Slow government: You are not qualified to rule Nigeria – Parties, groups blast Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan has come under heavy attack by
opposition political parties and civil society groups for justifying his slow
administration.
In separate reactions, the groups said that Jonathan’s
comment portrays that he was not prepared to rule the nation in the first
place.
It would be recalled that His Excellency during his
Christmas day speech in Abuja said that his government appeared to be slow
because it doesn’t want to make mistakes.
He said: “By human thinking our administration is slow; I
won’t say we are slow, but we need to think through things properly if we are
to make lasting impact.
“If we rush, we will make mistakes and sometimes it is more
difficult to correct those mistakes,” he claimed during the church service.
Reacting to the claims, major opposition parties viz. the
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC),
the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF),
Afenifere, Coalition of Concerned Northern Politicians, Academics and
Professionals as well as the Ijaw Youth Council have called on Jonathan to wake
up from his slumber.
In their own reaction, the CPC said he was slow because he
was not prepared for governance
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi
Fashakin, said Jonathan’s excuse was immaterial, noting that the President is
always looking for excuses to justify his incompetence.
The CPC said, “If we spend seven years to prepare for
madness, when will the madness materialise? That is what Nigerians should ask
their President.
“He is slow because he stumbled on power; he never prepared
for it. His coming to power was accidental. He has no idea about governance.”
It added, “The government and the man heading it are bereft
of ideas. The government only ponders to the tunes of the corrupt. The last 13
years has been hectic for Nigerians and the Jonathan Presidency is worse.
“Despite the hue and cry of the citizenry, he has refused to
change his transformation agenda which is only transforming the pockets of a
few.”
Also, the ANPP said Jonathan’s statement shows his lack of
leadership skills.
According to its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Emma
Eneukwu: “The President is not competent to be there. He is a President by
chance. He keeps on giving excuses for his incompetence and inadequacies.
“He was not prepared for the position he suddenly found
himself. He came into office with the hope of learning and he has refused to
learn. He has no specific programme unlike the late President(Umaru Yar’Adua),
who came with a seven- point agenda.
“Jonathan came with a bogus Transformation Agenda without
transforming anything. Nigerians are tired of his excuses.”
Reacting to Jonathan’s claims, the ACN, through its National
Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, also berated Jonathan for such an unreasonable
excuse.
“The President must be a joker with his kind of submission.
As the elected President, he is expected to take decisions, good decisions,” he
said.
Also, Afenifere, a Pan- Yoruba socio-cultural organisation,
affirmed that Jonathan’s slowness does not qualify him as a leader.
According to its Secretary General, Chief Seinde Arogbofa:
“We need a President who will take actions that will solve the numerous
problems and challenges confronting Nigeria as a nation. We do not need a slow
leader right now.”
“Nigerians are expecting quick results and solution to their
problems and not excuses for poor performances.”
The ACF has reminded Jonathan that he had only four years to
spend in office.
The forum, while reacting through its National Publicity
Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, observed that Jonathan had no time to waste and
must act fast.
It said, “Those who framed the 1999 Constitution and
provided for a maximum of four years per tenure must have taken into account
the need for thorough analyses of situations with a view to arriving at
informed judgment for performance by those with the mandate of leadership.
“So, Mr. President must take into account the fact that he
does not have limitless time, lest he runs out of time and go down in history
as a President who used all his tenure for plans that did not deliver on his
promise to transform Nigeria into a better place.”
Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin of CD said Jonathan should work with
his manifesto if at all he had one.
“What is the essence of having a manifesto or a vision
before occupying an exalted position or running for an office? It shows clearly
that he is an accidental President, with no clear-cut vision,” the group said.
Faulting Jonathan’s claims, the convener of the Coalition of
Concerned Northern Politicians , Academics and Professionals, Dr.Junaid
Mohammed, said Mr. President should stop giving excuses and think of how to
make things happen.
According to him: “No amount of fishing for excuses will
make him a better President.”
Mohammed advised the President to learn from his mistakes
and the people around him.
His words: “I think it is very disingenuous of Jonathan to
advance this kind of argument so late in our democratic experience. It is a
known fact all over the world that the human species are not perfect; people
who come into office accidentally or even by design are expected to make
mistakes at the beginning of their tenures because of the learning curve.
“But getting to two years out of a four- year tenure and we
are still having this kind of excuses does not inspire confidence at all.
“He simply does not have what it takes to rule Nigeria; he
lacks political savvy and he is lacking in intellectual capacity also.
“It is clear that Jonathan has the worst set of characters
who are deficient in knowledge and cognate experience in leadership.”
Source: Daily Post
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