What Was TIME Magazine Thinking? By Paul Adepoju

”Jonathan of all people” was what
many Nigerians said after hearing
that the Nigerian president’s name
appeared on the highly revered
TIME 100 list. This state of mind is
quite expected considering the
president’s inability to achieve feats
that are basic and were successfully
achieved by past presidents who
weren’t honored with their names
on TIME 100.
Whenever Nigerian citizens are
talking about cluelessness in
government, they have the
president at heart. When the
conversation is on sheer luck, the
chances are high that Goodluck’s
luck is the subject being discussed.
And this isn’t unexpected
considering the fact that the
mistakes being made by this
administration under the leadership
of someone who just got mentioned
on TIME 100 are inexcusable,
making some Nigerians to pay the
utmost sacrifice with their lives.
The first mistake that TIME
magazine made was to rely on an
African president to describe
another. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s
piece on President Goodluck
Jonathan was typical and generic –
something African citizens are
familiar with. They are aware of the
desperate (often ridiculous) attempt
of their undeserving leaders to
beatify and accrue honor to
themselves at all costs. Which raises
the first question that TIME
magazine’s committee that selected
and approved the nomination of
Goodluck Jonathan needs to answer:
why Ellen Johnson, why not a
Nigerian?
The answer is simple; few Nigerians
will accept that responsibility in the
wake of the president’s
“phenomenal successes.”
Maybe the magazine approached
some highly respected Nigerians
who declined such responsibility
and decided to “outsource” the task
to an African president whose nation
is indebted to Nigeria for its role in
the enthronement of democracy,
peace, law and order. Hence an
opinion from the president of that
country will understandably be good
since both countries have a working
bilateral relationship. TIME magazine
should therefore explain why it
overlooked this clear-cut issue that
could make the supporting report
biased or coerced.
Another issue of concern is whether
TIME magazine’s crew visited
Nigeria during the selection process.
Because the least you can do to
know that a president deserves
such an award is to visit his country
and ascertain his presidential
prowess. If the crew visited Nigeria,
the only place they wouldn’t
suspect that there is crisis is within
Aso rock. If they are observant
enough, they would notice heavy
security measures (I guess) at the
villa.
Bomb explosions are becoming a
constant piece on the daily news.
Even foreign media including CNN,
VOA and BBC have reporters
stationed in Nigeria who share latest
bomb news. The probability is
therefore high for the crew to land
in Nigeria on a typical day that Boko
Haram’s suicide bombers are
blowing innocent people and sacred
places up. With the sect’s target
being Abuja and other major cities,
TIME magazine could be [un]lucky
to witness one and take pictures of
dismembered body parts, weeping
children, widowed spouses and
worship centers laying in ruins.
However, what the magazine did
(best guess) was to look for an
African figure who is currently and
constantly on global scene, looks
African, is photogenic and has a
great story that could sell out the
issue. With or without lobbying, the
deed was done much to the chagrin
of those who really know what is
going on in Nigeria under Goodluck
Jonathan-led administration.
Now this is the Goodluck Jonathan
Nigerians know.
For the record, the incumbent
administration has failed woefully in
the primary task of national
security. The widely accepted belief
is that if you can’t make everything
perfect for the citizens; at least keep
them safe until they elect someone
who can. But this is not the case
with Jonathan-led administration. In
less than one year of getting
elected, the nation has recorded an
unimaginably high rate of security
breaches, successfully ideated,
planned and executed acts of
terrorism; and more than ever, the
initial strong covalent bond that
once joined different parts of the
nation together has been
extensively weakened.
It has even been said that the
current administration has the
highest morbidity and mortality
rates in the history of democracy in
Nigeria – a sad feat achieved in less
than a year!
The recent OccupyNigeria
movement is another reason why
Goodluck Jonathan shouldn’t have
made the list. The nationwide outcry
over the undemocratic and
insensitive hash government policy
that led to the ill-advised removal of
fuel subsidy and the effervescent
nature of the president’s promised
palliative measures further proved
that this president couldn’t even be
trusted to be a man of his words.
Furthermore, the federal House of
Representatives in Nigeria recently
gave a report of its investigations
into the fuel subsidy saga. The
report allegedly accused some
highly placed members of the
president’s ruling party, the PDP, of
various categories of misconduct.
But the way the presidency is
handling the report shows that he is
dragging his feet and obviously
unready to challenge some highly
placed persons – the so-called
cabals, sacred ones, Nigeria’s
version of Harry Porter’s The Ones
That Cannot Be Named.
How can a commander-in-chief
whose words the people cannot
trust be named a member of TIME
100? His promises are rarely fulfilled
(except they entail awarding
contracts) and his vows on a normal
day don’t see the light of the day. A
president’s approval ratings
couldn’t be lower. To confirm this,
let a survey be conducted by
trusted independent experts. They
should ask Nigerians whose words
they take more serious – Boko
Haram’s or President Goodluck
Jonathan’s? It’s guaranteed that
Boko Haram will surely win the
people’s confidence to deliver what
they’ve promised.
Despite these and several other
strong points, it is unbelievable that
an internationally reputed timeless
publication like TIME could bestow
such honour on a president who
hasn’t been able to inspire his
nation in trying times but is often
portrayed as weak, helpless and
clueless by Nigerian critics. A
suspected terrorist even pointed
accusing fingers at the president as
the person behind some bomb
explosions.
Many Nigerians are requesting for
unreserved apologies from the
publication while some want an
outright withdrawal of the Nigerian
president’s name from the list. I
don’t want either; I just want to set
the record straight.
The reason why the president’s
name shouldn’t be removed is that
in the past, people like Adolf Hitler
were also recognised in spite of the
great atrocities they committed.
Even in the current list, popular
singer, Rihanna, ranks higher than
the Nigerian president. This is a lady
that goes nude at ease and shares
pictures of her smoking only-God-
knows-what.
Hence the president shouldn’t be
delisted if Hitler wasn’t; and
Rihanna and her habits are more
respected than a president who
travels round the world full of
smiles, meeting, shaking hands and
taking pictures while terrorists are
blowing his nation apart on a daily
basis.

To promotes freedom of expression and right to contrary opinion, views expressed by Authors does not necesarily reflect the views of the blogger.