JONATHAN HAS CHANGED

The president of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is changing. The president has changed and I think Nigerians should be happy that he is making positive changes in his carriage. I know that he has received knocks over the last media chat, but as one who makes sure that I view the cup half full rather than half empty, what I took away from the chat was the positives. Last night I saw a president that is maturing fast and acting very presidential and self assured even in his answers to questions by seasoned journalists. Some of us may think that we would have asked better questions if we had the privilege of interviewing the commander-in-chief, but the media team are not dominated by pro-Jonathan journalists. One of the journalists that asked the president questions was anti-Jonathan and worked for the opponents of Jonathan in 2011, so let no one think that the chat was a set up to ask Jonathan easy questions. Besides, questions on one term agreement,  sacking of ministers, corruption, Boko Haram, ASUU strike, fiscal federalism etc are the key questions of the time and they were all tabled before the president.

He answered the questions masterfully, although some may disagree with the answers he gave, there was very evidence of self assurance which he often tends to forget in the house when he was under public glare. A case in point was when the G7 governors was literarily harassing him and he lined up with the governors like school children being addressed by their principal, the Board of Trustee (BOT) chairman of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih. I was miffed! That night the president was very un-presidential. I am not a card carrying member of the PDP, but Jonathan is my president and I expect him to act his part as president. Despite all the noises by his opponents, he is the president and the face of the nation and therefore must never be intimidated by anyone no matter what the media made out that person to be.  Jonathan should always remember that when they told former Russian leader Joseph Stalin that the allied forces during the World War II has the support of the Pope,  Stalin made his famous joke, “ How many troops does he command?” Of course the pope’s power is basically moral, as he commands no troops in the Vatican. The man you should fear most is the man that commands troops and not one basking on moral authority. The elders of Niger Delta were basking with moral authority drawing attention to the devastation of their environment by pollution from oil exploration and exploitation. The world did not take notice until people like Asari Dokubu said enough is enough and the world and Nigeria took notice. That said, Jonathan is the commander-in-chief and leader of 120 million people, therefore the undisputed number one African leader. If Obama is the world’s most powerful president, we can say that Jonathan is the most powerful African president. He must act his part always. I saw a glimpse of that last night. That is what I took away from the media chat. The rest will unfold in the days ahead especially when he declares for president in 2014 and his opponents head to the Supreme Court. The fate of Jonathan will be determined by the justices of the Supreme Court. Those that want to kick him out of the Presidential Villa will not rest until the Supreme Court speaks.