From Nelson Ekujumi
Since INEC lifted the lid on campaigns, the Presidential candidates of the two major political parties, the APC and PDP have hit the ground running.
One had expected and there had been admonition from various quarters to the parties to make their campaigns issues based because of the myriad of problems bedeviling the Nigerian state, but what is disturbing to discerning minds is the barrage of insultive utterances coming from President Jonathan which makes one wonder if the man has any agenda at all on issues after being in office for 6 six years in which we are the way we are today which is an embarrassment in the comity of civilized countries.
The other day, President Goodluck Jonathan said some past leaders were behaving like motor parks touts, after that he made an inciting statement about some people trying to assassinate him in 2010 at a campaign rally in 2015 and just yesterday, he insulted his opponent in the APC as not knowing his phone number.
The utterances from President Goodluck Jonathan is quite unbecoming and unfortunate at a time when the Nigerian state is in dire straits of economic, political and social mismanagement. President Jonathan came into office at a time the exchange rate between the dollar and naira was 120 to 1, today its 200 to 1, security has totally collapsed which is emphasized in the wanton loss of lives and properties, armed robberies, commercial kidnappings and abduction of over 200 Chibok school girls for over 270 days, poor electricity supply after gulping trillions of tax payers money, poor infrastructures litter the country despite gulping trillions of naira, mass unemployment, corruption and impunity as a state policy, perennial workers strike and nonpayment of salaries, etc. All these and more are not areas of concern for our beloved President whose stock in trade now is about hurling abuses and insults just to incite and confuse the people.
One just hope, the Nigerian people are watching and taking note because there is a saying that “Great minds discuss issues, but small minds discuss persons”. Hope, we can identify the category into which President Goodluck Jonathan falls and will do the needful come February 14, 2015 so that our country can rise again.
