Dear Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,
We owe you an apology, Sir, laced with regret, nostalgia, and the bitter taste of hindsight. A decade ago, many Nigerians clamored for change, and indeed, they got it. But at what cost? The past ten years have been a brutal awakening, a tragic realization that, perhaps, we did not know how good we had it until we lost it.
When Change Became a Curse
In 2015, Nigerians were sold the grand illusion that a new administration, led by the All Progressives Congress (APC), would usher in an era of prosperity, security, and national rebirth. The promise was intoxicating: zero tolerance for corruption, security for all, and a stronger economy. You, Dr. Jonathan, were branded as weak, indecisive, and complicit in Nigeria’s woes. The people wanted an iron hand, a messiah who would sweep away corruption with a single breath.
Instead, they got the most devastating era of governance in Nigeria’s history.
Today, Nigeria is a shadow of its former self. The economy is in tatters, the naira is gasping for breath like a drowning man, and the cost of living has skyrocketed to levels that make basic survival an extreme sport. Insecurity has taken on monstrous proportions, with terrorists, kidnappers, and bandits having a field day. Hunger, once an unfortunate reality for a few, is now a national epidemic.
Is this the change we voted for?
Weaponizing Poverty, Institutionalizing Suffering
Under your administration, Nigeria was still Africa’s largest economy, with a stable exchange rate and an oil boom that, though mismanaged in some aspects, kept the nation afloat. Under the APC’s ten-year misrule, the economy has been deliberately strangled, leading to historic levels of inflation and an unbearable cost of living. The government has not just ignored poverty, it has weaponized it.
Fuel subsidies were removed with reckless abandon, leaving millions to suffer while leaders continued their lavish lifestyles.
The price of basic food items has tripled, yet wages remain stagnant.
Electricity tariffs have been hiked, but darkness still dominates homes.
Policies are made without consideration for their impact on the struggling masses.
And through it all, the government tells Nigerians to tighten their belts while they loosen theirs, flying private jets, living in opulence, and treating public office as a personal inheritance.
Security: From Bad to Catastrophic
In 2015, the APC demonized you for failing to curb Boko Haram, branding your leadership as weak. But a decade later, we have seen something far worse: security agencies overwhelmed, communities under siege, and a government that has perfected the art of press statements without action.
Bandits and terrorists now collect taxes in parts of Northern Nigeria.
The roads are unsafe, even for those with convoys.
Nigerians sleep with one eye open, hoping they are not the next victims of an attack.
Under your tenure, insecurity was a challenge. Under APC’s misrule, it has become a way of life.
A Government of Excuses, Not Solutions
When APC took over, they blamed everything on you. The economy? Jonathan’s fault. Corruption? Jonathan’s fault. The state of insecurity? Jonathan’s fault. The weather? Probably Jonathan’s fault, too.
But after ten years, after spending two presidential tenures in power, they have run out of excuses. Yet, they continue to act like Nigeria’s downfall only started in 2015, as if they were not the very architects of our current disaster.
And what has the new APC government done differently? More suffering, more taxation, more anti-people policies, more empty rhetoric, and more broken promises. Nigerians are no longer hoping for good governance—they are simply praying to survive it.
Goodluck Jonathan: The President We Didn’t Appreciate
Ebele Jonathan, we are sorry.
We are sorry for mocking your humility and replacing it with arrogance.
We are sorry for ridiculing your democratic values and replacing them with impunity.
We are sorry for calling you clueless when, in reality, those who replaced you have proven to be the true embodiment of incompetence.
History is a strange teacher. A decade ago, we were convinced we needed change. Today, we realize we were deceived. Nigerians did not vote for governance—they voted for propaganda, and the price has been unbearable.
Ebele Jonathan, we now understand what you meant when you said, “My ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.” Because today, it is evident that some leaders will gladly sacrifice the lives of Nigerians just to cling to power.
We are sorry, Sir. And we only wish we could undo the last ten years of national suffering
BUKAR Mohammed is a Public Analyst from Kano
