JONATHAN GOODLUCK AS A GAME CHANGER? HIS GOD DELUSION

PHOTO: NIGERIAN ACTING PRESIDENT DR. GOODLUCK JONATHAN WITH US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA DURING HIS FOUR-DAY VISIT TO WASHINGTON DC.

During his just concluded visit to the United States, our Acting-President has promised a storm of positive changes and progresses that´ll hit Nigeria like a tsunami during the timeframe of his leadership. His speeches of change during his US tour were wowing in the positive: we hope that the good tidings that dotted his speeches didn´t turn out to be another arrested development like in bygone eras.

The AP may´ve left USA for Nigeria but the genuine urge to decipher whether Jonathan Goodluck cuts the image of a trustfully responsible leader haven´t eluded the world at large. This is a serious cause for concern presently. Judging by how Nigerian presidents that preceded him have told Nigerians and worldwide sweet platitudes of progress and developments that fell by the wayside due to their dirty characters.  

Since the political class of 1999 came along, erstwhile president Obasanjo and Yar´Adua who piloted our statecraft before Jonathan took over told lies each time they chose to abuse our high expectations via the microphone.  The VP should be mindful not to take Nigerians further on dummy rides of rigmarole that gets nowhere.

We can only hope and pray that this new promise of change is a departure from the past when our high hopes and aspirations went in flames by whim and caprice of self-loving former presidents. Nigerians can´t forgive Jonathan if old-school type sycophancy, official dalliance and sky-high corruption hijack and derail his government like in the past.

After the showy sophistication of grandiose outing by Jonathan in the USA and judging by his political career before now, would you consider Jonathan the real McCoy or a dirty character, the stand-up man or another fall guy talking and pacing towards his doom? Shouldn´t we put a little lipstick in bettering his image to make him shine from the corruption charges that onetime EFCC ace Ribadu put hanging on Jonathan and his wife while governor of Bayelsa State?  It seems Jonathan bad boy image is forgiven him just like that.  Nigerians have short memories to make them fall for cheap showmanship and long fuss to enable them endure mediocre and longsuffering from bad leaders.

In badmouthing the ‘change’ promised by his Republican rival John McCain during the last US presidential election, President Obama called it “Lipstick on a pig.” The implication is that McCain´s promise of change is shady and lack credibility. Put lipstick on a pig it´s still the same dirty lot. What exactly does Jonathan stand for? How´d Jonathan´s progress be measured after 2011, and who´d sets the yardstick for it? Would he and his hangers-on not add lipstick to make his achievements laudable? Obasanjo, Yar´Adua and IBB alongside their fans are hailing them for developments that are not visible yet.

If I were Jonathan Goodluck handlers, the first thing I´d suggest to him is first, to credible himself by promising to hand self to the nearest police station for probe in the aftermath of his leadership come 2011. Leadership by example is the most called-for worldwide.  He needs to be aboveboard from sleaze to be able to cashier others for their criminal wrongdoings, otherwise we´d be taking one step forward and two steps backward like it use to be. I´ve serious misgivings about Jonathan´s character and more so, the brand-new change he´s promising, isn´t sitting right with me.

President Barack Obama went full hog when he told Jonathan to sack Maurice Iwu of INEC infamy as to attest his credibility. It´s of general sadness that Iwu is still acing INEC until June when his time is up. Modesty forbids this: there´s the temptation that the cabal might twist Jonathan´s arm in reappointing Iwu. Iwu would´ve been sacked asunder by Jonathan had president Yar´adua appointed him. It´s out of respecting Obasanjo who employed Iwu that VP has given him June dateline. Don´t forget that ex-president Obasanjo is Jonathan Goodluck´s godfather and in this case, the falcon will always hear the falconer.

The VP is OBJ´s poodle for life. Obama is not the one to trifle with when it comes to trusting a person´s personality. As a Washington insider, Obama is hooked on Ronald Regan´s: "trust, but verify," wisecrack which is almost the religion and currency of doing business amid politicians in Washington. It´s conventional wisdom that Obama has to seek Jonathan´s credibility like most Nigerians are trying hard to demystify him right away.

Unless the Acting-President makeover his personality with dramatic effect, we´re not going to see any seeable and feelable change during his leadership. The old Jonathan who has benefitted from the huge rot in the system will not be able to sum up the gut feelings to pursue a genuine fight on corruption. How dare you think that the VP could haul ex-president Obasanjo, IBB, Atiku and his corrupt peer ex-governor to jail? Except he has himself repented and promise to forward self to police law-enforcement people when his time is up in 2011?

We're not even sure he´s going to sack Iwu. It seems he has started dribbling us on this issue: his promise to probe INEC´s staffers on individual basis before reappointment, his praise for INEC on three elections conducted under his auspice as Acting-president has started dulling up our hopes that he´s serious about INEC renewal plus free and fair election.

'He had all it takes to be a good leader except the will’ that was how a onetime friend of Napoleon Bonaparte described the once French leader. Whether Jonathan Choose to fail or do well is his private choice. In the end, we´ll hold him responsible. We´ll not blame it on God, Devil, Cabal or other figments of imagination. The VP spoke extensively during his US tour that Nigerians are religiously godly people. He should believe less in God to fix Nigeria because He´s not coming from the sky to fix our rots. Obasanjo and Yar´adua pursued the same God delusion, which lead Nigeria and its people nowhere.

Sunday Njokede writes from the European Union www.rig2011electionyoudie@rocketmail.com. Dedicated to Okposo: happy birthday today!