Adeola Aderounmu

Nigerian lawmakers finally gave their backing to the ascension of Mr Jonathan to the position of acting president. There are already arguments that the procedures are illegal and unconstitutional.

What I consider positive under the present circumstances is that at least there is a chance to move the nation forward. It is a different story entirely to dissect the person and nature of Mr. Jonathan.

I am more interested on what will become of our politics and the effect on the Nigerian people in the coming days. How are we going to tackle poverty, crime, unemployment and many other vices plaguing us?

We have just seen elections in Anambra State. Obviously several commentators have drawn positive conclusions from the process. However, the flaws are too numerous to ignore. It carried the usual elements of scandal with it. I can’t stop asking: when are we going to start doing things right? And I am tired of the excuses, how much time do we need?

The process of selection that brought in Yar Adua and Jonathan in 2007 is something that we have overflogged. We should never even talk about them again. We must however learn from those kinds of processes by ensuring that we improve on our electoral processes.

We must learn to count in Nigeria. We must learn to write voters’ names on the registration list and in digital form as well. We must learn to write names of people and not ghosts. Nigerian politicians must learn how to play fair and without bitterness.

We still know the reasons why our politics is a matter of life and death. It is for the simple reason that almost every politician is a potential thief. It is very pertinent that we get it right with the fight against corruption. This is one of the ways to reduce the tension on the political scene. If we bundle say like 500 politicians into prison tomorrow, those who are contenders in the forth coming election will reduce drastically because many of them have the intention to steal and loot.

Anyway back to Jonathan. I guess the anticipation is that he will serve-out the remaining term of his master-Yar Adua. If anybody thinks Yar Adua is coming back, please let them wake up. A vibrant mind can be weakened by the smallest of leadership position. A mind as dull and weak as Yar Adua should rest and seek personal peace. I hope he finds that if he ever gets discharged.

In 2004 I spent 1 month in a hospital. So believe me, I know what that man is looking forward to IF he gets discharged. You want to be with your family, you want to see the people you love and those who care about you. The last thing you longed for are obligations that will take your soul apart.

What will Nigeria become under Mr. Goodluck Jonathan? I will never place my hopes or any form of high expectations on him. He is a lucky man, no doubts! I wonder what he is thinking about at this moment. His job is a little bit similar to that of Obama. He is inheriting burdens and loads of problems. The difference is that Obama got his legitimately while he is probably blooming in illegality since 2007.

I wonder what he can do about corruption in Nigeria when he has been a part of the whole mess for a long time. Even his wife was caught with millions of foreign currency and we never had of the case any more. What will he do about NEPA? We almost have no electricity in Nigeria. Who are we going to turn to, to solve our unemployment problems? Water, housing, roads, education and so on.

Will Goodluck stick to the useless and pointless evil 7 points agenda? OR will he pick just one item, make it good and achieve at least one positive thing in the limited time he has. Considering that he has followed a master who has no plan since 2007, has he made any plan since November that will show that he is ready for this new post? Will he give Nigeria a New Year package by just sacking that useless Attorney General for a start? The attorney General of Nigeria is a scandal to the black race.

What is going on in Jonathan’s mind? Will he be timid because of the shadows and skeletons in his cupboard? We don’t need any more rulers in Nigeria. We have waited for 50 years to get a leader. How does this man wants to be remembered when he’s done under his short dispensation? History is always waiting to be written.

Long live Nigeria..!