Olusegun Dada: Unveiling the scam called Goodluck Jonathan (Y! Politico)

by Dada Olusegun

He was unpopular, a man born supposedly without shoes who went through hardship and had luck on his side. This appealed to the hearts of the poor. He was a perfect example of how “God” answers prayers.

During the electoral campaign of 2011, I had various opportunities to discuss with so many people as to why they chose to vote president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) over any of the other presidential candidates. I needed to understand what it was they saw and I couldn’t see. I needed to understand why people will choose a man who had no antecedents whatsoever over another with an excellent track record. I needed to understand why people rooted for a man who didn’t attend any of the presidential debates but chose to attend an interview with a musician instead. I needed to understand. I needed to know.

After so many exchanges and discussions, I found out. I found out what many saw and believed about GEJ. I found out why people were so blind to see the future and so deaf to the voice of reason. The reasons nearly convinced me too and these reasons are my major problems with GEJ today. For in the eyes of the people on whose support he rode into office today, GEJ is the biggest scam ever.

He was unpopular, a man born supposedly without shoes who went through hardship and had luck on his side. This appealed to the hearts of the poor. He was a perfect example of how ‘God’ answers prayers. If he could succeed, then they could too and therefore, they believed in him. They finally had someone who could understand their pain, someone who will finally alleviate their sufferings and deliver to them the dividends of democracy. Even a large majority of the educated class wanted him. For the first time, we were going to have a president with a doctorate degree. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.

The Christians were excited! GEJ had been anointed by an influential man of God. The messiah was finally here, the anointed David! Even a large majority from the South-East felt comfortable with his candidature. He was ‘their son by extension’. It was only rational for those from the south south to give their all in the realization of a Johnathan presidency, he was ‘their son’. Someone who understood the struggles of the Niger Delta people. Someone who  had felt their pain.

Jonathan was just perfect. Perfect enough to be the messiah they had been waiting for. But alas they have been disappointed. All 22 million voters (plus or minus rigged votes) themselves, families and dependents.

Who is that man in Aso Rock? Who is this man who sits in Abuja and supervises the biggest looting our treasury has ever witnessed? (My friend who rooted for GEJ in 2011 asks me daily) and my reply always is; “He is the same man you supported in 2011, you just didn’t look beyond the facade carefully.”

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Dada Olusegun is a registered member of Congress for Political Change (CPC), he is a writer cum social change advocate. He is a political columnist on #EkekeeeDotCom and contributor on numerous online blogs and newspapers. He is a motivational speaker who is also involved in youth empowerment and enlightenment programs nationwide. He tweets from @Dolusegun.

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.