THAT GOODLUCK MAY BECOME "GOOD NEWS

…But it is hard to see how this nation can progress unless we have an administration with an “interimist” mind-set. As we said in “Why Jonathan Should Not Run” last week, flawed elections have been one of Nigeria’s major problems. This, we situated in the fact that those who have the duty and power to conduct elections invariably become interested parties, and brazenly employ all the leverages they have in favour of themselves or their chosen successors and to the disadvantage of the opponents. It is precisely for this reason that we suggested that Dr Jonathan should free himself from all such temptations and encumbrances by not running in the forthcoming elections. That “interimist” approach will stand him head and shoulder above the general run of self-serving politicians who dominate our national space.

Dr Tunji Braithwaite is a man of great conviction. An activist lawyer of several decades standing, he was a political activist who became a politician and presidential candidate, but retired to political activism about a year ago. You may not always agree with him, but you can never fault the patriotism and consistency. He does not whisper his convictions; nor is he ever afraid to stand alone on such convictions.

I have only just read the full text of a statement made to the press by this great man about two weeks ago. Speaking on the platform of the Nigeria Intervention Group (NIG), He reiterated his earlier call for an Interim Administration to conduct the forthcoming elections.

Rationalising his call, he described the process that brought Dr Goodluck Jonathan to office as Acting President as one of “hook and crook, willy-nilly,” contrived by a “parliament, comprising largely of unelected legislators’” and therefore, “illegal and self-serving” and which “has only exacerbated Nigeria’s National woes.”

He stated that the “administration of Nigeria under Jonathan’s Acting Presidency can never lay the proper foundation for a peaceful, strong and harmonised democratic federation” because, among other reasons, “the PDP government has corruptly appropriated all levers of power in the country to ensure that democracy and due process remain a mirage. Their avowed policy is to run a government of exclusion – a policy that impoverishes the Nigerian people in their homeland and is insensitive to their plight...”

Continuing, “The No. 1 challenge in Nigeria today is not lack of energy or power, it is CORRUPTION… We say without any fear of contradiction, ‘tackle vigorously, if you can, the monster of corruption, and there will be uninterrupted flow of electricity to homes industries and streets throughout the length and breadth of Nigeria’…So much looting by identifiable persons in the country has gone on for too long, the country is almost drained dry. Apart from the general insecurity in the land, there is anarchy and mayhem. The recurrent slaughter of hundreds of Nigerians in some parts of the country – Jos, Bauchi, Borno State – does not seem to impinge on the conscience of the impostors in government…Well, all these trouble us greatly, as it is beyond this corrupt administration to address these national tragedies…There is also the major problem of constitutional review to take care of weighty matters, as the decentralisation of power and its devolution to the ethnic nationalities in a truly Federal Republic for a rapid and blanket development of the entire nation-state.”
He declared: “All these and more are the imperatives of our proposal for an immediate Interim Administration for Nigeria if we are to avoid terrible anguish of an unpredictable calamity for this nation.”



Now, one may argue about the feasibility of an interim administration, given the challenges of constitutionality that it will pose. And you can be sure that were the Acting President to be willing to consider it, there would be no shortage of litigants to urge the courts to declare any such move as ultra vires the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But it is hard to see how this nation can progress unless we have an administration with an “interimist” mind-set. As we said in “Why Jonathan Should Not Run” last week, flawed elections have been one of Nigeria’s major problems. This, we situated in the fact that those who have the duty and power to conduct elections invariably become interested parties, and brazenly employ all the leverages they have in favour of themselves or their chosen successors and to the disadvantage of the opponents. It is precisely for this reason that we suggested that Dr Jonathan should free himself from all such temptations and encumbrances by not running in the forthcoming elections. That “interimist” approach will stand him head and shoulder above the general run of self-serving politicians who dominate our national space.

Another major issue raised by Braithwaite’s group has to do with Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the widely speculated plan by Jonathan to appoint him as a Special Adviser on Anti-Corruption. Dr Braithwaite said to the press: “…it is reported that Jonathan intends or has nominated Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the former Chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission as his Special Advisor on corruption, and that all charges against him are being or have been dropped. Now, if such reports were true, we ask whose interests is Jonathan serving? Besides all else, we know that Nuhu Ribadu during his fugitive sojourn abroad had the ears of some foreign governments. Is Ribadu now being made an advisor to Jonathan to satisfy foreign governments? We sincerely hope not. Such an appointment is condemnable on another ground. Is the current leadership of the EFCC who have been meticulously prosecuting big-time criminals, even in the face of stiff resistance, sometime at the risk of their lives – now to come under Ribadu? Someone, who was a fugitive from the law, who is behind all these?

