Article published in The Nation Newspaper
21/04/2010
You see, other people, non WAZOBIA, can do well for Nigeria. Ag President GL-Jonathan has performed very well abroad on Nigeria’s problems. IBB, ‘I Beg Babangida’ who stepped aside should ‘stay aside’. GL-Jonathan is one very good example of a new generation of leaders, North and South, for 2011. Some governors, North and South, are alright for the Presidency. We need new, not old blood! Nigeria is not so desperate that we need IBB again. Nigeria needs a new Nigerian team and GL-J is an eye-opener.
The funds Babangida seeks to use for electioneering can be used to buy library books for our 70,000 schools. Alternatively he can borrow a leaf from Danjuma and his personal ‘oilwell windfall’ and ‘Go, sell all you have and bring it to the poor’. The bitter taste of Dele Giwa’s unsolved death from a parcel bomb, massive currency devaluation by 100% overnight, the annulled elections, the fate of the ‘first Gulf War oil windfall’, the ‘settlement syndrome’ and the corruption of the day are a few of the sharp needles pricking forgetful Nigerians and should be brought to the attention of the 20m 18-22 year old youth who will be voting for the first time and have no knowledge of that time.
Minister means ‘servant’ but as usual we will make them into ‘monster ministers’ by bowing and scrapping before them and we will be ‘surprised’ when they act like the devil. Who made them @ ‘God’ over us? They need our input and help. They are not the sole repository of good ideas and knowledge. Indeed the brightest minister you find is one who has a wide circle of old and new friends giving good ideas often for free! Keep them human, not ‘excellent’. We have more than enough self-proclaimed ‘excellencies’, ‘distinguished’ and ‘honourable’ who cannot deliver the goods of good governance and prefer to act like ‘rabid royalty’ ruling over us and imposing their will on us even though they claim to high heaven they have a ‘mandate’ from us. But do they ever consult us? When last did you get a call from a former friend no minister or governor seeking to sound you out on a particular policy or development thrust or even a mere invitation to an informal forum to move your LGA , satte or nation forward?
JL Jonathan team cannot afford to stop on election day but must choose Inauguration Day as its ‘End Day’ to give more time to execute activities in a good short term job and initiate long term strategies for the massive leap in development of Nigeria to meet the expectations of a people chronically disappointed by its so called leaders in and out of agbada and military uniform. Traditionally the only beneficiaries of the Nigerian system have been the ruling classes, individuals and contractors. Will this change? Fellow Nigerians are traditionally foolishly high on expectations when a new team takes over especially if the ethnic balance in a particualr ministry or portfolio is in their personal ethnic favour. ‘Our man or woman in the Ministry of XYZ’ is a comforting thought even though nothing directly comes. The term ‘Lucrative or juicy ministries’ suggests the minister is going there for the purpose of stealing more than will be available to those appointed to a ‘petty portfolio’. Shame. The issue should be about the potential power and responsibility for change and contribution and not corruption and patronage opportunities.
Once again Nigeria has been ‘providentially’ provided with a desperately needed high speed emergency quick interventional economic progress in Nigeria. All things developmentally now hing largely on the provision of 24 hour uninterupted power supply from multiple sources. This is true in spite of Natonal Assembly led foot dragging on important national issues like the Freedom of Information Bill and Electoral Reform. We depend on this government to serve us but government is not really democratic. As demonstrated in Yar’Adua’s unfortunate case, government is the often criminal attempt by a few people scheming for a stranglehold on self-propagating policies that keep the majority in the dark, educationally stunted, and in poverty of mind and body.
Saturday 17th April: The 5+ hour closure of the Lagos Ibadan side of the expressway around Mowe and the consequent 4-6 hour traffic megajam was not reported in the electronic media either as a news item later or as a warning to motorists to avoid the road. There no ‘Emergency Road Report Plan’ with 24 hour ‘Traffic Hotline’. Why no command helicopters deployed by Police and NEMA. Even the FRSC was inadequate with no public communication skills. A FRSC motorcycle telling us updated information would have calmed frayed nerves. The 12 ‘face me- I face you’ traffic lanes of 30,000-50,000 vehicles was due to a preventable catastophic crash, explosion and fire involving tankers and trailers and with loss of lives and poor traffic management.
GLJ and his ministers of transport must empower more fuel transported by fuel pipe lines and improved interstate railway. The constant criss-cross of traffic to circumvert total blockages caused by frequent accidents is compounded by the long stretches of expressway road without any ‘Emergency Cross-Over Points’ every 2-5kilometres and opened by authorities there would be orderly and shorter cross over and crossbacks. CountdowNigeria@50-148 days demands that the Minister of Transport insists on these ‘Expressway Emergency Cross-Over Points’ in the next two weeks.