AN EVALUATION OF THE JONATHAN'S ADMINISTRATION ON CORRUPTION

It wouldn't be a mendacity or out of place to vehemently reiterate it here that a lot of Nigerians strongly opine that President Jonathan's administration is quite inactive, ineffective and unyielding the positive results Nigerians so voraciously desire. With sooth, every Nigerian is entitled to their own personal opinions as enshrined in Chapter 4, Section 39 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which clearly empowers every citizen of Nigeria, the right to freedom of expression. Therefore, I do not have any legal rights to encumber the free speech and thoughts of Nigerians about their perceptions on the government and country. 

Furthermore, a significant percentage of Nigerians also perceive President Jonathan's administration to be prone to corruption as a result of the stories and information fervently disseminated by the media and other uncategorised sources. Partially in alignment with some of these perceptions and viewpoints Nigerians conceive of the Jonathan's administration, I will say that those in this school of thought are quite right to a certain extent and degree. There is no doubt that corruption has eaten deep into the fabrics of the nation's polity, because it is prominent in all spheres of the nation's economy. This is not to say that the Jonathan's administration is corrupt, because my views disagree with those who have this philosophy, yes some people in the government are corrupt, but it is ubiquitous in every nook and cranny of the nation including the church which is supposed to be the holy sanctuary of the Most High. Rather than pointing all fingers on a particular sector, administration or person, we should, be liberal enough to know that Nigeria is one of the countries with highest corruption statistics in the world but let's take an extreme close up shot to examine the Jonathan's administration, if it is true as some Nigerians accuse it to be. It has come to my knowledge that people have this viewpoint of the Jonathan's administration being so corrupt because they has been more corruption issues spotted out, but if you look at it from another angle and point of view, you will agree with me that actually President Jonathan's administration is seriously fighting corruption with the aim to eliminate it, that is why it appears that we often hear a lot of corruption charges and indictment on the media. The Jonathan's administration has been very effective with the kind of policies put in place. It may appear that we have more corruption in the country today, this isn't because his administration is corrupt, it is simply because he has punctured the system and made it porous, such that if you are engaging in any corrupt practices, the system can't hide you but fishes you out as opposed to other administrations where the system hid corrupt practices, such that we couldn't decipher who was corrupt or not. If there is one thing I am grateful to President Jonathan for, it is the fact that he passed the Freedom of Information bill which gives anyone every access to any information anytime, into law. With this, records are made public, corrupt people are exposed and there is no room for any corrupt practice to be condoned or hidden. Today, the press can publish any information that they wish to publish without fear of being shutdown or sanctioned as long as it is true, the citizens can say what they want to say without fear of being arrested or jailed, everybody is free to express their minds and views on any issue and it is seen as a mere criticism. All these were made possible because the Jonathan's administration is geared towards alleviating corruption if not totally eradicating it. My dear countrymen, there were times when we couldn't say what we would have loved to say because of the fear of the unknown, there were times were the press were shutdown and licenses withdrawn because they were objective and truthful, there were times were nobody could publicly disagree with the government because of fear of your life and this was because our leaders delayed passing the freedom of information bill into law because they had skeletons in their cupboards and were scared of being exposed, the system supported them and encouraged them to embezzle and misappropriate from the national treasury, all for their personal aggrandisement. They knew they would be exposed if the freedom of information bill became a law, they knew they wouldn't be tolerated if they were fished out, they knew the freedom of information law will hunt down corrupt practices and persons and so instead of sanitising the system by passing this into law, they delayed its process, and today, the Jonathan's administration has passed this bill into law and the efficacy of this law is conspicuously realised, and several malpractices and corrupt deeds are being exposed; critics or if you agree, antagonists of the state have outrageously twisted the truth to make it look like the Jonathan's administration is the worst administration and the most corrupt. Let us not be carried away by the statements people make, let us reexamine the facts and analyse it, yes President Jonathan, may not be doing what we all think he should do, but it doesn't mean, the man is not working or serving his country. If every leader could come up with a plan and focus on one agenda thoroughly, and another with a specific agenda, most of the grave pugnacities, endearing in the nation today will be gravely torpedoed with the panacea to these impediments, provided. It is normal to be criticised because to avoid criticism according to Aristotle, " say nothing, do nothing, be nothing" and even when you act in strict adherence to the above axiom, it is proportionately likened to doing something which is enough reason to guarantee a criticism. Jonathan will be criticised because not everyone likes him, at the same time, he will be supported too because not everyone hates him. In as much as we anticipate that he should do what we desire, it is factual that he can't satisfy all. His administration is not perfect, but that doesn't mean, he should be totally excused, because he owes an allegiance to us the citizens, he will always be criticised but should try to ensure that his negative criticisms doesn't outweigh his accolades. Let's not allow politics enshroud our judgements, but base our opinions on facts rather than sentiments. The only way Nigeria can be great is if we respect our leaders who are the authority and give them the opportunity and support to lead us diligently, symbiotically and in retrospect, our leaders should respect their citizens and govern them democratically.