The UK-based magazine, Economist, in its editorial
endorsed General Muhammadu Buhari, President Goodluck Jonathan’s his chief
rival in February 14 election.
In its piece, the Economist said Nigerians have two bad
options in Messrs Jonathan and Buhari.
The paper said while Mr. Jonathan has utterly failed as
president, with no capacity to tackle growing insurgency and widespread
corruption, Mr. Buhari is a former dictator with blood on his hands.
Nonetheless, the paper said voting the dictator is better
than a failed president.
Mr. Jonathan’s office on Friday expressed displeasure
over the magazine’s assessment, describing it as “baseless, jaundiced and
malicious vilification” of the president.
A statement issued in Abuja by Mr. Jonathan’s Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, said that contrary to the
Economist’s assertions, Nigeria, under Mr. Jonathan has made very considerable
progress.
The presidency noted with surprise, the magazine’s
“tongue-in-cheek endorsement of General Muhammadu Buhari in the run-up to
Nigeria’s general elections”.
According to the statement, the president retains the
trust and confidence of majority of Nigerians as the outcome of the
presidential elections will undoubtedly show.
Mr. Abati said the magazine’s Nigerian and other readers
would be shocked that it had taken the “very ill-considered decision to throw
its weight behind a candidate who, as a former military dictator, curtailed
freedom of speech.”
“He also ordered the kidnapping of opponents and jailing
of journalists,” Mr. Abati said. “The same candidate is also accused of
incitement to violence and grave human rights violations in Nigeria’s current
democratic dispensation.”
It remarked that The Economist might feign ignorance of
Mr. Jonathan’s remarkable achievements as a leader of his country in the past
six years.
“But Nigerians, who, unlike the magazine’s opinion
writers, will actually vote in the country’s forthcoming presidential election,
know that President Jonathan has worked very hard to fulfil all the major
promises he made to them,” he said.
According to the statement, Nigerians know that President
Jonathan has developed the economy and created more jobs.
“They know that he has given policy support to the real
sector of the economy, so that Small and Medium Enterprises can thrive. They
know that he has encouraged locally-owned enterprises to take advantage of our
resources in growing the domestic economy,” Mr. Abati added.
The statement also said that Nigerians know that the
president had successfully attracted greater foreign direct investment to the
country.
It said unlike the poorly informed and distant authors of
The Economist’s opinion entitled “The Least Awful”, appreciative Nigerians were
aware that Jonathan had worked to improve power supply and national
infrastructure.
According to it, Nigerians know that President Jonathan
has significantly improved healthcare services in the country, revolutionized
agriculture, promoted gender equality and women empowerment, and done his very best
to stem corruption in government.
“In spite of significant challenges of terrorism and
insurgency the nation faces today, President Jonathan has ensured that Nigeria
has become a more vibrant democracy with free media, independent judiciary,
free, fair and credible elections, and greater respect for human rights. The
Economist is entitled to its erroneous opinion on who represents the best
leadership option for Nigeria in the coming elections.
“But, happily for the country, it is not the magazine’s
lead writers, but more knowledgeable and patriotic Nigerians who actually work
and live in the country, that will vote and re-elect President Jonathan for a
second term in office. They will do so, because unlike the Economist’s opinion
writers, they understand that a Buhari Presidency will, for their beloved
country, represent a stark setback and retrogression from the tremendous
ongoing positive transformation of Nigeria under Jonathan.”
(NAN)
