Abuja, the capital of Nigeria was literally speaking, on fire yesterday the 18th day of September 2010, before, during and after the declaration of President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan to contest the 2011, Presidential election. Let me not detain you with the details of the said declaration but suffice to say that the planners of the event deserve commendation. My interest in the event is to attempt a post analysis that will capture some of the salient issues most people would have taken for granted.
Abuja, the capital of Nigeria was literally speaking, on fire yesterday the 18th day of September 2010, before, during and after the declaration of President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan to contest the 2011, Presidential election. Let me not detain you with the details of the said declaration but suffice to say that the planners of the event deserve commendation. My interest in the event is to attempt a post analysis that will capture some of the salient issues most people would have taken for granted.
My first take away is the fact that the event has taken months to plan without the prying eye of the public, a growing pattern in this administration that operates with utmost secrecy. Pleasant surprises tend to be the defining ethos of the Jonathan presidency. A few examples will assist. At its early life, the administration set up what it termed presidential Advisory Council and appointed mostly old politicians that somewhat managed to stabilize his presidency. They seem to have moved on. Jonathan equally dissolved his inherited cabinet and brought on stream some new hands to complement the retained loyalist who at the time appeared colourless but have grown to show that Jonathan knew one or two things about them that weren’t obvious to casual observers. The appointment of the INEC Chairman and his vice President remain for me one of the most guided secrets of this Otueke academic that many regard as dull and weak. He also surprised close observers recently when without even the rumour mill knowing changed the entire security high command in the country. The element of surprise is the greatest weapon he has applied routinely to the admiration and condemnation of the populace depending on the side of the pendulum one belongs.
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This spectacular show will go down in history as one of the most superlatively organized and well-attended political outings in recent times. I have never seen such a large army of supporters conduct themselves in a most civilized manner irrespective of the fact that the Eagle Square where the declaration took place was grossly inadequate for the purpose. The sheer number of people that could not gain entry into the main arena but remained largely coordinated validates this. We know a rented crowd when we see one. The Jonathan crowd appears genuinely involved and motivated enough to sit through an event that later turned into one huge carnival.
For me, a number of questions have engaged my mind to unravel the fidelity or otherwise of this outcome. One ready answer that comes to mind is that the ordinary hard-working Nigerians are tired of looking for elusive leaders. They are tired of listening to empty rhetoric. They appear ready to follow a leader that will not be afraid to provide genuine, un-ambiguous and purpose based leadership. There was no evidence to suggest that Jonathan fits this definition squarely given the short period he has occupied the turbulent seat of the presidency but the crowd I saw is ready to give him the benefit of doubts. They are ready to call him ‘my President’. What I saw was a crowd that came from all nooks and crannies of this country to tell Jonathan “please save us from ourselves”. Jonathan appeared to have equally read the mood of the large crowd well by delivering a speech that will resonate in the memory of most of the people that listened to him first hand including those that were glued to their televisions. This speech at once assures and re-assures. Not a few shed tears when Jonathan deftly told a moving story of his humble background. It was a sad reminder to many about the lost opportunities a responsible government could have helped arrest. Initially, I had thought the electrifying moment provided the spark that ignited that most elucidating delivery. Later, I learnt that he might have used the TelePrompTer device, in itself a refreshing departure from the boring and lazy script reading, commonly used by our leaders that are not digitally compliant. The human angle he brought into his speech is not only a consequence of history, but also an eloquent testimony that the youths should take pride in their respective stations in life no matter how challenging. After all, who wouldn’t have chosen Bill gate, Warren Buffet or Adenuga as a father if allowed to make a choice?
What is happening in Nigeria and to Nigerians in our politics resides outside the boundaries of conventional wisdom. I have never seen such un-canny conspiracy between providence and man to favour without solicitation one human being in such a short space of time. Here therefore is the burden of this good luck. As they say, to whom much is given, much is expected. Jonathan aptly termed what he saw yesterday as a revolution. I agree entirely with him but he must be reminded that the said revolution is not for his personal enjoyment or the enjoyment of his family and friends. The work at hand calls for extreme sacrifice. It calls for focused leadership. It demands putting his life on the line if possible. The look of hope and trust I saw in the faces of these largely abused populace by past leadership should propel Jonathan to dream new dreams. It should serve as elixir for him to take painful but mutually beneficial decisions.
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Both Christians and Muslims agree his is a divine mandate. What this means is that he would not only be disappointing man but the almighty God that made all these possible if he fails. So far, Jonathan has been largely honest with Nigerians and that explains why they appear to have invested their collective future in his hands. They are prepared to do more for him at the primaries and the election proper if he doesn’t abandon the path of reason and truth for cheap political gains.
His achievements so far can be located more on the choices he has made rather than monuments built. On mounting the saddle, many had expected him to copy and paste, Obasanjo’s ‘garrison’ leadership template by chasing known and perceived enemies into their respective holes. He chose the opposite. Many regarded that as a weakness but in a democracy, that is the ultimate strength. Quite a lot of hawks have declared unilateral wars in all fronts trying to draw him out to a street brawl but he appears to prefer dialogue to brute force which the cynical Nigerian Constitution amply empowers him to employ if he so desires. The zoning brouhaha is one such irritation but he has taken it in its stride preferring instead to allow others do the fight for him. One of his best attribute is ability to keep his head while others loose theirs. In a volatile polity like Nigeria, that is one of the best attributes to have. In the course of duty, he has made his errors. These include the purchase of three presidential planes and spending a huge sum of N17 billion in celebrating 50th anniversary while some of our children still walk to schools without shoes and cannot even afford a meal a day. While I belief the celebration is in order, spending such huge sum for mere remembrance of a very un-eventful 50 years of post independence bothers on reckless fiscal irresponsibility and hardly a way to reflect an ailing economy.
The present danger I see in our nascent democratic experiment bothers on four issues and I hope the president will take time to look into and correct them before it gets out of hand. First, is growing intolerance of opposing views. The beauty of democracy is the freedom to hold views that are different from one another and still elicit tolerance within the confines of civility. The purported suspension of Chief Raymond Dokpesi by the South-South Elders forum and his allegation of threat to his live, family and businesses by elements from the South-South zone is as condemnable as incessant threats from the Northern elders on the vexed issue of zoning that ought to have been managed differently. Chief Dokpesi reserves the right to support whosoever he likes just like Ambassador Sarki Dalhatu Tafilda and other prominent Northerners reserve the right to play major roles in Jonathan’s campaign council. If Jonathan wins the election in a free and fair contest, he will be President of Nigeria and not President of Ogbia local Government Area. AIT and Ray power are two communication companies founded by Chief Dokpesi. He has since divested his substantial interest in those companies. He will therefore not be as hurt as the generality of the Nigerian public that now own those companies if the government decides to move against their interest . At any rate, even though many of us try to vilify IBB and perhaps rightly so, have you imagined what a drab electioneering campaign it would have been now if IBB were not in the fray. I believe IBB is part of the designs by the almighty to create a semblance of electoral contest in our polity at this time. The collective public disdain against IBB and his stubborn desire to pursue his ambition to rule us again irrespective of our feelings is what I belief have created this near hysteria to either blackmail him not to contest or vote him out at the general election. At the end, IBB in a funny way is adding value in our present day polity.
The second challenge to our democracy is the growing autocratic cult of Governors that still believe in the old system of using state resources to corrupt the delegates and the electorates. Otherwise, if power really resides with the electorates, what is a Governor’s endorsement worth? Every other thing at Eagle square was just fine but the so-called endorsement by the Governors some of whom openly canvassed a principle of “if you rub my back, I will rub your back” a euphemism for undemocratic ideals. A president that wants to supervise a free and fair election should find such base statement coming from State Governors very insulting.
Thirdly, the absence of a virile opposition in our polity will promote mediocrity and will not provide veritable benchmarks to measure targets and set new goals. It is my believe therefore that the President no matter how attractive the present scenario is in the short term, should set out clear policies and abandon the winner takes all syndrome that has encouraged a growing apathy by even traditional opposition camps.
Lastly, a free and fair election is a mirage in the face of insecurity. We have voted and approved huge sums to the electoral umpire but have as usual left out the critical aspect of security that will guarantee even-playing field that ultimately encourages the electorates to go out, vote and protect their votes. In the final analysis, I have renewed confidence that our polity will be sanitized the moment the President insist that they right things must prevail at all times.
Chike Orjiako,
[email protected]
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