Why oil cabals are after me, Alison-Madueke

STILL ON THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY BILL (PIB)

"Quite frankly, I think as unprecedented as it is, it does not please everybody and that cannot be helped but let us remember the unprecedented reforms that have happened in the oil industry during our time, such as major gas reforms, the Petroleum Industry Bill [PIB], which has been completely revised, reformed and put into the hands of members of the National Assembly where it has languished for two years." : Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, Petroleum Minister - The Guardian, April 23, 2015.

That the Honorable Minister of Petroleum Resources is talking now is somehow unexpected given the fact that the Minister and NNPC once filed a motion before an Abuja Federal High court, praying the court through their lawyers to void two 'separate summons issued by the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representative, demanding their appearance and explanations regarding allegations of financial recklessness' - a motion that was subsequently granted by the presiding Judge on technical ground (procedural lapses). That's by the way.

With specific reference to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the contentious Host Community Funds clause, I would like to know the number of instances when you, acting as the Minister of Petroleum Resources had audience with the local press and interested community leaders with a view to eliciting public awareness about the nature of the adverse forces that your office contended with while trying to pass the PIB into law. I would also like to address the same question to the President in light of the fact that he is from the Niger Delta, and especially for the fact that petroleum resources is the main stay of our economy. There is nothing on record to show that the President was aware of the resistance from the north or conversant with the content of the contentious clause - the Host Community Funds (HCF), which 'seeks to grant a 10 per sent equity advantage to oil-bearing communities from the net profit of oil companies operating in the areas.'

The issue here is not whether the Minister did or didn't perform in her quest to reforming the energy industry, but that like the President, the resistance from the northern Senators was poorly managed. The press is not the enemy. The enemies are the timid sycophants masquerading as Special Advisers who are guilty of persecution complex. They see enemies coming after their boss from different angles. Whereas the most appropriate approach is consistent coaching of the "ogas" focused on spirited and cordial engagements with the media and the general public.

A President Obama, facing similar Congressional gerrymandering as was the case with PIB in the Nigerian Senate, will go on the offensive - hitting the road, meeting the press and talking to the American people about the obstructions from Congress and vested interests (cabals) hampering actions on the Bill. From all indications, the Obama style is, without any doubt, alien to President Jonathan and his Advisers.

The Facts of the Matter:

My concern here is not politically influenced. It is simply economic and environmental related. I am from Edo State, one of the oil producing states in Nigeria. Be that as it may, I do not support having the Ministry of Niger Delta, the Host Community Funds and the NDDC, all catering to the same region, and for the same purpose. Such a development is bound to create the type of resistance - reasonable or not - coming from the northern region.

Its all about performance. If NDDC perform as mandated, there would not have been unrest in the Niger Delta, and the need to have a Ministry of Niger Delta would not have arisen. So, we must point out the major ground for rejection by northerners, and why the Bill is "languishing in the National Assembly." No doubt, there were orchestrated maneuvering by global energy concerns to impede or kill the PIB as written as the Minister rightly stated in her comments. But the major obstacle to the Bill came from the Northern Senators acting in conformity with the dictates of the vocal northern political elite over the Host Community Funds (HCF). 

Some prominent public affairs commentators of northern origin were not comfortable with the HCF and they made their grievances known to the general public. Surprisingly, there was no rebuttal from the President, his Energy Adviser or the Minister to set the record straight. Knowing very well the influence of northern mavericks in our political system, I knew exactly that northern members of the National Assembly will not vote or act contrary to the voices and dictates of these vocal commentators. We did respond though in our little way; praying and hoping that the Presidency or the Advisers to the Minister stumble upon our piece.

