WITH the rise of Dr Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria's political consciousness, comes the increase in the number of babies christened Goodluck. The reason for this is not far-fetched; there is a belief in the country that the president's name has something to do with his rise to power. Unfortunately, his goodluck is not enough to sustain people's love for him with his anti-people, fuel subsidy-removal policy.For a local boy from Otuoke, who once had no shoes to wear, it was definitely by divine grace that he became the president of Africa's most populous country. His rise in politics was also a kind of a spectacle. First, he was DSP Alamieyeseigha's deputy in Bayelsa State, then came the storm that swept Alamieyeseigha aside.While the self-styled Governor-General of the Ijaw nation was having problem in London, Jonathan was reportedly loyal to him. He was not overambitious, and Nigerians are aware of the politics that played out in Bayelsa at that time, which swept Alamieyeseigha out of power, and Jonathan became the governor.Jonathan could not have become the governor through his own means because he lacked the charisma to achieve that. He even had no political structure and he was definitely contented with being Alamieyeseigha's deputy. This is a good virtue, and how many politicians have this in Nigeria'Although Jonathan was not over-ambitious, people credited his becoming the governor to goodluck, and when it was time to select a running mate for Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua, Jonathan's name came up again. At this period, he was in contention with Mr Donald Duke, former governor of Cross Rives State, who had performed above average while as the chief executive of the state. Dr Peter Odili was also in the fray.By all indications, these two people were politically stronger than Jonathan, who again emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP's) presidential running mate for the 2007 election. The PDP won the election and the Otuoke boy was Vice President.After a couple of years, the president became seriously ill with kidney-related ailment and he was flown to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment. All the while, Yar'Adua's cabal in government never wanted Dr Jonathan to become the acting President, which was against the Constitution that says if the president is going to be away from the country for a certain number of days, then he should hand over power to his vice.Despite knowing that the Constitution makes it clear that Yar'Adua ought to have handed the rein of power to him, again, Jonathan was not bothered. He was not a ruthless power-hungry politician. Even, by Nigerian definition of who a politician is, he is not qualified to be one.At the end of the day, after much protests and debates, both on the streets and on the floor of the National Assembly, Jonathan was sworn-in as acting President, and later as president, after the death of Yar'Adua.Jonathan's first name, Goodluck, had now become an issue. There were debates in homes and on the streets on whether the president's name had anything to do with his rise to power. Only God knows how many children have been named Goodluck since Jonathan's political ascent became a subject.Nigerians are also aware of how the president, first wriggled through the PDP primaries, despite the stiff opposition from the North, that claimed the zone was yet to complete its two-terms of zonal arrangement, and how he defeated General Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and others in the presidential election.During the presidential election, many opposition card-carrying members voted for Dr Jonathan. Nigerians wanted change, and with Dr Jonathan, they felt there was light at the end of the tunnel for the country. Nigerians also want the president's first name, goodluck, to translate to something positive for the country. If the name could carry its bearer from obscurity to political reckoning, then it could also bear positively on Africa's most populous country, that has been bedeviled with bad leadership over the years.Unfortunately, as the day goes by since Dr Jonathan was sworn in, it seems his goodluck is already fading. Nigerians are already asking if his goodluck has deserted him when it matters most.First, it was the crisis that trailed the presidential election that greeted Dr Jonathan upon his swearing in. Then came the Boko Haram issue, which Nigerians are beginning to suspect that the president is confused on how to go about tackling.As if the security situation in the country is not enough issue for Nigerians to worry about, the president came out with government's decision to remove fuel subsidy. His claim was that much money is being spent by government to subsidise petroleum products, and when the subsidy is removed, the money saved would be used to buy 'insecticide nets' for Nigerians.The issue of fuel subsidy is like that of the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob. Every Nigerian knows that the Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is behind this. She is the architect of this World Bank policy to put Nigerians into more economic suffering, and she has found a voice in a president who has forgotten when he was at Otuoke and had no shoes to wear.Although Dr Jonathan's close aides will never tell him this, but if this was a country like America, where opinion polls record the popularity of their political office holders, then the president's approval ratings is seriously going down the hill. Majority of Nigerians no longer have the faith they had in the president before the election.If it is only the issue of Boko Haram that is at stake, then we can know that some political elements who are not happy with that fact that their zone has been short-changed are behind it, and with proper intelligence operations, they will be unmasked and brought to book, but the president's decision to support the removal of fuel subsidy has shown that he has forgotten his background. This situation then finds solace in a Yoruba proverb which says, 'Orisa b'ole gbe mi, sa fi mi s'ile bi o se ba mi', meaning 'if a god cannot support me, then it should leave me as I am.' If President Goodluck Jonathan cannot improve the lives of Nigerians, then he should not compound their problems by removing the fuel subsidy.Nigerians must be ready for war to resist the removal of the fuel subsidy in January 2012. The fuel subsidy removal is just the first in a long list of the World Bank anti-people policies that Dr Okojo-Iweala is set to implement, and if Nigerians accept this, God knows what next is in the frame for the people who will bear the brunt of these policies. And who says there cannot be a Nigeria uprising, just like the Arab uprising'Oshodi is on the staff of the Nigerian Tribune
Click here to read full news..
