AS PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN RETURNS TO THE HIGHEST ORDER IN NIGERIA HE SHOULD HOLD HIS HEAD HIGH

Dear Mr. President,
The highest order in Nigeria is the “citizen.” It is the citizens united that appoint and elect persons to all the high and low offices in the country. It is also the citizens that remove, and retire the mighty and the powerful. The citizen united is the Supreme Power. Proceeding from the president to a citizen is not going down although some may think so. Besides, it is destined by our Constitution to be so.

Welcome back.
The first thing is that you must thank your God and you country for elevating you to the ranks of Great Nigerians. Your six-year presidency would be exceeded by only those who serve/served two full terms. But greatness is not measured by length of service but from accomplishments. And you had a few to wit:

1. In the dark days of Yar' Adua's sickness, there was a potential for a constitutional crises. Your demeanor and patience held together the country. In those dark days there were times when a precipitate action would have launched the country into chaos. But your steadfast handling of the situation held sway until the constitutional process worked its way. A few bloodsheds were avoided. Some may think it was small potatoes but this scribe thinks otherwise.
2. You stated that you election is not worth a single Nigerian blood. That was the greatest promise you ever made to the nation and you kept it, even when you were sorely provoked as when your campaign team was stoned. You held your considerable fire.
3. The world pressured you to bring back the Chibok Girls. You could have invaded the Simbiasa Forest with troops and guns firing and showing that Nigeria had the best military force in all Africa. Many people on both sides would have been killed including the girls. Your cool head prevailed until you have studied the situation more carefully and today the forest has been combed with minimal loss of life. The girls have not been found but you have done your best to bring them back. Whenever they are rescued, your care for human lives would be the foundation of the rescue.
4. The three points above show what you did not do or rather what your non exhibition of machoism did to save lives. We salute you for them. But there are things that you did.
5. You assembled the best and the brightest minds in the country into your cabinet and they have given the country one of the best administrations in the country's history for example
6. Nigeria is one of the fastest growing economies in the world
7. Nigeria has become the largest economy in Africa
8. You have welcomed the Chinese into Nigeria's economy. This has provided much needed competition. The West does not like this and it may be the true reason you are not popular with the Western Governments. You chose the good of the country over popularity with Western governments.
9. You moved Nigeria away from one product economy (oil) to a little more diversified one. We are not where we should be but you have started the transition to a more diversified one.
10. Boko Haram is not yet defeated but you have reduced its foot print and the next administration if it lives up to its billing would complete the mop up. It is essential to remember that BH was there long before you came to office.
11. You improved power generation although we are not yet in the era of 24-hour power availability
12. You established 12 new federal universities in states that did not have any. Your successors have the responsibility to make them first class universities.
13. You were even handed in your distribution of services and appointments. This is clear from the fact that no segment of the country feels any better than the other. Even your fervent supporters in SE and SS do not feel that they got enough. If you had been more parochial in you provisions you would have made some people very happy and others very unhappy.
14. You maintained peace which is the greatest gift a leader would give to the people.
15. The above list is just a tip of the iceberg.

Mr. President you have served us well but this ought not be the end of your service. You are still very young, not quite middle-age yet. This means that we still expect much more from you. You can achieve much more as an ex-president than you did as president. I will recommend two ex-presidents you should emulate and one you should make sure that you do not resemble.

I start from the later. Do what you can to be different from ex-president Obasanjo. Do not try to micromanage any succeeding governments either in at Federal or state level. Do not accept any party position; not BoT or any such positions. Take a clean leave and speak only when spoken to. Give advice if asked and limit the advice to the question asked. And no more. But let it be known that you are ready to help when needed. Nigeria was there before you and will be there without you. You do not have all the answers. OBJ believes that he does. Do not be like him.

Take a two month vacation and try to be incommunicado during that vacation. Just think, meditate, pray, make love with your wife, commingle with your children and very close friends, relax, get your self together and rehabilitated, then…

Give yourself two years during which you would not make any public comments on Mr. Buhari's or any other government's activities. Give him peace that passeth all human understanding. Let him find his way. Then…

During these two years consider the life now being lived by Mr. Billy Carter the one time president of USA. After his presidency he went forward on a mission to save the world. He built houses for the poor; went on election observations; mediated many peace treaties between warring nations; became the voice of the voiceless including the Palestinians, a place where many have threaded softly; etc. He won the Nobel Price for peace.

You probably do not have the resources available to Mr. Carter but as the Anglicans sing in Igbo “ihe nwere ka m ga enye nna m ma-oburu na eweghi ego enye m obi m” translated literary as I will give to my God what I have but if I don't have money, I will give my heart. Do the same you with what you have. Do the same in Nigeria and Africa. You might even have a chance to save the world.

The other person to be emulated is Bill Clinton. He is threading the same path as Carter. He is doing more for the world than he did as president.

If you do these things, the world will much longer remember Jonathan Ebele Goodluck

Thanks for your service
Written by Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba.