Thursday, 17 May 2012
The Bucks Stop At Your Desk Mr. President!
By Abe Ojo
According to Del Suggs, “leading with integrity is one of the great challenges of leadership. We often hear those phrases like “walk the talk” and “lead by example”. Unfortunately, you can’t just lead by cliché. You really have to “put your money where your mouth is”, as the saying goes.
The policy direction of a government derives fundamentally from the personal innate character and capacity of the leader; in this case, that of the president of our country, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. We have read times without number articles detailing how pious and noble in personal character previous presidents, such as Shehu Shagari and General Gowon were. Some have even started pontificating about the personal character of President Jonathan.
Unfortunately, what is incontrovertible overall when you looked back at the governments of these leaders were evidences of purposelessness, lack of direction, lots of misplaced priorities and missed opportunities for growth and development in the economy, which were completely mixed with entrenched and endemic corruption that prevented any progress or prosperity for the majority of the citizen. Definitely, if these leaders, just as we are currently witnessing, have moral fibers in them, they will know that as leaders, the bucks’ stops on their desks. If corruption and lawlessness is being perpetrated under them unabated, then I suggest, they are ultimately responsible as leaders. I submit as well that these leaders are not “angels” of morals as they are wont to be portrayed because the bucks stop at their desks.
Nigerians should have known that Dr. Jonathan as the then Vice President is a mixed bag of self-centered shrewdness and self preservation conundrum that is devoid of interest of the larger Nigerian society at heart based on how he handled (or really unhandled) the crisis surrounding the unavailability and subsequent “so-called cabal” management of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Under the unconstitutional leadership of Hajia Turai Yar’Adua, the infamous members of the cabal ran the country as if it was their personal fiefdom while the constitutionally empowered vice president, Dr. Jonathan was sitting “pretty”, oblivious to the charade going on in Aso Rock, where he resides as well. Not until eminent citizens of the country led by Pastor Tunde Bakare and others rose up to force the Assembly to confer presidential powers on Dr. Jonathan, he was contented to just “watch”. At that time in Nigeria history, the country was sliding into monumental constitutional crisis and mismanagement, yet Dr. Goodluck did not show any leadership zest. Some of his boot lickers described this docile leadership personality as giving unconditional complete support to his boss at a time the country was sliding into oblivion.
Since his so called transformational government came into power, we have heard a lot of clichés. From rule of law mantra to providing enough megawatt of power to supply us with uninterrupted electricity and to recently, that the removal of the non-existent oil subsidy, will provide trillions of dollars (or is it naira!) for his government to provide infrastructures, roads and millions of jobs. In all of these, it will be observed that Mr. President, through his actions (or inactions) and utterances, is unaware of any of their inherent details. In fact, we can easily decipher that there are no transformational plans or basis utilized in presenting any of his policy programs and activities of government. In some discourse, Mr. President has been described as clueless. Up till now, the country is still in the abyss of darkness all over the country with little or nothing being done to revamp the power problems as he met them. Millions of dollars continues to be sunk into the ministry of no light for Nigeria. The security of the country is another area of his transformational agenda. Since he came to power, Nigerians have not known any security of life and properties going by the waves of armed robbery on roads, businesses and privates homes. Militant groups have continued to flourish all across the country killing, maiming and kidnapping innocent citizens unabated. The Boko Haram menace that has thrown fear into the mind and soul of the country is ever so present even with continued mouthing of the security outfits stating that they are on top of the problem. The president can only ask us, Nigerians to live with it because terrorism is a new global phenomenon that is not peculiar to Nigeria.
Following the recent oil subsidy removal strikes across the country, Dr. Jonathan announced the formation of several committees to help him resolve many of the issues that came to fore. One of the committees is the SURE committee headed by Ambassador Christopher Kolade. This committee was contrived to provide fuel subsidy palliatives. However, on Monday February 20, 2012, the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan said “the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment programme promised by his administration was no longer realistic”. The President said SURE was hurriedly conceptualized in January on the heels of the nationwide protest against the removal of the fuel subsidy. Dr. Jonathan further stated that the implementation was no longer feasible since the zero-subsidy policy planned by his administration was not being implemented. Curiously however, Dr. Jonathan inaugurated the board for the implementation of the same SURE programme on February 13, 2012 as if he is not aware that the SURE is no longer realistic! Like all of his programs of government so far, just like SURE, always “hurriedly conceptualized” with no basis, no plan and no desire to see them through. They are just empty pursuits for more corruptions and propaganda with no positive end results.
