The President We Deserve

The President We Deserve

By Sam Onimisi

No Vice President or Acting President can claim to have the power needed to act decisively on crucial issues with national ramifications, given the fact or reality that he is on the hot seat on a temporary basis. President Goodluck Jonathan found himself in such a precarious situation when he had to walk on tight rope so as not to hurt some feelings or step on powerful toes. He had to endure the humiliation meted to him by the powerful cabal left behind by the sickly President Umaru Yar’Adua, shortly before being evacuated to a Saudi Arabian hospital. Even when he was made President, he was all too conscious of the fact that he became so on the doctrine of necessity, a legal framework that is as fragile as a frail. What more, his natural humility never allowed him to act presumptuously and so, he managed to wage through the last one year as President – a time when more bombs exploded in unlikely places, only next to the number of bombs used during the Civil War.

For his undisguised humility and non-vindictive outlook, various shades of political opinion became unanimous in their admiration for and their adoption of President Jonathan as a Pan- Nigerian candidate. A record of 46 political parties either aligned with or adopted him as their candidate and their widow’s mite contributed in no small way in his electoral victory. Thus, his success at the polls cut across the six geo-political zones and endorsed by most ethnic groups and religious faiths in good but varying degrees or proportion. Perhaps this is why the post –election protest was restricted to mainly one geo-political zone (the North West) and about three states in another zone (the North East). Even in those seemingly unfriendly zones or states, President Jonathan won the mandatory 25% votes to make his mandate truly national and unmistakable.

Now, the April 16 presidential election has invested President Goodluck Jonathan with the people’s mandate for the next four years, beginning from 29th May 2011. Aside from the normal precaution necessary in decision – making process, the fear of stepping on toes must now disappear for good. The election has exposed some individuals who hitherto, constituted themselves to a cult of untouchables with some air of power and authority as if they could sway the electorate one way or the other. Those individuals lost their wards in the election and so, were demystified as godfathers. They are no more in position to hold the President hostage to their personal or group interest; it means that the President need not defer to them except when it is absolutely right or necessary. The encumbrance they constituted has now been removed by the national mandate given to the president by the people.

The President should not now hamstring himself by being besotted to any cabal or power-bloc or power-brokers that are known to act only on selfish interest. Having worked with many aides when he was Vice President or acting President, he should have known what it means to work with people without vision, aides whose purpose in office is the prestige the office confers on them, rather than what they can do for the President to make his burden lighter. Every dead weight among his aides should not be retained on sentimental ground. The rule of law must now be given a freer reign, and this is an area where President Jonathan has a sparkling record. What needed to be added is that no time must now be wasted in bringing culprits to justice if the rule of law is to become part of our political culture.

The President Nigeria deserve is one who is disposed to exploring all options to political stability and economic development rather than maintaining the status quo even when it retards and has proven unhelpful. Our President must be one who is at home with the facts of our plurality and ever ready to honour, harness and husband it for a true federation of equity, justice and fair play – not in sanctimonious words, but in strenuous deeds. In the dynamism of an ethnic polyglot such as Nigeria, especially given the challenges of the 21st century, it will be puerile to assume that certain issues are given or no – go areas and therefore, unworthy of consideration. For example, no one must pretend that we have had an electoral reform, whether on the basis of the 2010 / 2011 amendments to the Electoral Act or even the relatively above average performance of the INEC. It is not all the time we will have a Professor Jega whose word is his bond. Institutional changes and structural reforms are needed if we must have a peaceful transition from one regime to another by democratic mechanism. The Legislature has not been helpful or useful in the quest to have a workable electoral system, given the many undemocratic and self – serving amendments and clauses added or injected to the 1999 constitution and the 2011 Electoral Act. In view of this fact, the President must be prepared to engage the National Assembly by proposing necessary reversal of such retrogressive amendments or by proposing laws that will replace them – without fear of vindictive impeachment.

As a matter of utmost urgency, and in other to avert a slide into disintegration, the Nigerian President we deserve is one who will initiate a national dialogue untainted and unhindered by existing institutions of state, with a view of making a Constitution that is best suited to our heterogeneity. To assume that the 1999 constitution as amended is a good law is, to carry pretence beyond reason; this is because we have had twelve years of uninterrupted operation of this constitution and our collective experience has proved that it is altogether unprofitable. Any constitution which fails to address the causes and effects of ethno – religious wars, and which has no anti-dote to Boko Haram, Maitatsine, the Tala Kato, the MENDS, the Taliban or Al-Quieda and their subsidiary gangsters. Any constitution that allows stolen income to be invested in public enterprise or permit private citizen to acquire public property at ridiculously low price; or which fails to verify the ownership of property for effective and adequate taxation for development. What is the value of a constitution which purports to regulate inter – group relations but grants no right to self given constitution? A true federal system such as the United States of America is a multi – constitutional polity and yet, we lie and pretend to be operating the American Presidential system but without its component of federalism. Even an angel from above will fail woefully in any attempt to run our unitary system as it is. Our President is not an angel and never pretends to be and so, should be interested in the desired constitutional reform. We had a haughty know – it – all President whose so – called National Political Reform Conference was a monumental disaster as it ended in a fiasco. He also instituted a Local Government Reform Committee which destroyed the local council system instead. Even the amiable President Umar Musa Yar’Auda failed to deliver on his electoral reform promise, even though death snatched him away before he could be accused of failure. I am sure our dear President is not unaware of all these and the need to avoid a repeat of such failures, or to move the country away from rot and stagnation.

The mandate given to President Goodluck Jonathan is not for a four – years turn of the Niger Delta or the Ijaw Nationality even if his origin embodies both. It is not given in order to appease ultra – conservatives who have entrenched but undeserved advantages to preserve. The mandate is not just to keep the peace, maintain tranquility, or law and order as any imposter can do. It is not a mandate of the PDP, by the PDP and of the PDP alone. The President with our mandate must dare, question and challenge those factors, issues and people who wants to keep Nigeria down in the Dark Age. We have hopefully voted for and mandated President Goodluck Jonathan to lead Nigeria to the comity of great and respected countries known for justice, productivity and progressive policies. We deserve no less!