December 30, 2008
I had to swiftly find time, out of my increasingly busy schedule to join forces in lending my voice to the condemnation of the national anomaly called ministerial reshuffle, and also take a step further to admonish our beloved Professor Dora Akunyili in her latest national assignment as the Minister of Information and Communication in Nigeria.
Nigerian government, perhaps, has recently been jolted from its continuous governmental hypersomnia to confront its blatant underperformance in the subjection of every citizen to and under the of rule of law, provision of qualitative education, portable water, good roads, security of life, affordable homes, functional and effective health care service.
A school of thought sometime ago adduced the inertia of Yar'Adua-led government to the question of illegitimacy hanging around its neck, emanating from barrage of litigations brought about by the 2007 Presidential elections.
Now, with all those litigations finding their ways to the dustbin of historical abyss, the coast seems clear for Yar'Adua to start afresh and breath a new life to his government's resolve to pursue his seven-point agenda to a logical end. Thus the need to bring a quantum of credibility on the governmental table, through the latest selection of a few credible ministerial appointees; perhaps the favourite amongst the crop of public servants recently appointed to steer the ship of President's Yar'adua's potentially sinking ministries is Professor Dora Akunyili.
This indefatigable, fearless and fearsome woman has proven her worth in so many government responsibilities in the time past. Before this moment, she has shown an unusually amazing mettle, may be less expected of her gender, in taking the fight against importation and selling of fake drugs in Nigeria to many frontiers; making life miserable for drug counterfeiters in Nigeria and their cohorts across the pond, particularly those in India.
She drove her armoured tank of value and zero tolerance for anti-social practices to a number of battle fronts and coasted home with a plethora of laurels, which instantly made her the loving bride of many Nigerians. A record of an amazing achievements that triggered the suggestion within some quarters in the last general elections that Dora Akunyili could make a perfect future President of Nigeria and the First Female President indeed.
There is no doubt about the fact that government responsibility is a herculean task, a delicate one indeed; it is either it makes one or it mars one. It is such a terrible dilemma, most especially when performance is assessed below expectation, the government can easily consign you to your fate, while the ever unpredictable Nigerian populace doesn't have an history of eternal honeymoon with anyone, and so be rest assured that your honeymoon journey can be abruptly interrupted by these 'powers' outside the corridors of power.
Nigerian recent political history has an account of a few reputable individuals that were almost dragged from the pinnacle of success to the threshold of disrepute and those that were literally driven from a walk of fame to a walk of shame. These examples include our highly cerebral Oby Ezekwesili, an amiable technocrat Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a successful Professor of Paediatrics Nike Grange etc.
Now that the government has seen no other person suitable for its Information Ministry, a ministry popularly believed to be an institution designed for the orchestration and modification of its trade in mendacity and prevarication, than Professor Dora Akunyili, hence one cannot but image the colossal burden placed on the credible credentials of Dora Akunyili, in her attempt to correct the perception of the public about the true fundamental objectives of her ministry and also in consistent demonstration of her loyalty to the government without compromising the age long positive view held about her by the public.
It is absolutely important to state that the assumption held by some quarters in the public that Dora Akunyili enjoys healthy and friendly relationship within Nigerian media, as said to be the reason for her appointment for the Information Ministry, should not mean a licence for ineffectual performance, lack of professionalism and total disregard for the sanctity of information and communication as vital tools against ignorance and preventable human predicament.
Professor Dora Akunyili should be aware of the fact that beyond her smooth relationship with the Nigerian media, which might mean that she would only get a slap on the wrist in the event of mis-information or dissemination of any half-truth to the public, there are lots of intrepid and ferocious Nigerian internet-based media, who are sincerely committed to baring it all and saying it as it is.
This league of internet-based journalists have vowed to tread where many mainstream journalists fear to walk and they have chosen to take messages of true government accountability and transparency closer to the public than ever before. And they have also gone far in exposing the incompetence and inherent tendency for corruption and mismanagement in many of our public officials, perhaps better that many government established anti- corruption agencies.
With all these, Professor Dora Akunyili should take cognizance of the fact that it is never going to be a friendly media relationship as usual or as in the past. It will do her a great deal of good if she can take the zeal, courage and sincerity which with she deployed to work the magic at her last assignment with National Agency for Drug and Food Administration And Control (NAFDAC), to effective use at her new post with the Ministry of Information and Communication.
It is hoped that with this new assignment, Professor Dora Akunyili would graciously resist any possibility of her credible personality being used for an incredible government propaganda that may bring her lofty professional experience and career to total ruin.
