Is long but u guys should try and read it:
Boko Haram will not be on the ballot in
the upcoming presidential election, but
Goodluck Jonathan will. I recently read a
report in a popular online magazine that
claims the likelihood of Jonathan being re-
elected is pretty good. What a troubling forecast.
And it’s far more dangerous to Nigerians and to
Africa as a whole than anything Boko Haram can
conjure up.
So who, then, is the bigger threat to Nigeria? Is
it Jonathan or Boko Haram? Yes, Boko Haram is
a dreadful menace to Nigeria. But when Nigeria
finally gets a strong leader, he will swat Boko
Haram like a fly. Boko Haram is only as big a
threat as the Nigerian president allows it to be.
Instead of working to develop strategies to pull
Nigeria into the 21st century, Jonathan is
trotting the globe trying to win sympathy from
the global community by comparing Boko Haram
to the Taliban. What a waste of time from a
president who really has no time, energy or other
resources to waste.
If Nigerians re-elect Jonathan, I believe it is only
a matter of time before Nigeria’s social,
economic and political infrastructures fracture
and Nigeria, in all her glory, will come tumbling
down. The fact that Nigerians are unable to
stand against Boko Haram is a direct reflection
of its spineless, careless leaders. These leaders
have decided that lining their pockets is more
important than creating a country that is at
peace and moving toward progress. These are
leaders who have brazenly declared they are
beyond accountability. They answer to no one.
They are only concerned with what they siphon
from Nigeria while they have access to her
wealth and resources.
These are the real terrorists if you ask me. It is
the only explanation I have for a group of
leaders who would allow its children to be
hunted, kidnapped and taken hostage for such a
length of time. Every smart leader protects its
children. The children are the future of a nation,
the legacy. But Nigerian leaders have seen fit to
sacrifice its children instead. So who is the real
threat to Nigeria? A group of thieves who boldly
report to work every day to systematically
liquidate Nigeria’s assets and sacrifice its
children or a band of bandits who are on the run
and acting out when they can?
Nigeria’s leaders are supposed to be defenders
and lawmakers! But the petroleum industry bill
that should have been a top priority for the
nation is mired in controversy and on the back
burner of the legislative agenda.
A Good Long Look at Nigeria’s North Dakota
A few days ago, I watched a program on CNN
about North Dakota, a U.S. state that I liken to
Bayelsa in Nigeria.
Wealth and Poverty. Like Bayelsa, North Dakota
has oil but that is where the similarities end.
Unemployment in North Dakota is 2.6 percent,
while in Bayelsa, unemployment hovers around
80 percent. North Dakota has a population of
700,000 and a GDP of $36 billion. The GDP of
Bayelsa is only $4.3 billion with a population of
about 1.7 million. As a state, North Dakota has
recorded the highest income growth among all
U.S. states since 2007. Poverty doesn’t exist in
North Dakota. In Bayelsa, 70 percent of the
population lives in poverty.
Oil. North Dakota pumps about 575,000 barrels
of oil daily. Even though Bayelsa has one of the
largest deposits of oil and gas in Nigeria, no one
really knows how much is pumped or stolen
daily. Like our leaders have proclaimed, they are
accountable to no one so this kind of valuable
information is shrouded in secrecy because of
the weak leadership of our spineless
Commander-in-Thief and the lackluster
leadership of the dishonorable rogues who
populate the National Assembly. We don’t know
because the co-operation of the pot-bellied
armed forces, the conspiracy of the union
leaders, the greed of the village chiefs, the
weakness of the press and the gullibleness of
the general public make it impossible for us to
hold anyone accountable.
Electricity and Water. North Dakota has round-
the-clock electricity. The power supply and tap
water is being sent into homes and business
24/7 in North Dakota. Bayelsa has power two,
maybe three hours a day if they are lucky.
Bayelsa is surrounded by water, yet its residents
can hardly get clean water to drink, let alone
wash their clothes.
Air Quality. Bayelsa is one of the most polluted
places on earth. North Dakota barely registers on
the map of pollution tracking.
That is the fate of just one state in Nigeria. It's
easy to imagine what the rest of the oil-
producing states look like under the leadership of
Jonathan in the last five years. The states that
populate the Northern part of Nigeria are doubly
miserable. Are we really looking to re-elect
Jonathan?
The two questions every Nigerian should ask
himself or herself before casting a vote is:
Am I better off now compared to when Jonathan
became President?
Will I be better off in the next four year if
Jonathan is re-elected?
Boko Haram is not on the ballot. We need a
leader who can get rid of Boko Haram once and
for all. Jonathan has not been willing to do that
in the last four years. It’s clear he won't be able
to do it in the next four.
These days, he’s in a frenzy to negotiate with
these thugs. They are not organized enough to
qualify as terrorists. They are just street thugs
who wouldn’t be able to withstand even one
coordinated operation from the likes of a
Nigerian hero like the late Colonel Benjamin
Adekunle, The Scorpion. But then, Adekunle had
a strong Commander-in-Chief who was qualified
to wear the uniform and determined to keep
Nigeria unified. Unlike our current Commander-
in-Chief who dons a military uniform but has
never been in the military nor had any training as
a soldier or leader.
If Jonathan is re-elected, Boko Haram will
continue unabated. Unemployment will increase,
power generation will decrease, life will continue
to be unbearable for the average Nigerian. You
can also expect the cost of living to go through
the roof and we will continue to lose our best
and brightest minds to the UK and the U.S. Hell,
Ebola might even decide to come back to
Nigeria.
Most importantly, Nigeria will lose its leadership
position in Africa and Nigeria will continue to be
the laughing stock of the world. Is that what we
want?
So I ask you again. Who is the bigger threat to
Nigeria - Jonathan or Boko Haram? You decide.
But remember, only Jonathan is on the ballot.
Don't say I did not warn you… again.
Let's continue this discussion on Twitter
@1amazingtoyin.
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