Ungrateful Nation ! Oil Magnates, Billionaires Top Bankers and Politicians Shun Goodluck Jonathan 60th Birthday
The greyhound stands by its master, the hunter, through thick and thin, and the Cheshire cat snuggles and purrs by its mistress, through the darkest spells. Mere animals earnestly show such incontrovertible loyalty and love to their owners. It is only man that is innately capable of such grisly display of contempt and infidelity to his fellow man. This brings to mind, the scandalous desertion of President Goodluck Jonathan on his 60th birthday, by men and women who were until recently, his closest friends, political associates, court jesters and confidants. Now, Goodluck Jonathan is an ordinary Nigerian. His phones are no longer buzzing like high- pitched alarums. There is no retinue of aides, special advisers, lobbyists and powerbrokers at his beck and call. Jonathan is no longer the quintessential or circumstantial love object of the entertainers. So sad. They seemed to have abandoned him to his fate as they failed to sing his praises the way they did when he marked his 57th birthday in 2014 when Jonathan had spent four years in the saddle and was preparing to run for re- election.
Only in THISDAY were six advertisements. They were from a forum of Jonathan’s former ministers, Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers; A. J. Turner, a traditional ruler from Bayelsa; Reuben Okoya, an architect; and David Omonibeke, president Azikel Group. Vanguard published one advert from Seriake Dickson, governor of Bayelsa State and The Nation also published an advert from Azikel Group. Jonathan’s abandonment by his friends was noticeable as far back as November 2015, the first birthday he marked out of office since 2010, when he succeeded former President Umaru Yar’Adua. In 2015, Jonathan was 58, a few months after he was defeated by President Muhammadu Buhari. And what played out today also occurred then: the reticence of the friends of power: the politicians, hangers on, business barons, social and political groups.