If you’ve been a reader of KINGDOM Perspective for a while, you are most probably familiar with my stand on Ribadu. In addition to the points made by Braithwaite, I am fully persuaded that Ribadu, no matter his successes, was a willing tool of intimidation in the hands of his vindictive boss. He was a propagandist against corruption rather than a substantial fighter of the cancer. He knew how to play on our emotions (in some cases tending to sadism) as victims of corruption, through Gestapo-style humiliation of accused persons, and tokenist show trials, while protecting his boss and those who, for the time being, are in his boss’ good books.
When Braithwaite asked the question, “who is behind all these”, the answer is obvious. It’s got to be the same man who found Ribadu malleable when he was in charge…who understands the power of a malleable anti-corruption czar in the cowing and elimination of potential opponents and who is probably in the vanguard of prompting Jonathan to run. It is the same man, who considers Nigeria his personal estate to run as he likes… who thought he had a surrogate in Yar’Adua and who now sees the current situation as his chance to take back his estate.

Dear Dr Jonathan, remember the scripture we quoted here last week: all power belong to God; He gives it to whom He wills and when He wills it. Please listen for His voice; His voice only. Then you’ll be remembered, beyond good luck, as Good News.

WHY GOODLUCK JONATHAN SHOULD NOT RUN

I have refreshed your memory to paint a picture of what people do to come to power or hold on to it, even if peripherally. And how, once tasted, the longing for it never ends. Those around President Yar’Adua don’t give a fig about what becomes of Nigeria, for as long as power remains within their purview. The same goes for certain elements in the North in the campaign against Jonathan’s acting presidency. The Jonathan group also has its fair share of power-hungry people. It is obviously the jostle for power and position that has kept the mega party project on the drawing board for this long, though it’s the group that I belong, at heart. The least said about Atiku and IBB, the better. Yet, the Bible is clear about the one and only source and sustainer of power: “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongs unto God (Psalm 62:11). And I wonder beyond consulting with themselves and the sycophants around them, do these people in, around, or seeking power ever bother about the God-angle? In other words, where is God in all of these hustling and scheming and manoeuvring?

We live in interesting times, in Nigeria. The months since November 26, when President Umar Yar’Adua disappeared from public view, have been particularly dramatic. We have treated to, as has already been noted, theatre of the absurd which has the potential of running interminably, unless something gives.

Replay some of the scenes in your head, if you will. A president, mortal as they come, falls sick and he’s flown abroad for treatment - like they do everyone who is rich or powerfully connected. His ailment was promptly diagnosed and announced to the public, as is the convention where public figures are concerned. And then, black-out. Predictably, the rumour mill set to work churning out unsubstantiated information. “Now, he’s alive; no, he’s not. Yes, he’s brain damaged; no he’s recovering.” In the midst of all of that, the president reportedly returned to the country in a air ambulance, was transferred into a land ambulance taken to his official residence where rumours had it, a special “ward” had been prepared for him.

For weeks thereafter he remained out of sight and incommunicado. Then reports started filtering through: “he is recovering fast; he played squash with this person or was it tennis.” Once it was reported that his convoy was seen driving round the villa grounds, as if to remind people that he was still alive and well. Then two weeks ago, he was said to have started receiving visitors. First, it was a team of mullahs who reportedly prayed with him, shook his hands, but had to fall back on their lip-reading prowess to communicate with him. Some Christian clerics followed. As we noted here last time, this command performance is in high demand, though it seems to have gone abruptly into recess.

Of course, other dramatic scenes were also playing side-by-side those. There were the many court scenes featuring some activists and groups including the Bar Association on one side, and a certain Senior Advocate of Nigeria who held the office of Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Michael Andoakaa on the other. Justice Dan Abutu was the arbiter who was, at least in these matters, a kind of soul-mate to the AG, handing him and those on his side of the argument one victory after another.

Then, there were the street scenes and the upsurge of eminent persons urging that the ship of state be not grounded because of the illness of one man who couldn’t or wouldn’t hand over power to his deputy and was constitutionally or at least conventional required. Recall how that the Senate had to unearth a so-called doctrine of necessity to resolve the problem and finally have Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan recognised as Acting President.



