Nigerians Decides - BETWEEN JONATHAN AND BUHARI.

“My presidential ambition is not worth the blood of any
Nigerian.” So said President Goodluck Jonathan before the 2011
presidential ballot. To this day, he has continued to reiterate
his pacifist message. But entrenched in an antipodal zone is
General Buhari who made the following incendiary statement in
the Vanguard of May 15, 2012: “If what happened in 2011
should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and
the baboon would be soaked in blood.” So, where is the basis
for comparison between the Nigerian President and the
presidential candidate of the APC? Wetin concern centre rank
with open order?

The opposition is daily on television, advertising General
Obasanjo – a man who traitorously tried but woefully failed to
wangle himself into a third, unconstitutional term of
presidential office –peering into a script and croakily
announcing that Dr. Jonathan had committed himself to a single
term of office as President of Nigeria. The opposition’s
intention is to portray President Jonathan as untrustworthy.

But, all the money thrown into that dubious political advert is
achieved nothing. This is because, had there been a commitment
to a single term, it would have had to come from the mouth of
the one expected to live the commitment. But, there sat Dr.
Jonathan, astonished, as Obasanjo read a script of his own
and his cohorts’ composition, aimed at scoring points that can
only be devious. Of course, President Jonathan couldn’t
possibly be tied to a questionable pact whose enunciation he
knew next to nothing about.

Contrast this to General Muhammadu Buhari, who upon his
third successive thrashing at the presidential ballot, addressed
a press conference, telling Nigerians on live television that he
was through with further participation in partisan politics,
including presidential elections. Who then has taken Nigerians
for a ride? The one on whose account various schemes were
devised to impose a single presidential tenure, or the one who
said “No more” only to renege?
In discussing Nigeria’s economy, the best person to speak for
the Jonathan administration is Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the
Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of
Finance:“We are improving infrastructure across the country.

For example, 22 airport terminals are being refurbished, and
five new international airport terminals under construction in
Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja, and Enugu…
“Various road and bridge projects have either been completed
or are under construction. Those completed include the Enugu –
Abakaliki road in Enugu/Ebonyi States, the Oturkpo–Oweto
road in Benue State, the Benin–Ore–Shagamu highway, and the
Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja dualisation, and the Kano–Maiduguri
dualisation. The Lagos – Ibadan expressway and the Second
Niger Bridge are under construction.

“Rail from Lagos to Kano is now functional, as are parts of the
rail link between Port Harcourt and Maiduguri. All these have
brought transport costs down. We recognize that more needs
to be done in the power sector, but bold steps (like the
privatization of the GENCOs and DISCOs) have been taken,
and our gas infrastructure is being developed to power
electricity generation
“In Agriculture, over 6 million farmers now have access to
inputs like fertilizers and seeds through an e-wallet system,
which is more than the 403,222 that had access in 2011. Rice
paddy production took off for the first time in our history,
adding about 7 million MT to rice supply. An additional 1.3
million MT of Cassava has also been produced and as a result,
the rate of food price increase has slowed considerably,
according to the NBS.

What is General Buhari going to do about the Nigerian
economy? An answer can be found in APC’s manifesto on
which Economics Professor, Charles Soludo, an ardent
sympathizer of the party, has the following adverse
commentary: “Buhari and his team must realize that they do
not yet have a coherent, credible agenda that is consistent
with the fundamentals of the economy currently. The APC
manifesto contains some good principles and wish-lists, but as
a blue print for Nigeria’s security and prosperity, it is largely
hollow. The numbers do not add up.” Buhari, a former military
Head of State, has thrice tried to be elected president and is
currently a presidential candidate. How does one explain that
he has but only a “largely hollow” manifesto regarding the
country’s future?

While this is pondered, attention should be turned to national
security. Alhaji Shehu Shagari is alive and well, thanks to
God’s abiding mercies. The ex-President can confirm that, after
Maitatsine insurgents were crushed under his watch, he told an
interviewer that he was grateful to God that the insurgency
had happened in his home region because, had it taken place
elsewhere, opposition politicians would have accused him of
killing civilians who were not his kith and kin. President
Jonathan has been in this dilemma. He ordered troops fighting
Boko Haram terrorists to be wary of collateral damage. It was
one reason the initial sightings of the kidnapped Chibok girls
did not lead to military offensive, given that such an action
could have endangered the lives of the young girls everybody
wants returned alive. Yet, every military move against the
terrorists is followed by strident opposition threats to head to
The Hague and file suits against “human rights” abuses.
Gallant Nigerian soldiers and other security officers are dying
on a daily basis, to provide security for the rest of society.

Yet, opposition flanks consider the war to be President
Jonathan’s alone, refusing to lend support, but exaggerating
every tiny reverse suffered. Buhari says he will end the
insurgency in weeks, if not days. Nowhere in the world, not in
Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya,
Syria or Yemen has terrorism ever been turned off like an
electric switch. No one has the least idea how General Buhari
intends to perform his promised miracle. Perhaps he knows
what most Nigerians are starkly ignorant of. But it is on
record that Boko Haram nominated him their negotiator at a
proposed peace conference, which he declined.

The fact is that President Jonathan’s best efforts and
commendable achievements have, at every turn, been vitiated
by negative press contrived by the opposition and promoted by
international lobbyists who religiously collect their dollars by
the millions but care not a hoot whether Nigeria burns or
drowns. There is one consolation though: no one can bury the
truth.