About two years ago, we did suggest on this Blog in one of our essays, which also appeared on the website of the Nigerian Village Square that the Federal Government should either eliminate the Ministry of Niger Delta, or merge it with NDDC. We also suggested that the Host Community Funds be renamed as Land Reclamation Funds, and should be specifically designed as a future funds. And in the same piece, we debunked line by line and point by point all the grounds for rejection of PIB canvassed by Mr. Anthony Sanni and Governor Aliyu. See "The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB): Balancing Host Community Fund with Perverted Indignation - The Way Forward, January 8, 2014. Sadly, as it is always the case with the Jonathan Presidency no one was audacious enough or Obama enough to see reason in our talking points and run with it.

In hindsight, one would have thought that the fact that the Host Community Funds is funded exclusively from the net profit of companies operating in the region would have made it easier for the Minister or the President to make a compelling case before the general public for the smooth passing of the PIB. We were wrong. As always the case, the more politically sophisticated northern power clique won in the misinformation and obstruction war.

The Blame Game:

In my usual commonsense judgement, I do believe, though I stand to be corrected, that the President and his Advisers as well as Governors from the oil producing states didn't really have a good understanding of what PIB entails, especially the contentious provision - the Host Community Funds. Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, at the introduction of the Bill said, 'we have little or no knowledge about the PIB or the Host Community Funds provision. Therefore, we are going to seek the assistance of expert consultants in the industry to advise us on how to proceed. And until we do that, we won't be able to tell our Senators on how to proceed in the deliberations regarding the passing of PIB.' And that was exactly what they did. Since that profound declaration from the Governor two years ago, PIB has been languishing in obscurity somewhere in the Nigerian National Assembly. Did we hear similar pronouncement from the President or Governors from the oil producing state? No. That is a major issue that those interested in unraveling the myth known as the Nigerian project must first overcome - the naivety of southern political leaders in verbal war.

That brazen display of ignorance is not excusable, because the President is expected to know what he doesn't know. In addition, he is expected to know who to hire to do he cannot do. And he is expected to have on his team, a recruiter whose responsibility it is to help him search for and hire experts or consultants in certain fields to assist him when he is confronted with difficult challenges.

That's where President Jonathan has been so wanting in the course of his accidental journey as the President of Nigeria. As a leader, you don't do well with sycophants surrounding you. The Governors from the oil producing states are as guilty as the President on the show of shame that encapsulates the passing of the Petroleum Industry Bill. They derive pleasure spending the oil money and populating lucrative energy related positions in their governments with friends and cronies, without stopping to ponder over the impacts of environmental and ecological decay in the region. It is not too late to start all over again.

Moving Forward:

The NDDC was established to cater to the interests of the communities in the Niger Delta, but it is of public knowledge that the agency has been an avenue for enriching the pockets of politically connected individuals over the years. Nevertheless, I strongly suggest its retention, but with drastic overhaul, with a viewing to ensuring accountability and effectiveness. In addition, we have to redefine its essence and objectives along with those of the Ministry of Niger Delta in order to expedite integration. Federal Government should embark on a radical restructuring of the agency, eradicate the loopholes in the contracting process, undertake thorough auditing of completed projects as well as ongoing projects - how much has been disbursed, pending disbursements, and mode of disbursement.

Before I proceed further, I would like to call on the stakeholders in the oil industry, the uninformed political leaders from the oil producing states, as well as the influential public affairs commentators and political leaders from the northern region who are fighting to kill the entire Bill as well as those arguing against the retention of the Host Community Fund in the Bill to stop and reflect on what a future without crude oil holds for Niger Delta. And to once again, stop and reflect on the interests of the unborn generations from that region who will, as a matter of fact, have no other land to call their own, but a savagely contaminated waste land.

As a compromise and moving forward, I would rather we eliminate the Ministry of Niger Delta, than removing the Host Community Funds from the Bill. I would like to remind the adversaries of HCF that it is not a fund for the moment, but something for the future - an emergency or a reserved fund in the event of unforeseen catastrophic occurrences as was the case at the Bonga Oil Field and the Gulf Coast of Mexico the United States of America few years ago. A present day energy or natural resources regime without a provision for the host community or a land reclamation funds is not sustainable. We should not forget that in the ongoing debate. That the President, the Minister of Petroleum as well as the Governors from the Oil Producing States were not able to make such commonsense arguments is very unfortunate.

