Person of the year 2012: Mr. Jonathan Goodluck!

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By
Prince Charles Dickson

The lazy person eats the products of his native wisdom; only a fool does not know what devious way will be fruitful. (If one lacks industry, one had better be resourceful.)
Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine Time that features and profiles a person, group, idea or object that “for better or for worse, …has done the most to influence the events of the year.”
The first being in 1927. I would not bore us with the history of what led to it, but since then its come to stay and not without its controversies. Despite the frequent statements to the contrary by Times Magazine, the designation has been regarded as some form of honour, a kind of prize or award.
There was the selection of “You” in 2006 or The Computer in 1982, “Endangered Earth” in 1988. We had “man of the decade”, Peacemakers in 1993 and last year was “The Protester”.  We have seen the likes of Hitler, and Stalin win the accolade, its believed Osama lost out to New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for obvious reasons.
The Times Magazine Person of the Year has been replicated. Nigerian of the Year, Person of the Year, Financial Times Person of the Year, Athlete of the Year, Footballer of the Year.
First let me apologize that there were no votes in this particular contest, but largely a debatable subjective behaviour by people who “for better or for worse, …has done the most to influence the events of the year in Nigeria.”
In the light I introduce my first persons of the year. Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, with an almost combined entry of over 40, 000, 000. Depending on how you google the names, you can’t say Nigeria’s number one citizen has not affected the lives of some 150 million Nigerians.
For a president who during his campaign said in one swing he wasn’t promising anything, to the one who in a mouthful said there would be an airport in every state.
We have seen a president fight corruption so hard that we have only witnessed monumental corruption rise in government circles and the jailing of maggi cube thieves while the cabal of real thieves thrive.
He really doesn’t give a ‘damn’ thus scoring him high up there as one of the topmost presidents anywhere in the world, he cares less about what we think or say, besides if he has survived the year with BH sponsors and sympathizers…He sure is the man.
Two presidential media chats have not done Mr. President any good. He remains a man many love to hate. In what cannot be described as less an intellectual discourse, people have questioned even his Phd in relation to tangibles and deliverables.
He is butts of so many jokes, several of them unprintable. Same man who riding high on the wave of popular opinion despite negligible electoral fraud galvanized Nigerians with his ‘no shoes’ slug. The man whom many voted instead of PDP has done very little to shore up the confidence of Nigerians.
For a man that Nigerians entrusted their destiny as a nation into. Its been one calamity after the other, while a section argue, its our turn, his our man…others say, give him time, besides he did not cause all these.
Jonathanians as I often refer to his supporters point to some snail pace developments, the trains are slowly picking. Power will come back fully in most parts by June next year, like BH was supposed to be a tale earlier this June.
Even in the heat of our social ills, our struggles and hopes, Nigerians found time to argue if Mr. President is handsome, why that patch on his nose, or that his peculiar smile. We have scrutinized his condolence tirade, breaking it to the usual, how he reacts to attacks on different faiths.
Mr. President has fought several policy inconsistency as one with Multiple Personality Disorders, for example, just one term, 2015, still far, 2015 is a distraction, 2015-I have a right.
I think its rude to say the President lies, but his several half-truths and misinformation by his aides, tells you of the group he heads and how they are running the nation on an ‘any-how-belly-face basis’.
From ‘Ma-Dame’s vacation turned ill health, to Power contracts, his friendship with questionable characters and more.
He’s removal of fuel subsidy, his invention of unSURE, renaming of University of Lagos and security challenges on several fronts have left the canoe maker who mastered in hydrobiology and fisheries biology bewildered.
For the Zoology doctor who joined politics in 1998, treating Nigerians this way while masquerading as the soul provider of fresh air has become a hobby. His now many shoes seem to heavy to walk the path of reality.
A cursory look at the life, ways and manner Mr. President has run the affairs of the nation in the last one year leaves more to be desired. It leaves a bleak picture. The impact on Nigeria and Nigerians has been dire.
For a man who has watched his countrymen suffer fuel queues due to some few persons and he’s done barely nothing. I dare say we must patiently watch with hope that the party lounge for Aso Rock, the VPs house, City within city centenary project, million naira toilet building parastatals will benefit Nigerians.
If he does recall, we were promised dividends come 2013, however for an expectancy fatigued people and promising shattering leader. For my person of the year, it may still be meme, meme like the french say.
I say Nigerians are hurting, 2013 provides another opportunity for goodluck to smile towards Nigerians, for now its cruel patience…we have to keep waiting, for how long…time will tell.

For a man who has watched his countrymen suffer fuel queues due to some few persons and he’s done barely nothing. I dare say we must patiently watch with hope that the party lounge for Aso Rock, the VPs house, City within city centenary project, million naira toilet building parastatals will benefit Nigerians.

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