For die-hard critics of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, anything that tends to suggest that his administration is doing well or that Nigeria is moving forward, should not be allowed to fly. There are those who belong to the group called “Nothing Good,” meaning that “nothing good comes out of Nigeria,” as long as Jonathan remains President. Critics of this category no longer hide themselves. Prominent among them are Lai Mohammed, Nasir el-Rufai, Femi Fani-Kayode and Sam Nda-Isaiah, and they hate the person of Jonathan with a passion.
For these insufferable critics, merely seeing Jonathan, his top officials and major private sector leaders, in green-white-green muffler, in company with other world leaders and experts at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was enough source of agony. Their anguish multiplied when they heard Jonathan confirm to participants from all over the world what they already knew – that with an average growth rate of seven percent, Nigeria was among the fastest growing economies of the world; that there were improvements in all the sectors, and that the country was now one of the safest and most profitable foreign investment havens in the world.
The focus of the Conference was economic inclusiveness and ways in which growth in all countries could be sustained and made to have positive impact on the lives of the citizenry. In articulating the Nigerian situation, Jonathan and his men talked about the Government’s transformation agenda in such areas as Agriculture, Power sector reforms through privatisation and innovations in the manufacturing sector, including the automotive industry.
With emphasis on inclusive economic growth, the President assured the world of Nigeria’s efforts at resolving the problems of poverty and financial inequality. He told participants that the nation’s economic agenda was geared towards job creation, increased access to education and, therefore, wealth creation. At the end of the Conference, nobody was left in doubt about Nigeria’s role as the driver of economic growth in Africa.
Irrespective of our political persuasions, we really should have no choice but to commend the President and his men, especially the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and Nigeria’s topmost business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for doing Nigeria proud at the Forum. This should be one of the activities in which politics must give way for an objective appraisal in the common interest of all Nigerians. When foreign investments flow into the country, they are to the benefit of all, whether members of the PDP, APC or LP.
Sadly, however, the President’s critics see things differently. For then, the message delivered by President Jonathan was not what he should have told the international community. This group of Nigerians do not accept the reports by the World Bank which puts Nigeria’s average economic growth rate at seven percent, and which says categorically that “foreign direct investment into Nigeria in 2013 makes the country an investors’ destination of choice.”
Gladly, however, the truth will always prevail. Not only did the President’s performance at Davos signal a bright future for the Nigerian economy, it also confirmed the forecast by the renowned economist, Jim O’ Neil, who coined the term MINT (Mexico, India, Nigeria and Turkey) as growing rapidly to become alternative economic powers in the world. Such a prospect ought to be heart-warming to all well-meaning Nigerians. Yes, but not to Nda-Isaiah, one of Jonathan’s die-hard critics who would prefer to remove Nigeria from the list, changing it to MIT rather than MINT – as long as Jonathan remains President.
The Davos visit was, particularly, important for the Jonathan administration. The growth of the Nigerian economy, insofar as inclusiveness is sustained and the benefits filter to all Nigerians, should be our primary concern, not whether or not it suits the desires of some self-centred critics. Given the character of third world economies, generally, domestic performance is determined mainly by international forces, especially in terms of investment and confidence building. It is to strengthen these areas that President Jonathan and his team went to the Davos Forum. And, it is for this same reason that Nigeria has been able to secure the opportunity to host the African Edition of the World Economic Forum, in May 2014, in Abuja, Nigeria.
Those who believe that nothing good comes out of Nigeria should be persuaded to change their negative orientation and join President Jonathan in planning for the May event. It is for our common interest that we work together in building a strong, viable and sustainable economy for ourselves and for generations to come. When that ultimate goal is achieved, it would, really, not matter who the President is or where he comes from.
Mr. Adakole sent this piece from Abuja.
