by Adamu Aderinsola

We have to give it to this Malabu oil deal for being the longest-standing scandal in Nigeria and every week, new details emerge that give it another interesting twist. Can it ever be solved and will we ever get to see the end of this scandal? We doubt that.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan was recently named as a possible beneficiary of at least half of the $400billion bribe Mr Dan Etete, the former Petroleum Minister around whom the scandal is centred, paid to Nigerian politicians. Still confused? Read all about the Malabu oil scandal here.

What concerns us here and now is GEJ’s involvement which he has clearly denied and the backlash that has since followed. Responding to the bribery allegations, Jonathan said in a statement, “It is one more in the series of fake news sponsored by those threatened by Dr. Jonathan’s continuously rising profile in the international community.”  Do we believe him? Is GEJ’s “rising profile” the real issue here or the possibility that the image he has managed to protect since the end of his administration is about to be tainted?

[Read also: Jonathan denies receiving $200m from Malabu deal, calls it fake news]

GEJ was a failure, unpaid doctors , pensioners , bad roads, no electricity, unpaid lecturers, no water, health care zero! Yet he's a HERO!

— DKL Designs (LANKZ) (@_lankz) April 12, 2017

GEJ
OBJ
Abdulsalami
Abacha
IBB
PMB

Imagine the alleged wealth with these past leaders +All the "oil blocks generals". Yet IDPs are starving

— Juliet 'Kego (@julietkego) April 11, 2017

I love GEJ but if you have evidence that he received a $200m bribe prosecute him, secure a conviction, lock him up & throw the keys away

— Igala_King (@i_am_Anomeli) April 12, 2017

Now that this news is not coming from Sahara Reporters but BBC, who will supporters of GEJ say is behind this corruption scandal?

— Dr. Dipo Awojide (@OgbeniDipo) April 12, 2017

GEJ knew he has stolen everything. baba jejely lock up and accept defeat, ya'all started calling him Hero.
Aye yin ma baje ni.

— MO (@K_Basharr) April 12, 2017

Now from the tweets above, we know Nigerians have chosen what to believe. GEJ is clearly not the hero he claims to be but for how long will we stick to this new narrative before he strikes another emotional chord among us again?

We raise this question because we believe Nigerians are wired to abandon an issue regardless of how pressing or important it seems once another interesting subject matter arises. Think about how the scandal dates back to 1998 and everyone decidedly ignored it until the BBC and Buzzfeed picked it up this week. Since it now has the attention of international media, it immediately gained prominence over here too.

Soon enough, we’ll be enthralled by a new subject matter say another Reuben Abati trash article or something that will be as captivating as “5k bae” or another very trivial topic because that’s what we do in this country, we move right on to the next one.

[Read also: This is the speech by Goodluck Jonathan that got everyone talking]

Goodluck Jonathan may well be guilty of all these allegations and may have milked Nigeria dry, he may or may not get away with it but soon he’ll deliver a brilliant speech at a university in the UK or US or bag another international honorary award that will almost blow our minds, then we’ll forget about his involvement in any oil scandal (maybe not forget but grow tired) because again, that’s how we cope with situations, we move on.