Again, the funding is not from the Nigerian Government, but from companies engaged in exploratory activities in the region. Is that a difficult argument to make? Again, see "The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB): Balancing Host Community Fund with Perverted Indignation - The Way Forward, January 8, 2014.

Conclusion: 

In the Spring of 2011, I had an offer to attend the Minister's meeting before the oil and gas industry stakeholders in Houston, Texas, as part of her global tour to sell the PIB to the international community, but I declined the offer. When the Professor asked to know my reason, given my interest in the industry and my intended specialization, I told him the trip by the Minister is an exercise in futility. The Minister cannot sell a Bill to the outside world, a Bill that the domestic market and stakeholders considered politically motivated. My position then was that until the PIB is acceptable to Nigerians at home, it is a no Bill. The Minister and her entourage came back to Houston again about two years later for the same purpose. Today, the Bill is almost forgotten. I am right; it was an excise in futility. I know that because the President and Governors from the oil producing states do not know how to handle with their fellow law makers from the northern region. Again, I am not trying to be sentimental here or playing up some ethnic card; truth is, southern political leaders are not as savvy or partisan as their colleagues from the north on most national issues. You don't sell a bill like the PIB with kid gloves. It’s all about iron hands, with a diplomatic touch and noise. Period. All the northern senators, acting on the instructions from Governor Aliyu and their expert consultants, united as one indivisible entity to kill the PIB. The matter was made worst, when, Dr Junaid Mohammed, immediately after the conclusion of deliberations at the National Conference, lampooned the Minister of Petroleum Resources, mocking her for not being able to take the Bill through the obstructions created by his northern senators in the Senate. And that is sad. The usual argument is that Dr. Junaid Mohammed and those like him do not speak for the people of the Northern region. Well said. But after all said and done, their viewpoints always prevail. The 1999 Federal Constitution, creation of States, creation of local government councils, educational funding; a Junaid Mohammed had the final say. And that is the unsolved Nigerian question. Passing the PIB, with the Host Funds intact is a good start to unraveling the mystery that encapsulates the Nigerian project and preventing it from self discovery. Any contrary proposition will spell doom in the region, for the industry and the Nigeria economy.

A Timid World and the Bloodbath in Kenya

The more world leaders and governments vacillate on how to eradicate religious related extremism, the more audacious the extremists turn in their barbaric exploits, and the more appeasing they become in the heart of gullible adherents of the faith. It is the audacity, the invincibility, and the daring attitude inherent in all the attacks, whether in Syria, Nairobi, Baghdad, or Chibok, that facilitate recruitment drive. The world must turn the table on the attackers by any means necessary. There is no excitement in any killing field as their recruiting videos portend. And until the perpetrators become the victims and the conquered; thus, creating a chilling effect in the soul of potential recruits,  there will never be a sustainable negotiated settlement, if at all. We have consistently maintained that position over the years on this Blog - take the fight to the adopted territories of the terrorists. Place them on perpetual retreat. There is no other way to put a lie to their bogus claim of invincibility than massive and consistent attacks and subjugation. May the soul of every victim of the Kenya massacre rest in peace. 

President Jonathan: Of Heroism and Celebration of Defeat!

