By Donu Kogbara
PRESIDENT Jonathan has attracted near-universal condemnation, both in Nigeria and internationally, for pardoning Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, under whom he once served as a Deputy.

This decision to officially absolve Alamieyeseigha, who was famously jailed by a London court for embezzlement of public funds, has been described by several critics, including the American Government and the Christian Welfare Initiative, CWI, as a bad move that makes a mockery of the Jonathan administration’s oft-repeated claim that it is sincerely waging a war against corruption.

Reversal of pardon

The CWI’s leader, Archbishop Magnus Adeyemi Atilade, has demanded a reversal of the pardon and accused Jonathan of failing to fear God and of trying to cleanse Alamieyeseigha’s image for tribalistic and nepotistic reasons…that is, purely because he’s a fellow Bayelsan whom he regards as a brother.

This opinion has been echoed by many other detractors, including the many Vanguard readers who have contacted me to angrily heap abuse on Jonathan.

Meanwhile, most of the friends who have discussed this issue with me have also expressed disgust and accused Jonathan of shaming himself and the country.

I must confess that I feel that all of the above are over-reacting.

I will never condone corruption. I have bitterly complained about its toxic effects on our society and economy on numerous occasions. And I’m not an unconditional supporter of President Jonathan. There have been times when I have felt compelled to make disparaging remarks about his actions or comments.

But I think we should cut him some slack on the Alamieyeseigha front.

Most human beings have soft spots and sentimental streaks. And I honestly don’t think that pardoning an ex-boss who kindly gave you your first major political appointment is the worst thing a Head of State can do!

“Alams”, as he is fondly known in certain quarters, is immensely popular in Bayelsa because he was very nice to a lot of people when he ran the state.

And I know that I will be roundly denounced as morally questionable for saying this, but I don’t think that corrupt politicians who are generous and pleasant should be as heavily vilified as corrupt politicians who are selfish and horrible!

Furthermore, he has served his time and not made any noise or any trouble for anyone since he was released from prison. So is it REALLY so terrible for him to be provided with formal forgiveness for crimes for which he has been punished?

Presidents in other countries – Bill Clinton, for example – have also dished out pardons galore to various financial criminals, so what’s the fuss?

If YOU were in Jonathan’s shoes and could legally pardon a onetime mentor who made it possible for you to rise to the top, would you coldly refuse to do so?

I don’t think I would.

AMNESTY FEEDBACK

Last week, I wrote about the fact that the Sultan of Sokoto recently advised President Goodluck Jonathan to grant a “total amnesty” to Boko Haram members. My view is that the Sultan is a serious person who means well and sometimes offers the government good advice. But I felt that his advice was misguided on this occasion and I urged Mr President – who has described Boko Haramists as faceless “ghosts” – to fight these dangerous terrorists to a complete standstill.

Please find below some of the views that Vanguard readers shared with me:

From: Peter Udosen <fazclean_ventures@yahoo.com>

If I were the Sultan, I would approach the Boko Haram issue differently with Mr President and canvass the following points:

“Boko Haram is not faceless; I know them and can produce them anytime you are ready for dialogue. For starters, here is the list of its members. Guarantee their safety, call for dialogue…”.

From: Christian Ekwenna <peacebase01@yahoo.com>

Dear Donu, thank you for your impartial and interesting write-up. I would like to use this medium to express my feelings on the same subject. Firstly, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, miscalculated by requesting an amnesty for the religiously brainwashed murderous sect -Boko Haram.

I want to believe that he must have made that statement out of desperation and frustration caused by the unrepentant and self-destructive Islamic militants. I do not want to believe that he is supporting or sponsoring them.

Furthermore, I would like to advise the Sultan to refrain from making such hasty remarks so that people do not read meanings into his utterances and in order to preserve the respect accorded the throne of the sultanate.

On the other hand, I agree with you that President Jonathan must not shift his ground and negotiate with members of the sect. He should rather engage the services of American and European counter-terrorism military intelligence agencies for assistance in eliminating them.

The President should appeal to President Obama to kindly deploy satellite and drone technologies on the relevant areas in Nigeria to help smoke out these murderous cowards from their holes or hideouts.