead in paddling the mantle of leadership in this mysteriously big and amazingly great Nation. The cards were thrown on the table for the power seekers who contested and eventually worn elections to various political offices including the presidency. Therefore, no excuse is plausible enough for failure and none-performance a nobody was taken unawares.
What is being insinuated is that there is no amount of excuses adduced that would S acceptable for not just impoverishing the poor masses all the more but subjecting them Lu awkward trepidation. Incredibly, about 95% of Nigerians are ravaged by ethnic poverty. The story being told yesterday is the same story told today and waiting to be told tomorrow. All the sectors encapsulated in the seven-point agenda target at providing the basic necessities of lift- As at then our appetite was wet laudable roadmap to power sector reforms, good roads
and reduce hunger, reformed electoral system to ensure a stable politics without rancour, reformed education system to stimulate development, economic growth and technological advancement, a reformed judicial system to ensure smooth and hitch free justice dispensation above all the resuscitation and rehabilitation of moribund infrastructure. All these problems . still staring us in the faces while our leaders are gallivanting, celebrating what amounts to achievement by what aught to be a responsible and responsive leadership. Amazingly, o God gifted natural and human resources have not grown leaner over the years as to buttress an excuse for non-performance. Matter-of fact, the rate of financial profligacy increases proportionately with a rising fortune. The brand of presidential system and representative democracy practiced in Nigeria is prohibitive and the governments at all levels notorious for wanton profligate spending and economic waste. In anti-graft campaign, after the economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC) demonstrated their selective and vindictive crusade against corruption under the leadership of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu now a presidential aspirant, the country dropped in the rating of international transparency watch eyes like the transparency international.
According to Dimgba lgwe;”… that our anti-corruption agencies seem so overwhelmed that they need even to be rescued from the sea of corruption. It is more like we have organized power cartel, seizing the national wealth and appropriating as suits their own whims and caprices under, sundry guises — fuel subsidy, allocation of oil blocks, pensions scams, budget scams, excess crude oil scams etc. Our judiciary is corrupt and dysfunctional and we seems to afflicted with the most rapacious legislature on the planet.” The banking and financial sector reforms which was heralded by the Professor Charles Soludo’s banks consolidation penultimate to the much applauded debt cancellation is no longer streamlined. It has tottered to a parochial perspective of fostering Islamic non-interest banking on Nigeria.
There is need to distinguish the real from the virtual score card in the Nation’s leadership performance. It is equally advisable to differentiate the agglomeration of praise-worthy plan and programmes from proactive leadership styles or strategies. The virtual score cards as self acclaimed whereas the red performance score cards are popularly acknowledged or recognized The plans dished out inordinately without focus often times dovetail into a pool of mess but proactive or strategic programmes spring up long run solution to problems. Under the present dispensation, many live in fears, starvation, misery and uncertainties. The prices of food stuffs arc’ uncontrollably on the increase in the common markets. For instance, indomie noodles which the Asians introduced to palliatively ameliorate the rate of hunger on arrival gained large market acceptance and almost turned to a staple food for the teeming population (especially youths children). It is no longer affordable to the poor people which would have to part with about 1w, thousand three hundred naira (N2,300,00) for a carton that was hitherto sold for far more than less at entry into the Nigeria market. The governments at all levels do not have a mechanism to check the rising cost of food stuffs particularly and living generally. Across the length and breadth industrialization is on the low ebb. The multinationals are departing the shores of Nigeria in their hordes due to insecurity and in dement economic policies. Some of these industries are resettling in Ghana after demobilizing from Nigeria. Recently, shell petroleum concluded plans to shift base to Ghana where copious commercial quantities of crude oil was newly discovered.
Other companies like R. T. Briscoe, Patterson Zochonics (PZ), Michellen, May & Ba1′ Leventis etc have departed Nigeria and settled elsewhere in neigbouring Ghana. Even our infant industries that deserves protection are panicking under the over burden of generator dependency It is very difficult for an average Nigerian to have three square meals whereas the rabble with OUI society can hardly eat once a day. The fallout of hunger and nursery is the increase in violent and organized crime rate in the forms of armed — robbery, kidnapping, ritual killings, advanced fee fraud (419), and the antiquated antics of obtaining by tricks (OBT). In the guise of cutting down cost of governance, the few employment outlets are either closed down or threatened to be closed down with the jobs of the affected employees thrown out of concern. The present government have demonstrated the insincerity to undertake capital projects that will definitely impact Iii economy positively. The tardiness in implementing the second Niger bridge and others like ft particularly in the south east. The cry for marginalization which explains the upsurge in civil crisis across the country as one evidence. To this end, bitter pills prefer to rate this administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to have performed abysmally poor in statecraft. Not even the
