Don't expect sitting presidents to leave office when you make them feel like gods
Former Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan has said that when people make a president god, such a leader will not be willing to vacate the seat of power. Jonathan said being president does not mean the latter is God, adding that Africans have a tradition of praise-singing, The Cable reports.
The ex-president stated this on Thursday, October 3, at the constitutional term limits summit in Niamey, Niger Republic, which was organised by the National Democratic Institute (NDI). According to Jonathan, some presidents also hold on to power for fear of persecution and over uncertainty of what life after office would be like.He said: “Let’s create an environment where people will believe there’s life after office. That if you leave office you should not be persecuted. The way we manage ourselves as sitting presidents and former presidents matter. The first line is to reduce what will make a sitting president afraid to leave office. “Africans sometimes, we are our own problem because we always think our presidents are little gods. That somebody is president does not mean he is God. We have a tradition of praise-singing. We tend to give our presidents name they don’t deserve. “We tend to over-praise sitting presidents and make them think they are little gods. When they begin to make a sitting president think he is God, and he is the only person that can run the affairs of the nation; then the person will be there, nobody removes God." Jonathan said when people make presidents feel they are gods, one should not expect them to leave. He added: That you are president does not mean you are better than others. We citizens of this continent create little gods, and God cannot leave (power).
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