Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that no country can succeed when government officials abuse power and act in a dictatorship.
He argued that the crisis in Rivers State reflects wider governance challenges in Nigeria, where key figures in the executive, legislature and judiciary are failing to uphold justice and the rule of law.
Jonathan delivered his remarks on Saturday at the Annual Colloquium of the Haske Satumari Foundation in Abuja, an event aimed at amplifying marginalised voices and promoting equitable governance.
He stressed that government decisions have lasting effects and that poor conduct in all branches is undermining democratic institutions.
The former president expressed concern that compromised institutions deter investment and impede economic growth, as investors are wary of environments where judicial rulings may be influenced.
He emphasised that sustainable social change requires continuous effort and commitment to good governance, warning that failure to ensure justice and fairness endangers the nation’s stability and future prosperity.
Jonathan said, “We’re talking about building a society where no one is oppressed, as reflected in the top paragraph of our national anthem. As a former president, and also from the Niger Delta, when the issue of suspending the governor came out, I think people called on me, ‘President Jonathan you should say something.’
“What is happening in Nigeria today regarding the situation in river states is like an Indian proverb that said that if somebody is sleeping, really sleeping, you can easily wake up that person. But if that person is pretending to sleep, you find it difficult to wake up that person. The key actors in Nigeria, from executives to the legislature, and the judiciary, they know the correct thing to do, but they are refusing to do it. They are pretending to sleep.
“Waking such a person is extremely difficult, but the person knows the right thing. The clear abuse of offices, clear abuse of power, clear abuse of privileges, cutting across from the three arms of government, from the executive to the parliament to the judiciary. And I always plead with our people that whatever we do affects everybody.
“No businessman can bring his money to invest in a country where the judiciary is compromised, where a government functionary can dictate to judges what judgment they will give. No man brings his money to invest in that economy because we are taking a big risk. So whatever we do affects everybody.
“And if we want to build a nation where our children and our grandchildren, no matter how painful it is, we must strive to do what is right. It may cost us, but we must endeavour and pay the price to insist on doing what is right. Whether you are holding an executive office as a president, a minister, governor, or special advisor, executive, whether you are holding an office in the parliament, senate, or rep, whether you are a judicial officer in high courts or appellate courts, we must strive to do what is right.
“If we want to build a nation that our children will be proud of. As we engage in these discussions, let us remember that promoting social change is not a one-time event, but a continuous process. It requires a sustained commitment, collective action, and unwavering dedication to the values that promote good governance.”
