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The Leopard And Its Spots By Fr. Emmanuel Ogundele

September 7, 2012

Only recently, President Jonathan promised Nigerians that his administration will put on a new face in 2013. We are pretty lucky to know that this is the magic year when his government will begin to act like one that has anything worthwhile to offer Nigerians. I had thought to myself that it may well be that the man thought he was still campaigning to be president again and so must make promises to earn out votes. Could anyone please remind him that his administration is over a year old? Sadly, nothing has improved. 

Only recently, President Jonathan promised Nigerians that his administration will put on a new face in 2013. We are pretty lucky to know that this is the magic year when his government will begin to act like one that has anything worthwhile to offer Nigerians. I had thought to myself that it may well be that the man thought he was still campaigning to be president again and so must make promises to earn out votes. Could anyone please remind him that his administration is over a year old? Sadly, nothing has improved. 

We are still paying billions of dollars for darkness courtesy of PHCN. Corruption has become the only face of government at every level and those who steal our commonwealth are having a field day. Poverty is rearing its ugly head more than ever before. Unemployment, robbery, kidnapping, bad roads are still apparent realities to every Nigerian. With these and many more, I still wonder if there is anything he will do to upset the present order in 2013. The president should know that party time is over and the days of telling us he had “no shoes and no this or that” to arouse our emotions are simply over. It is time for work and serious work at that.   There is one thing I have discovered lazy and inept leaders: procrastination. I do not know if the president is aware that 2013 is only a few months away.  Of course, by 2013, he will surely make another promise that come 2014 when Nigeria will be a hundred years old, his great dream for Nigeria will be realized.  It is purely delusional that the president is pointing to years and months ahead when his electoral promises will be fulfilled. This is bearing in mind that he has not lifted a finger to do anything remarkably different to turn our country away from the path of peril and perdition on which it has been unfortunately placed by many years of bad leadership.  I have scant sympathies for those who seek leadership positions because in my own thinking, if you seek to lead, you must adjudge yourself ready to do it and if you get there and discover you cannot meet the demands of office, the right thing to do is to resign. It is as simple as that.   My contention is that you do not need even a year to make a positive impact on a nation that is crying out for good leadership and direction. You only need to take some right steps and people will unmistakably know the orientation of your government. It is highly unlikely that a weak president who is a product of corruption will be prepared to fight corruption headlong.  I dare to say, any president who is not prepared to fight corruption to a standstill cannot put Nigeria on the forward path. Corruption remains Nigeria’s public enemy No.1 and whoever wants to lead must not have had his hands soiled in the muddy waters of corruption otherwise his government will not even fly.   I therefore see the promise of service delivery and a brand new government come 2013 as another ruse, grand deception to a wearied people who have had enough of unfulfilled promises and therefore have lost confidence in their leaders because they are serial liars. The truth of the matter is that Jonathan and his administration have no fangs to bear. I do not and cannot imagine the president changing the direction of his administration to favour the masses of our people in 2013. Honestly, it’s a story meant to be told to the marines. If at all he has anything serious to do, he must start now. He must first of all declare his assets publicly and return any ill-gotten money to the purse of the Federal government then he can embark upon the journey of cleansing Nigeria of its worst enemy: Corruption. I hardly think our dear president would want to try this near-suicidal advice.    The journey to save Nigeria will only begin when we have the right leader who has his eyes on the right goals of harnessing the resources of the nation for the good of the people. Such a leader must be ready to do battle with the forces of retrogression and corrupt elements who have kept our country captive since independence. He must lead by example and must be ready to be a martyr. When that leader will emerge from any source, we shall know that the time has come. Until then, we can only wait for the doomsday that may thrust itself upon us if nothing is done to move Nigeria away from the present path of destruction it is sailing with the scary consequences. The president should please spare us the trouble of telling us what he wants to do, he knows what to do and should start doing it without delay. Can the leopard ever change its spots? I don’t think so. I think at the end of his tenure, he would be seen as a president who came, saw and refused to conquer. We have had enough of promises, only the right actions can save Nigeria.    Fr. Emmanuel Ogundele is with the Department of Philosophy, Ss. Peter and Paul Seminary, Bodija, Ibadan.  

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