JONATHAN AND THE POWER OF EXAMPLE
President Jonathan has demonstrated that he is a true democrat who believes power belongs to the people
As the nation prepares to welcome Muhammadu Buhari who will be sworn in tomorrow as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it bears repeating that the outgoing President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan deserves some accolades. Whatever may be the shortcomings of his stewardship, the fact remains that at a critical point in the history of the nation, President Jonathan demonstrated that he is a true democrat who believes that power ultimately belongs to the people.
Without doubt President Jonathan is leaving office at a very unflattering moment: a time most Nigerians are groaning under the weight of a biting fuel scarcity that has virtually crippled the nation; a period when there is a deteriorating supply of electricity across the country, despite the sector having gulped several billions of dollars; a time when the federal government is borrowing to pay the salaries of workers and when millions of our young citizens cannot find jobs.
Yet, as difficult as this season may be for the average Nigerian, what defines how President Jonathan leaves office is not necessarily the way he has dealt with these immediate and lingering existential matters of state but rather in how he conducted himself after the presidential election which he lost. It is for that reason and perhaps that reason alone, that Nigerians will forever be grateful to him. That also is what may turn out to be the defining legacy of his administration.
It is indeed noteworthy that long before the 2015 general elections for which there were more than a few
PRESIDENT JONATHAN HAS SHOWN THAT TRUE LEADERSHIP IS NOT ABOUT A LEGACY THAT IS TIED TO LONGEVITY IN OFFICE, BUT RATHER ONE THAT IS LINKED TO SUSTAINABLE VALUES OF NATIONHOOD AND CIVILISED NORMS
predictions of doom, the president had used every opportunity to say that his ambition, and that of any other Nigerian politician, was not worth dying for. When it mattered most, and against popular expectation, he proved to be a man of his word and Nigeria is today the better for it.
Against the background of the tragic events now playing out in Burundi, it is doubtful if Nigeria and Nigerians would be at peace today if President Jonathan had not handled the aftermath of the elections that he lost the way he did. By putting a call through to congratulate Buhari even before the result of the election was officially announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), President Jonathan took the winds off the sails of those already poised for mischief.
By that simple but strategic gesture, President Jonathan has raised the profile of our country, and Africa, in the eyes of the world as no other event has done in recent years. With that also, he has changed the paradigm of electoral contests in Nigeria, especially as that power of good example eventually led to many defeated gubernatorial candidates also gracefully conceding defeat.
Without any doubt, President Jonathan has set a new moral tone for electoral contest on the continent by inviting all men and women of goodwill to see that their personal aspirations in any sphere of life should never be considered more important than the common good. He has also shown that true leadership is not about a legacy that is tied to longevity in office, but rather one that is linked to sustainable values of nationhood and civilised norms.
For these reasons and more, and whatever anybody may feel about the state in which he is leaving the nation today, Nigerians must thank President Jonathan for his service to our country at probably one of the most critical moments of its history. As he therefore takes a bow tomorrow, we wish him all the best in his future endeavour.