By Rotimi Fasan

The question of how rich President Goodluck Jonathan is should not come as a surprise to any Nigerian that has been following report of his curious listing by an American publication as the sixth richest head of state in Africa.

The implication of this revelation by the online news medium, Richest Lifestyle, whether proven true or not, should also be very clear to every Nigerian, not the least of all the presidency, that has reacted in uncharacteristically prompt and sharp language.

Jonathan

The inclusion of President Jonathan on this list of the rich, Rueben Abati, presidential spokesperson says, is an attempt to portray the President as corrupt. What more can anybody add to that?

There is no doubt that was the implication of the report, that is to make Jonathan look like one of those corrupt African leaders of a bygone era, individual sovereigns in their own right, the Mobutus, the Bokassas and the Houphouet Boignys, 20th century throwbacks of mediaeval potentates who had the coffers of their various countries in their pockets and could as they wish help themselves to the till.

This league of rich African leaders is not an enviable one. It is a real egbekegbe, the type Fela says is a bad society in ‘Beast of no nation’. It is only appropriate that the Nigerian government should show all signs of indignation. The President himself should feel personally affronted.

He has not been listed as one of the most cerebral leaders in Africa, even as a former academic. He has not been praised for the worthy manner his country has combated the Ebola Virus Disease threat that even almighty America, we are told, is falling over itself to learn from us.

No, President Jonathan has not been eulogised for being the worthy transformative leader of the country with the largest black population in the world. A country whose achievements under Jonathan some ‘transformation ambassadors’ have been celebrating and touting as reason the President should be returned to Aso Villa for additional four years. None of these apparent and not-so-apparent achievements of the President has been singled out for praise.

But rather, like a business tycoon, President Jonathan has been listed in a dubious list of rich leaders, much in the same way that Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga and Femi Otedola and company have been put on the Forbes list of the richest people in the world. This is a shame, a tongue in cheek celebration of failure.

Although with an alleged personal fortune of US $100 million, President Jonathan is a poor politician, to say nothing of a president, even by Nigerian standard. His entire fortune is far less than is coughed out from one of the more modest secret accounts of the Abacha family scattered around the world.

Nearly two decades after the passing of its patriarch, funds looted in their hundreds of dollars by the Abacha family are still being unearthed in different parts of the world. Thus in death, Sani Abacha is still richer than President Jonathan according to this infamous report. But as a man who has spent his entire career in public service, it is a miracle how Jonathan could be expected to have come about the amount of wealth ascribed to him.

The outrage Abuja has shown to this report is therefore quite in order. The more so that no evidence was provided by the Richest Lifestyle report as to how the President could have amassed his fortune. This was a moot point on which Nigerians and the rest of the world are expected to make their own deductions.

The timing of this report is not only bad, it points to a breakdown in fiscal governance and responsibility among our public officials. This, now that the country is more or less in a cold war situation with South Africa that has impounded about US $16 million in funds allegedly meant for the procurement of arms for the prosecution of our war against insurgents.

The entire process of the arms procurement deal lacks transparency and looks clouded in mystery. The manner of transporting money for the arms purchase, moving raw cash in the leased jet of a Christian preacher, leader and close friend of the President, Ayo Oritsejafor, harks back to what people see as an unholy alliance between the President and private individuals.

Many have questioned the manner in which persons close to the President, including aides, friends, and associates have abused their positions without the President acting. This is when he does not appear to be covering up for their unseemly behaviour with dismissive statements that suggest a huge tolerance for corruption. He does not ‘give a damn’ about what people say about this, he once infamously said.

The national treasury is revealed to be haemorrhaging from different sides, mostly caused by persons and groups in positions of authority and the President perfunctorily ignores these developments as if they mean nothing to him. He splits air that seems merely academic, sometimes disingenuous, often meaningless about the actual meaning of corruption, thievery and all worth not. All of this constitutes the background to the inclusion of his name on the list of richest African leaders.

What is more, the issue of the President declaring his assets has been a recurring one that was only swept under the carpet to stop discussion of it. What has happened now should tell all that in quelling discussion on the matter with blackmailing statements the Jonathan presidency simply kicked the can down the road.

This now is the time for the President to declare his asset. In other words, the Richest Lifestyle report is an indirect indictment of the President for failing to do the right thing at the right time. Had he declared his assets nobody would now hang on him some fabulous wealth he claims he does not have.

Although Dr. Reuben Abati would want us to believe now that the President has always declared his assets but only he believes his own claim. For a while, the question of the President’s assets was one he was not quick to disclose. Not even the reminder that his predecessor in office, Umar Yar’Adua, had made such declaration would make President Jonathan budge.

He insisted that it was his choice whether to declare his assets or not, and how. As usual in cases of this type, some people, first class lickspittle out to use the President for their own ends, claimed the demand that the president declare his asset was a political one initiated by his opponents. I won’t be surprised to hear them say this latest report was sponsored by the President’s opponent.

The presidency should make all the right signs of indignation. But more importantly, President Jonathan should declare his asset.