Former President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
Ace Movie producer, Dickson Iroegbu, has written an apology letter
to Jonathan against what he termed "ganging up" by Nigerians over the
2012 fuel scarcity brouhaha and the hypocrisy of all those who refused
it then but now supports it. Read for yourself.
"Dear Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, I write to apologize on
behalf of myself and the many repentant Nigerians like me who ganged up
against your government in 2012. Your government's policy to remove
subsidy on the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as patrol was
completely misconstrued by us. I was personally deceived by my
overzealous comradely towards millions of Nigerians who had traveled to
various locations at that time to spend Christmas with their loved ones.
I was particularly concerned about NDIIGBO who traditionally returned
home in droves during this period every year. Sir, like millions of
Nigerians I worked for your victory at the polls in 2011, but I
considered the untoward hardship the removal of subsidy on the 1st of
January 2012 as insensitive. It was simply seen as going to inflict
serious hardship on the millions who voted you to power; hence we arose
against it.
"Yes I did join the protest, but my dear Sir, I did not
consider the long term positive effect it would have on the economy of
our beloved nation at that particular moment. We joined forces with the
NLC and the TUC, and alongside your political enemies we mobilized
hundreds of thousands of people in protest across the nation.
"I matched with my colleagues from my then abode in Aguda
through Surulere (National Stadium), to Ojelegba, through Maryland, to
Ojota where we met a marmot crowd. The police and all other law
enforcement agents under your democratic leadership were very civil with
us; we were never harassed or molested nor killed. In fact a certain
overzealous police man who accidentally shot at a young man in Mushin
area in Lagos during that protest was not only dismissed from service,
but he was also prosecuted and jailed!
"SIR, YOU ARE A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A DEMOCRATIC LEADER IN AFRICA!
There in Ojota, Pastor Tunde Bakare and Sheik Ahmad Abubakar
Gumi and Seun Kuti, and many many others were there. Even my brother
Okey Bakassi was there too! We sang and danced, we gyrated, we cooked
and slept there in the open arena protected by the police, the civil
defence, etc.
"The next day we woke up matched on to Ikoyi and converged at
Falamo bridge, where Ali Baba, Prof. Pat Utomi, and the rich men
children were gathered - we had matched through YABA and IDUMOTA,
chanting the resurrected songs of King Fela Anikulapo Kuti. We called
you names like, the shameless shoeless one, the animal in human skin,
innumerable and unprintable names!
"Even when you came out in a nationwide broadcast and addressed
the people as President and father of the nation explaining why you
took that unpopular decision, urging the masses to understand and bear
with you for a while, we said no way! We remained adamant! We booed you!
We insulted you!
"Mr. President Sir, please find it in your heart to forgive us.
We did not know what we were doing then; but we understand better now.
The same people who deceived us have turned around and increase the pump
price through the back door, in the guise of subsidy removal. They have
inflicted hardship on the Nigerian masses you love so much. You were
not perfect, but you were a loving father to all of us, you were
President and C-in-C to the North, South, West and the East, but we
vilified and treated you with disrespect and ignominy.
"Sir, the economy that flourished under your watch as President
which positioned us as number one economy in Africa and one of 25
fastest growing economies in the world is now at its lowest ebb in just
one year of misrule. In just one year of your exit Nigeria our beloved
country has become a shadow of herself! The picture is so gloomy,
inflation rate is so high! The masses cannot even put food on their
tables, darkness everywhere, electricity generation is at all time very
lowest - killings and maiming, evil looms; our nation Nigeria is under
attack!
"May be you could just say a word of prayer sir, "May Nigeria
not erupt in flames and violence under the current draconian
administration" - Sir I say that because there is so much hunger in the
land, and as they say, a hungry man is an angry man! A HUNGRY PEOPLE NA
CONFUSION!
"Please find it in your heart to forgive and forget, for indeed
we ganged up against you wrongly. We didn't know that we were doing
wrong to our-own-selves. May God bless you with long life and good
health."
No comments:
Post a Comment