JONATHAN'S OPTIMISM

One of the good things about dynamism is the spice it adds to life. I have been reading all manner of interpretations to a comment by President Goodluck Jonathan (Goodjoe) about media criticism of his administration and person. In all, one thing is clear; the Nigerian media is indeed, dynamic. It is patriotic too. I enjoyed reading all those interpretations even ones that were discussed out of context. I raise the issue of context here because in interpreting issues and situations, the context is usually very important.

Goodjoe made that remark as an off-mark comment at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Abuja. However, every other thing he said at the event was lost to what most analysts now see as his pain with the media. That is the point of discourse in media reports and analysis of speeches at the NBA conference. Again, that is one of the good things about the dynamism of the Nigerian media. But in all these, the media lost out on what I see as the President’s optimism.

I do not think that Goodjoe was indeed expressing a deep pain or asking for a non-critiqued time in office. I rather think, and believe, that with those comments, Goodjoe was telling Nigerians that he feels their pains expressed through such criticisms. It could also mean that he reads those criticisms and finds in them, the expression of the expectation of Nigerians from his administration. This, rather than be a minus, is indeed, a plus for his stylistic administration of Nigeria at a time like this.

The basic difficulty that he faces however, is that the Nigerian people are in a hurry to catch up with the first world. While this may be a driving force for the pace at which most Nigerians are driving their personal businesses, it is rather different when government is involved. In a democracy, things move much more slowly than they do in a dictatorship. When one considers the huge beaurecracy that attends government business in Nigeria, and the need to be circumspect in taking decisions that affect the generality of the people, one is bound to share the burden of leadership in a complex society like Nigeria.

In most of the analysis I have read about Goodjoe’s style and speed, comparative reference have been made, not between him and his immediate predecessor; but with Olusegun Obasanjo as president. This alone, gives me a lot to chew. How suddenly have we discounted late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua’s simplistic style and calm disposition? While Yar’Adua led us, we all felt he was systematic and has always been known to be calm and calculated. Before him, we complained bitterly about the brashness of an Obasanjo. We cried foul over the invasion of Odi in Bayelsa state and Zaki Ibiam in Benue state. In both cases, troops and tanks were moved. These two situations created human right issues for the country. Nigerians also rose in criticism of Obasanjo for refusing to seek approval of the National Assembly on certain critical decisions that he took. We would be suffering high level collective amnesia if we have forgotten so soon that Obasanjo battled impeachment moves over what then National Assemble considered as constitutional breaches.

However, the Goodjoe presidency, while not seeking to compete for laurels with any other in the past for brashness, presents Nigerians an alternative in what ought to be a better perception of democratic practice. Perhaps, the problem would be situated in the mindset of Nigerians who would want to mistake brashness and abuse of due process as leadership traits in a democracy. May be.

But if we are also carefully following Goodjoe and his stylistic approach to governance, we would readily share his optimism that the years ahead will prove if he had been sleeping on the challenges Nigerians placed before him. For instance, most Nigerians had expected Goodjoe to, while declaring a state of emergency in some local government areas over the Boko Haram challenge -do it the Obasanjo

way- by sacking elected state governors and replacing them with hand-picked friends. If we look back at our recent political past, we would still be generous enough to recall that except for Ayo Fayose in Ekiti state, all other presidency-induced impeachments of the Obasanjo era, were quashed by the courts. But, Nigerians ‘enjoyed’ it when they saw such governors ‘fall’ to a superior power from the Villa.

Goodjoe thinks and acts differently. Obasanjo’s style of leadership, while not being democratic, made Nigerians think, and argue, that he would have handled the Boko Haram challenge better –by removing governors. This view is irrespective of constitutional guarantees on term limits for such governors whose states are most under siege. That Goodjoe decided to respect the constitution in this regard, is most painful to some persons who feel that he ought to have been more ‘decisive’. Decisiveness here means brashness and abuse of the constitution. Decisiveness could also means appointing them to act in place of elected governors.

It also baffles me when Goodjoe’s optimism about a brighter future for Nigeria is faulted on the ground that his personal mien does not guarantee such. Fact is, that Nigeria has operated, for far too long, on a very weak foundation where the president is allowed to interfere in every facet of public life. Goodjoe thinks differently. Rarely does the Nigerian political system allow the judiciary to function effectively without a presidential interference. We have witnessed situations in this country where politicians seek intervention from the presidency rather than trust the judiciary to adjudicate on matters involving them. For instance, Chris Ngige, as Anambra state governor, was kidnapped and held hostage by individuals who had some form of presidential cover. Ask, has anyone been prosecuted for that criminal act? But is that also an ideal situation for a democracy? Our democracy will be more effective if we abide by the advice of President Barack Obama to build strong institutions and not strongmen.

To my mind, that is what Goodjoe is effectively doing. And that is the reason for his optimism that the years ahead would put smiles on our faces.

Going further, I think that the media feed on Goodjoe is a very good sign. Constitutionally, media freedom is guaranteed. The fact that individuals are free to criticise the President -and his wife who is not an official of state- even to the point of personal abuses, without harassment from government quarters, is an indication that democracy has taken firm roots here. Besides being graciously criticised, Goodjoe and his wife, are also very well abused by Nigerians. But the fact is, there is no way a cook will present a dish that excites everyone’s taste buds.

And indeed, Nigerians have good reason to criticise their leader. This is accentuated by fact that they massively voted for him. By so doing, they expressed their belief that he is the change they need. This makes them partakers in his administration. And the fact that he joked about the criticism of him, indicates that he listens. So, those criticisms are for him feedbacks. I am not sure he ever asked us to stop critiquing what he is doing for our country. Rather, I believe he wants us to share with him, in more constructive ways, our feeling about leadership in our country. These feedbacks could come by way of pointing out how the social contract between the led and their leaders is working out.

But let us also know that the task of fixing Nigeria will never be tea party. To fix Nigeria, strongholds will be dismounted. And I do not suppose that masterminds of such strongholds that have held Nigeria’s progress back would sit pretty and allow themselves to be uprooted for our common good. They will no doubt, fight back. And when they fight, they fight dirty. The conventional media is open for them. The social media is freely given. So, where does that leave the president? It leaves him being stubbornly focused on the goals. This is because, like it or not, the goods must be delivered. How they are delivered matters too.

Before Obasanjo left office, his administration constantly boasted of building 14 independent power plants to boost power supply in the country. Yar’Adua’s ascendency to the office exposed the deficiencies.

What it meant was that for political patronage, Obasanjo cited IPP’s in places where gas was impossible to pipe. I once visited the Omoku Power Plant in Rivers state while still under construction. One lesson I took away from there was that the project was cited close to an Agip gas flow station because the cost of piping gas to a place where the project would have been politically convenient, would be more than the cost of the entire power plant. Failures of the Obasanjo administration on power lies in deciding on piping for gas power plants. This immensely contributed to the reason the promises of improving on power during the administration and under Yar’Adua were unfulfilled.

But a redrawing of the map in 2010 changed the course. Today, people from every part of the country are confessing to improvements in power supply. This is part of Jonathan’s optimism. Nigerians are agreed that once power improves, a lot of things about economic and social life will be fixed. So, with the emerging signs, is Goodjoe wrong to be optimistic? I believe that we need to share in his optimism because being at the centre, he sees and knows much more, than most of us, about what the expected outcome of efforts so far taken are. Sharing in his optimism, would be for us, another way of buying into his administration and encourage him to remain on track for collective good.

Written By Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu