Icheoku says amidst the nitty gritty, quid pro quo, wheeling and dealing that is international diplomacy, Nigeria was forced to vote against the emergence of a Palestinian state and for FREE? The country got nothing in return for her golden vote and Icheoku asks why not? Icheoku queries why did Nigeria blow away such a pivotal and beautiful opportunity they would have used to leverage so many things they need from the international community including support and obtaining weapons for the Boko Haram struggle? Why did Nigeria not premise their vote on a precondition that United States of America as well as their 51st State Israel, first furnish a binding commitment to sell Nigeria weapons before casting their absentee vote? Why did Nigeria not strong-arm the United States into first committing their full support with weapons and cooperation on intelligence in the fight against Boko Haram before ceding that vote to deny the Palestines' Statehood?
Icheoku says but unfortunately, a lackluster and clueless Jonathan government, too timid to look these white people in the eyes and tell them what he is indeed thinking, sheepishly voted by default of their abstinence and today Palestine once again hit the wall in their attempt to secure a homeland for their people? There was no promise or commitment to help fight the Boko Haram insurgency nor was there any promise to supply or sell the much needed weapons and one wonders what motivated this Nigeria's international goof and golden lifetime opportunity missed? All Jonathan got for his no-vote vote was a mere commendation from Bibi Netanyahu, who said "I would like to voice appreciation and thanks to the United States and Australia and also special appreciation for the president of Rwanda, my friend Paul Kagame and the president of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan. I spoke with both of them and they told me and promised me personally that they would not support this resolution. They kept their word and thats what clinched this matter. I think this is very important for the state of Israel." Icheoku says funny enough, Netanyahu did not even acknowledge Jonathan as his FRIEND and also mentioned him last?
Icheoku says ironically even those pontificating the religious angle as reason why Nigeria under a Christian President sided with the Israelis, fail to understand that Israelis are not even Christians? They failed to understand that the people of Israel are not followers or admirers of Jesus Christ; that they even killed Jesus, admitted they now deny what is even recorded in the Bible as they blame Italian Pontius Pilate for Jesus' death? These Nigerians forgot that as Jews, they practice Judaism - the religion of Abraham and Moses but not Christianity and they don't even go to church? But the Palestine, admitted they are Arabs, but they are majority Christians including their President Abbas who regularly goes to church; and even the murdered Arafat was married to a Christian from Morocco? So is it not a logic on its head that a Nigerian Christian President Jonathan should take sides with people who are anti-Christ as opposed to his Christian brothers, the Palestine, who are majority Christians?
Anyway it is all international politics and President Jonathan of Nigeria should have mined the given opportunity optimally. But because he is too timid to stand up to these foreign leaders in his mad quest to get some level of acceptance, he hurriedly caved in to their pressure or rather slight push. Icheoku is not saying any other Nigerian president would have done otherwise or stood in the way of the Americans, but at least he should have made that vote count, and very expensive, if need be. They needed Nigeria's vote, Nigeria needed and still needs arms and intelligence to fight Boko Haram; and as a quid pro quo, Nigeria should have dealt accordingly. But to just gratuitously cave in and gave them that hefty default vote in return for nothing, is what Icheoku calls selling out or rather buckling under. Possibly Nigeria has now made Saudi Arabia doubly-mad and they might decide to slash oil price further down to even below $20 per barrel and let Nigerians eat their vote against the Palestine Statehood, which the Saudis so much wanted. Icheoku says the Nigeria no-vote abstention against Palestine Statehood was a vote thrown away and at best was given for nothing, which defeats the whole essence of international diplomacy. But this President Jonathan sef, who is neither providing leadership at home nor abroad yet desiring a second term? If only the APC had given Nigerians a choice they can live with and the Niger Delta original terrorists not threatening to send Nigeria to hell, 2015 would have been a mere pipe dream for him. But, hey....
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