May 20, 2010
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, and perhaps the most important year if we are to survive as a free, united, and democratic country with hopes of becoming a progressive and prosperous nation, and live up to its self-anointed title as the “Giant of Africa”.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, and perhaps the most important year if we are to survive as a free, united, and democratic country with hopes of becoming a progressive and prosperous nation, and live up to its self-anointed title as the “Giant of Africa”.
The first 50 years of independence has been squandered because of inept and selfish leadership that has nothing to show for Nigeria except, corruption, poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructures; the inability to feed and house its citizens or the capacity of will to face up to these problems and do something about them other than talk, talk and more talk. God has given Nigeria so much only for it to be wasted by so few immoral, incompetent, corrupt and vision-less leaders and their cronies, both military and civilian, who could not see beyond their greed and lack of compassion for the welfare its citizens.
If Nigeria is to survive intact for another 50 years all will depend on the 2011 presidential election, the way and manner it is conducted; and ultimately the person elected president. With the untimely death of President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua and the ascension of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to the highest office in the land, the very fiber of Nigerian democracy, and indeed democracy in Africa, is now being tested. Although Nigeria’s constitution provided for a smooth and lawful transfer of power from the VP to the presidency, it has also created a problem that no one thought was possible a year ago; a problem that not only threatens to destroy the ruling People Democratic Party unity, but Nigeria as well. How do you tell the leader of a country who has obtained his office legally and constitutionally that he cannot contest the presidency when the constitution emphatically states that he has every right to run? On the other hand, how do you keep a political party and a nation together if the well entrenched and recognized policy of “zoning” , a political expedient policy that has keep the country united for 50 years, is totally ignored for the sake of a few power grabbers? It all comes back to unselfish leadership.
I am not here to debate whether or not President Jonathan should run in 2011 or whether “zoning” has a place in a constitutional democracy. All I can say for sure is that Nigeria is a unique country with many unique challenges, which now calls for unique leadership. If northern Nigerians have adhered to the zoning formula of eight years in and eight years out of power, then are they not entitled to occupy Aso Rock until 2015? If Goodluck Jonathan was elected as VP on the same ticket as the man elected President, then should he not be allowed to try and finish the work that he and the deceased President was elected to do? The way these two questions are answered will determine the fate of Nigeria for the next 50 years. Until Nigerian democracy matures to the stage where our leaders are chosen solely on their qualifications, experience and intellect, what Nigeria needs right now is an ideal, not perfect, presidential candidate for these extraordinary times. A competent and qualified candidate that can assuage fears from all sides, unite the country, and institute a government of the people, by the people and for the people, with compassion and concern for the welfare of the people, and a willingness to act instead of just talk.
First, and most importantly, the ideal candidate cannot and must not be a recycled failed leader of the past. And that holds twice as true of any former military leaders. The world will shun and not take seriously a country that would elect a failed military dictator to lead the largest democracy in Africa. Remember, the military is not a democracy. What more is there to say? Now is the time for true democratic government. No matter how these past leaders may try to re-brand themselves, when you strip away the new label you will find the same old product with the same old ideas. There is a saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time. Nigeria must not go back to the future, but look forward to its future in its youths.
Second, the ideal candidate must be competent and well qualified with several years of experience as an elected official on the state or federal level. He should have, at a minimum, experience either as full term state governor, a full term federal senator or a multiple term federal house of representative. The candidate must have a good record of administrative and fiscal management, as well as have a demonstrable and extensive record of economic and infrastructure development in his state or political district. The ideal candidate should have a political pedigree second to none; a well recognized name not only in his state, but in his geo-political zone and on the national level. Finally, because there are no nationwide grassroots organizations capable of financing a presidential campaign, the ideal candidate must have considerable financial resources available to help finance his presidential campaign, and therefore prevent outside interest from influencing his policies or programs.
Third, the ideal candidate must be a highly intelligent, well educated and persuasively articulate. He must, through his words and deeds, inspire the entire country, especially the youths, to believe in Nigeria and to believe in them. He must articulate with clarity on the world stage the goals and desires of Nigeria in the international community, and do so with passion and sincerity. He must be a leader that all of Africa can respect and look to for contribute to solutions for problems facing the continent. Anytime this candidate speaks he will motivate and inspire Nigerians to take action, to believe in his call for change, and will lead and govern by example. This candidate will be a religious man but not a religious leader; he will be a man of the people and not a tribalist, a doer and a thinker, not a political lackey and puppet for the powerful elite.
Fourth, the ideal candidate must be someone who was born and raised in an independent Nigeria, someone of the youth generation who cannot blame colonialism or the white man for the bane of Nigeria’s problems. Someone whose political views and desire for doing things a new way has been shaped from living in Nigeria most of his adult life and seeing first- hand how the government has failed the average Nigerian. The ideal candidate must demonstrate a real desire to govern in a manner that will have a positive effect on all Nigerians. He must embrace and assimilate the young trained professionals with new ideas and modern technology into his administration. The ideal candidate must actively recruit the best and brightest Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to help build a modern world class country worthy of her place among the great nations of the world.