As I write this, Jonathan is in the United States officially to attend a nuclear summit. But, he has had the opportunity to articulate his vision for what might be the briefest civilian tenure in the history of Nigeria. He wants electoral reform; he wants to conduct free and fair election. This latter one he says will require him to drop the election commission boss, Maurice Iwu, who he says, has a credibility problem that’s more of perception than reality. He also wants to draw up a comprehensive power programme which he will begin to implement within the time available to him. But, analysts also conjecture that Jonathan would use the trip to test his international acceptability. This must be why he was not categorical about whether he would run in the forthcoming election or not – which, of course, is within his rights. I shall come back to this presently.

The epic drama of course has other sub-plots, which of course would be upgraded as the months go by. A mega party was being formed. Professor Pat Utomi says it will be known as Social Democratic Mega Party (SDP) and be inaugurated by end-April. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has all but returned to the Peoples Democratic Party, in obedience, he says, to the wishes of his people. And, of course, the self-styled evil genius, General Ibrahim Babangida has thrown his hat in the ring for the 2011 presidential election. And for good measure, he has let it be known that he’s not depending solely on PDP to actualise his dream.

Now, have I done all this review to fill space? Not on your life! I have refreshed your memory to paint a picture of what people do to come to power or hold on to it, even if peripherally. And how, once tasted, the longing for it never ends. Those around President Yar’Adua don’t give a fig about what becomes of Nigeria, for as long as power remains within their purview. The same goes for certain elements in the North in the campaign against Jonathan’s acting presidency. The Jonathan group also has its fair share of power-hungry people. It is obviously the jostle for power and position that has kept the mega party project on the drawing board for this long, though it’s the group that I belong, at heart. The least said about Atiku and IBB, the better.

Yet, the Bible is clear about the one and only source and sustainer of power: “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongs unto God (Psalm 62:11). And I wonder beyond consulting with themselves and the sycophants around them, do these people in, around, or seeking power ever bother about the God-angle? In other words, where is God in all of these hustling and scheming and manoeuvring?

Now back to Acting President Jonathan. The history of our nation is replete with failed elections because elections have been conducted and supervised by people who are either running or have personal interest in certain candidates in the election they are handling. What the nation needs therefore is the opposite. Jonathan can be that man, if he disqualifies himself from the 2011 presidential race. In fact, I strongly believe that he is in office in the current political circumstances exactly for that God-ordained purpose. If he does that and concentrate on having a man in Aso Villa truly elected by the people, a grateful nation will someday bring him back. And even if he is not brought back, he would then, like we once said to Yar’Adua, not be Nigeria’s longest serving president, but he would be our greatest, yet.

NOW SHOWING AT ASO VILLA THEATRE…

“Like “Weeping Generals”, “Presidential Prisoner” is showing to a select audience in a series of premieres. First to view the spectacular show is a group of mullahs, one of whom was generous enough to tell the story line to the international media. This, according to media reports, was followed by a team of Christian clerics, who, unlike the mullahs, have not been as generous in their reportage. I understand that leaders of the ruling party, The Peoples Democratic Party, led by chairman Ogbulafor, have also taken their turn. As I write this, it wasn’t clear which group is next, but I understand that advance bookings for this special show are rolling in very fast from across the nation and perhaps internationally. Of the groups, only Soyinka has gone public on behalf of traditional religionists. He might put in a booking for the Association of Seadogs, Nobel Laureates Group and many more. So, I might as well stand up for my own constituency too - the Council of Men’s Ministries of Nigeria. We promise to be as generous or not, as we might be debriefed to do at the viewing!”

Story, story? Story!!! Not so far away and not so long ago, there was a king. His name was Sain Batcha. He loved dark glasses. Many say, he used the glasses to shield away an even darker heart, though all appearances tended to indicate otherwise. Behind those glasses, those who know said, was a handsome face with a boyish grin. He loved life, you know, the wine, women and song variety. He was democratic in his own peculiar way. He, some analysts recall, democratized corruption, in that he embraced what is known in his part of the world as “you chop I chop.” He also liberalized the use of violence, such that those who styled themselves as activists or refuse to do the will of the king and/or any of his courtiers risked being bumped off at anytime, whether they be a pretty billionaire’s wife seeking to actualize their husband’s electoral mandate, or a rich old man meddling in politics.