Truth is defining President Jonathan's defeat at the just concluded Presidential election is as complicated as defining the Nigerian project with respect to restructuring, true federalism, or conducting credible head counts. What is not complicated though is that President Jonathan is seemingly more apt and brazenly more enthusiastic at conceding defeat and celebrating his conquered status than articulating his accomplishments and motivations in power before and during the presidential election. How could GEJ justify the retention of Okupe and the recruitment of FFK - two toxic characters - as the face of his campaign and reelection? President Jonathan didn't need to energize his base during the campaign - something the two guys are good at. It was all about the youths, the unemployed and the independent voters wanting real change. The President and his team couldn't develop or structure a compelling narrative for a continuation of his brand of change. You don't start a Presidential campaign two months to the election and expect to win. In other words, President Jonathan was not forthright with his core supporters about the genuineness of his quest for a new mandate. The argument that former President Obasanjo joined forces with  some influential interest or regional groups to scheme his defeat is not sustainable. Because that's what every election is about - intrigues and scheming. President Jonathan had enough time and great deal of human and material resources to overwhelm his adversaries in the game. But for some unfathomable explanations he failed to play the game, and got burnt in the process. However, from an objective perspective, he appeared either unwilling to offend anyone in his reelection bid, or completely naive in managing the turbulent and dirty maneuvering characteristics of Nigerian Presidential election. That perspective informed the tone of this essay.

Five years at the helm of affairs, and with unlimited budget and unrestricted access to some of the world most astute and politically sophisticated minds,  he was still, strategically speaking, a neophyte - still practicing how to act Presidential and talk presidential. And it was quite obvious that he was not aware of the existence of a void - a vacuum in his Presidency of an idea lab, of sharp minds and non-partisan Nigerians to help repackage his personality and sharpen his intellectual wherewithal for a bold new start.

He didn't come across as a father figure or as a buddy, using any definition or benchmark possible. The 'I am in charge attitude' was completely absent. And that was a major deal breaker. The known scheming against him notwithstanding, there was no sign that he was in charge, learning to be in charge, or will eventually be in charge.

He retained the same guy as Media Adviser for about five years. He must have forgotten the law of diminishing returns in elementary Economics. Often times, I wonder loud: is he reading our newspapers? This is it: Boko Haram or no Boko Haram, Nigerians are happy people and overtly boisterous. During GEJ's term in office, there was no life or fun or action at Aso Rock. There was no leader to lead and there was no statesman to inspire and restore hope in a dispirited populace. Boko Haram was always the headline news. And the miracle at Lagos/Ore/Benin road - a monumental accomplishment that President Obasanjo could not execute in eight years, which he, President Jonathan, executed - was a no event during his campaign.

I want to reiterate, the absence of an intellectual warrior at Aso Rock as Nigerians expected of a Jonathan Presidency was most devastating. A President Jonathan with a PhD was expected to retire all the unretiring Obasanjos from our political system in line with what President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore did to the enfant-terrible Ross Perot in 1993 in their first year in office. Thanks, of course, to CNN Larry King Live that organized the most watched TV debate in the history of broadcasting.

Given President Jonathan's age and educational background, Nigerians expected a much more refined personality - one with genuine poise, gravitas, and passion for real leadership - a modern day President who subscribes to pragmatic flavors and contemporary schools with respect to policy formulations and implementations. And disappointingly he was too far removed from the Nigeria of the moment.

Worse still, his Vice President Sambo who was naturally and constitutionally expected to be a stand-in figure or one to do the dirty jobs, was always a 'no show.' And timidity enveloped the citadel of power in a most disturbing character ever.

In addition, President Jonathan was in every respect a complete foreigner in his own country. He was obviously not conversant with the rudiments of Nigerian political machine - the players, the spoilers and the real patriots. And he didn't see reason to align and work with the bold and the emerging technocrats, with a view to sustaining and spreading to other departments, the groundbreaking revolution he engineered in agriculture sector.

His Almajiri Educational initiative was a landmark success story. That he couldn't bask at its success to push his change narrative; thus, silencing all the antagonistic Obasanjos and all the retired generals and political leaders scheming for his failure, was a fatal error of judgement.

That he couldn't use, during his campaign, the unsightly pictures of the Police College, Ikeja, which he discovered during his impromptu visit to the campus about two years ago was an unpardonable mistake. Those pictures, the monstrosity of our ghost workers exemplify the true state of our infrastructural facilities and the decaying pictures of Nigerian institutions that he inherited from previous administrations.