By Lekan Fatodu lives in London.
www.checkoutmagazine.com
Nigerian government, perhaps, has recently been jolted from its continuous governmental hypersomnia to confront its blatant underperformance in the subjection of every citizen to and under the of rule of law, provision of qualitative education, portable water, good roads, security of life, affordable homes, functional and effective health care service.
A school of thought sometime ago adduced the inertia of Yar'Adua-led government to the question of illegitimacy hanging around its neck, emanating from barrage of litigations brought about by the 2007 Presidential elections.
Now, with all those litigations finding their ways to the dustbin of historical abyss, the coast seems clear for Yar'Adua to start afresh and breath a new life to his government's resolve to pursue his seven-point agenda to a logical end. Thus the need to bring a quantum of credibility on the governmental table, through the latest selection of a few credible ministerial appointees; perhaps the favourite amongst the crop of public servants recently appointed to steer the ship of President's Yar'adua's potentially sinking ministries is Professor Dora Akunyili.
This indefatigable, fearless and fearsome woman has proven her worth in so many government responsibilities in the time past. Before this moment, she has shown an unusually amazing mettle, may be less expected of her gender, in taking the fight against importation and selling of fake drugs in Nigeria to many frontiers; making life miserable for drug counterfeiters in Nigeria and their cohorts across the pond, particularly those in India.
She drove her armoured tank of value and zero tolerance for anti-social practices to a number of battle fronts and coasted home with a plethora of laurels, which instantly made her the loving bride of many Nigerians. A record of an amazing achievements that triggered the suggestion within some quarters in the last general elections that Dora Akunyili could make a perfect future President of Nigeria and the First Female President indeed.
There is no doubt about the fact that government responsibility is a herculean task, a delicate one indeed; it is either it makes one or it mars one. It is such a terrible dilemma, most especially when performance is assessed below expectation, the government can easily consign you to your fate, while the ever unpredictable Nigerian populace doesn't have an history of eternal honeymoon with anyone, and so be rest assured that your honeymoon journey can be abruptly interrupted by these 'powers' outside the corridors of power.
Nigerian recent political history has an account of a few reputable individuals that were almost dragged from the pinnacle of success to the threshold of disrepute and those that were literally driven from a walk of fame to a walk of shame. These examples include our highly cerebral Oby Ezekwesili, an amiable technocrat Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a successful Professor of Paediatrics Nike Grange etc.
Now that the government has seen no other person suitable for its Information Ministry, a ministry popularly believed to be an institution designed for the orchestration and modification of its trade in mendacity and prevarication, than Professor Dora Akunyili, hence one cannot but image the colossal burden placed on the credible credentials of Dora Akunyili, in her attempt to correct the perception of the public about the true fundamental objectives of her ministry and also in consistent demonstration of her loyalty to the government without compromising the age long positive view held about her by the public.
It is absolutely important to state that the assumption held by some quarters in the public that Dora Akunyili enjoys healthy and friendly relationship within Nigerian media, as said to be the reason for her appointment for the Information Ministry, should not mean a licence for ineffectual performance, lack of professionalism and total disregard for the sanctity of information and communication as vital tools against ignorance and preventable human predicament.
Professor Dora Akunyili should be aware of the fact that beyond her smooth relationship with the Nigerian media, which might mean that she would only get a slap on the wrist in the event of mis-information or dissemination of any half-truth to the public, there are lots of intrepid and ferocious Nigerian internet-based media, who are sincerely committed to baring it all and saying it as it is.
This league of internet-based journalists have vowed to tread where many mainstream journalists fear to walk and they have chosen to take messages of true government accountability and transparency closer to the public than ever before. And they have also gone far in exposing the incompetence and inherent tendency for corruption and mismanagement in many of our public officials, perhaps better that many government established anti- corruption agencies.
With all these, Professor Dora Akunyili should take cognizance of the fact that it is never going to be a friendly media relationship as usual or as in the past. It will do her a great deal of good if she can take the zeal, courage and sincerity which with she deployed to work the magic at her last assignment with National Agency for Drug and Food Administration And Control (NAFDAC), to effective use at her new post with the Ministry of Information and Communication.
It is hoped that with this new assignment, Professor Dora Akunyili would graciously resist any possibility of her credible personality being used for an incredible government propaganda that may bring her lofty professional experience and career to total ruin.
By Lekan Fatodu lives in London.
www.checkoutmagazine.com
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