The Tests for President Goodluck Jonathan
Before the elections of 2011, one of the burning issues at that particular time was zoning in the clime of PDP inhabitants, but it nearly consumed the nations as if all Nigerians were a subsume of the largest dysfunctional and inept political party in Africa. The old political horses of the Northern Nigeria led by Adamu ciroma threatened all of us with fire and brimstone, the war against indiscipline apostle, Buhari, in order to win the hearts of the Southern Nigerians and the core Christians chose the fiery Christo-politician, Pastor Tunde Bakare. The South South people, who have never had their own elected through political ballot box, to lead Nigeria mounted all kinds of pressures, to dissemble Nigeria and appropriate the oil fields, the nation's source of survival if Jonathan was denied the seat at Aso Rock. The South East joined the frenzy, after all, they thought, Jonathan has Ebele Azikiwe attached to his name, so a son indeed and they promised block votes which they actually delivered. Yours sincerely, in some of my writings in Saharareporters.com, joined the fray, because I believe in second chance.
In all our ranting, supports, clamors, threats and push, what was the real motive behind our behaviors; personal interest, ethnic, narrow mindedness, foolishness or genuine concern for the degraded and retrogressed nation like our dear country, Nigeria? Prince Charles Dickson touched a chord in me the other day, when he wrote about the degree of division in our body polity, North Versus South, Christian verses Muslim and we tend to belong to one stupid segment or the other, but nobody focuses attention to the real needs and concerns of the nation: power, infrastructure, inequity, employment for the teeming youths, security, poverty, houses, clean drinking water, health care delivery system, corruption and sound education.
Sometimes, I spent much of my time ruminating whether we have produced bunch of idiots in Nigeria that nobody spent time browsing the Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs. Any person that claims to be a leader has to arm himself or herself with the tenets of the Maslow's doctrine of 1954, the underpinning block of motivation in the industry, government and even in our households. Man needs food, shelter, security, love and self-actualization in order to function properly as human being. The satisfaction of one leads to the quest for another.
In the industry, the leaders talk about competitive advantage, all kinds of buzz concepts creep up, but the captains of industry, managers and supervisors forget that the most competitive advantage available to any organization is the human force. Peter Drucker warned Ford Company in the early times to go beyond profit and look after the welfare of its workers, the future direction of transformational leadership and strategic management. It is all about man, the welfare of man, the producers of goods and services, the makers of profits and the grease on which the wheel of any organization runs smoothly without screeching to a halt.
Our politicians do not care hoot about the Nigerian people, and they are aware of that but they will continue in that mindset unless the people revolt and drive them out of offices by force. The alternate to the tsunami taking place in the Middle East is the free and fair elections given to us by Attahiru Jega and the NYSC, though propelled by Goodluck Jonathan, so come 2015, the non-performers will be swept out of office. But why do we wait till 2015 for an idiot to be removed, shouldn't there be a recall clause in our constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
One thing that bothers me is that our politicians never learn a lesson quickly or flatly put, they don't learn any lesson at all. The presence of EFCC does not deter any crook again, otherwise, why should Bankole Dimeji engaged in the reckless fleecing of our commonwealth purse? Is EFFC doing its job or is it remotely controlled by the power that be? I agree with Okey Ndibe that our crime fighters should take a wide look at their manual whether we need a new one or revising the one we have at presence, because to me, the EFCC is not doing anything since the ousting of Ribadu by the Nigerian high profile criminals.
President Goodluck Jonathan came to the highest office of the land by a collective will of the people, that zoning and where you came from has nothing to do with who rules them again, so what is the contract Jonathan has with the people of Nigeria? There will be no excuses, no bull***t and no apology will be accepted after his four years term of not delivering the dividends of democracy to the impoverished Nigerian people.
The president's real tests lie in provision of uninterrupted power supply to the country which will have multiplier effects of stimulating industrial production for employment generation. Our roads are in shambles, another Aninih or Iwuanyawu should not be given any contract for road construction or directing the affairs of road constructions. The president can guarantee all these if he chooses the right people and monitor what is going on without the intrusion of his wife or the nasty politicians in our midst. Naturally, man is corrupt and man must be monitored like a child for any meaningful progress to be made. This is not the time for Edwin Clark to direct the affairs of the country just like the duties of the Emirs when a Northern is in charge.
A transformational leader has to involve the people, value them and carry them along. When the people are respected and their opinions valued, the ownership of the country spreads to them, they become proud of their country and these instances of bombing, kidnapping, armed robbery and social vices will be reduced. Any organization that gives shares to its employees, treats its employees very good and values them will hardly witness any sabotage from its workers. President Goodluck Jonathan has to be the president of all, the father of all, a servant leader, not like Umaru Yardua. The president has to understand that there is no negotiation with criminals and his focus should be uprooting the evil machinations of the Boko Haram. These idiots hate education, but they like cell phones and radio manufactured by the dint of hard works of the educated western hemisphere. These idiots may also being sponsored by those that lost the elections of 2011; a mantra of if we don't have it, you will not. He has to be ruthless and if need be, the American Homeland Security Organization can be contacted for help, because these idiots are becoming sophisticated.
The elections of the 2011 will be a shamble if the security situation in the country is not tackled headlong; no meaningful development will take place in the atmosphere of chaos, fear and loss of lives as a result of constant bombings by these mini Al-Qaeda operatives. Mr. President should be careful that these enemies of progress can target him, kill him and by the constitution of our country, his vice will become the president; he should watch it.
After four years of Jonathan's rule, Nigerian will not listen that it was as a result of this and that, that prevented him from giving the people of Nigeria food, shelter, thinning of poverty, sense of belonging, power, employment, notable infrastructures and happiness the people deserve to function properly. Now is the action and this is the time, and all will start by appointing the right technocrats in sensitive positions, then the rogue politicians into positions that do not require too much brainwork, though every position demands the hands of a living acute head.
Iwuanyanwu writes from Argosy University school of Business, Los Angeles.