By Chido Onumah
If you want to appreciate the integrity deficit of the Jonathan administration, look no further than the events surrounding the disappearance and appearance of the First Lady, Patience Jonathan.
If you want to appreciate the integrity deficit of the Jonathan administration, look no further than the events surrounding the disappearance and appearance of the First Lady, Patience Jonathan.
For
someone who never misses an opportunity to steal the spotlight, it was
inevitable that the First Lady’s absence would draw some attention. And it did.
Regrettably, what started as speculation about her whereabouts soon turned into
a comic relief and a national embarrassment. When it became apparent that the
“resting in Germany” alibi was as lame as it was perfidious, we were
told that President Goodluck Jonathan, accompanied by the chaplain of Aso Villa
Chapel, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba, paid a visit to the First Lady in Germany.
The result of the
secret visit, according to reports, “was a short news item aired on the Nigerian
Television Authority (NTA) at 9pm and accompanied by a short video clip (shot
and sent to NTA by the Presidency) showing the President and a gorgeously
dressed First Lady who was heard saying, ‘Let me take picture with my
husband’”.
Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser to
the President on Media and Publicity, put a spin on that senseless but audacious
attempt to hoodwink Nigerians. According to Abati, “the video clip aired by NTA
was a confirmation that the President’s wife was hale and hearty contrary to
what some people wanted Nigerians to believe. The video has put paid to all the
lies that people who play politics with almost everything have been spreading. It
was clear from that video that the scene was not an hospital scene”.
I am sure Abati hardly ever listens to
his inner voice. If he does, he would know that he and his boss were the ones
playing politics with the life of the First Lady. Abati went on to say that “government
had been quiet since because it could not afford to be ‘jumping into the fray’
with everybody”. Welcome to the world of fairy tales. We are supposed to
believe this and just move on with our lives. Of course, if you believe Abati’s
tales by moonlight, you might as well believe that tooth fairies exist.
His
position shows how unhinged the whole apparatus of governance in Nigeria has
become. What were we expected to make of the fact that our ubiquitous First Lady,
the Marie Antoinette of our time, went AWOL for two months? But let me reassure
Abati and his paymasters that even though they have joined the “wrecking crew”
of our commonwealth, it is hard to find any Nigerian, including the inveterate enemies
of the president, who wishes the First Lady ill health.
The grand
secrecy and deception that surrounded the First Lady’s sudden disappearance
from public glare for two months was unnecessary and impish. One would think that after what the country went through in the hands
of erstwhile First Lady, Turai Yar’Adua and her cabal, our so-called leaders
would have learnt a lesson or two. How mistaken we were! It seems
the more things change in Nigeria, the more they remain the same. Governance has become a huge joke. Nigerian
rulers take Nigerians for granted because they are convinced they are not
accountable to the citizens.
As if Abati’s
taunts were not enough insult, when the First Lady finally made it back to the
country last week after a well-deserved rest in Germany, she cursed, bragged,
and like a true Christian, thanked God Almighty for bringing her back safely to
Nigeria and giving her a second chance. It is a bit mystifying that somebody
who said she was not sick or admitted in any hospital came back and thanked God
for giving her a second chance! Nigerians are reputed to be the happiest people
on earth, but I am not sure we are a country of 160 million dunderheads.
Typical of the
First Lady, her return was heralded by fanfare and welcome celebrations reserved
for royals. Since Mrs. Jonathan went to rest and idle Nigerians kept busy
speculating on cyberspace that she was in Germany for cosmetic surgery or
getting treatment for a life-threatening ailment, the carnival-like welcome
ceremony was only proper to confirm she is hale and hearty.
The First Lady denied
ever
staying in a hospital during her trip abroad and in a rambling tone, explained
her sojourn in Germany: “Wherever there are good people, there are also bad
ones. There are a few Nigerians that are saying whatever they like, not what
God planned because God has a plan for all of us. And God has said it all that
when two or three are gathered in His name, that He will be with them. And
Nigerians gathered and prayed for me and God listened and heard their prayers.
So, I thank God for that. God is wonderful and His mercy is forever. At the
same time, I read in the media where they said I was in the hospital.”
“God Almighty
knows I have never been to that hospital. I don’t even know the hospital they
mentioned. I have to explain what God has done for me. I do not have terminal
illness, or any cosmetic surgery much less tummy tuck,” the first lady
reassured Nigerians. She may well be correct. She may not have visited a
hospital. Perhaps, the Presidency bought an estate in Germany and got the
doctors to treat her at home. There is a world of difference and rumour mongers
can jump into the lagoon for all they care.
Not done with
her tirade, the First Lady added: “My husband loves me as I am and I am pleased
with how God created me. I cannot add. But at the same time, I will use this
opportunity to thank my beloved husband and my children and my staff in general
and all Nigerians for standing by me during my trial time. God has given me a
second chance to come and work with women of Nigeria, children and the less
privileged. I have come to save Nigeria. I have come to work with Nigerians. I
am there for them. Once more, I am pleased to be back. I love Nigerians. They
are my family.”
If the
attitude of the First Lady is borne out of a feeling of guilt, that unlike her,
thousands of women die every year from poor pre and post natal care and
millions more do not have access to basic health care because of the poor
health infrastructure her husband oversees, she shouldn’t worry. We are used to
our rulers getting treatment and possibly dying overseas, particularly in
Germany.
If there is a group
that should bear any guilt, it is the media. Where was the Nigerian media in
this debacle? It was the same question that was asked during the Yar’Adua
crisis. If our journalists couldn’t go to Germany and were happy to join the speculation game, they owned Nigerians a duty to raise
pertinent questions when the First Lady returned.
The
Patience Jonathan story is an insight into the secrecy that has dogged this
administration. But it is not just that. It is also a reflection of the
reckless impunity and utter contempt Mr. Jonathan has, not just for the laws of
the land but the people he purports to lead.
If Nigerians
appear impatient with the current administration, it is for very good reasons.
There are really very few options open to us as a nation beyond the current
administration.
In the First Lady,
this country finally has a savior. Let’s hope the second chance she asked for,
which Almighty God has graciously granted her, is not to continue the plunder
and deepen the culture of impunity and bad governance.
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