And so, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has departed. And the nation of Nigeria mourns. We mourn the death of a man most of us rate as, perhaps, the most honest leader Nigeria ever had. He impressed many of us with his open declaration of assets, going beyond the requirements of the law. And for those, like this columnist, who felt disgusted by the brazen robbery that the process that brought him to power was, he disarmed us, somewhat, by admitting that there were flaws and promising to do something about it. Since his departure on the night of Wednesday, so much has been said about his good heart, his commitment to the rule of law, his patriotism and so much more. May his soul find rest.
With Yar’Adua’ s very unfortunate exit, a new vista opens for Nigeria, It is a vista of hope and change. But it can easily turn to despair and more of the same – depending on the courage and choices of one man. That man is Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, newly sworn-in President of the Federal Republic.
I have said quite a bit on this subject on this page lately. But much of what has been said can bear repetition and elaboration, not just because the possibility of a truncated acting presidency , were Yar’Adua to return from his sick bed, is no longer there, but more importantly because from my reading of recent events, the portents are bad!
I have said, and I know that most Nigerians agree, that one of Nigeria’s most critical challenges is the conduct free, fair and credible elections. This, we situate in the total lack of neutrality of those who have the constitutional duty of supervising this all-important pillar of democracy. Not even the military had succeeded in exorcising the lie of the demon that’s been sold to us over time – that every government must be interested in its successor, euphemism for imposition of its successors. It is a position rooted in the tendency of office holder to do things that they would need a friendly successor to cover up. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that to solve this critical problem , Nigeria needs an interim leader, disinterested in succeeding himself , who not do anything that he would need covered up after his tenure; and who is courageous enough to resist pressures from family, friends, ethnic group, political party and sundry other interest groups to lend his official weight to their cause.
Now, let’s face it; such a person would be hard to find. But that is precisely the kind of person that Dr Jonathan has to be in the very short time it has pleased God to put him in office. I have no doubt in my mind that unless he yields to God, to be that man, he’s likely to be outside the will of God. That’s a big assertion that, but it is the hard cold truth. And I’ll tell you how I know that.
Today, Jonathan is President of the Federal Republic by virtue of an arrangement that zones the top post to the north of Nigeria for two terms totalling eight years. The North should therefore have another term. I do not subscribe to the arrangement and so, were I in government, it won’t be binding on me. And indeed, if I have my way, it should never have been put in place at all. But it is in place in spite of ex-President Obasanjo’s latter day less-than-honest assertion to the contrary. And Jonathan subscribed to it. He came to office by it, and he is not on record, to my knowledge, as having ever disagreed with the arrangement. So, he is bound by it. He is a Christian and the Bible says that true Christians swear to their own hurt and do not renege! (See Psalm 15:4).
Flowing from this, and most important of all, is this truth: there are simply no righteous ways by which Dr Jonathan can pick up his party’s ticket to run in 2011! To run, he has to play “realpolitik”, which is politics devoid of moral and ethical considerations; politics without conscience. He has to pull down the party structure, hound his opponents, tear the rule books and generally be ruthless. Recent events are already pointing in this direction. I have said here before, the withdrawal of corruption charges, preparing grounds for the return of ex-Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss, Nuhu Ribadu and the proposal to make him overseer of the anti-corruption agencies already raises the sceptre of a return to the days when EFCC was an attack dog of the “emperor” Obasanjo. The sudden unearthing of a 2002 crime against ruling party chairman Vincent Ogbulafor reads uncannily like a page off OBJ’s book. All of these should be anathema to a man whose trajectory to the top has simply been nothing, if not divinely orchestrated.
I’ll end this piece with an exhortation by Bob Gass in The Word for Today devotional of February 22, 2010, which must be familiar to the President since Sunday Nation columnist, Tola Adenle recently drew his attention to it. Faith, after all, comes by hearing. Based on Joshua 24:15 and titled, Defining Moments, it reads: “…First, in our life, defining moments show us who we really are. Our defining moments usually come …during times of making… a hard choice.
Sometimes, defining moments occur when we don't see them for what they are. It's only afterwards…that we understand their importance. Either way, they define who we are. Secondly, defining moments show others who we are. Most days we can wear a mask, but during defining moments we can't…Whatever is truly inside us is revealed to everyone. As a leader, defining moments tell the people who you really are, what you stand for, and why you're leading. Handled well, a defining moment can bond leaders and followers for life. Handled poorly, it can end your ability to lead. Thirdly, defining moments determine who we will become. You'll never be the same person after a defining moment. That's because defining moments are not normal... Defining moments…give us an opportunity to turn, change direction, and seek a new destination. They present options and opportunities. In these moments, we must choose. And the choice we make will define us!” All the best, Mr President.
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