MR. PRESIDENT'S ONLY SIN-BY Robert Umoette

It is a well known truism that our incumbent President, His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, is the most openly abused and insulted person to occupy the highest and most exalted office in the country in a democratic dispensation since independence. The abuses and insults come from opposition parties, elder statesmen and even members of our great party, PDP.

It is important to note that as a true democrat and a well educated statesman that he is, he has handled all this abuses and insults casually choosing not to be distracted and rather staying focused on his governmental goals which bother principally on the development of institutions and infrastructures for a better Nigeria and most importantly, delivering a sound economy receptive of foreign direct investments which in turn will yields jobs for the unemployed and bolster the economic growth we desperately desire.

This is one President whose tenure has been plagued by terrorism in the North-East of the country and he had first sought to resolve the problem via dialogue as we all know that Boko Haram is more of a political disgruntle which had reared its ugly head prior to the emergence of GEJ as President of our great country. The so called Boko Haram were political machineries used by state governments in the North East gone bad. One of the surest ways of restoring peace in those areas is education and the government of President Jonathan has done a lot in this regard as relates to increased numbers of Nomad/Almajiris Schools. The need for reorientation through proper education cannot be ignored and the Federal Government is doing a lot in this area. Another way of reducing tension in the area is improving on the living standard of a people. The Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has done so much to support farmers and cattle rearers/herdsmen. I must state here that the same conditions the people of the North East face are being faced nationwide and Government is doing its best to help improve on lives of the masses nationwide. While these efforts and more are on-going, the Federal Government has declared a state of emergency in three states (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) as to allow for full military engagement of the terrorists with support from the international community. This is a phase that would surely come to an end soon.

Mr. President’s government has been abused and insulted as corrupt from even the most corrupt of his predecessors. Corruption i must say is something that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian State and except anti corruption institutions are strengthened, transparency in government dealings increased, due processes followed and people found culpable made to face the consequences of abusing government offices, we may find ourselves making this complains for years to come. Towards achieving a near free corrupt government, every citizen needs a change. We must start thinking of national/collective interest first before personal interest. For us to start thinking in this order, institutions must work and that is what this Government is focused on doing. Power must work, security must work, roads must work, airports must work, modern rail system must work, healthcare services must work, quality education must work amongst others. For power, the only way to make it work is what the Federal Government has just done- privatization. The early teething problems will be there but it will surely work. Education sector needs a total overhaul and this will take time but the journey has to start from somewhere. Healthcare sector needs an overhaul in facilities and structures as well as development of a uniform standard of operations and procedures in treating every case and this in itself will require constant update in keeping up with developments in the sector. Security requires more funding in order to update the forces in terms of training, arms and ammunition, communication gadgets, development of database, crime fighting trucks, choppers, planes and boats/vessels. Regarding security, the morale of the officer has to be boosted by giving them all required incentives to encourage them and deter corruption. More rail tracks need to be developed and the trains updated to modern ones.

Mr. President has since May 29, 2011 commenced on putting the country on the right track in all departments and given more time would do more. Mr. President has been blocked several loopholes of corruption eg PHCN, Subsidy, etc and once the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is passed, it will block corruption pipes but most importantly open up the sector thereby positively affecting the economy. Mr. President has seen to passage of the Freedom of Information Bill which has heralded the availability of a couple of data in the public domain which has been happening for years without the masses having an idea. It is just the beginning and can only get better. The Government of President Jonathan is a listening one and it is only when one listens that one is able to decipher between good and bad then administer properly.

Having said all these, i ask, why is Mr. President so vilified, abused and insulted? The simple answer is that it is so because he is from a minority tribe and he is taking the country to where we need to be while some disgruntled big men are angry that their pots of milk are being broken. Nigerians, arise and stand with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for a better tomorrow for all of us.