By OMOTOLA OLAIFA
omotolaolaifa@gmail.com
 
The recent tragedies that claimed several lives and injured hundreds in the northern part of the country has continued to attract widespread condemnations. Angry and disappointed entertainers have criticized President Goodluck Jonathan for embarking on a trip to Brazil for the United Nations Earth Summit at a time the country is facing ‘a national tragedy’.  Several of them implored the president to find a lasting solution to the current situation where citizens die from gun and bomb attacks regularly, while also commiserating with the families of those killed in the attack.
 
TEE A (COMEDIAN)
Sincerely, I really don’t think Mr. President should leave now, since he has not even left Nigeria when these latest tragedies broke, it is inexplicable that he will still hop into a plane with a huge entourage and fly out. I feel he should realise that he is attending the conference because he is the President of Nigeria, not because he is Dr. Jonathan.

ALI BABA (COMEDIAN)
I really don’t have much to say, I only have few questions to ask. Is the President benefitting from these mindless killings? Is the recent escalation linked to the huge sum of money (almost a quarter of the budget) allocated to security in the current budget? Could there be anyone within the federal executive who is fuelling this crisis, considering that the President himself has said his government has been infiltrated by Boko Haram? I think if these questions can be answered then we will know the next step.

JIMMY JATT (DISC JOCKEY)
We all know the truth. There is not one reason why Boko Haram and their Northern elite sponsors are causing chaos in the North besides attempting to make the country ungovernable. Jonathan has a country to govern, and global obligations and agreements to honour. Let the various governors whose states are involved pull their fingers out instead.

DJ SPIN’ ALL (DISC JOCKEY)
What do you expect from a clueless president? He has never had pity for the innocent Nigerians who have been losing their lives. He is only interested in travelling and enjoying himself.  Even the House of Representatives member are fast learning from him. They are all embezzling our money.

DJ HUMILITY (DISC JOCKEY)
To be truthful, we have no proper president. We should only be prayerful and watchful because it is getting to a stage that people are more confused on what precisely the ‘Boko Haram’ wanted. As a sign of leadership, he should have stayed back in the country and address the issue.

SOUND SULTAN (MUSICIAN)
The business of a country must not and can’t be held hostage by a group fed and sponsored by the localities where they thrive. The States know what to do and will do the right thing when they think it is in their best interest. What I think is: Boko Haram is still serving them well, as a distraction for their incompetence and lack of vision.

WANDE COAL (MUSICIAN)
Our country is in a mess. As it is now, corruption at its peak, wanton destruction of life and properties, no sanctity of human life any more. All we hear everyday is “the president condemns the attack” and people keep dying day after day while he keeps touring locally and internationally.

KENNY SAINT BROWN (MUSICIAN)
We should stop blaming the president alone, even though he has his faults. The question is, what are the state governors doing about it?  Yaradua was ill for six months and there was peace. People should take full responsibilities.

SAINT OBI (ACTOR)
I think Mr. President got this trip wrong except he is saying he is tired. Where are those advisers? You cannot be hopping into a plane when your house is burning. We need a divine intervention from the almighty God to restore us in his path.

IYABO OJO (ACTRESS)
I know for sure when tragedies like this happen in a country, the president of the particular country will have to stay back to find a solution to the problem. Sometimes, I wonder if Jonathan is getting quality advice from the myriad of aides surrounding him. In other places, the usual thing is for leaders to cancel foreign trips or rush home from such trips when their countries suffer tragedies.