He never stopped praising EFCC and its Boss - the same EFCC and Chairman Lamorde who, for all these years, didn’t know how to legally subdue and conquer political leaders and children of powerful political leaders who scam NNPC and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) of Subsidy Funds with brazen chicanery. Though Aig-Imoukhuede Committee concluded beyond every reasonable doubt in its report that the culprits knowing defrauded the agencies using bogus documents, EFCC and Chairman Lamorde are still groping in the dark on what legal strategy to adopt, with a view to recouping the stolen funds from the criminals.

He let go a Chief of Army Staff who gave Boko Haram a bloody nose.

And at the global scene, he took pettiness to an all-time high in the history of our creation. On May 25, 2013, at the 50th Anniversary of the African Union, in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, our President was nowhere to be found to stand for Nigeria and deliver for Nigerians his mandatory speech. The reason, according to media report, was that he couldn't subdue the revulsion elicited within him by the news of his "Home Boy", the self-confessed number one nemesis of the First Family, Governor Amaechi of Rivers State, emerging as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum. I am very prideful of my Nigerian heritage. When that news came up, the respect I have for him as a President, evaporated.

Most often, some of us in the social media find pleasure in condemning his Special Advisers, blaming them for all the gaffes and shortcomings of the President, but allowing his wife, the number one serving citizen lady in the country for that matter, to accept the post of a Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa State, was beyond pale - an affront to the Office of the First Lady and a blatant show of greed. And with all due respect, the First Lady was a distraction. That she remains unrestrained for the duration of the regime, reflects weakness on the part of all The President Men.

Also, he went to Bornu State to campaign at this just concluded election, but couldn't go to the same Bornu, when the Chibok Girls disappeared. Granted, it was rumored that the Presidency doubted the veracity of the disappearing incident, but as the President, visiting and grieving with the family members of the victims when the news came up would have been the most appropriate decision to take at the time. For months the President vacillated over the news and what to make of it. At the end, he brought shame and ridicule into the number one office in the land. Inviting the grieving parents to Aso Rock as he did later was just too infantile and gravely ludicrous - unpresidential in every respect. Again, where are the Special Advisers?

Arriving at the scene of the Yanyan Bus Stop terrorist attack, he thanked his Security Adviser for doing a good job. Good job? Yes, for arriving at the scene of the attack on time to ferry the cadavers to the hospital. Not for saving lives or preventing the attack. In spite the enormity of the bloodbaths that Boko Haram visited on North-Eastern Nigerian, President Jonathan did not see any reason to make drastic changes within his security apparatus. His Security team failed him, and his top Military Officers failed him. And in the process, he failed the nation in his quest for peace and security in the land.

The argument that America and the West were not willing to sell us arms is no excuse. Also, that the northern political leaders succeeded in using alleged abuse of human rights by Nigerian military forces in the insurgent held territories to taint the credibility of the members of our armed forces, and consequently, succeeded in frustrating our demands for arms is no excuse. Again, the President has unlimited budget and resources to hire credible and politically savvy guys to help him sell the war against Boko Haram to the outside world as a legitimate war. The West did not trust him and they did not trust his Military leadership fighting the war.

Granted, most northern political leaders did not conceal their resentment of you as a person and as a President. In other words, it is a known fact that the demand for your ouster by any means necessary was an open book. The retired IGP Commaise, boasted or threatened that, if a northerner does not emerge as the next President, Nigeria will divide. So, it is no news that some powerful retired political leaders of northern extraction plotted your demise. They've already made it clear to you in no uncertain terms that vanquishing you from Aso Rock is a task that must be done. And once again, you had the resources to surmount the challenges through action and performance. That's what leadership is about. President Obama confronted successfully similar challenges from all fronts from his very first day in office. Simply put, President Jonathan was not ready to fight.

That brings to mind the war of words that took place between Air Commodore Emeka Omeruah, the Information Minister under the IBB Government, and Chief Duro Onabule, the Editor of the National Concord newspaper, over “bringing down the government” accusations and shenanigans.

