Jonathan’s critiques could benefit if they looked back

Jonathan’s critiques could benefit if they looked back

- by Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba -

An American black sports figure, I believe he was Satchel Page was quoted as saying that he does not look back because somebody or something might be “gaining” on him. He may be making the statement an ancient Igbo dog was said to have made: ana ajara’m ike oso, ana’m agba awakwa ogodo (akwa) (you do not have to praise my speed for I do not have to adjust my loin cloth as I run). Both statements warn about wasting time on distractions (such as looking back, constantly adjusting one’s pants, etc) in the pursuit of one’s goals. But I plead that Mr. Goodluck Ebere Jonathan’s critiques should spend a few minutes looking back just so that they may understand where he came from and how far he has gone. One would usually learn from history, which is looking back.

Mr. Jonathan was elected the Vice President to President Umaru Yar’ Adua, a sick man who did not exactly make his VP a co-president. From all indications Mr. Jonathan was not even a member of Yar’ Adua’s inner circle as the evidence during Mr. Yar’ Adua’s sickness had revealed. He was just a body there to fulfill the constitutional requirement of a southern representative.

Mr. Jonathan did not have a national constituency or following or had any kind of agenda. He came from Baylesia, a state which is merely required to provide oil, but otherwise to keep quiet. His Ijaw tribe’s contribution to Nigeria was producing trouble makers like Ken Saro-Wiwa, Adaka Boro, Dokubo Asari, MENDS, and other trouble makers. They did not produce Zik of Africa, or the Golden Voice of Africa, Sir Abubakar, or Awujale of Yoruba, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, or The Sarduana of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello. Nor did the Ijaw produce Michael Okpara and Dennis Osadebe, nor Samuel Akintola.

Yes they are closely related to the Yoruba in some customs and via marriage and closely related to the Igbo because of history and inter marriage and slave trade but they never fully assimilated into either ethnic nationality.

Mr. Jonathan did not have the blessing of foreign education as his predecessors before the military gangsters. Zik had American education, Awo had the much revered British Education and Abubakar had the benefit of Islamic or Arabic education.

Mr. Jonathan merely went to University of Port Harcourt. He cannot brag about “when I was in London.” He never was there. His highest qualification is VE (visited England) which this day is a useless qualification.

On a more serious note Mr. Jonathan’s ascendency to the presidency was very propitious. When the President Yar’ Adua became seriously ill and incapable of performing his duties he did not turn over the office to his vice as required by the constitution and so even in the absence of the president Mr. Jonathan was still outside the governing inner circle and was treated as an interloper. He chaired the Federal Executive Council but rumor had it that he was not allowed to occupy the president’s chair. Even a courtesy visit to see the president at Saudi Arabia became a diplomatic disgrace, the height which was reached when the president was flown back at midnight without Mr. Jonathan being prepped about flight arrangements. The rag tag generals did not consider it part of the protocol to inform him. He did not receive much support even from the Legislature.

Yar’ Adua’s prolonged period of illness left Nigeria adrift for almost two years so that what Mr. Jonathan inherited was rudderless ship with broken GPS. He spent the remaining 18 months of Yar’ Adua’s administration trying to figure out where things stood. But worse he had to spend a good portion of that time trying to fend off strong forces aligned against his succession to the thrown. I must confess here that I was a strong voice opposing his ascendancy on the ground that he was a signatory to the PDP stupid and unconstitutional rotational presidency.

He did not become his own man until May 29, 2011.

Therefore Mr. Jonathan has been a president for just 8 months no matter what his critiques write.

So if we looked back what will we see?

We would see:

A President who was kept waiting at the gate for 4 years of what would have been his apprenticeship by the masters who would not show him the trade secrets which would help him transit from journeyman to master.

A man who came from a minority tribe with a reputation for breeding “trouble-makers” instead of from the chosen House of Israel. He was not from the tribe of Benjamin.

An inheritor of a rudderless ship afloat in the ocean for over 50 years already buffeted by civil war storms, looted treasury, corrupt military and civil servants, a distrustful tribal society and compromised security apparatus: a Jewish nation in their 40th year in the wilderness, an ungovernable people.

A President and a head of a party divided internally by the party’s position on rotation of the office he occupies as opposed to a head of a united ruling party. His legitimacy is questioned by what could possibly be a majority of his party faithful. One cannot rule from a divided house which risks collapsing at anytime.

A nation where electoral rigging has become the accepted form of getting to the highest offices and where results would be contested “even if Jesus himself presided over it” as a national leader was once quoted.
Etc
 
The above is an abridged history of the conditions under which Mr. Jonathan is trying to redirect the Nigerian ship. Most people would agree that he has not been dealt a good hand. But one can only play the hand he was dealt. Mr. Jonathan has started well by surrounding himself with one of the best hands Nigeria has produced. His ministers (too many due to the constitution requirements) represent men and women of vision and strong character especially the economic team lead by the likes of Ms. Okonjo Iweala and Mr. Lamido Sanusi; his energy team of Ms Allison Madueke and Mr. Barth Nnaji, etc would suggest that he might do well if given time.

But unfortunately our president does not have any time at all. The compromised security team he inherited is incapable of securing the nation so that the work of development can begin. His political opponent from within his party is even stronger than his Royal Opposition and often teams up with them to sabotage his intentions. Some tribal elites bent on settling tribal scores would want a failed presidency to confirm that there are indeed people who are “born to rule.”

What Mr. Jonathan has to do is to realize where he is; what his strengths are; and the amount of opposition arrayed before him. He must understand that he cannot do all the things that are expected of him. No person can. He should dust up Mr. Yar’ Adua’s seven point agenda and select just three and go after them with vigor.

I will not put security on top of this list as it would consume an inordinate amount of resources and yield little result. I will not put the fight against corruption on the list either for the same reason.

But I will go after providing jobs via agriculture and roads improvement; I will try significant improvement in energy supply and perhaps I will pay significant attention to higher education. These three areas could show significant improvement in the short time frame that is left in a four year term.

Rome was not built in a day.

I will leave the rest for President Ngozi Okonjo Iweala or President Allison Madueke or President Buhari or President Fashola to handle come May 29th 2015

Or President Valentine Ojo, the one who is the most likely to succeed Mr. Jonathan.

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba
Boston, Massachusetts