By Abubakar U. Jibia

AFTER politics comes leadership. It is customary that leaders, no matter how unacceptable they may be to the people they govern, always strive to leave a mark in the lives of the masses by which they can be remembered for. However, the ability to impress an indelible mark in the lives of the people is what makes a true and capable leader. For former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, those indelible marks that he has imprinted in Nigeria are there for everyone to see. During the reign of Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria became the largest African economy with a GDP exceeding half a trillion dollars. No wonder a Nigerian, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, under his tenure, became Africa’s richest man, and has continued to be. Jonathan’s economic transformation agenda focused on economic diversification and growth which included the repositioning of the agricultural sector, reducing food importation through the empowerment of local farmers and boosting local production. Due to Jonathan’s intervention in agriculture, Nigeria became the world’s largest producer of cassava. Also, because of the friendly business atmosphere that the former president created, the country recorded the highest direct foreign investment and trade relations, making the country a hub for global business.

He took the infrastructural development of Nigeria as a matter of priority. Dr. Jonathan laid the road map for the linking of railway lines across the country as well as the modernisation of the country’s airports. While providing infrastructure, his government also ensured that the people were gainfully employed in business, government and the private sector. This he made possible through a thriving and lively business environment, unlike what is obtainable today where multinational companies are abandoning Nigeria, taking their investments to other countries and local businesses are struggling to survive. The former president was highly committed to the entrenchment of democratic values and electoral reform. Jonathan, as the number one citizen, never interfered in the democratic process of the country. He avoided provocative and careless words that Nigerian leaders use to intimidate their oppositions. No wonder he has become known all over the world as an icon of democracy. President Jonathan expanded access to tertiary education by creating 12 new federal universities and introducing specialized educational programmes. He prioritised human capital development.

On gender equality and female empowerment, he ensured a significant increase in female appointments into government positions. The former president introduced the Subsidy Removal and Re-investment Program, SURE-P, to douse the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy. He laid the foundation for the removal of fuel subsidy as a way for mopping up enough money for the government to provide infrastructural facilities such as roads, railway lines, schools, healthcare facilities, among others. Because of the enlightenment carried out by Dr. Jonathan’s government on the SURE-P programme, politicians who were initially against the subsidy removal, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari made a U-turn and turned back to agree on the removal of fuel subsidy which they, especially Tinubu, earlier opposed when Jonathan attempted to carry out the exercise. However, Jonathan’s idea of subsidy removal is not as harsh on the people as that of Tinubu and Buhari. The former president arranged for the gradual removal of fuel subsidy, with the accruable funds reinvested in projects that have direct cushioning effects on the citizens of the country. All of this shows that he has the interest of the people at heart, reflecting the true essence of government: “The primary essence of government shall be the welfare of its citizens.”

A lot of damage has been done by the present government as well as the immediate past government of President Buhari. The damage stems from the fact that the two leaders who were initially opposed to the fuel subsidy removal introduced by Jonathan. They organised a series of protests against it, but turned back to embrace it when the former president organised a series of lectures to sensitise Nigerians on the need for his SURE-P programme to succeed. However, what Buhari and Tinubu lack is the manner of implementation of the subsidy removal in such a way as to be humane and acceptable to the people as planned by Goodluck Jonathan, not inflicting severe pains and miseries on them, as is happening now. Surely, looking back as events unfold after the 2015 general election in Nigeria, it seems that the country has moved several steps backward and has not moved any step forward. Truly, when the country denied Jonathan four more years of leadership, the people were laying the foundation for the backward trajectory of the country.

Although the clamour for Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election has remained informal, many political organisations, civil society organisations, nongovernmental organisations, among other pressure groups, have embarked on door-to-door mobilisation expecting that when time comes, Jonathan will gladly accept the new political arrangement.

•Jibia writes in from Abuja

 How I overcame tension of military coup in Aso Rock – Jonathan