GEJ is a Fiasco & Buhari is a Former Dictator | Nigerians Must Vote for the Least Awful Candidate – The Economist Says

President Goodluck Jonathan is a failed president. Muhammadu Buhari is a former dictator with blood on his hands. Given this quandary, the Nigerian population must choose the lesser of two evils as their next president.

So states The Economist, in its controversial article titled Nigeria’s Election: The Least Awful.

The publication describes both individuals as “candidates that stand as symbols of a broken political system that makes all Nigeria’s problems even more intractable.” They further go on to list all the reasons why they believe both Jonathan and Buhari are terrible:

GEJ: An utter failure

• He has shown little willingness to tackle endemic corruption. For instance, when the governor of the central bank reported that $20 billion had been stolen, his reward was to be sacked.
• On his watch, the Northern part of the country has been virtually destroyed. Over 18,000 people have died in the region due to the Boko Haram insurgency. He has shown little interest in tackling the issue, and has been totally incompetent in this regard. Also, he was quick to show solidarity during in the aftermath of the Paris Charlie Hebdo attacks but showed no concern for the Baga massacre.
• Although Nigeria became one of the world’s fastest growing economies during his regime, this was accomplished DESPITE his government rather than BECAUSE of it.
• Under Jonathan, poverty has increased exponentially, and “Nigerians typically die eight years younger than their poorer neighbours in nearby Ghana.”

Buhari: The despotic dictator

• He is an ex general who assumed power via a coup. His rule was “nasty, brutish and mercifully short.”
• His system of economics tagged Buharism was extremely destructive: “Instead of letting the currency depreciate in the face of a trade deficit, he tried to fix prices and ban “unnecessary” imports. He expelled 700,000 migrants in the delusion that this would create jobs for Nigerians. He banned political meetings and free speech. He detained thousands, used secret tribunals and executed people for crimes that were not capital offences.

To read the full analysis of the two candidates, visit The Economist.

After the analysis, the writer of the article declares that they were given a chance to vote, they would choose Buhari.

“We are relieved not to have a vote in this election. But were we offered one we would—with a heavy heart—choose Mr Buhari. Mr Jonathan risks presiding over Nigeria’s bloody fragmentation. If Mr Buhari can save Nigeria, history might even be kind to him.”

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Food for thought. BellaNaijarians we’d love to hear your perspective on the article…

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