Jonathan's Last Minute Efforts In Battling Boko Haram

ano-based lawyer, says Goodluck Jonathan’s progress in battling Boko Haram still counts, even on the eve of the elections. Those of us familiar with the game of basketball are no doubt fully acquainted with the term ‘buzzer beater’. It refers to a basket scored from a shot taken just before the buzzer signalling the end of a quarter sounds at 0.00 seconds. The reaction of spectators to a game-winning buzzer beater often brings down the entire arena. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what GEJ seems to have done. In the course of the last few weeks, we have witnessed a remarkable turn of fortunes in the “Jonathan vs Boko Haram” war. Our army is destroying the terrorists’ camps, confiscating weapons, reclaiming lost territories and has stopped further encroachment by the insurgents. The war is not yet won. But I am glad the Commander-in-Chief understands the importance of cutting the head off by vowing to arrest Abubakar Shekau, the sect leader. Whether you are rooting for Goodluck Jonathan or belong to the camp of his critics, you just have to admit that this counts as a huge plus to his re-election bid. A lot of people are going to say we don’t need a president who only delivers when pushed to the wall. A lot of people could say that all that is being done now could have been done a long time ago. But I always say, if we could end this war all on our own, we wouldn’t be a third-world country. We’re fighting a war where chances of sourcing useful and credible intelligence on the insurgents are very low. This is a war where the enemies’ response to our‘1970s’fighter planes is procuring anti-aircraft weapons which they are putting to effective use. Before rushing to hasty conclusions, we must take into consideration America’s refusal to sell arms to us and the implications for any of its allies who would do so. We must understand the desperation and commitment on our government’s part that necessitated the two infamous failed attempts to get “first aid” whereupon private jets traceable to the Nigerian government were busted with huge amounts of dollars in South Africa. Maybe our African brothers lent us a helping hand fast because we played the “forthcoming elections” card and the length of time it took to clear bureaucratic obstacles and ship arms from the foreign countries named so far. It is convenient to resort to timing of this resurgence while criticizing the President. However, timing of many shortcomings we have had to deal with is also an important criteria in a thorough and unbiased assessment of the performance of the armed forces so far. Even if I end up not voting for Jonathan in the upcoming elections, I must commend his efforts at ending this insurgency. It’s a good thing he came clean and confessed he underestimated the threat at the beginning. The truth is, even his late predecessor did. He cut the head off and went to sleep. There are strong indications that intelligence agencies in the US had underestimated preliminary reports on the 9/11 attacks. We are not doing Jonathan any justice by going at him and absolving those who were there at the very beginning of any blame. We have witnessed a very dramatic run-up to the general elections with both parties trading intriguing and sometimes laughable accusations. The pick of the pack has to be the APC raising alarm over a plot to arrest Shekau and make him link General Buhari to his sect. We have heard it all. Not only will recent happenings regarding the “Jonathan vs Boko Haram” war polish GEJ’s dented reputation across the globe, but also to convince a lot of ‘Thomases’ and win him more converts. The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of Naij.com. Submit your opinion articles, messages a