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A tale of two sick presidents: between Woodrow Wilson and Umaru Yar’adua

February 11, 2010

“Man inhumanity to man, is not only perpetrated by vitriolic actions of those who are bad, it is also perpetrated by vitiating inaction of those who are good”-Martin Luther King. It is now more than eighty days of the unceremonious departure of Nigeria’s President Umaru Musa Yar Adua from the shores of Nigeria. The details of his incessant sickness were-and are still-shrouded in secrecy.

“Man inhumanity to man, is not only perpetrated by vitriolic actions of those who are bad, it is also perpetrated by vitiating inaction of those who are good”-Martin Luther King. It is now more than eighty days of the unceremonious departure of Nigeria’s President Umaru Musa Yar Adua from the shores of Nigeria. The details of his incessant sickness were-and are still-shrouded in secrecy.
This development has aroused agitations and agonies for Nigeria and Nigerians. Characteristic of the composure of communal living of the average Nigerian, it was initially to pray for our dear sick president. This was taking up in churches and mosques with zeal and zest. The details of the context and content of the president health however was known to a very few tagged the ‘kitchen cabinet.” In an issue of the Nation of 24th January 2010 titled:

'Yar Adua Kitchen Cabinet in Dilemma’
written by Jide Babalola, it was reported that the following personalities made up the so called kitchen cabinet: Bauchi State Governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, Federal Capital Territory Minister, Alhaji Adamu Aliero, former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Tanimu Kurfi, National Security Adviser, Major General Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar (rtd), member, House of Representatives, Honourable Shehu Imam, businessman and friend of the president, Alhaji Ibrahim Dahiru Mangal, former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, Minister of Agiculture and Water Resources, Alhaji Sayyadi Abba Ruma, and the last on the list but most influential, the First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar'Adua.

These can be referred to as the de-facto rulers of the Nigerian nation since 23rd of November 2009 since most elected top government shots could not see or hear from the nation’s political leader. There was even a publication in a foreign media sometime in January 2010 that Yar Adua has passed away only for it to be refuted vehemently by Nigeria government officials. Probably, this slap on the face woke up a sleepy and sluggish Nigeria political followership from her slumber and stupefying silence of passivity and/or inability. The Save Nigeria Group consisting of such people as Prof Wole Soyinka (Nobel Laureate), Pastor Tunde Bakare, Femi Falana, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, Hon. Farouk Aliyu Adamu , Mr. Solomon Asemota (SAN), Dr. Tunji Braithwate,  Hajiya Najatu Mohammed, Prof. Pat Utomi, Pastor Sarah Omakwu, Mr. Femi Falana, Hon. Olawale Oshun, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, Mrs. Ayo Obe, Mallam Naseer Kura, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, Hon. Uche Onyeogocha, etc. led the followers (populace) in a rally to the National Assemby Complex, Abuja on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. It really provoked the citizenry to challenge lethargic and epileptic leadership at the centre and gave birth to such rallies in Lagos, London and New York. It was all on Facebook, the most popular social-networking site. It must be said that the kitchen cabinet got more than what they bargained for. The reactions must have ignited responses from the ‘leader’ in Saudi Arabia who had to speak to Nigerians through BBC-another affront and insult on the intelligence of many Nigerians. It actually drew the ire of many Nigerians that a sitting president who had disdain for our health system was also exhibiting and expressing a lack of respect for our national media to first hear him before broadcasting to the outside world.

Why should be the president be away for more than 2 months and yet the Vice President is treated with disdain and sheer neglect? Why should the Minister of Information & Communication, Prof Dora Akunyli be left in the dark, who up to December 2009 was defending the President declaring ignorantly or cowardly that he was responding to treatment in far away Saudi Arabia? As a leadership researcher majoring in followership studies, I came to discover that similar scenario played out sometimes in the United States of America (USA) many years back during the second term of President Woodrow Wilson. He ruled USA from 1913-1921 for two terms. He initiated a peace plan to end the World War 1. He had presented his strategic of ending the war in France without consultation with the American Congress which later boomerang and/or backfired! He was in the process of selling his idea to the American public when his state of health degenerated and deteriorated so badly that he could not make any more public appearance. In the case of Wilson, he had what was referred to as “inner circle” in comparison to Yar Adua’s “kitchen cabinet”. The inner circle consisted of the First Lady, Mrs Edith Wilson, Dr Cary T. Crayson, his personal physician, his private secretary and the then Secretary of State. These were the trusted allies in the plot to keep the prying eyes of the public away from their President. In fact, what happened was that Woodrow Wilson had a stroke in 1919 before the end of his 2nd term in office which effectively made him an invalid and incapable of carrying out his duties as an executive president. His personal physician did not declare to the citizenry his true state of health. All that the public and even the cabinet was made to know was that Wilson had a nervous breakdown! The secret path was strictly adhered to by the inner circle that even the Vice President, Thomas Marshall was not allowed to see him. It was on record that for almost 6 months in USA history, a sitting president was absent from cabinet meetings. It was on record that our dear President Yar Adua while he was governing Katsina State was away also for 6 months without handing over to his Deputy Governor! While Wilson was within USA, our dear President had been shuttling between Nigeria, Germany and Saudi Arabia in the past 2-3 years (sic). In the case of Wilson, it is likely the political players orchestrated the issues of the World War 1 raging at that time to shield the leader of government business from the media, cabinet and the public as well.

