Nigeria: Jonathan, step up to the lectern

They should show up

Sometimes all you just want is for people to show up and stop fobbing us off with platitudes, legalities and technicalities. With the recently conducted NN24 Vice-Presidential Debates [1] which had the incumbent Vice-President conspicuously absent, the ruling party gave up a rather unique opportunity to participate in a very vibrant exchange of ideas and views whilst appealing to the electorate.

One is quite saddened that the hubris of incumbency tends to overtake the better judgement of people who having been elected for office to serve the people suddenly think their political gains have placed then in the stratosphere of demigods only to be lauded at rallies but never questioned on their views, ideas and plans for the nation.

In an ideal setting one would expect that incumbents to take every opportunity to prove that they should be retained and show that their opposition might not be up to the job, the quality of the debate appears to have forced the incumbents to reconsider but not commit.

Nigerians deserve better

It is really not good enough for Nigerians, we will not allow our intelligence to be insulted with sops of rice and biscuit donations or allow our lives to be endangered by trigger-happy security personnel who are clueless about good crowd control in the quest to show that politicians can draw multitudes to their supine feasts of megalomania and unwarranted adulation of those who need their bellies filled.

Nigeria needs heads, it needs brains, it needs competence, and it needs articulation in the forum of ideas that should be tested by probing questions and answers that would pass a greater standard of ability than sound bite, rhetoric or carping.

Step up or get out

Each time the President and his running mate stalls on committing to the contemporary requirements of intelligent scrutiny they become less eligible for consideration at the polls nor are they people who should represent us for one more day after the elections.

We should insinuate all we must and definitely challenge them at any forum we can, the case is simple; if Goodluck Jonathan and Namadi Sambo would not appear at the next planned presidential debate that their opponents without the luxury of incumbency subscribe to but have the clout to be recognised as worthy contenders, the incumbents have no business campaigning for votes.

The time has come for people who aim to lead Nigeria to make themselves available to forums where they can be assessed for what they bring to the table considering the future of Nigeria.

Step up to the lectern or get out of the race.

Sources

[1] Watch the Nigerian Vice Presidential Debate hosted by NN24 [Videos] | Celebrating Progress Africa

» Jonathan, Sambo ready for debate – Aide - Vanguard (Nigeria)

234Next.com | Jonathan may shun presidential debate

Nigeria: Presidency seeks the nth opinion

The captain needs crew

Steering the ship of state called Nigeria can be an arduous task and one should not begrudge a president the availability of human resources and more to concentrate on that job so as to perform to the best of his ability and hopefully for the best of Nigerians the dispatch of this responsibility.

The reference article from AllAfrica.com might soon be archived and hence, I take the liberty to quote extensively from it for record purposes in this blog to ensure that the context is maintained.

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Jonathan Appoints Danjuma, Anyaoku Into Policy Committee

Soon after President Goodluck Jonathan took office as Acting President, he appointed a Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) [1] which was formed to “provide alternative inputs into policy formation; promote good governance in the areas of power, economy, security, infrastructure, social sector, the electoral process and the fight against corruption … It will evaluate policy implementation and advise Jonathan on areas requiring adjustments.”

“The council will also advise the Acting President on how to maximize the benefits derivable from government's efforts; advise on such actions and programmes that may improve credibility and performance of the government; and advise on any other matter referred to it.”

The PAC packed with expertise

The council was headed by Lt. General Theophilus Danjuma (Rtd.) and constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze as deputy with the other members being a “former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Alfa Belgore, former Secretary-General of Commonwealth Emeka Anyaoku, former Inspector-General of Police M.D. Yusuf, former Minister of Science and Productivity Bartholomew Nnaji, pioneer Managing Director (MD) of Guaranty Trust Bank Fola Adeola {recently selected as a Presidential Running mate of a rival aspirant}, Mallam Abubakar Gimba, ex-Shell MD Basil Omiyi and Ambassador G. B. Preware.”

“Others include Chairman, National Economic Summit Group Sam Ohuabunwa, ex-MD of FSB International Bank, Mallam Muhammed Hayatuddeen, former Deputy Speaker Chibudom Nwuche, former Justice Minister and Attorney-General of the Federation Kanu Agabi and President of Africa Business Roundtable and former Minister of Industry Bamanga Tukur, former Mtel Chairman Hajiya Halita Aliyu, Chairman, Allied Energy Kase Lawal, Alhaji Ismaila Isa, Alhaji Magaji Danbatta, Prof. B. G. Bajoga, Dr. (Mrs) Sally Bolujoko and Mrs. Mariam Uwais are also members of the committee.”

The Nigerians called to service to advice the president on this council could not be faulted for their wealth of experience in governance, law, business, academia and international relations; they represented a broad cross-section of advice made available to a neophyte President who could do with all the guidance he could get.

The PAC belittled

The PAC recently produced a report that criticised the size of government and the need to trim down ministries and presidential aides to which an unnamed source within the presidency has responded saying, “that the Danjuma group is made up of people who do not understand the workings of government.”

The source further stressing that, “Danjuma and his people have become infamous because of the report. To them, the group does not understand issues like national character or the constitutional provision for the engagement of assistants.”

Having now been in office for over a year, it would be sad to conclude that power is already having a corrupting influence on this accidental president such that hubris is clouding his judgement that he feels that the PAC have no idea of what they are talking about.

The constituents of the PAC seem to be people of greatly independent means and they could easily have been gainfully employed in other activities than to have their counsel belittled because they have refused to play sycophant or genuflect to the Presidency by rubberstamping all actions especially where it appears the National Assembly has abdicated their responsibilities for oversight and moderation of the powers of the executive arm of government.

