by Eze Eluchie
SMARTEST INFRASTRUCTURAL THRUST
Globally, for any country with leaders’ desirous for real development of their territories, peoples and economies, the rail transport system is the preferred mode of mass transportation. The wicked neglect visited to the rail sector, which has left the sector comatose for several decades in Nigeria, merely reflects the true vicious intents of characters who had ruled over the Nigerian polity.
The spirited efforts the Goodluck Jonathan administration infused into developing the rail sector, which resulted in the reactivation of train routes which had been moribund for decades and the commencement of scheduled train journeys across the country is truly remarkable.
Other forays of the Jonathan administration in the areas of infrastructural development, such as the power sector, road networks and air transportation pale in comparison to what was achieved in the rail sector.
Considering the nature of the Train Coaches been deployed, could we have had a better deal? Certainly! But at least the tracks are coming back to life and the next administration can build up from where the present one stopped.
WORST INFRASTRUCTURAL FAILURE
In this era when Chinese companies are building 57-storey buildings in 19 days, one really wonders how long it would have taken the Goodluck Jonathan administration to have built a deep sea port in Nigeria to serve as alternates and decongest the overstretched sea ports in Lagos? 2-weeks? 6 months? One year? Yet nothing was done in this regards.
Alternate sea ports cited in other coastal states of Nigeria, particularly in states comprised in the South-South geopolitical zones would have served to ease the strain on the two functional sea ports in Nigeria (Apapa and Tin Can), both located in Lagos. The location of the two ports in Lagos creates human, vehicular, shipping and whatsoever gridlock imaginable, all serving to dampen whatever efforts at development of the maritime and commercial sectors (amongst several other sectors) in Nigeria.
The failure of the Goodluck administration to build alternative seaports, will serve to perpetually haunt the regime and those who served under it..
BOLDEST POLITICAL MOVE - CONVOKING THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE:
The fundamental problem with the Nigerian state which serves to found the various vices which pins down the Nigerian contraption and its peoples is the warped, unjust and unworkable structure and constitution.
Efforts at restructuring and renegotiating the Nigerian State via the National Conference convoked by the Goodluck Jonathan administration remains, by a wide margin, the boldest political move of the administration.
The outcome of the Conference was not perfect and did not meet with the aspirations of many constituent elements of the Nigerian contraption - but it was all the same a starting point on the need of restructuring and renegotiating the State.
The failure of the administration to act on the said outcomes is another matter entirely...
WEAKEST POLITICAL MOVE - NOT SACKING 'THE SAINT', JEGA
By a wide margin, the dumbest political move of the Goodluck Jonathan presidency was its failure to relieve the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a man I have dubbed ‘the saint’ for his pious mien despite a very determined and stealthy persona, Attahiru Jega.
The saints sins and actions which should have necessitated his sack were numerous – amongst these were: Awarding the contract for the supply of vital election materials to known chieftains of one of the political parties (this ensured delayed delivery and delivery of defective card readers to zones on partisan basis); very biased and partisan allocation of ‘extra polling booths’ which saw the Northern region gain an incredulous 21,000 extra booths to 7,000 booths allocated to the south; and displaying a hatchet man’s determination to hold Presidential elections on the 14th of February when all evidence clearly indicated that INEC was not prepared to undertake any such venture as at the date in question.
One thought President Jonathan had forgotten he had the power to sack appointees of his government until he began his belated sacks after conceding defeat. ‘The saint’ was not sacked when he should have been sacked, and as the saying goes, the rest is history….
THE WORST PHOTO OPPORTUNITY - US-AFRICA LEADERS SUMMIT
As the countdown to the exit of the current administration of President Goodluck Jonathan commences in earnest, this page, in the remaining 10 days left for the regime will highlight the best and the worst of the regime.
Goodluck Jonathan, with his weak understanding of the human nature, surrounded himself with 5th columnists and the few around him who had an inkling as to the booby traps being laid, choose to line their pockets with lucre and wallow in the trappings of their transient offices.
The Worst Photo Opportunity of the Goodluck Jonathan presidency was when he attended the so-called ‘US – Africa Leaders Summit’, hosted by US President Barrack Obama. Placed at the most obscure position at extreme left end of the rear line, President Jonathan would have been better off feigning an urgent need to visit the loo than to stay and pose for this inglorious picture.
This photo-line up should have given President Jonathan and his team an idea of what the Barrack Obama administration thought about our President!
They did not learn!
They have paid dearly for their lack of knowledge!
Picture: President Goodluck Jonathan (10th May 2010 - 28th May 2015).