However, there was a loophole which the founding fathers of America did not contemplate in drafting the constitution from inception: the issue of inability or incapability of the incumbent president. The then constitution was not silent but rather ambivalent and ambiguous in interpreting the issue. Finally, Wilson appeared in the cabinet meeting after almost 6 months, some day in April 1920, the members were bewildered seeing their leader in such feeble, frail and emaciated condition. Even then, they were still kept in the dark as to his true state of health! This dragged on till he left office 1921 and later passed away on 3rd February, 1924.

It was not until 1967 that the 25th Amendment to the USA constitution made it clearer on the issue of inability or incapability of the incumbent president. The acid test came when President Ronald Reagan was shot and he had to be wheeled to the theatre for surgery. He did not allow the congress to invoke the section of the constitution on him when he voluntarily gave over the presidency to his Vice President, George Bush. He later returned to take it over. Bush was only acting president for 8 hours! In addition, sometimes ago, the Prime Minister (PM), of Israel was sick. The details of his sickness were shown on the television. What a display of transparency and accountability! What do leaders gain in concealing the details of their worsening health condition? It all borders on interplay and intertwining imbroglio of intrigues, issues and interests that could be personal, parochial but definitely not principled especially as these are coming from a government boasting of re-branding and rule of law. It smacks of deceit and indecorum on the path of the Yar Adua’s administration to play on the intelligence of Nigerians for so long. I want to still hold the view that Yar Adua indeed wrote a letter that was intercepted by the cabals for myopic interests. This opinion may not hold water as the records of Yar Adua, then as Governor of Katsina State of Nigeria betrayed him. There was the likely hood that he had strong kitchen cabinet in his home state of Katsina at that time too. The present Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources (a kitchen cabinet member) was the Secretary to the State Government (SSG). Nigerians should then be able to deduce that the same thing is likely playing out. It might not be an issue in Katsina then due to the followers’ awareness in that northern part of the country when compared with the larger and more informed Nigerian nation. Similarly, Woodrow Wilson was reported to have had stroke thrice before his election as USA President but this was adequately managed and concealed from the public. It instructive and imperative to acknowledge the move by the House of Representative on the hearing of amendment to that ambiguous and ambivalent section of the constitution in order to make it simple and straight forward to implement in future. A stitch in time saves nine. As someone rightly put it, it better to be safe than sorry!

It will be noteworthy to salute the courage of Prof Dora Akunyli, the Minister of Information and Communication on her stand and stake as revealed by her memo to the Federal Executive Council (FEC). She was the only Minister that was able to show to be a “courageous” follower of President Yar Adua-apology to Ira Challef, the renowned researcher of followership. Even though, to some, it was coming rather belated but it was a welcome development in a culture of “follow-follow” (apology to late Fela Anikulapo Kuti). Dora acted as if she had read the mind of the one time English statesman and political philosopher, Edmund Burke, who once opinionated: “All is that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I will want to state that for Prof Dora Akunyli, a serving minister to have belled the cat in presenting that memo was enough for the cabal to know that the game is up. I read her interview in one of the dailies where she declared that she told her subordinates (personal aides), “if I die, I die.” This is a landmark in followership studies in Nigeria body politics if indeed it was true that she made that statement. In her cherished book: “Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing Leaders” (published by Harvard Business Press, 2008), Prof Barbara Kellerman, of the Centre for Public Leadership, Harvard University, J. F. Kennedy School of Government would have classified Dora Akunyli as not just a “Diehard” Follower but a rare breed of Diehard. She would have referred to Dora as a “whistle-blower” (typifying someone who is in the system but decided to make a difference by not deferring to the status quo). May we have more of whistle-blowers in Nigeria to stop all these cabals, feudal lords, oligarchy, sycophants, hawks, etc. 

In conclusion, while many Nigerians may be rejoicing that we have an Acting President now in person of the erstwhile Vice Preident, Jonathan Goodluck filling the vacuum, we all need to be vigilant as the last may not be heard or seen of this “diehard” kitchen cabinet of Yar Adua. The Acting President removal of Aondoakaa as Minister of Justice is not enough; he needs new set of ministers, with common visions, values and virtues, who will help to steer the ship of state forward as we, as a nation, are far behind. By God’s grace, Nigeria shall get there.


Written by:  J.M.O Ekundayo, Leadership Researcher/Consultant and Doctoral student of Lead

 

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