Commodore Omeruah labelled the press unpatriotic, accusing them of waging misinformation war to bring down the Government  of Babaginda.  Chief Onabule, in his Thursday weekly column, stated unequivocally that no press or no journalist is capable of bringing down a Government that reaches out to the needs of the people and meeting their expectations.

Applying Onabule’s philosophy, no volume of retired Generals or volume of sectional intrigues would have been able to bring down a Jonathan’s Presidency that was up to the demands of the office and enjoying full support of the people. It was all about the expectations of the people, not whether President Jonathan outperformed President Obasanjo.

(By the way, the encounter painted here happened before the smart IBB eventually picked the fearless Chief Onabule as his Press Secretary).

And as one from the Niger-Delta of Nigeria, it was expected that the President must have reasons to collaborate with his nemesis, Governor Amaechi of Rivers State, with a view to passing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law. I wrote a piece, embedded with talking points, published on this very Blog and by the Nigerian Village Square, detailing the political angle hindering the passage of the Bill, and the steps to take to ensure its passage. They didn't have a clue on how to proceed. Till date, only one Senator from Akwa Ibom State is on record to have made any substantive pronouncements about the PIB.

Without equivocation, the President and his energy team as well as Governors and members of the National Assembly from the oil producing States were downright too timid to engage Governor Babangida of Niger State and the other adversaries of the Bill with cogent, verifiable facts, and persuasive argument.

It is disheartening to learn that neither the President, the Governors, nor members of the NASS as well as their plethora legal advisers from the oil producing States can thoroughly digress on what the troubling issues are regarding the passage of thth Bill. That was what informed our decision to write the essay referenced above and why we thought it fit to send it to the Nigerian Village Square for publication.

The President on his part was more interested in perfecting ways to confiscating Governor Amaechi's private jet, rather than packaging a conference with the Governor, with a view to using him to securing the support of his northern friends.

On the issue of his reelection, we reminded him after the shameful outing of Democrats who ran for re-election for Congress in the last Mid-Term election in the US, to start a nation-wide tour, marketing himself to avoid similar result, but the suggestion went unheard. He didn't step out of Aso Rock until two months to the election. That is not the attitude of a leader with genuine passion for the office of the President. Simply put, President Jonathan was betrayed by his handlers, because he placed himself in a position to be betrayed. He failed to grow up to the demands of the office. See "Where are the President’s Men? The Challenges President Jonathan of Nigeria Cannot Ignore" - May 14, 2012

Why the vexing piece, when the man is already down and out?

Yes, I steadfastly abstained from criticizing the President while he was serving for obvious reasons. Truth is I didn't want history to record me as one of a minority tribe who deploy his blog to bring down an accidental President from another minority tribe.

Another reason was that I have always wanted him to succeed as a President, given the novel circumstances of his emergence as President. But, much as we wanted him out of trouble water, he was nowhere to be found or rescued. He couldn't take advantage of the numerous essays on this Blog and elsewhere in the social media detailing noble goals and objectives for him to pursue. Over and over again, he was shown the parts to greatness traversed by great men of now and the past.

He locked himself out of civilization and out of the limelight and out of the reach of reasonableness. We couldn't distance him from his own political party, much as we tried. He was flesh and blood, a quintessential PDP.

Yes, I wrote and demanded for the formation of a Progressive Movement, a political party with a bold agenda to outsmart and remove PDP and its ruling team from our helm of affairs. But, I never stopped wishing President Jonathan to succeed; praying for him to succeed, goading him on this Blog on how to follow the part of righteousness.

On May 17, 2013, we published a short piece, titled "Nigeria is at War: We Must Stand Up and Support Our President" on our Blog, calling on Nigerians to rally round the President. On June 6, 213, when the proscription of the Boko Haram sect by the President became a polarizing issue, signing in as Non-Aligned Progressive, I copied and paste the same piece, but with minor modifications, on the discussion section of a short news story that appeared in Punch newspaper, titled "North kicks against ban on B’Haram, Ansaru."

