THE IMPARTIAL OBSERVER
2011 We Shall See What We Shall See
Hank Eso
The decision whether
to run for office in 2011 or not singularly belongs to President Jonathan.
Nonetheless, President Jonathan has been most unkind to the Nigerian nation and
more so to himself and whatever political legacy he hopes to bequeath to
A
detached
period of summer vacation affords one great, sobering and sometimes-bemused
moments of reflection. That has been my fate since 11 July, when this column
detached from the web universe. What I have heard and seen, however, are not all
pretty. Some, however, are more
troubling and painful. Still, it is nice
to be back to the pundit’s beat. Many issues, both international and domestic,
continue to cry for attention. With summer vacation over, it is time again to
maul at nagging issues.
In
It bears admitting that there is always the temptation to consider mis-governance
as a synonym for bad governance. However, by definition, mis-governance lies in
mid-realm, and somewhere between good governance and bad governance.
It is, however, closer to poor governance than it is to bad governance.
Still mis-governance can be as debilitating as bad governance. Indeed, the
former is the willful desecration of the core tenets of purposeful leadership,
mostly for personal gains and gratification, using the trappings of power but
not necessarily by corrupt means as it is by acts of omission and manipulating
the bureaucracy. In fact, mis-governance
has more to do with the disposition to allow distractive and intrusive variables
to undermine incrementally, the focus and faithful implementation of policies
pertaining to the efficient ministration of the nation.
Comparatively, bad governance has more to do with
leaderships identified as venal, corrupt, maximalist intolerant, draconian and
bloodily ruthless. Such undemocratic leaderships soon drag their nations into a
state of social disequilibrium, ethnic unrest, poverty, corruption, human rights
violations, state-sponsored terrorism and organized crime, impunity, decrepit
infrastructures, deteriorated institutions and even civil wars.
For the purposes of this piece, we shall consider mis-governance, simply as a
gross disdain for purposeful leadership and a preference in advancing the
leadership’s personal interests, and the eventual emergence of “unitary
executive” that encompasses the executive and legislative arms thus rendering
both fungible, but not necessarily through corrupt processes.
Nigeria is presently engulfed by the latter, courtesy of
the insidious debate on the ruling PDP’s zoning policy and if President Goodluck
Jonathan, the incumbent president of Nigeria and a beneficiary of that policy
should stand for presidential elections in 2011, or yield that right to a
northern candidate. The decision whether to run for office in 2011 or not,
singularly belongs to President Jonathan. This pundit has taken a firm position
on that matter (see
The Run and Do Not Run Game),
and purely so, based on principles and overriding national interest.
Nonetheless, President Jonathan has been most unkind to the Nigerian nation and
more so, to himself and whatever political legacy he hopes to bequeath to
As in all things, in life and in governance, there will always be imponderables.
However, such are far removed from self-inflicted national ennui that is
the distinct result of acts of commission and omission. There is no gainsaying
that leadership is about taking principled positions and making hardheaded
decisions, no matter how painful or unpopular they may be.
Even making a compromise sometimes requires tough and painful judgment
calls. Often, it entails great personal sacrifices.
In any meaningful presidency, where the buck stops with the holder of the
office, how one handles personal matters, are often good clear indicators as to
how he or she would handle a grave national crisis and events requiring decisive
decisions. Such events, define the Essence of Decision making.
Politicking and posturing of which there has been abundance in
Coincidentally, the prevailing atmosphere of lull and mis-governance coincides
with the nation’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations, which
ought to be a watershed point for a comparative evaluation of national
accomplishments or lack thereof.
The fiftieth year mark also ought to serve as the point to unearth the dim
beginnings of nationhood and map out the challenges and goals to be met ahead of
the centennial mark.
It is most confounding that Nigerian leaders still don’t get it!
They all, it seems, have been consigned with the gift of darkness.
Governance is not about doing what is convenient or suitable. Certainly, it is
not about subverting or ignoring due process or the Constitution under
whatsoever pretext. The lines between personal interest and national interest
has blurred so badly that conflict of interest is no longer a matter for
consideration by public functionaries. This brings to mind the alleged
acceptance by some Nigerian senators of free travel and 2010 FIFA World Cup
tickets to
Beyond the zoning debate, so much has happened – rampant kidnappings, human
insecurity, bogus and unimplemented projects, shoddy legislations, gross padding
official allowances, submission of false senate screening reports, declining
power generation and capital flight – that there ought to be a national outrage.
In the context of vox populli,
a throaty outrage over the mis-governance of
There are some inexplicable occurrences. There is an increasing and
collectivized tendency for elected and appointed officials, both in the public
and private sectors to engage institution building and cultish nest feathering
around key personalities. There is also a burgeoning spate of fiscal
indiscipline, since on pro-rated basis, Nigerian public and private sectors
leaders spend more money administering their various offices and fiefdoms than
they do in administering the nation.
What is evident, is that even in the absence of a “settlement culture”
made a norm by General Ibrahim Babangida, the nation has collectively lost its
conscience, and voice of reason, through acquiescence.
Apropos, the presidency, it is indeed sad that rather than rise above the
partisan fray, President Jonathan has allowed himself, rather whimsically, to
become entrapped in the present political quagmire. In the end, whichever way he
decides, he would end up betraying his northern political partners or his
southern supporters. It is commonsensical that hardly any of those who are
prodding him to run or not to run for the presidency in 2011, have as their
major concern, his personal wellbeing or that of the nation.
Rather, such advocacy and counsel are premised on hidden, personal or
sectional agendas that do not take into full account the possible consequences
for
Reminiscent of our checkered past national elections, bar that of 1993, the 2011
elections are well near the bend and in the end; we shall see what we shall see.
Perhaps as K.O. Mbadiwe of blessed memory would have aptly put it, in 2011:
“the come shall come to become”
Still, Nigerian’s should be mindful that the country is yet again approaching
another critical tipping point.
While it is plausible that her nascent democracy credentials makes Nigeria less
adept at tackling critical governance issues, it is equally true that like bad
governance, the mis-governance we are witnessing across board, has its obvious,
not-so-obvious and unstated perils.
One point worth bearing in mind is that nations that ignore the incremental
drift toward mis-governance, inevitably follow the path toward perdition, even
if unwittingly so.
If any aspect of mis-governance poses a singular grave danger for
From where I stand, I think it is already too late for President Goodluck
Jonathan to turn around and lead the nation, as he ought to have done from the
very beginning. Reminiscent of
President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Third Term bid, he has allowed his candidacy in
2011 to define and subjugate his core national agenda, which could easily have
been boosting national power generation, curbing crime, creating wealth through
massive employment or embarking on a genuine and unfettered electoral reform.
Furthermore, he has also failed to engage proactively the Nigerian Diaspora,
which after oil, generates the second highest percentage of the GDP, 6.7% or
$18.5 billion. What President Jonathan
has is one great missed opportunity to uplift
Come 2011, we shall see what we shall see!
With neither anger nor partiality, until next time, keep
the law, stay impartial, and observe closely.
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Hank Eso
is a columnist for
Kwenu.com.
His observations on Nigerian, African and global politics and related issues,
has appeared in various print media, journals and internet-based sites.
© Hank Eso, 8 August 2010.
Email:
hankeso@aol.com