On August 28, 2012, The Punch
quoted President Jonathan as saying he was “the most criticised
President in the whole world,” and at the same time vowing that “before I
leave I will be the most praised President.” He went on to promise his
listening audience that by 2013, the vast majority of Nigerians would
come to appreciate him because that is when most would begin to reap the
dividend of democracy and the policies he has put in place. A few days
earlier, Mr. President was quoted as saying that the media was no longer
the voice of the people. The Nigerian media, as the President sees it,
has become injuriously partisan, politicised and untrustworthy.
On all counts, I disagree with President Jonathan. I
disagree, not merely or necessarily because I think the President is
wrong; but because I think he failed to take our modern history into
account. And the modern history of leadership, the media, and the
people’s aspiration tells us three things. First, every president or
head of government have been subjected to all types of criticisms. This
was the case in the days of Gen. Yakubu Gowon. He believed, in many
instances, that the Nigerian media (especially the Lagos-Ibadan based
media) were unduly critical of him. In later years, President Olusegun
Obasanjo voiced a similar complaint.
In and out of office, Chief Obasanjo continues to be a
target of the media. He is also a target of very sharp tongues within
the comedy cycle. Again, if President Jonathan is feeling the sweltering
heat and the saline humidity coming from the media, it is principally
because of the changing nature of the Nigerian society. Millions of
Nigerians now have a stake in their government. In the past, millions
grumbled quietly about the government and about inefficiency, waste and
corruption. Today, it is no longer enough to grumble. Millions now make
their voices heard. And if it so pleases them, they are able to employ
the new media: the social media.
If President Jonathan is complaining, what then
should Gen. Ibrahim Babangida say or do? After all, this is a man who
has been pursued, and continues to be pursued by the media and sections
of the Nigerian society. Oh well, maybe this President is looking for
sympathy. He is not likely to get it, though. On the other side of the
Atlantic Ocean was George Walker Bush. He was perhaps the most reviled
and the most abused and most ridiculed US President in the last 50
years. His intelligence was called into question; his political sagacity
was doubted; his bravery suspected; and his managerial skills doubted.
Yet, he went about his presidency the best he could. Why is our
president whining?
Third, President Jonathan can be honestly praised;
or, he can be praised by yes-men and by bootlickers. Praises are like
trust: they have to be earned. And this President knows what to do in
order to earn the people’s trust, love and affection. He said he would
end up being the most praised President in the history of Nigeria. Well,
let’s wait and see. He also promised democratic and economic miracles
by 2013. Did I hear you say 2013? Wasn’t this the same President who
told us, while attending the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, that he
would transform the Nigerian economy to rival those of the four Asian
Tigers within the next few years?
In 2000, Obasanjo promised Nigerians and the world
that the Millennium Development Goals would be achieved by 2015. The
Obasanjo and Yar’Adua administrations wasted millions of dollars touting
this dream. In spite of all the bravado and careless talks, we are
nowhere near achieving any one of the eight goals: Eradicate poverty and
hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality
and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health;
combat HIV/AIDS, and other diseases; ensure environmental
sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development. This
President is promising us 13 bottles of snake oil?
I very much want to heap praises on this President
(because) I know he is capable of good and great things. Why his
abilities and aspirations have not manifested in his Presidency is what
continues to baffle me and a million others. Granted governance is not
as easy as most critics think, still, anyone who presents himself before
the people as a potential leader ought to know what the intricacies and
complexities of leadership are. Public safety and security is the main
task. This is followed by what is generally referred to as development:
economic, social, cultural and political development
According to James Weaver and his colleagues, “The
overriding goal of development is to improve human well-being and to
enable humans to achieve their potential.” To this end, therefore, four
goals are generally pursued: (1) a healthy, growing economy that’s
constantly undergoing structural transformation; (2) an economy in which
the benefits are widely distributed; (3) a political system that
provides for human rights and freedoms and effective governance; and (4)
a political economy that is consistent with preservation of the
environment.
For an economy that is basically agrarian and rentier
in nature, what President Jonathan should have aimed for, from day one,
is what is collectively known as basic needs: quality education and
quality health care; potable water and good sanitary conditions; clean
physical environment; safety and security from internal and external
forces; provision and maintenance of infrastructure; prevalence of the
rule of law, etc. If the President had done that – if he had done so –
criticisms from the media and public commentators would have been the
least of his worries. But as things are, this President must worry. He
has to!
He must worry about the general direction the country
is headed. For instance, he must worry about Boko Haram and the general
state of insecurity. He must worry about the nasty environmental
conditions that have come to characterise the country. He must worry
about very high rates of unemployment. He must worry about low
productivity and the gradual institutionalisation of corruption
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