Fifth, the ideal candidate must not come from the North or the South, but from the middle belt or central states. This does not mean that there are not any qualified candidates from the North or the South of Nigeria. As I stated previously, this is a unique and extraordinary time in the country. The North believes that the 2011 candidate should come from their zone and a continuation of the Yar’Adua’s tenure. President Jonathan and the South believe that a southerner is not constitutionally barred from running for office. For the sake of compromise and appeasement, a candidate from a central state is politically and geographically symbolic of bringing the north and the south together by meeting each half way or in the middle. This candidate is a representation of bringing Nigeria together, rather than opposing zones tearing the country apart.
Six, the ideal candidate must be of the Islamic faith. It has been politically and culturally acceptable that the two major religions in Nigeria, Islam and Christianity, must live together, govern together and respect each other’s faith. A Muslim president would satisfy the religious requirement of the North, as well as pay homage to the late president by having the next President practicing the same faith. Furthermore, based on the current political arrangement, this also insures that Christianity will be represented by the Vice President, who will most likely come from the southern part of the country. Most importantly, this arrangement will give impetus to solve once and for all the core problems that are responsible for the recent religious riots and deaths in Northern Nigeria.
Seven, the ideal candidate must be from a major ethnic group in Nigeria. It is a well known political reality that a candidate from a smaller ethnic group can never be elected to the presidency under the democratic system currently practiced in Nigeria. The ideal candidate should come from a major ethnic group located in the southern part of the country. This will appease those who object to having a Muslim president, even though he is not geographically from the north, as well as give them some ownership of the candidate as being one of their own. The precedent for such a candidate was evident on June 12, 1993 when Chief Moshood Abiola, a Muslim from the south, was elected President in the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history.
I look forward to the day when political zoning, religious qualifications and ethnicity are no longer requirements to consider for anyone aspiring to the highest elected office in Nigeria. The competence of a presidential candidate will be based on his political experience, education, intellectual capacity and the governing agenda espoused by the candidate and his party. According to the results of a recent poll conducted by NOI Polls, a premier polling expert, 63% of Nigerians are against zoning as the major criterion for electing a president. A majority (60%) said that education and experience were the most important qualifications to consider in a presidential candidate, while only 9% of Nigerians thought religion and ethnicity were important in electing a president.
It is my fervent belief that the presidential election of 2015 will be won or lost based on the criteria found in the NOI poll, that most Nigerians are ready and willing to vote for the best man or woman qualified to lead the country. Until that time comes, however, I believe that in 2011 Nigerians should seek and elect an ideal, competent and qualified presidential candidate, during this extraordinary time in our history, that will keep the country from tearing itself apart, and act as a bridge between the North and South political aspirations while Nigeria matures into a true democracy during the next four years.
The author is an African -American businessman based in Abuja.
The first 50 years of independence has been squandered because of inept and selfish leadership that has nothing to show for Nigeria except, corruption, poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructures; the inability to feed and house its citizens or the capacity of will to face up to these problems and do something about them other than talk, talk and more talk. God has given Nigeria so much only for it to be wasted by so few immoral, incompetent, corrupt and vision-less leaders and their cronies, both military and civilian, who could not see beyond their greed and lack of compassion for the welfare its citizens.
If Nigeria is to survive intact for another 50 years all will depend on the 2011 presidential election, the way and manner it is conducted; and ultimately the person elected president. With the untimely death of President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua and the ascension of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to the highest office in the land, the very fiber of Nigerian democracy, and indeed democracy in Africa, is now being tested. Although Nigeria’s constitution provided for a smooth and lawful transfer of power from the VP to the presidency, it has also created a problem that no one thought was possible a year ago; a problem that not only threatens to destroy the ruling People Democratic Party unity, but Nigeria as well. How do you tell the leader of a country who has obtained his office legally and constitutionally that he cannot contest the presidency when the constitution emphatically states that he has every right to run? On the other hand, how do you keep a political party and a nation together if the well entrenched and recognized policy of “zoning” , a political expedient policy that has keep the country united for 50 years, is totally ignored for the sake of a few power grabbers? It all comes back to unselfish leadership.
I am not here to debate whether or not President Jonathan should run in 2011 or whether “zoning” has a place in a constitutional democracy. All I can say for sure is that Nigeria is a unique country with many unique challenges, which now calls for unique leadership. If northern Nigerians have adhered to the zoning formula of eight years in and eight years out of power, then are they not entitled to occupy Aso Rock until 2015? If Goodluck Jonathan was elected as VP on the same ticket as the man elected President, then should he not be allowed to try and finish the work that he and the deceased President was elected to do? The way these two questions are answered will determine the fate of Nigeria for the next 50 years. Until Nigerian democracy matures to the stage where our leaders are chosen solely on their qualifications, experience and intellect, what Nigeria needs right now is an ideal, not perfect, presidential candidate for these extraordinary times. A competent and qualified candidate that can assuage fears from all sides, unite the country, and institute a government of the people, by the people and for the people, with compassion and concern for the welfare of the people, and a willingness to act instead of just talk.
