Nigeria's President Struggles for Relevance
Published: 7 April 2013 By Abiodun Giwa

Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's president, is struggling to gain back public goodwill after his pardon for a former corrupt governor. Almost assailed by public criticism over his action said to symbolize support and encouragement for corruption, the president is creating another fiasco, expressing readiness to grant amnesty to yet another dreadful social cankerworm-Boko haram. The president's struggle is about how to remain relevant before the electorate as the 2015 election draws near, the opposition to his handling of corruption and religion terrorism working to jeopardize his hope for reelection.
President Jonathan is faced by two cankerworms-corruption and the Boko Haram menace. He has allowed corruption dribbled him into a corner by inabilty to close his eyes for a former governor of his home state of Bayelsa rot in jail. That one act of pardoning a corrupt former governor was followed by harsh public criticism that witnessed whatever popularity he had left from Boko-haram menace nose-dived. The American government put him on notice for dissatisfaction against his pardon to a former corrupt public officer, and an American philantropist, Bill Gate, consequently cancelled a visit to the country.
Like a man who is aware that he is fighting two evils and for him to remain relevant, he has to at least win or conquer one of the evils, especially since one of the evil seems to have carpeted him, the president has expressed interest to give amnesty to Boko haram-a terrorist organization that has been bombing north of the country for over two years and reliably making efforts to make a foray to the south. Observers see Jonathan's government overture to Boko-haram as a face saving effort from capitulation with latest information that some members of the sect have been arrested in a house in Lagos that belongs to the Bayelsa State government that has sent tongues wagging. Curiously, there are questions whether the dreadful sect that had already made their intention known to the government of Nigeria for the president to convert o Islam and for Sharia to become law in the country will accede to the government's talk about amnesty.
Observers see Boko-haram as having an upper hand in the troubled country. They said that the fact that some members of the sect made it to Lagos with intention to plant cells showed that they had penetrated the country beyong the north. Government's concern in the last few weeks over security reports about the sect's plan to bomb a location in the south after the arrest of the sect members showed the government had lost the war against religion terrorism just as it had against corruption. The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, led by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor had expressed reservation against the government's intention of amnesty for Boko-haram. He opposed the idea of amnesty for Boko-haram, especially the flawed similarity being advanced in the case of Boko-haram in comparison to the Niger Delta militants. Some Nigerians think amnesty for Boko-haram will be welcomed if it can be implemented in the place of bombing and killing of innocent people. Many Nigerians are uncertain what turn events will take, but choose to watch and see since it is not certain what Boko-haram's reaction to government's overture will be. But on government's weakened position, observers sees the development as capable of buoying the sect to strengthen its earlier request for Sharia to become the law in Nigeia.
For Jonathan, the developement has made his ambition for reelection a much more difficult task, while it emblodens the opposition in readiness for 2015.
President Jonathan is faced by two cankerworms-corruption and the Boko Haram menace. He has allowed corruption dribbled him into a corner by inabilty to close his eyes for a former governor of his home state of Bayelsa rot in jail. That one act of pardoning a corrupt former governor was followed by harsh public criticism that witnessed whatever popularity he had left from Boko-haram menace nose-dived. The American government put him on notice for dissatisfaction against his pardon to a former corrupt public officer, and an American philantropist, Bill Gate, consequently cancelled a visit to the country.
Like a man who is aware that he is fighting two evils and for him to remain relevant, he has to at least win or conquer one of the evils, especially since one of the evil seems to have carpeted him, the president has expressed interest to give amnesty to Boko haram-a terrorist organization that has been bombing north of the country for over two years and reliably making efforts to make a foray to the south. Observers see Jonathan's government overture to Boko-haram as a face saving effort from capitulation with latest information that some members of the sect have been arrested in a house in Lagos that belongs to the Bayelsa State government that has sent tongues wagging. Curiously, there are questions whether the dreadful sect that had already made their intention known to the government of Nigeria for the president to convert o Islam and for Sharia to become law in the country will accede to the government's talk about amnesty.
Observers see Boko-haram as having an upper hand in the troubled country. They said that the fact that some members of the sect made it to Lagos with intention to plant cells showed that they had penetrated the country beyong the north. Government's concern in the last few weeks over security reports about the sect's plan to bomb a location in the south after the arrest of the sect members showed the government had lost the war against religion terrorism just as it had against corruption. The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, led by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor had expressed reservation against the government's intention of amnesty for Boko-haram. He opposed the idea of amnesty for Boko-haram, especially the flawed similarity being advanced in the case of Boko-haram in comparison to the Niger Delta militants. Some Nigerians think amnesty for Boko-haram will be welcomed if it can be implemented in the place of bombing and killing of innocent people. Many Nigerians are uncertain what turn events will take, but choose to watch and see since it is not certain what Boko-haram's reaction to government's overture will be. But on government's weakened position, observers sees the development as capable of buoying the sect to strengthen its earlier request for Sharia to become the law in Nigeia.
For Jonathan, the developement has made his ambition for reelection a much more difficult task, while it emblodens the opposition in readiness for 2015.
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