AFRICAN ECON :: THE OPTIMIST VOICE

EDITORIAL

Our Opinion of Mr. Goodluck? ...June 12, 2010

This publication has avoided taking any position on Mr. Goodluck Jonathan since his acting status was passed by the legislature, down to the passing of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua in May. This we did for professional reasons. We do not want to pass a judgment on someone for whom we have little data. To this day not much has happened to pass a credible judgment.

From the onset, trying to research his data did not turn up much to make any strong opinion. We discovered that by sheer luck or otherwise, he had always taken over from his masters. First occasion was at Bayelsa his home state, where he came to limelight as the Deputy Governor but suddenly became the Governor after his Boss Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was impeached by the Bayelsa State Assembly following his indictment by the British for money laundering charges. That opportunity, or could you call it luck, got him the seat where he served as the state governor of the oil rich state from December 9, 2005 to May 29, 2007.

In December 2006, about three months after his own wife Patience Goodluck, the Bayelsa First Lady was also indicted by the EFCC for money laundering charges, notwithstanding, the erstwhile Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo blessed Mr. Goodluck Jonathan with the position of running mate for his hand picked Presidential candidate, the late President Umar Musa YarAdua. YarAdua was of course sick even at that time, and Nigerians cried foul prophesizing the exact outcome we saw, i.e. the sick President might die soon so the Presidency goes back to his Southern deputy. It remained just talk, as none within the party or outside it pressed enough for another choice.

Soon “luck” runs again for President Goodluck to unseat his boss, and as soon as the President left for Saudi Arabia, the drumbeats of smear followed him, charging that the late president did not hand over power to his vice before leaving. This was done primarily by Nigerian subjective press, despite the fact that President Obasanjo who earned himself the title of one of the most traveled Presidents globally from 1999-2007, has been leaving each time without any formal handover to his Vice Atiku Abubakar for his entire eight years of his Presidency.

We therefore follow closely the President’s actions. Many sources have voiced their opinions such as a recent one from a columnist from The Daily Trust. To us thus far, some issues do stick out, like the loaning of more than 900 million dollars from the World Bank shortly after the death of his Boss. We also remember quite well that his boss was suddenly taken ill shortly after a bout with the Legislature and close associates within the party PDP over budget issues, one of which was the late President’s insistence that the Nigerian budget should be cut down to a reasonable amount before he signs it.

The plus thus far is probability the hope of holding a credible election next year, where a somewhat neutral umpire from the academia has been nominated with the blessing of all members of the National Council of States, which comprise of all former Presidents (civilian) and Heads of States (military).

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