First, and most importantly, the ideal candidate cannot and must not be a recycled failed leader of the past. And that holds twice as true of any former military leaders. The world will shun and not take seriously a country that would elect a failed military dictator to lead the largest democracy in Africa. Remember, the military is not a democracy. What more is there to say? Now is the time for true democratic government. No matter how these past leaders may try to re-brand themselves, when you strip away the new label you will find the same old product with the same old ideas. There is a saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time. Nigeria must not go back to the future, but look forward to its future in its youths.
Second, the ideal candidate must be competent and well qualified with several years of experience as an elected official on the state or federal level. He should have, at a minimum, experience either as full term state governor, a full term federal senator or a multiple term federal house of representative. The candidate must have a good record of administrative and fiscal management, as well as have a demonstrable and extensive record of economic and infrastructure development in his state or political district. The ideal candidate should have a political pedigree second to none; a well recognized name not only in his state, but in his geo-political zone and on the national level. Finally, because there are no nationwide grassroots organizations capable of financing a presidential campaign, the ideal candidate must have considerable financial resources available to help finance his presidential campaign, and therefore prevent outside interest from influencing his policies or programs.
Third, the ideal candidate must be a highly intelligent, well educated and persuasively articulate. He must, through his words and deeds, inspire the entire country, especially the youths, to believe in Nigeria and to believe in them. He must articulate with clarity on the world stage the goals and desires of Nigeria in the international community, and do so with passion and sincerity. He must be a leader that all of Africa can respect and look to for contribute to solutions for problems facing the continent. Anytime this candidate speaks he will motivate and inspire Nigerians to take action, to believe in his call for change, and will lead and govern by example. This candidate will be a religious man but not a religious leader; he will be a man of the people and not a tribalist, a doer and a thinker, not a political lackey and puppet for the powerful elite.
Fourth, the ideal candidate must be someone who was born and raised in an independent Nigeria, someone of the youth generation who cannot blame colonialism or the white man for the bane of Nigeria’s problems. Someone whose political views and desire for doing things a new way has been shaped from living in Nigeria most of his adult life and seeing first- hand how the government has failed the average Nigerian. The ideal candidate must demonstrate a real desire to govern in a manner that will have a positive effect on all Nigerians. He must embrace and assimilate the young trained professionals with new ideas and modern technology into his administration. The ideal candidate must actively recruit the best and brightest Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to help build a modern world class country worthy of her place among the great nations of the world.
Fifth, the ideal candidate must not come from the North or the South, but from the middle belt or central states. This does not mean that there are not any qualified candidates from the North or the South of Nigeria. As I stated previously, this is a unique and extraordinary time in the country. The North believes that the 2011 candidate should come from their zone and a continuation of the Yar’Adua’s tenure. President Jonathan and the South believe that a southerner is not constitutionally barred from running for office. For the sake of compromise and appeasement, a candidate from a central state is politically and geographically symbolic of bringing the north and the south together by meeting each half way or in the middle. This candidate is a representation of bringing Nigeria together, rather than opposing zones tearing the country apart.
Six, the ideal candidate must be of the Islamic faith. It has been politically and culturally acceptable that the two major religions in Nigeria, Islam and Christianity, must live together, govern together and respect each other’s faith. A Muslim president would satisfy the religious requirement of the North, as well as pay homage to the late president by having the next President practicing the same faith. Furthermore, based on the current political arrangement, this also insures that Christianity will be represented by the Vice President, who will most likely come from the southern part of the country. Most importantly, this arrangement will give impetus to solve once and for all the core problems that are responsible for the recent religious riots and deaths in Northern Nigeria.
Seven, the ideal candidate must be from a major ethnic group in Nigeria. It is a well known political reality that a candidate from a smaller ethnic group can never be elected to the presidency under the democratic system currently practiced in Nigeria. The ideal candidate should come from a major ethnic group located in the southern part of the country. This will appease those who object to having a Muslim president, even though he is not geographically from the north, as well as give them some ownership of the candidate as being one of their own. The precedent for such a candidate was evident on June 12, 1993 when Chief Moshood Abiola, a Muslim from the south, was elected President in the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history.
I look forward to the day when political zoning, religious qualifications and ethnicity are no longer requirements to consider for anyone aspiring to the highest elected office in Nigeria. The competence of a presidential candidate will be based on his political experience, education, intellectual capacity and the governing agenda espoused by the candidate and his party. According to the results of a recent poll conducted by NOI Polls, a premier polling expert, 63% of Nigerians are against zoning as the major criterion for electing a president. A majority (60%) said that education and experience were the most important qualifications to consider in a presidential candidate, while only 9% of Nigerians thought religion and ethnicity were important in electing a president.
It is my fervent belief that the presidential election of 2015 will be won or lost based on the criteria found in the NOI poll, that most Nigerians are ready and willing to vote for the best man or woman qualified to lead the country. Until that time comes, however, I believe that in 2011 Nigerians should seek and elect an ideal, competent and qualified presidential candidate, during this extraordinary time in our history, that will keep the country from tearing itself apart, and act as a bridge between the North and South political aspirations while Nigeria matures into a true democracy during the next four years.
The author is an African -American businessman based in Abuja.
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