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That the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which was supposed to be a very high security environment has become so leaky that even personal notes and letters to the President fly out from the windows, doors and even the fortified walls, is an issue that should not make any genuine Nigerian laugh. How could the President’s security aides be so slipshod in handling minute details around the country’s number one citizen?
This is not politics at all as the situation is a clear challenge to those in charge of the President’s security and safety because if documents and even phone discussions cannot be kept within the walls of the President’s office, how safe are other crucial national security information which of course are normally passed to the President? Without mincing words, the reality check is that the Jonathan Presidency seems to be destroying itself from within. And this must stop if for nothing, to check this now incessant national embarrassment.
First it was (whether real or imaginary) the alleged “Presidential Order to Crackdown on Opposition and Stifle Registration of APC” a document suspected to be President Goodluck Jonathan’s personal jottings of his random thoughts and discussions with close allies which made its way into the pages of an Abuja-based newspaper. Then came the letter by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which Lamido Sanusi said he personally delivered to the President in his office on September 23, 2013. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter: “Before It Is Too Late” dated December 2, 2013 and also hand delivered to President Jonathan also became available at Wuse and Idumota Markets in Abuja and Lagos respectively. This was followed by an alleged Jonathan’s secret strategies for 2015 elections, a document titled “2013-2015: Political power and governance roadmap.” Haba! Is this how a Presidency runs?
It was the dumbest thing for the Presidency in its response to the serial leaks to say “We find it unbecoming that the letter (s) have been leaked to the media in a deplorable effect to impugn the integrity of the president.” Which integrity is that? Abeg!
The question is: Did the CBN governor, Lamido Sanusi leak to the internet-based Nigerian news sites his letter to the President? The answer is: no. Did Obasanjo after giving Jonathan a copy of his personal letter also gave the same internet-based news sites for publication? The answer again is no.
Whether anybody believes or not, the leakages of Obasanjo and Sanusi’s letters must have thoroughly embarrassed both men. This is because the intentions of writing their different letters were completely twisted. And ofcourse to further embarrass Obasanjo, another letter: “You did not own Nigeria” was sent to him purportedly written by his well-beloved daughter, Iyabo. Is it not glaring that the people behind the leaks do not only want to thoroughly embarrass Jonathan but also bent on ensuring that Jonathan do not win Obasanjo to his side?
If both Sanusi and Obasanjo individually conspired to leak their different letters to the public, who leaked the President’s personal notes left on top of his table or maybe even in one of his trousers pocket? You see that this matter heavily bothers on not only the carelessness of the people around the president but on the integrity of our entire national security.
How could things be so lax in the personal office of the President that was supposed to be a hallowed chamber? The President and his people are so engrossed in the euphoria of an Ijaw man occupying the presidency that nobody bothers about backdoors through which “spy rats” have been running rampage around the president even in his bedroom. It’s a shame!
The question to ask is: who is leaking these papers from the President’s personal office?
To allege that over two months after the CBN governor’s letter was submitted to the president, “some opposition moles within the presidency leaked the letter to the Rivers state governor Rotimi Amaechi who in turn gave it to the internet based news websites,” was a very dumb explanation by the concern security agency. So was it Amaechi that also leaked Obasanjo’s private letter to Jonathan? If yes, then all the security men in and around the President’s office should be sacked and prosecuted for allowing opposition moles unhindered access into the president’s personal office.
If letters and personal notes could be flying out of the President’s office with such ease, do we need any person to convince us that top secret and highly classified security information particularly on the JTF engagement with the Boko Haram sect and other crucial information on the country’s military and other security engagements must also have been flying to all sorts of places of course including the boko haram camp. Does it surprise any person that the boko haram boys seems to always have some idea of every planned military operation against them? All of us should actually be worried about this.
The Jonathan Presidency is not the first we are having in this country at least since we alleged we embraced democracy. Even when the late President Yar’Adua was incapacitated for almost two years, sensitive documents and personal notes were not flying out of his office in the manner we are witnessing today. Chief Obasanjo was there also as president and no single paper leaked from his office of course because those in charged knew what would have happened to them if they had tried it.
So why is the Jonathan Presidency different?
To say that Goodluck Jonathan is sitting over the most diminished presidency since 1999 is an understatement and the President himself is fully responsible for this pathetic situation. It’s not enough looking for who to always blame for his woes, the man should simply wake up his ideas (borrowing from the military parlance). The first one happened, the second, the third and God knows how many other unreported leaks had happened and our president is still looking like a marginalized “essential commodity” benefactor. When will he act like a commander -in -chief?
Who are those who have unhindered access to the president’s personal office? Who receives and delivers the president’s personal letters and other documents (open, classified, secret and top secret)? This is where this embarrassing situation is domiciled let’s face the fact. It may not be the very high and mighty political staff at the presidency as even mere security aides or other domestic staff could be deployed to leak these things from the President’s office just to embarrass him and this seems to be working very well.
Today, it sounds good to the ears of the President’s political opponents that at least they are succeeding in embarrassing him and his government but who knows one day something that would cause civil war or some serious crisis amongst the people of this country may also be leaked by the rat (s) in the President’s office and his residential apartment. This is my serious worry.
IFEANYI IZEZE is an Abuja-based Consultant and can be reached on: iizeze@yahoo.com; 234-8033043009)