Ex-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has criticised the emergency rule imposed on Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as power abuse by all the dramatis personae cutting across the executive, legislature and judiciary.
He spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the annual colloquium of the Haske Satumari Foundation, with the theme: “Promoting social change and development through diversity, equity and inclusion”, where he accused those in power of deliberately ignoring the right thing to do.
According to him, the emergency rule depicted “clear abuse of offices, clear abuse of power, and clear abuse of privileges” by the principal actors across all three arms of government.
Jonathan warned that Nigeria’s international reputation was being damaged, while investors are being scared off by the compromised state of the nation’s judiciary.
According to him, “As a former president and someone from the Niger Delta, when the issue of suspending the governor arose, people called on me. I heard, ‘Oh, President Jonathan, oh, President Obasanjo, you should say something.’ People expected us to comment.
“But traditionally, all over the world, former presidents rarely make statements about what the current president is doing because of the tension it could create in the country. Look at America, look at other countries—it is hardly common for former presidents to intervene in such matters.
“The situation in Rivers State reminds me of an Indian proverb: If somebody is truly asleep, you can wake them up easily. But if they are only pretending to sleep, waking them up becomes impossible. The key actors in Nigeria—the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary—know the right thing to do, but they are refusing to do it. They are pretending to sleep. Waking such people is extremely difficult, but they know the right thing.
“There is a clear abuse of office, power, and privileges across the three arms of government—the executive, the parliament, and the judiciary. And I always plead with our people to understand that whatever we do affects everybody. Sometimes, we make decisions thinking they do not impact us directly.
“I have been a president before, and even after leaving office, people approach me with concerns. They ask: ‘Why is our passport not valued as much?’ ‘Why are Nigerians not given the kind of treatment we deserve at international airports?’
“No businessman will bring his money to invest in a country where the judiciary is compromised, where a government functionary can dictate to judges what judgment they should give. No one will invest in such an economy because it is a big risk.”
Warning that continued abuse of power could destabilise the country, Jonathan said, “If we want to build a nation where our children and grandchildren can thrive, we must strive to do what is right. It may cost us, but we must be willing to pay the price.” .
