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The Ijaws Are Not Even Proud of Jonathan – Says Prof Afejuku

                    
 
Tony Afejuku is a Professor of English & Literature in University of Benin and a former ASUU leader. In this chat, he says he is happy in his "little world of poverty", even though government has failed Nigerians.
You are a man of many parts. Why don’t you think of going into politics to help your people and Nigeria?Politics is not my calling. I don’t have talents for intrigues and lies. Every man has his gifts. Intrigues are not part of mine. I am a straight talker, a straight shooter. Bluntness is part of my talents. Betrayal, back-biting, back-stabbing in order to gain this or that advantage or to scheme a qualified person out of contention or a position he is clearly and eminently qualified for are foreign to my God-given peculiarities.
I am not Janus-faced. Let me use my present talents to the best of my abilities and to the glory of my Maker. Politics is not the only way to help mankind. Give Caesar his due, and God His. The typical Nigerian politician never says what he means, and never means what he says. Politics, Nigerian type? No way. I am happy in my little world of happy poverty. I can’t be a party to inflated and over-inflated contracts. Obviously, I must therefore be a danger to the Nigerian politician of the current dispensation. Leave me to be a teacher who never can be bribed with a manor house or a whole village. I am happy in my little world of poverty.

You are a very loud critic of President Jonathan. What do you have against the President from your region? Do you dislike him because he is Ijaw?I don’t dislike President Jonathan. By my calling I must say truth to power. He is the first Ph.D holder to preside over the affairs of Nigeria. He is also the first person from the Niger Delta and the first Ijaw to be in charge of Nigeria’s affairs. We wanted him to correct the errors of the past rulers, justly, so that we can nod in affirmation that a Ph.D holder like me and a fellow Niger Delta man came on board to teach others who were there before him how to do the job.

We wanted him to be the gem Nigeria had been waiting for. We assumed that he would be the exemplary leader we all clamoured for. He is not and we are still in the woods. The northerners are even saying now that they will never cede power to the South again, all because of the way he is carrying on. I don’t dislike him because he is Ijaw. It might interest you to know that I have Ijaw friends who are equally not happy with his presidential posture.

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