As we can thus surmise from the foregoing, we as Nigerians can truly see that this President, Dr. Jonathan has no leadership direction for the country; has no moral fiber left in his being and in actual fact, as the spokesperson for former Governor in his Bayelsa State rightly said recently, that this president lie. . What can we do as Nigerians? We cannot hide our heads in the sand like the ostrich. We have to keep up with the pressure on the government through moral persuasions, offering of ideas that will catch the fancy of the so called transformational team, organize the civil society with different advocacy groups to present programs and activities that the government can support and adopt and not give up our rights to free speech, free gathering and possibly more non-violent civil society strikes against the government when they just appears utterly clueless and mortally wicked as in the case of January 01, 2012 oil subsidy withdrawal! Ultimately though, the buck stops at the desk of the president. And his character is in question. He cannot be absolved of any of the backwardness, lack of progress, atrociousness and corruption in his government. We have to call it what it is; it is your character Dr. Goodluck
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DERI-WRONG ANALOGY
Submitted by Uzoma (not verified) on February 22, 2012 - 19:48.
GEJ neither belongs to the intellectuals nor the brave for u to start comparing him with Einstein. Though Enstien was not believed by his teachers, but he did prove them wrong by being one of the foremost scientists of his time-REMARKABLE. Then back to Jonathan, he won election thru rigging; since assumption of office from acting president to elected one, o boy nothing to show. He confessed to the former US Ambassador Saunders that he was not ready to be President, and OBJ and PDP foisted him on Nigerians. EINSTEIN WAS REJECTED BY TEACHER, GEJ REJECTED TO BE PRESIDENT, hence incompetence /cluelessness. Deri, you should be ashamed to defend the defenseless like ur Jona. Even past zombie leaders of the Nigerian military class were more articulate, intelligent and professional than our Phd Presido. U keep drawing wrong analogy, deviating from the subject matters. Please reply tundemesh on one of the numerous questions he puts forward to u.
tundemess stop messing around with our thoughts here
Submitted by deri (not verified) on February 22, 2012 - 18:28.
Your thinking faculties are in line with dis fake writer who attempted to twist our brains by using a variety of captions for the same article. Yet want to teach us about the lack of intergrity of leaders. When he cannot vouch for his own name in public. Perhaps because of the stain on it.What I said was that Einsten was never given a chance to excel while in school. As a matter of fact, his teachers advised his parents to ask him to drop out of school and go learn a trade. The same way u call GEJ a dumb, ogogoro consuming nitwit today. Yet the same man whom you describe as a fool from the creeks-was able to beat Buhari, Atiku, drags like ribadu, bakare to emerge presido of the FRN. If that feat achieved by a man who had no shoes on and had to foot-run to class daily, not worth emulating or celebrating, then I dont know what achievement means in your dictonary. Late Chief Gani was one of the greatest minds to contest elections in 9ja-yet failed to win a seat in his home-state.cheers
@Deri: U compared Einsten with Jonathan? Ogogoro mind .
Submitted by tundemash (not verified) on February 22, 2012 - 16:01.
Comparing Einstein with Dumbo Jonathan is the height of stupidity.
I never knew ogogoro was this destructive .
@TUNDEMESS 2 be deported-cries for help from his hideout-
Submitted by deri (not verified) on February 22, 2012 - 10:04.
@tundemess-blame the writer of the article for not properly thinking through the statement credited to the president before rushing to the press with his article-again I will plead with you to re-read my last 2 post--concerning the assertions made by GEJ on SURE. Aware SURE was built around the pump price of petrol being pegged 141-per gallon-but its now 97--so all the president said was that there sure has to be some adjustments made-based on the reality of the situation on ground--according to him --(There is …..percentage increase, so this needs to be adjusted.“I don’t want this thing to be distributed. It will give a wrong impression when we said that Jonathan you promise this what have you done, we are working on a new document based on the reality) So why should the writer now come up with notion that the idea behind SURE has been discarded by the president? Tell yr pals to stop publishing all these misinformation for the consumption of gullible news hungry 9jas.
@Deri: Stop getting lunatic each time Dumbo JO is being scrutini
Submitted by tundemash (not verified) on February 22, 2012 - 01:10.
@Deri
Stop getting lunatic each time Dumbo JO is being scrutinized.
I simply asked you to confirm if what the author of this article said about the Clueless One discontinuing the so called SURE project is true and you wrote 4 pages of nothing blaming everyone in the universe. You need to see a doctor urgently !
stop spreading lies about the presido---- tundemess--
Submitted by deri (not verified) on February 22, 2012 - 00:03.
Jonathan yesterday stopped distribution of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE) document at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the (PDP). SURE document, which had earlier been distributed to all NEC members, including journalists before the arrival of Mr President, was later retrieved from those who had collected it.“I think as I came in I saw this SURE book being distributed. We are withdrawing it. This is the old one, we develop this with the expectation that we are going to completely deregulate the downstream sector of the oil industry; the 100 percent removal of subsidy. You know we could not achieve that though there is increase in the pump price. There is …..percentage increase, so this needs to be adjusted.“I don’t want this thing to be distributed. It will give a wrong impression when we said that Jonathan you promise this what have you done, we are working on a new document based on the reality.
who said the project has been discarded by GEJ
Submitted by DERI (not verified) on February 21, 2012 - 23:55.
