Let me first proclaim that there is nothing synonymous with transformation in President Jonathan’s tenure elongation bill or plan, absolutely nothing. President Jonathan has chosen to walk through the most dangerous path at a time the nation is waged between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Let me first proclaim that there is nothing synonymous with transformation in President Jonathan’s tenure elongation bill or plan, absolutely nothing. President Jonathan has chosen to walk through the most dangerous path at a time the nation is waged between the devil and the deep blue sea.
At a time suspicions, ethnicity, religion and political instability happens to be the order of the day, no thanks to President Jonathan who for his own good, discarded his party constitution and contested an election his party originally zoned to the north without bait. Being a non-PDP member, I had no business with the party internal arrangement was my take when the issue was first brought up for discussion but immediately their arrangement became a national issue, I declared that zoning was not a national consensus, thus shouldn’t be discussed.
How was I supposed to know that President Jonathan spoke more with his
body than with his mouth? The proposed whatever tenure for the President, Governors and members of the National Assembly is by far the worst political calculation any president of Goodluck Jonathan’s calibre would ever attempt to undertake.
Let me first make clear that Goodluck should not try to overstretch his ‘goodluck’ by assuming the magic strokes that got him to Aso Rock would always work in his favour. This is Nigeria and these are Nigerians where one's luck cannot become a pain in the flesh of our people, thus, Goodluck Ebele must be warned!
If this transformation is what he intends to bring about, let him know we are not in a hurry, he has to first, carefully guide us through a difficult period of turmoil and can go down as a revered national hero in the annals of Nigerian history if he manages to brighten the gloom.
Nigeria has seen enough dark days to know that some low currents are better put off completely before it triggers colossal damage. Of what benefit is the proposed tenure elongation bill and how is it going to serve the commonman’s interest?
In fact if there should be any plan to amend the constitution, the
four year tenure ought to be slashed to a two year term with possibility for re-election, making a total of four years. Since it’s true to say that our elected officials are never pretending to be serving the interest of the people that elected them. It would be easier for us (the people) to send them packing when they come back after two years to seek re-election than the current long and in most times exhausting four years regime. Let it be clear that any Governor or President who couldn’t achieve 40% of his mission in 2years has no business coming to government, because it would be assume he/she had done his/her work properly before contesting.
Had President Goodluck been thinking ‘transformatively’ he would have focused on sending a bill to expunge ‘Immunity Clause’ from the constitution and also champion the move for devolution of power and bring governance closer to the most venerable. Ebere would have had his hands filled if he decides to (together with citizens) engage the money minded National Assembly and force them to promulgate a law for part-time legislators, this would save nation huge funds.
It appears that Goodluck Jonathan is really idle man who does not know what to do with his time or has he started daydreaming? Is the proposed constitutional amendment so important that without it Lagos-Benin, Apapa-Oshodi, Lagos- Ibadan, South-Eastern roads and others across the country sending our people to their early grave cannot be fixed?
Or does the present constitution prevent Jonathan’s transformation agenda from manifesting in our hospitals to save our dying mothers, children and those who have no reason to be hospitalised? Can Jonathan and his team not provide them with adequate medical care in a salubrious environment, sufficient drugs under the existing national health insurance scheme? Clean water etc?
Are those not supposed to be more important to Jonathan who cannot successfully defend his 17 months in office, rather than be chasing a divisive agenda, he should have concentrated on doing the work he was elected to do, whilst the rest of us look forward to 2015 when we will send him back to where he rightfully belong.
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Let it be said here that this goose chase and kiddies fancy of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will be resisted by all lovers of democracy. He should go and enquire from his godfather Obansajo and his mentor Yaradua why the people prevailed against their satanic plans to rule by all cost and means.
For Nigerians to consider discussing this midnight proposal, President Jonathan should publicly declare that he will not stand for 2015 election regardless, even if he was begged by the gods to contest. Until then we may start discussing the merits of the bill. The mere saying that the law will take effects in 2015 is a political statement, we need him to come clean this time. However as things stands now, he is on his own.
Cjiduwah [at] ymail.com
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