The Court of Goodluck the First

No limit has been placed on the number of advisers the Presidency can employ but that does not mean that there should be a race to break records for the numbers that can be engaged to prop up the office and offer it a mystique of distance and unapproachability due to courtiers exuding self-importance that comes with closeness to power.

The Presidency now has 133 aides [2] in hierarchies of duplicated functions with that atrocious setup that allows the First Lady to have two protocol officers and the aristocratic luxury of ladies-in-waiting; who being a Dame of dubious provenance has become Nigeria’s equivalent of Marie Antoinette.

Too many advisors hamper decisiveness

It is utterly absurd that there are six physicians to cater for the health of the President, his wife and the vice-President, all of them in their different cadres of seniority might introduce a confusion of diagnosis where normally people might be satisfied with a second opinion; the possibility of an nth opinion in critical matters might stifle decisiveness, thoroughness and agreement leading to complications and poor treatment of assessed situations.

Insult is added to injury with a Senegalese and Malian tailor on hand to make the President’s clothes and other personal assistance with grandiose titles that include special assistants on presidential household matters, domestic affairs, domestic matters, household administration, social events and household matters.

Why matters should differ from affairs escapes me but there must be some reason behind the madness and the semantics that create the differentiation between the roles that allows for the abuse of office that engenders a Presidency that has suddenly come into power and is at risk of intoxication redolent of absolute monarchies of old.

Not needed better heeded

The First Lady does not need her coterie of genuflectors just as the President cannot suggest that the presence of these acquiescent followers at best and entourage of fawning backscratching groupies at worst makes him more effective at being the best President Nigeria ever had.

Their presence risks distracting from the business of government as the elixir of megalomania is fed the President appealing to his vanity through adulation, toadying and mastery of grovelling for attention and self-promotion and selfish interest.

The President might well heed the good advice of the PAC, they have nothing to gain or lose from giving him good counsel; so rather than castigate the PAC, the truth is some excess load needs to be shed allowing for refinement and quality before the making of the Court of Goodluck the First becomes the finest parody out of Nollywood.

Sources

[1] allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Jonathan Appoints Danjuma, Anyaoku Into Policy Committee

[2] 234Next.com | President Jonathan's 133 aides

Nigeria: Jonathan is the surprise for 2011

All done everywhere but here

It is a common saying that a week a long time in politics, strangely, we have had elections called in the Netherlands since February, during that time the UK has called elections, voted, cobbled together a coalition and gotten on with the business of government.

In Nigeria, our unseen President departed to the great beyond and the Acting President became substantive President during which time he has chosen a new cabinet, relieved the electoral commission chairman of his position before his tenure ended and has tapped an unknown governor as his deputy.

Meanwhile, the Dutch campaign continues without a squeak to have the vote in June – my other two countries of affiliation have moved on swiftly out of uncertainty into a sense of determined resolve.

Lined up for 2011

I am taking the liberty to speculate, if not prognosticate observing the situation that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the President of Nigeria is playing one of the smartest games I have ever seen in the black mamba infested pit of Nigerian politics.

An aide of the President suggested and then recanted that Jonathan would run for president in 2011, I think that is a great possibility as he wades through the flux of Nigerian politics literally unscathed.

I would suggest that though Jonathan as vice-president seemed to be sidelined and ignored, he appears to have been a very good understudy for the position he reckoned would soon be his, those who failed to cultivate a respectable and healthy relationship with him have now found themselves on the outside without influence or input.

The ruling party in disarray

The ruling party has been in disarray for quite a while and the President has deftly decided he would not allow that rowdy mob to dictate the agenda, the council of governors who have consistently been derelict in performing their duties but interfering in federal matters have found that they are a gaggle of cacophonic busy-bodies who are continually finding their clamour falling on deaf ears.

The chairman of the ruling party has been fighting battles to save his reputation having been arraigned on charges of corruption; in an unprecedented Nigerian development he has tendered his resignation and the squabbles for influence would move to filling in that post, the person holding the best cards now being the President.

A learner needs time for 2015

Having chosen an unknown governor, Namadi Sambo, from the Northern state of Kaduna who is an architect but was never in the list of people being promoted by those who think they still have influence in the party, which are the governors, the ex-president and some ex-generals; they have all been outmanoeuvred with a resolution that defines Dr. Jonathan as a very capable and dab hand at politics.

I would contend that this vice-president does not have the experience, clout or ability to run for office in 2011, it would however be difficult to ditch him for someone else to run for president such that the only choice would be to keep Jonathan in post for the 2011 elections and then consider the vice-president for that post in 2015.

This man is good

This tears up that outrageous zoning system that ruling party adopted and hopefully they would defer to having the best person run for president rather than engineer some rotten agreement to foist another sick man or sick head on the people.

There is a possibility that Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan would end up being the best civilian president we ever had and everything seems to be falling in place for his good luck to extrapolate to the whole fabric of the Nigerian entity – he needs the time to make things work and for that reason, though the machinery of the ruling party is a nasty vehicle, it is the most affordable transport we have for ensuring we retain a good man at the reins of power.

I think with reference to all other blogs I have written on Jonathan's tactics, this is just a matter of course in the light of things we can see, one should expect no great surprises, the President is the surprise.

Sources

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Obasanjo, Danjuma Clash over Jonathan's VP

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: 2011 - Should Jonathan Run Or Not?

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Ogbulafor Resigns

234Next.com | ANALYSIS: PDP not involved in the appointment of Vice President

Nigeria: Can Jonathan have your support now? [akin.blog-city.com]