Debate Gets Serious Over Spoof Request For Nigerian President Jonathan’s IQ

Jonathan debating himself on NTA last April

What is Jonathan's IQ?

By SaharaReporters, New York

It started out as a spoof. Spoof news website Wazobia Report claimed that a group calling itself “Free Naija Group” had made a Freedom of Information request for Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's IQ score.
But their piece titled "Group makes Freedom of Information request for Mr President's IQ,” sparked a flurry, then a blizzard of reactions from Nigerians, many of whom agreed that it is the public's right to know the president’s intelligence quotient.
Respondents on Nigeria's main campaign coalition for freedom of information "Foicoalition" Yahoogroups listerv, pointed to an apparent intelligence-shortage among the nation’s leaders, whom they accused of running the country’s infrastructure to the ground over the last 50 years. Corruption has been a dominant factor and rampant within Nigerian politics.
 A ‘normally intelligent’ person has an IQ score of between 90 and 110, while IQ scores above this are considered to be those of very bright people. “Profound Mental Retardation” are scores below 20 and “Very Superior” are above 130. Persons with IQs below 90 are considered dull.
John Ndukauba argued: “How will the release of the IQ of the President help in advancing good governance? If it is low, can we ask him to go back to the classroom or take lessons to up it? And if it is high will that account for performance in office?
In a different twist, Prof. Ayo Olukotun asserted that, “the information sought is not trivial, in the unlikely event that GEJ has a low IQ we would have stumbled on the interesting discovery that men with low IQs can attain doctorate degrees and coast home to victory in tough presidential elections. Nobody has anything to lose from the release of such data even if the motive for demanding the information is not entirely clear. But that is freedom, warts and all.”
President Jonathan holds a doctorate in zoology, which is considered obtainable for a normal IQ if not better.

The spokesperson for the group cautioned: “We are not attempting to disparage the President, but if he has nothing to hide, why doesn’t he just let us know his IQ score? It’s not like we’re asking him to declare his assets.”
Despite the realization that this began as a spoof, the amount of debate it has generated seems to support the need to release this information to the public.
Some respondents said: ”Don’t take this too seriously. Wazobia Report does satire. They are meant to make us smile, chuckle or laugh, not to be taken literally. Hope this helps.”
 Nigerian journalist with the Committee to Protect of Journalists (CPJ) Lanre Idowu, underscored the importance of the Freedom of Information Act: “There is a deserved celebration in the Nigerian media over the recently passed Freedom of Information Act which provides citizens with broad access to public records and information held by a public official or institution.  It is the climax of an 11-year struggle to pass such a law in the Nigerian parliament.”
In fact Jonathan's IQ and intellectual capacity was an issue during the last campaign as critics claimed they could not locate his Ph.D thesis and Jonathan as a candidate ducked a television debate organized by independent television station, instead opting for a debate organized on the government  National Television Authority, where Jonathan eventually debated himself.
    Most people believe that a President is supposed to have the highest IQ in any given country