But, one of the least remembered of his achievements was his highly successful foray into movie making! Till today, I cannot understand why the flick he scripted, directed and produced with a lot of help from his chief of security, failed to make it to Cannes or get nominated for an Oscar. Yet “Weeping Generals” also known as “Phantom Coup” was watched by the crème de la crème of Nigerian society, crowned bedecked monarchs in oversized “babanriga” not exempted. And not one of them failed to testify to how convincing the production was; how true to life; how the actors were geniuses in projecting the characters they acted, and therefore how mercy must triumph over justice if the actors were not to be punished for their excellent interpretation of their roles! Perhaps it’s not yet too late to give the late great producer/director a posthumous award. And they better do quickly, before his legacy is dwarfed and forever forgotten.

If you are wondering what can possibly dwarf such a prodigious work of art, you probably haven’t heard about another production currently running at the same Aso Villa Theatre. It is of course slightly different. The medium is neither celluloid nor video, it is stage! And to make it the most convincing stage production since Professor Dapo Adelugba’s “Langbodo” wowed the world at FESTAC ’77, the play starring none other than President Yar’Adua as “Yar’I-do-or-die” (apologies to Professor Soyinka), the main scene is staged in one of the living rooms of the Presidential wing of the Villa.

Like “Weeping Generals”, “Presidential Prisoner” is showing to a select audience in a series of premieres. First to view the spectacular show is a group of mullahs, one of whom was generous enough to tell the story line to the international media. This, according to media reports, was followed by a team of Christian clerics, who, unlike the mullahs, have not been as generous in their reportage. I understand that leaders of the ruling party, The Peoples Democratic Party, led by chairman Ogbulafor have also taken their turn. As I write this, it wasn’t clear which group is next, but I understand that advance bookings for this special show are rolling in very fast from across the nation and perhaps internationally. Of the groups, only Soyinka has gone public on behalf of traditional religionists. He might put in a booking for the Association of Seadogs, Nobel Laureates Group and many more. So, I might as well stand up for my own constituency too - the Council of Men’s Ministries of Nigeria. We promise to be as generous or not, as we might be debriefed to do at the viewing!

If I know anything about this wonderful nation, peopled by the happiest people in the world, the clamour will reach a crescendo soon! The Association of Witches and Wizards, the Association of Prostitutes and Sex Workers, Ex-Prisoners Fraternity, Kidnappers’ Guild, Militants Forever Club (MFC) will all soon join the fray. God help those vetting the bookings, if they fail to ok those of the last two immediately!

I am laughing at all this theatre of the absurd playing out in this nation, so richly endowed, so fantastically blessed, but so famished of values, morality and good old fear of God! I am laughing at the folly of one woman surrounded by a handful of men who have held an otherwise good man hostage, because he is sick. I am laughing at the antics of people who, having tasted power, have decided that they’ll rather die than part with it! I am laughing at the stupidity of those who mouth godly rhetoric, pray several times daily and thereafter proceed to deny His existence by their every action and omission.

And I am just following in the steps of my Father. For, He laughs and heartily too, says the Bible: “In heaven the Lord laughs as he sits on his throne, making fun of the nations” (Psalm 2:4 CEV). But let’s get that verse in context and see how so very prophetic of the current scenario in our nation. The first six verses of Psalm 2 read: “Why do the nations plot, and why do their people make useless plans? The kings of this earth have all joined together to turn against the Lord and his chosen one. They say, ‘Let's cut the ropes and set ourselves free!’ In heaven the Lord laughs as he sits on his throne, making fun of the nations. The Lord becomes furious and threatens them. His anger terrifies them as he says, ‘I've put my king on Zion, my sacred hill.’"

They gather, they make useless plans, plans they are incapable of actualising, they do not seek the will of God and where they do, they ignore it unless it tallies with their own plans! God laughs first and then acts. When He does, I wonder who of this motley crowd of power-mongers would be standing. Until then, let the nightly drama continue! Can I have my group’s ticket please? Thank you.

RESURRECTION POWER, ALL AROUND!

“Unknown to many, including this writer, the earlier defeat of the Senate Leader Teslim Folami’s motion for an extension of sitting beyond 6pm was to set the tone for one of those subtle divine interventions. Think about it, had the sitting been extended, Bello and his supporters would have had more time to try the patience and civility of the passionate nominee, who was visibly beginning to lose composure. With no choice than to end sitting within minutes, presiding officer, David Mark was able to accommodate only a few safe rebuttals before asking her to take a bow. Yet even this writer condemned the senators as unserious for refusing to sit beyond 6pm! Saved by the bell, you might say, but I see God’s fingerprints all over it. Akunyili’s ministerial prospect was all but dead, but it came alive again.”

