A man of the people: despite the intrigues that surrounded his decision to run for the election, Goodluck Jonathan's victory is seen as a victory for the people. But now he must deliver to an impatient country. Ojore Alinyeju reviews the election and outlines the new president's priorities.

African Business › Nbr. 2011, January 2011

Author: Alinyeju, Ojore

Position:: NIGERIA

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A man of the people: despite the intrigues that surrounded his decision to run for the election, Goodluck Jonathan's victory is seen as a victory for the people. But now he must deliver to an impatient country. Ojore Alinyeju reviews the election and outlines the new president's priorities.

"THE LED MUST NOT BE COMPELLED; THEY must be able to choose their own leader," Albert Einstein, the eminent physicist credited with developing the famous theory of relativity, once wrote.

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Indeed, the ability of the led to choose their leaders freely is one of the hallmarks of democracy. With the power of the ballot which Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, famously remarked "is stronger than the bullet", the followers are able to choose the right calibre of leaders, who are, in return, expected to provide for them the dividends of democracy.

This was perhaps wh...

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