Facebook Friends Tackle Jonathan Over Mid-Term Report

Facebook friends of President Goodluck Jonathan have taken to his fan page to register their displeasure over the mid-term assessment carried out by himself on his administration.

His allies said it was wrong for the President to have undertaken such a sensitive assignment by himself. They argued it was the masses, not Jonathan and his team, that are in the best position to do so.

The President had stirred up the hornet’s nest on Wednesday, when he posted a message on his Facebook fan page asking his friends to click on a link to get a soft copy of his mid-term report.

The President had stated, “Dear friends, two weeks ago, my team and I gave a mid-term report of the Transformation Agenda of this administration. Though the event was televised live, I know that Nigerians would want to take ownership of the Transformation Agenda and so I have ensured that a soft copy of the report is now available on the National Planning Commission’s site www.npc.gov.ng. Please read the report and let me know what you think we have done well and how we can do better. I thank you and may God bless Nigeria. GEJ.’’

The first set of commenters tackled the President on his reason for asking them to get a soft copy of the mid-term report. According to them, Jonathan should have honestly admitted that Nigerians wouldn’t have had power supply to watch the televised presentation of the mid-term report presentation.

One Florinda Adole notes that Jonathan should have said, “Though the event was televised live, I know that Nigerians would not have light in their houses. So I have ensured that a soft copy of the report is now available.”

But as comments poured in with many disagreeing with the President on his achievements since the inception of his administration, one Nwanneka Omenye Agha says she had long dismissed Jonathan’s report card, adding that he should withdraw his self-assessment from the public domain.

 She notes, ‘”My amiable President, I am not reading any report card. I have scored you myself. In fact, we are to give you your report card and not the other way round. You better withdraw that statement (report).”

In another post, Anyichukwu Patrick asked, “Mr. President, when you were a lecturer, did your students give you marking scheme with which to score them after an exam?’’

They also questioned the motive of a president and his administration who, according to them, had a penchant for reeling out only positive figures and statistics which are not commensurate with the reality in the country.

A particular friend of the President, Yinka Olugbile, told Jonathan that the impact of his Transformation Agenda was boldly written on the faces of millions of Nigerians who cannot afford decent living.

 “Dear Mr. President, the impact of your ‘Transformation Agenda’ is not written in any report but on the faces and expressed in the voices of Nigerians who are hungry and live in darkness in their hearts and houses. Ask for the opinion of apolitical people, they will be the ones to tell you the truth,’’ he says.

Babayemi Oluwagbenga, on his part notes, ‘’ We want to see a reflection of your lofty ideas on the common men. So far, the only reflection we see is poverty in every home.’’

Another post by Folorunso Seun-Samson says, ‘’I haven’t read it but Sir, the hand writing is pretty written on the wall that Nigerians are starving, unemployment rate is increasing, which is largely responsible for insecurity, kidnapping, robbery, money ritual in certain parts of the country. Corruption level is soaring, as no one has been brought to book since you were elected.’’

An angry fan of the President, Peter Orya, says rather than ask Nigerians to download a soft copy of his mid-term report, the President should proceed to the portal of the World Bank and read the organisation’s report of his administration.

Orya says, ‘’Mr.  President, you did nothing for Nigerians, the World Bank has even indicted you that poverty, corruption and unemployment are killing Nigerians. Please, download and read the World Bank report and don’t allow your aides to mislead and feed you with lies.’’

Scoring Jonathan’s administration below par, Joseph Okunamiri who, obviously, had read the mid-term report says, “You have spent three years in office as President and you have achieved very low success. You don’t need to score marks for your administration. It is the people that elected you into office that will award mark for your performance within three years and not two years as you claimed. You scored below average.’’

But amidst the bashing the President received from his friends, many were quick to point out that his declaration of the state of emergency in the three north eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states was a step in the right direction, capable of stemming the tide of terrorism in the country.

June 14, 2013