Dear President Jonathan, I never thought I was going to write to you again since your eviction from the “Rock” because it was no longer worth it. But seeing how ardently you are trying to invade our memories with “Ebele-Trojan Virus”, in a bid to reformatting it- clearing off and replacing existing data, in an attempt to rewrite history thereby playing on our intelligence, it became increasingly incumbent on me to pen this short note to you.
Mr. President, in a speech you delivered at the Annual Gala Dinner of Nigerian Lawyers Association in the US.., you said and I quote: “Under my watch, not a single Nigerian was sent to prison because of anything they wrote or said about me or the Administration that I headed.” You must have forgotten about the military attack on Nigerian newspapers that happened right under your watch on the 6th and 7th June 2014. An event that saw Soldiers seized and in some cases destroyed thousands of copies of several newspapers including Leadership, The Nation, and Punch Newspapers. The general distribution centre for all newspapers in Area 1, Abuja, was also sealed by soldiers and several newspapers circulation staff were also harassed and detained in the process.
You went further and said: “We gave institutions unlimited freedom and ensured that the NBA, other professional institutions were devoid of any governmental influence.” Again Mr. Former President, we have not forgotten the Assaults on the National Assembly that happened on the 20th November 2014, when Policemen were stationed at the gate of the National Assembly Complex and denied the then Speaker of the House- Mr. Tambuwal and some federal lawmakers entry to the assembly complex where they were slated to carry out their duties.
Nigerians, having considered your venality, cluelessness and perhaps some intentional atrocities under your watch, went to the polls on March 28, 2015, and voted you out in a relatively peaceful election.
From the havoc caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, to the massive loot and corruption under your watch, to the killing of innocent unemployed Nigerians during the Nigerian Immigration Service Recruitment Scam, to the attack on media houses by the military, to the invasion of the national assembly and assaults on members of the parliaments, to the collapse of systems and infrastructure in the country amongst others, in a saner society, you should have been behind bars by now. But lucky you, you are still walking around- hence, able to spill garbage.
You cannot do such grave evil to our nation- squander our commonwealth among your friends and allies- and watched lackadaisically as Boko Haram decimated our military and the civilians- claimed our land and made a total mockery of us, and yet come back to us and speak ostentatiously about your achievements- doing that is evil!
Make no mistakes, your eviction from the “Rock” was with no prejudice- Nigerians felt they deserve better after considering all they went through under your watch.
Also, to set the record straight for those that are partisans- swift to take sides between political parties and for the sycophants who put the interest of their bosses above the benefits of the nation- take note; this isn’t about the APC or the PDP, it isn’t about you or President Buhari. It is about our country- Nigeria!
To me, I consider this as a spat in our face- as another grave evil perpetrated by you to repaint and rebrand your mischievousness in an attempt to rewrite history falsely. You cannot in less than two years come back to us like an angel walking on the street of Babylon in a spotless garment. You cannot appear to us like a saint that just came down from heaven- you are not!
We know you too well, your mischievousness are still fresh in our memories and we cannot forget so soon- trying to tell us otherwise is an attempt to erase the Leopard`s spots which is impossible!
You were arguably the president with the most glut opportunities to turn around the fortunes of our country. But you wasted it; you squandered our collective wealth and wasted our resources when we had so many returns that should have been saved. You left us lying in the pool of our blood and at the mercies of General Buhari- had you performed just a little to expectations; General he would not have been an option.
But due to your gross incompetence, carelessness and cluelessness coupled with some atoms of wickedness, we saw in Buhari a saviour coming to save us from the evil that befell us for five years under your watch.
President Jonathan, I have no doubts that you are in a bid to rewrite history, make no mistakes, histories are products of actions and not words.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Ogundana Michael Rotimi is a Nigerian Biochemist, Socio-economic & Political Commentator, and Public Speaker. He tweets @MickeySunny.
