Goodluck Jonathan
Create the legacy of a better world. Leave this world a better place than you do found it (Jonathan Lockwood Huie)
Since Buhari was inaugurated, he has been blaming his predecessor for his own incompetence and cluelessness. Everything that has been going wrong was the fault of Goodluck Jonathan. A case of someone who does not know what to do, looking for a scapegoat! However, Jonathan is not to be Buhari’s scapegoat. It is time Buhari and his cohorts stop blaming Jonathan for their problems, as he, Goodluck Jonathan, has moved on, and is being celebrated as hero now, especially in Tanzania, where he headed the Commonwealth Election Monitoring Group.
The Tanzanians declared, “We are safe with Jonathan”. As Jonathan led 33-man Commonwealth international observers to monitor the Tanzanian general election on October 25; Tanzanians were optimistic that his presence, would bring credibility to the elections. The Daily News of Tanzania paid tribute to Jonathan in an editorial titled, “Salutary lessons for Tanzania from Nigeria’s latest elections,” commending him for taking his defeat in the last presidential election “in all magnanimity.” The paper went on to add that “Jonathan may very well have averted bloodshed that is characteristic of incumbent leaders who cling to power tooth and nail, fang and claw!”
While Jonathan led the Commonwealth observers, the former Mozambican President, Armando Guebuza, led the African Union, AU observer team. The Daily News of Tanzania wrote that Tanzanians were delighted that the former Nigerian leader, who they described as “a hero of free and fair election in Africa,” was on ground to monitor the elections. In its editorial, few days ago, the paper maintained: “It is generally admitted that the election in Nigeria was unprecedented free, fair and transparent, whereby the opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, won the Presidency. What is more remarkable is that the incumbent president, who sought re-election, Goodluck Jonathan, most graciously accepted the results promptly! The Guardian of Tanzania, described Goodluck Jonathan as a democrat who has pointed the way forward for the rest of Africa. It further wrote that “Jonathan’s voluntary handover of power to the opposition wrote a new chapter for Nigeria’s democracy, given the fact that it is rare for sitting presidents in Africa to hand over powers to winning opposition parties.”
African Sun Times also wrote that “Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has become a role model for many nations on how elections should be conducted. Tanzanians, where Jonathan is the Chairman of the Commonwealth Electoral Monitoring body, are agog with praise for the former President, who without hesitation conceded defeat to Muhammadu Buhari, who had never conceded defeat to anybody in his earlier three times at running for President”. A Tanzania Tabloid (The Citizen) quoted Goodluck Jonathan as having urged any loser to concede as he did, saying that he was optimistic that the presidential election in Tanzania would be free and fair, as democracy has come a long way. The Summary also wrote, that Jonathan also said it was equally important for all stakeholders, including the National Electoral Commission (NEC), political parties, police and voters to play their part for the poll to be free and fair. Jonathan then warned that any attempt to reject the will of the people will only lead to chaos reminding everybody that he immediately conceded defeat after losing his re-election bid early because he did not want personal ambition to derail democracy in Nigeria.
Do you know that former President Goodluck Jonathan is a U.N Global Crises Envoy? World powers-United States, France, UK, China, Russia and the United Nations have reportedly decided to appoint former President Goodluck Jonathan as U.N. Global Crisis Envoy. President Jonathan was endorsed by the U.N. Secretary General, Bank Ki Moon, as well as the 5 permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Vice President Joe Biden reportedly made a call to Jonathan on April 21, to intimate him of the decision to make him an envoy after leaving office on May 29. The role Jonathan is to take is similar to that of Tony Blair, who after leaving office as United Kingdom Prime Minister was appointed Middle East envoy for the United Nations, European Union, United States, and Russia. Goodluck Jonathan is the first African past Head of State to be assigned such role.
Unfortunately, Goodluck Jonathan is despised at home, but, is celebrated abroad, just as The Book of Mark 6:4 says that “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”
Daily Times
No comments:
Post a Comment