07/05/2026
*Why Goodluck Jonathan Cannot Rule Nigerians Again
Nigerians have long memories, and they have not forgotten what happened under Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
From 2010 to 2015, Jonathan was President at a time when oil money was flowing in record amounts. But instead of that money building roads, hospitals, and jobs for Nigerians, it disappeared into the pockets of a few powerful people around him. The name *Diezani Alison-Madueke*, his Minister of Petroleum, became the face of that era of unchecked looting. Billions of dollars in oil funds were allegedly diverted, properties seized across the world, and luxury assets uncovered in places Nigerians could only dream of.
And Diezani was not alone. Under Jonathan’s watch, top politicians and government officials treated the national treasury like a private bank account. The arms deal scandal involving $2.1 billion meant for fighting Boko Haram is another example that still angers Nigerians today. Soldiers were dying at the frontlines with no weapons, while contracts were being shared like party favors in Abuja.
The excuse has always been: “Jonathan is a good man, he didn’t know.” But leadership is not about being a good man in private. It’s about being responsible for what happens under your watch. A President who cannot control the people around him cannot control a country of over 200 million people.
Nigeria today is still paying the price for that period — in collapsed infrastructure, unpaid salaries, and a broken trust between citizens and government. The youth who are now coming of age only remember that era as one where corruption was normalized and accountability was absent.
So when the conversation comes up about Jonathan returning to power, the answer from many Nigerians is simple: *we cannot afford to go back to that chapter.* Not because Jonathan is evil, but because the damage done under his regime left a wound that the country is still trying to heal.
Nigerians are not saying they hate him as a person. They are saying they cannot risk another government where friends and allies become untouchable, while the ordinary man suffers.
Once is a mistake. Twice is a choice. And this time, Nigerians are choosing differently.
