TRY HONOUR, PRES. JONATHAN, IT WON'T KILL YOU! - Lauretta Onochie.

The more I try to push this man into our recent ignoble past and leave him there,  the more he makes a concerted effort at adding salt to the injury he, by his irresponsible leadership of our nation, caused Nigerians.

With the revelation of the shameful and disgraceful diversion of funds meant to equip the Nigerian Army and safeguard the nation, one would have thought that the man who presided over that part of our sordid history, should bow his head in shame and apologise to the Nigerian people.

But ex President Goodluck Jonathan has no shame. None whatsoever. He is not perturbed that such roguery as is being revealed took place under his watch. No, he sat calmly while those he appointed, played Russian roulette with issues that were a matter of life and death, preferring instead to lace their pockets with funds meant to secure lives and properties.

Where was he when Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh, a senior Nigerian Air Force officer and former Chief of the Defence Staff. (Rtd.), gave the last date for the purchase of arms in Nigeria as 2006? Where was Ex President Jonathan  when the past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu purchased dilapidated helicopters with no rotors, causing the untimely death of two fine officers of the Nigerian Airforce and family men? 

Over the last some days, Jonathan's immediate constituency, the PDP has called on him to say something regarding the disrepute the party has fallen into with the arrest and trial of many of its key members, particularly Oliseh Metuh, Chief Anthony Anenih, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Chief Bode George, etc. What they are saying to him is to take responsibility for the irresponsible leadership he provided for the nation. He has not responded. He would not speak. 

He chose instead to crisscross the world, collecting awards from rogue institutions and making untrue statements aimed at cleaning an image that has been mortally soiled and eternally damaged. To think that he has not learned from the days when he was duped into giving away billions of our money to buy support for his unpopular re-election bid, is a sad omen. He is still running around and carrying on in self-deceit and delusion, still, being duped in cash with the promise of transforming him into a hero of democracy in Nigeria, a title that easily belong to the Card Reader!

Rather than appreciate President Buhari for having the courage and guts to clean up the mess he left behind, he has gone on a wild goose chase of image laundry that is not possible. Nigerians and the rest of the world are applauding the current Nigerian government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari for daring where ex President Jonathan scampered and chickened out and for succeeding where the former president failed woefully.

According to The Economist, the Buhari “government has cracked down on corruption, which had flourished under the previous president, Goodluck Jonathan, an ineffectual buffoon who let politicians and their cronies fill their pockets with impunity.” And who can disagree with The Economist?

During her visit in the new year, IMF's Ms Christine Lagarde said she did not see the reason for programmes negotiation with Nigeria seeing that Pres. BUHARI was on the right track and was inspiring his team. According to Ms, Lagarde, given the determination and resilience being displayed by the president and his team, there's no need to go into programmes negotiations. "I don't see why", she concluded. This was because she saw evidence of fiscal discipline and pledged her support for President Buhari's war on corruption, a malady that was further embedded in our system.

What can one say about an ex president who claimed he  built Almajiri schools yet the Almajiris were out of schools, roaming the streets or joining the then more organised Boko Haram. I cannot understand a president whose solution to marginalisation is the building of a university in the area of perceived marginalisation. It did not matter that their needs were different. Universities were located in areas where an excellent road network or a food processing factory would have sufficed.

Only yesterday, the Supreme Court sacked some members of the National Houses of Assembly who were imposed by the one who lacks democratic principles, yet goes around collecting awards from rogue organisations who may have charged him a fortune. Freedom of people to choose their own representatives, is a basic tenement of democracy that was totally lost on him.

Although it's a bit late in the day, the least ex-President Jonathan could do is to crawl back to his Otuoke home, call a world press conference and apologise, not only to Nigerians, but to the entire world for the poor, disgraceful and shameful way he presided over corruption and impunity in our nation. Try honour, it won't kill you. 

Lauretta Onochie

@Laurestar