Nigerians must reject wrongdoing for politicians to act better — Jonathan

• The former president faulted the deployment of military personnel for election duties in Nigeria.
• Jonathan noted that elections should be primarily managed by the Independent National Electoral Commission and police.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Nigerian politicians will only behave responsibly when citizens reject unacceptable behavior.

Jonathan made this assertion in Abuja on Tuesday at the public presentation of two books: ‘Readings on Election Security Management’ and ‘Selected Readings in Internal Security Management’, authored by Solomon Arase, former inspector-general of police.

Jonathan, who led Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, advocated for a hall of shame to expose past leaders who contributed to the country’s challenges.

He lost the 2015 presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.

Jonathan expressed concerns about Nigeria’s electoral process, stating that “people willingly do wrong things because we are in a society where people accept the wrong thing and celebrate those who do the wrong thing.”

Jonathan attributed the problem to societal norms, saying, “people willingly do the wrong thing because we are in a society where people accept the wrong thing and celebrate those who do the wrong thing.”

He envisioned a future where citizens reject wrongdoing, leading to better behavior from politicians.

Jonathan stressed the importance of accountability, saying, “We, the political class, will behave normally. People must reject us if we behave wrongly.”

Jonathan also proposed establishing a hall of shame in Abuja, featuring pictures of past leaders who contributed to Nigeria’s problems, to serve as a lesson for future generations.

Regarding election security, Jonathan noted that Nigeria’s military is overburdened, citing examples from Botswana and Senegal, where police play a more significant role.

Jonathan observed that in other countries, the military is only used for strategic purposes, not for managing elections.

He concluded by highlighting the simplicity of voting processes in countries like Senegal, which have fewer issues despite limited technology.