You may or not see or see or feel it, but I do. And I am not just talking about resurrection at the personal level, which, for me is incredibly real and is manifesting in ways that even the blind would see - eventually. I am talking about resurrection power in and around us, sending powerful signals of the incontrovertible, if often disputed by the so-called intellectual, presence of the divine in the affairs of nations, including our own.

I’ll give a few seemingly insignificant examples from the just concluded screening of ministerial nominees who, by the time you read this, would have become Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

There were many near death situations which were reversed. Professor Dora Akunyili didn’t make the first list, in spite of the popularity she enjoys as a result of the uncommon courage she exhibited in the process that led us to the current dispensation. And when upon getting on the list she appeared at the Senate, there was that unfortunate encounter between her and Senator Kanti Bello, one that I have characterized at a different forum as between the “beauty and the beast.” Unknown to many, including this writer, the earlier defeat of the Senate Leader Teslim Folami’s motion for an extension of sitting beyond 6pm was to set the tone for one of those subtle divine interventions. Think about it, had the sitting been extended, Bello and his supporters would have had more time to try the patience and civility of the passionate nominee, who was visibly beginning to lose composure. With no choice than to end sitting within minutes, presiding officer, David Mark was able to accommodate only a few safe rebuttals before asking her to take a bow. Yet even this writer condemned the senators as unserious for refusing to sit beyond 6pm! Saved by the bell, you might say, but I see God’s fingerprints all over it. Akunyili’s ministerial prospect was all but dead, but it came alive again.

It you followed the exercise closely; you would also know the cases of Dr Shamsudeen Usman and the Taraba state nominee, Umaru Nuhu. As of Wednesday morning, there ministerial ambitions were virtually gone, according to media reports. Their nomination was said to have been withdrawn by the Acting President. But of course they were screened and confirmed the same day. And so, by the time you read they would have taken their place in the Executive Council of the Federation.

The case of Sanusi Daggash was even more dramatic. He had served as Yar’Adua’s National Planning Minister during the first term. He was dropped in circumstances that many thought was akin to betrayal. That was because in his zeal to serve the Executive Branch, he was said to have taken on his erstwhile colleagues at the National Assembly in a manner they consider as betrayal. He was subsequently sacked. Newspaper reports had it that it brought tears to his eyes!

But on Tuesday, all was forgiven. His long night in the cold ended. Given an opportunity to speak on the floor of the Senate, he admitted to erring, apologized to his colleagues and expressed joy and excitement at being asked to merely say a few words, take a bow and leave. In other words, he was accorded his privileges as an ex-Senator, against all expectations.

Then he said something, the import of which one hopes was not lost on too many of us. Saying that he was looking forward to being given a second opportunity to prove himself, he continued: “This is history in the making. In one government, the same government, I was asked to bow out, in the same government I was asked to come in; clearly for anybody, in a lifetime, this is a record, from 1960 to date.”

In other words, Daggash’s return to the same government that sacked him was unprecedented. And had anyone told him at the time he was sacked that he would return, it would have sounded like consolatory nonsense. But there it was, Daggash’s ministerial dream was resurrected, even as his erstwhile principal lay incommunicado somewhere in the vicinity. He might have merely seen as a record, but the discerning knows that it goes beyond that.

Is this about Easter then? Yes and No. Yes, because the annual commemoration of the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the most profound evidence of the capability and willingness to restore, even in the seemingly most irreversible circumstance. No, because, Christianity is nothing, if not a call to live the resurrected life everyday. It also a call to faith in God that no matter how long gone you think your dream is, if you’ll give it to Him, He is able and willing to breath new life into it.

Trust me, dear reader, I should know! I have so many dry bones around me – seemingly dodo-dead, irredeemably so. I’ve held on to them year after year awaiting the breath of life until it seemed it will never happen. But I see a stirring all around me. I see new life springing where there had been nothing but lifelessness; I feel suppleness in place of the rigor mortis of death. I urge you to look closely too and you’ll find God is set to restore on an unprecedentedly scale – if you’ve been trusting in Him.

I sense the same thing in the political life of our nation. Yes, I did say there was a flood on the way and it’s already on, even if it’s early days yet. But the aftermath of the flood is a new breath of life for those who will survive it. And that’s you – if you don’t give up or give in.

Here is my wish for a Happy Easter to everyone. May resurrection power forever be real to you and all yours, in the redeeming name of Jesus.