A man with no Integrity as our President..

When I started this year, one of my new year resolution is not to abuse or give comment about Goodluck Jonathan, I think I managed doing that for January and February probably because I had exams and project to do; but after then, I went back to the news papers and articles to be updated about the governance of Nigeria. It was then I found it difficult to keep to my resolution.


We all should remember President Goodluck Jonathan’s first shocking statement immediately he got into office. He remarked: “I will not talk about the tenure of my government; the constitution has said four years, though, some believe that four years is too short to make any change which I also believe. I believe because if you are a new person and you are elected as a governor or president today; it will take one to one and a half years for you to really stabilize. By the time you want to go for another two and a half years, it is another election and you are all busy about winning the election.”

After that statement, he proposed a single six years for the president/governors in which several comments and articled were rolled out concerning it. Personally, I disagree with the president. The government belongs to the people. The people do not change every four years and neither is the society replaced every four years. So continuity is the key. Before contesting as a candidate for any post, one should be prepared and be ready to take up the good works of the past governments and bring new ones. Candidates should not over commit or promise what they cannot deliver within four years tenure. We do not need change of constitution; we need a change of mindset.

That is by the way, the main reason for this article is my observation of the inconsistent words of the presidency. Recently, a senate committee reviewed the constitution for a six years single term for the president/governors in which they put a condition that the present administration won’t be able to ‘benefit’ from the new law. Which means that with this new proposed amendment, Jonathan, the vice president and the 16 governors and deputy governors will end their tenure by 2015. Now the presidency sees the new recommendation as a huge threat to his ambition.

Just two days ago, the presidency disagreed with the amendment and later came up saying that “if the amendment must take place, it has to start from 2019.” Which I think by reasoning means that his initial statement about a single term was from a selfish point of view.

My question to Goodluck Jonathan is that “when he was elected and spoke about a single term, was he speaking for Nigeria at large or for his own selfish interest?” if it was Nigeria, then why the change of mind at this time?

Nigerians, please be wise, we should not be ignorant of what is going on. Our vote is our right! Think before you vote. Thanks.

Odekunle Ifemidayo

@odex4real