Former President Goodluck Jonathan blamed key actors across the executive, legislature, and judiciary of abusing power, over the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.
Jonathan who spoke at the annual colloquium of the Haske Satumari Foundation on Saturday in Abuja, said the state of emergency rule imposed on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu was a clear abuse of power.
According to the former president, those in power know the right thing to do but are deliberately ignoring it.
Jonathan, who didn’t mention President Bola Tinubu directly, accused government officials of “clear abuse of offices, clear abuse of power, and clear abuse of privileges” across all three arms of government.
He also warned that the compromised state of Nigeria’s judiciary was scaring away investors and damaging the country’s international reputation.
His words: “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.”
He urged political leaders at all levels to act with integrity, warning that continued abuse of power could lead to national instability.
“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,” he said.
