President
Goodluck Jonathan comes across as a very humane, compassionate and
calm person. He is always quick to brandish his less privileged
upbringing as a unique selling point to anyone who cares to listen.
However, he also often portrays himself in public as someone who is
hardly on top of his game. Many of his responses appear clueless,
colourless, insipid, lacking in both depth and rigour fit for his
exalted office. One finds it extremely difficult to continue to support
such a person. His approaches seem impulsive, less well contemplated
and, as many observers posit, habitually “unpresidential”.
One of such scenarios played out during
the exchange between the President and the Archbishop of Bomadi during
the burial of the former National Security Adviser, the late Gen. Andrew
Owoye Azazi. During the funeral service for the late NSA, which was
broadcast live on television nationwide, Archbishop Hyacinth Ogbebor, in
a rare display of apostolic liberty, brought the attention of the
President and others who attended the ceremony, to the increasing
incidence of corruption and decaying infrastructure especially in the
Niger Delta region. Trust Jonathan, he quickly responded by passing the
buck to the attitude of Nigerians and woefully referring to some
bizarre statistics from the Federal Road Safety Corps about lower
frequency of accidents on bad roads. Does the courage of Archbishop
Ogbebor during the burial of Azazi and the sincerity in a similar speech
of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah during the burial of the late Governor
Patrick Yakowa in Kaduna State days later bear a resemblance worth
further reflection? What role could the clergy play, potentially, to
mobilise against decay and enthrone good governance in Nigeria? Should
Jonathan have replied the Bishop instantly? How do such actions impact
on his waning support base?
I commend both Archbishop Ogbebor and
Bishop Kukah, for speaking the truth to power at different times during
the burial of those who lost their lives when the helicopter came down
in Okorobia. Both clergymen offer courageous examples of the potential
role of the clergy in promoting good governance. I argue that these
potentialities are currently being underutilised in the country. The
clergy in Nigeria command a lot of respect and “immunity” which can be
used positively to confront the divisive politics of plunder that our
elite have inflicted on this nation. Kukah was clearly on point in his
homily at Fadan Kagoma, Kaduna, where he expressed his disapproval at
the elite corruption, abuse of office and how the northern political
cabal often use religion to disguise their greed. Coincidentally, both
clergymen not only spoke on similar issues, they also belong to the
Catholic Church. At a time when some other churches are consumed by
prosperity preaching and ostentatious display of wealth, these examples
offer a positive direction for the rest of the clergy to follow.
Sometime last month, President Jonathan was at the Holy Ghost Congress
organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Lagos. Such a
gathering should not only have been used to offer prayers for the
President but also to remind him that he cannot continue to squander the
goodwill and expectations of Nigerians who elected him to office. This,
sadly, did not happen.
Another point to ponder over is whether
the President should respond to every criticism especially when such
criticisms are based on facts. That is where President Jonathan dropped
the ball. It was former President Olusegun Obasanjo who acquired fame or
notoriety for replying to everything said about him. Such an attitude
is unbecoming for someone occupying such a dignified office. The best
Jonathan could have done was to note the comments of the Bishop and
respond by expediting action on the points that he raised. Again, is a
burial ceremony the right venue for such an “unpresidential” exchange?
On a related note, the state of the
East-West Road which Bishop Ogbebor referred to is a big assault on the
conscience of the people of the Niger Delta region in particular and the
nation in general. The contract was awarded to a construction company
said to have links to a prominent politician from the Niger Delta. How
come work on the road has been very slow and many people are dying daily
due to the sorry state? I travelled on that road several times during
the Christmas and New Year holidays. It is as dangerous as the
Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. Unless something drastic is done
urgently, that road may not be finished by 2015 which will be a shame on
this administration. Where are all the funds appropriated for this road
in the past? Many people from the region are now keeping quiet because
we live in a country where criticism is equated to opposition. Be that
as it may, President Jonathan’s face-saving reference to the statistics
from the FRSC must be challenged. Is it true that less road accidents
happen on roads that have potholes and those that are not tarred? So,
why then do developed countries tar and pave their roads? Where did this
research originate from? How come we have not heard of such a
retrogressive research before now?
The emergence of President Jonathan
enjoyed tremendous support from ordinary Nigerians. We believed that his
humble background would make him a leader who will listen to the pulse
of the street. The civil society, women and youth groups galvanised
themselves into popular movements to lend their support to the “Doctrine
of necessity” that we saw as an opportunity to dismantle the grip of
the cabal that prevented him from assuming full presidential powers when
Yar’Adua was incapacitated by ill-health. Were we wrong? From my
crystal ball I can see that the quantum good will is becoming a thing of
the past. Hopes of ordinary citizens appear to have been dashed, and
expectations betrayed. The support base of the President, sadly, is
diminishing by the day. He is popular with more rhetoric and less
action.
On a final note, we must take two
positives from what happened in Yenagoa and Kaduna. Imagine the quantum
harvest that our nation will potentially reap if our spiritual leaders
must unite for good governance? These politicians are part of their
congregation either in churches or in mosques. They must use that sacred
opportunity to raise their voices against corruption, divisive
politics, underdevelopment, bad governance, and other vices plaguing our
nation. Those spiritual leaders who currently prefer to remain
politically correct to continue to feed off politicians must realise
that they are on the wrong side of history. We must deploy our
collective creativity to continue to make the parasitic elite
uncomfortable. Archbishop Ogbebor and Bishop Kukah are patriots that
other spiritual leaders in Nigeria must try to emulate if we must move
this country forward. For President Jonathan, what our country needs now
is action. He still has a little time to demonstrate that he is capable
of using the powers that destiny has bestowed on his shoulders to etch
his name in the sands of time.
Punch
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