(The Federal Government’s SURE programme has the total projected subsidy reinvestible funds per annum at N1.134 trillion based on average crude oil price of US$90 per barrel.Out of the amount, N478.49 billion accrues to Federal Government, N411.03 billion to State Governments, N203.23 billion to Local Governments, N9.86 billion to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and N31.37 billion as Transfers to Derivation and Ecology, Development of Natural Resources and Stabilization Funds.
The SURE programme focuses on utilization of Federal Government’s share of the subsidy on Social Safety Nets, Niger Delta Development Project, Road Infrastructural Projects, Rail Transport Projects, Water and Agriculture Projects, Selected Power Projects, Petroleum/NNPC Projects and ICT Projects)
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Lucifer aka Tundemess wanted regime change but God said Nay
Submitted by deri (not verified) on February 21, 2012 - 21:54.
Einstein who gave us the theory of relativity, was told by his teachers and folks that, there was no hope of him ever making it in life. Same as shoeless GEJ who became 9jas presido in spite of the odds against him. Sure as hell that, your article can only be likened unto the views expressed by an Algerian writer, Mr. A Camus, who said (people hasten to judge others in order for them not to be judged themselves) The security situation in 9ja, is the same as OBJ left it 4 Yara Adua. It was Harry Truman, who once said, (You know its easy for the Monday morning quaterbacks to say all sorts of things about a team or the mistakes the coach made. And things that he should have done better after the game is over) But when put him in the same seat as the coach, u see them fumble, fume and fret like rats dumped in the acid waters of our smelly conscience!Tundemess! Any law in 9ja which says SURE cannot be fine tuned? To suit the needs of our ever expanding society? Cheers!
tundemess and coach bakare back in aso rock 2 launch sure
Submitted by deri (not verified) on February 21, 2012 - 21:50.
Einstein who gave us the theory of relativity, was told by his teachers and folks that, there was no hope of him ever making it in life. Same as shoeless GEJ who became 9jas presido in spite of the odds against him in 9ja. Sure as hell that, your article can only be likened unto the views expressed by an Algerian writer, Mr. A Camus, who said (people hasten to judge others in order for them not to be judged themselves) The security situation in 9ja, is the same as OBJ left it 4 Yara Adua. It was Harry Truman, who once said, (You know its easy for the Monday morning quaterbacks to say all sorts of things about a team or the mistakes the coach made. And things that he should have done better after the game is over) But when put him in the same seat as the coach, u see them fumble, fume and fret like rats dumped in the acid waters of our smelly conscience!Tundemess! Any law in 9ja which says SURE cannot be fine tuned? To suit the needs of our ever expanding society? Cheers!
@Tundemess and his monday quarter backs are back with Buhari!
Submitted by deri (not verified) on February 21, 2012 - 21:47.
Einstein who gave us the theory of relativity, was told by his teachers that, there was no hope of him ever making it in life. Same as shoeless GEJ who became 9jas presido in spite of the odds against him in 9ja. Sure as hell that, your article can only be likened unto the views expressed by an Algerian writer, Mr. A Camus, who said (people hasten to judge others in order for them not to be judged themselves) The security situation in 9ja, is the same as OBJ left it 4 Yara Adua. It was Harry Truman, who once said, (You know its easy for the Monday morning quaterbacks to say all sorts of things about a team or the mistakes the coach made. And things that he should have done better after the game is over) But when put him in the same seat as the coach, u see them fumble, fume and fret like rats dumped in the acid waters of our smelly conscience!Tundemess! Any law in 9ja which says SURE cannot be fine tuned? To suit the needs of our ever expanding society? Cheers!
@Deri: If SURE is not feasible, what would be feasible b4 Jo lea
Submitted by tundemash (not verified) on February 21, 2012 - 19:06.
@Deri and other sycophants
Is it true that on Monday February 20, 2012, the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan said “the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment programme promised by his administration was no longer realistic”.
Is it true that The President said SURE was hurriedly conceptualized in January on the heels of the nationwide protest against the removal of the fuel subsidy.
Is it true that Dr. Jonathan further stated that the implementation was no longer feasible since the zero-subsidy policy planned by his administration was not being implemented.
If this is true, Jonathan ought to be stoned even by his sycohants. It is not up to 60 days he promised heaven on earth and now it is not feasible ! So what exactly is feasible before his term is complete ?
@Deri: If SURE is not feasible, what would be feasible b4 Jo lea
Submitted by tundemash (not verified) on February 21, 2012 - 19:06.
@Deri and other sycophants
Is it true that on Monday February 20, 2012, the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan said “the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment programme promised by his administration was no longer realistic”.
Is it true that The President said SURE was hurriedly conceptualized in January on the heels of the nationwide protest against the removal of the fuel subsidy.
Is it true that Dr. Jonathan further stated that the implementation was no longer feasible since the zero-subsidy policy planned by his administration was not being implemented.
If this is true, Jonathan ought to be stoned even by his sycohants. It is not up to 60 days he promised heaven on earth and now it is not feasible ! So what exactly is feasible before his term is complete ?