About an hour after its publications, there was something in the mode of a stampede within the Nigerian social media scene. It was the most read piece of work on the web for more than twenty four hours by Nigerians all over the world. Towards the end of the essay I cited the well celebrated words of Professor Wole Soyinka, to wit, “the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.” And I concluded by asking, “If the occupation of Bornu by the sect is not a tyranny, I wonder what it is.

The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating. Here is the link to the piece: http://www.punchng.com/news/north-kicks-against-ban-on-bharam-ansaru/. It was the overwhelming endorsement of the contents of that piece by Nigerians via their comments that brought an abrupt end to the debate on whether or not the President acted illegally in the proscription of the Boko Haram sect as well as the declaration of a State of Emergency in three States in the northeast. So, we were at his service uninvited, uncompensated genuinely engaged writing and blogging to drum up support for some of his initiatives we consider progressive and well intentioned.

It was very obvious that President Jonathan was unable to absorb and manage effectively the enormity of the power and influence associated with the Nigerian Presidency.

When the Chiboks Girls allegedly disappeared, the President should have traveled straight to Maiduguri to commiserate with the grieving parents and the nation at large. And use the opportunity to declare war on Boko Haram, their affiliates and sponsors. He never did. He was more like a prisoner in his own country, imbued overwhelmingly with persecution complex. 'Stay indoor and stay guarded, because they are there and out to get you,' was the philosophy that held President Jonathan hostage.

President Jonathan was expected to be a real academia, and was expected to act as one - to be contemporary, audacious and pragmatic. He did not come close as one from the ivory tower.

He had the time, the means, the resources to educate himself, reinvent himself in line with the style and attitude of great men of history. He never did. There is the gregarious President Obama, leading the greatest democracy on earth at the same time with President Jonathan is reigning over the number one democracy in Africa. Sadly, judging from available facts, GEJ didn’t see any style or strategy to copy from Mr. Obama.

May be, may be, if his ascension in the first case was through more rigorous and challenging means, he would have been more appreciative and passionate about the Presidency that great men fought and died to secure, but were never so lucky.

Now we are eulogizing him for accepting defeat ahead of INEC final call. Simply put, he flunks a golden opportunity to take Nigeria out of the stranglehold of the civil war era Generals and their political stooges. If the world is weeping at Nigeria – weeping for its failure to rise up to the challenges and expectations of its natural endowed status as well as its brain power, the Obasanjos are the cause. And they are the ones celebrating Jonathan’s defeat the most today.

Nigerians like me were supremely confident that President Jonathan will retire them permanently and politically with his performance in office. And I do not believe that such was an undue expectation.

He failed to be a great President, because he did not seek help. Simply put, he didn’t know how, when, and where to seek help. Above all, his subordinates and Minister where law unto themselves. And that is the main reason I did not endorse him, much as I wanted to. Again, given his age and educational background, President Jonathan was expected to know who and who to hire to wage a decisive battle against oppression and decadence.

In spite of everything, President Jonathan was better than President Obasanjo as well as those before Obasanjo. But he is not Obasanjo or those before Obasanjo. His era was a different era. And the expectations were different He is learned. And he is from the Niger Delta, the region that harbors the mainstay of Nigerian economy. He had all the reasons to harbor and exude a sense of entitlement to the presidency and leadership of this great nation. From all indications, I am not so sure the President was knowledgeable about that.   Anyway, I want to thank him for the great job he did on Ore-Benin Road as well as the Almajiri Educational initiative - two landmark projects that were beyond the reach of the President Obasanjo and all the retired Generals who schemed his ouster. And much more applause to the President for reinventing our armed forces, especially the naval fleets and combat Aircrafts that were systematically decimated over the years by our retired Generals who didn’t see reason to modernize them. That they are the ones who are the present celebrating Jonathan’s defeat the most is, in my humble submission, the unkindest cut.

Yes, the tyranny of poverty, abandonment, insecurity and marginalization, rather than one of bloodbaths and indiscriminate indoctrination turned out to be his Waterloo.