Goodluck 2015?

As expected, President Goodluck Jonathan bowed to the wishes of the people to run as president in the 2015 elections despite his public claim that he would not run in 2015. 

That the president is standing as a candidate for next year's election is not an issue. He has the right to. The concern is the volte face and lack of principle that has become a characteristic of Nigerian politics. From governors and legislators who switch political parties for personal interests to Mr President who declared in 2011 that "I would have loved that the Nigerians in Diaspora vote this year but to be frank with you, that is going to be difficult now. Presently, the law does not allow the voting outside Nigeria and so this year Nigerians in Diaspora will not vote but I will work towards it by 2015 even though I will not be running for election.",changing their minds is a constant. A constant that is a disservice to the people they claim to represent. 

In 2010, when the sitting president first declared his intention to run he stated all the policies he would put in place to take Nigeria to Canaan. Not so long after he was elected, the fuel queues and petroleum issues he promised to address returned and thanks to him, fuel prices increased by 100% before protests brought it down to NGN 97. The corruption he vowed to tackle is no longer Nigeria's major problem because what Nigerians regard as corruption is mere stealing. In 2010 he promised to fight crime and now in 2015 he is promising to punish suicide bombers. Mr President sold Nigerians hope but hope is not enough. That he progressed from someone without shoes to a President is not and will not be the reality for many people in similar circumstances that he was in because the ineptitude of his government means that those in his shoes may never get out of their situation save for a miracle. Yes, Jonathan is neither the cause of the problems in Nigeria nor the problem with Nigeria. However, he has contributed in no small means to deepening the problems and challenges Nigerians face in their quest for a decent life. Nigeria’s problems have from just a tear to big hole that gets harder to mend.

By failing to perform the basic duty of government, which is to ensure the security and welfare of citizens irrespective of where they are from, his government cops out of its responsibilities by blaming the opposition and tarring every criticism as the work of those who do not mean Mr Jonathan well. 

The President need not campaign if the attacks in Northern Nigeria was decisively tackled and an example was of the so-called opposition that sponsor the violence. The return of the Chibok girls will be a great start. Prosecuting those who pillage the nation's common wealth will be a great follow-up- starting with those who benefit from the oil-subsidy scam to government officials in military and public institutions. Delivering on the promise of constant electricity- which is 3^1/2 years overdue will further spur the growth of our economy- where citizens survive inspite of the enormous hurdles they face and revitalizing our healthcare systems (both the people and infrastructure).

These achievements will speak for him and "fans" of the president will not spend the huge amounts currently being spent to sell his "successes".

In his declaration speech for 2015, the president, unlike in 2010, makes vague promises. His declaration is empty and showed no direction for the future .

In 2010, he said, "if I’m voted into power within the next four years, the issue of power will become a thing of the past. Four years is enough for anyone in power to make significant improvement and if I can’t improve on power within this period, it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for the next four years.”

Does this president deserve to repeat his term?