Thugs Fly First Class While Professors Struggle, Ex-President Jonathan Says

Nigeria's former President Goodluck Jonathan has voiced strong concerns about the escalating problem of political thuggery, a phenomenon he asserts has transformed into a full-fledged profession within the country. Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association Law Week, Jonathan painted a stark picture of a nation where the lines between legitimate work and illicit political engagement are dangerously blurred. He pointed to the disturbing reality of political thugs enjoying first-class travel while esteemed university professors are forced to economize, a situation he described as emblematic of a nation 'turned upside down.'

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Nigeria is the only country where thuggery is a profession in Africa.

Jonathan's critique extended beyond mere observation; he issued a passionate call for comprehensive reforms to Nigeria's electoral and judicial frameworks. His aim is to fortify the foundations of democracy, restore public trust in the electoral process, and ensure that election outcomes genuinely reflect the will of the people. He stressed that political violence and electoral malpractice must be actively discouraged, and that institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary must operate with unwavering independence, not just in name but in practice.

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Some thugs, when they are travelling out of this country, fly first class, while university professors struggle to manage to buy economy tickets.

The former president's remarks underscore a deep-seated anxiety within Nigeria about the health of its democracy. While international observers might focus on election results, the reality on the ground, as highlighted by Jonathan, involves a more fundamental struggle against the corrosive influence of political violence and the subversion of democratic processes by those who thrive on chaos. The stark contrast between the lifestyles of political thugs and those of intellectuals serves as a potent symbol of the societal imbalances that need urgent redress. This is a uniquely Nigerian conversation about the very soul of its democratic experiment, where the integrity of elections is paramount to national stability and progress.

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So when we have a country where the thugs will fly first class, and the university professor will fly economy, that country is like a cone turned upside down and as a nation, we must do something.