Article published in The Nation Newspaper
17/02/2010
NNPC WAR ROOM should be followed by a PHNC WAR ROOM in each state to prevent wreckless, unsupervised and unpunished weekend and other load shedding and ensure honest measureable distribution of the little power we have.
We pray for President Yar Adua and for Acting President Goodluck Jonathan- GL J, Amen. This is GL J’s ‘MANDELA MOMENT’. He stands, as himself and a representative of the South Southon the brink of Nigeria’s 50th year. Pray that God’s grants him Solomon’s ‘WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING’. Is he our Mandela? Already GL J is innundated with ‘solidarity’/ ‘do not rock the boat’ warning visits by the ‘usual suspects’ who did little. Joo, rock the boat, bo! They presided over the Ore Benin Expressway but thank God for Ironsi’s and Gowon’s Lagos bridges which have lasted 40 years-SO GOOD THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Why in 50 years did the ‘ELDERS’ refuse to construct the new Niger Bridges, the East West Road, 100-200kph railway, 100,000Mw power and we still have no school libraries? Listen to them cautiously.
It is disgraceful that it has taken 50 years for a person from the South-South/East to reach the Executive President’s seat in Nigeria-by default or disease. Let the import of the moment not be lost. This shameful fact is a main cause of the lack of nationalism. It used to be three, North 1/3, West 1/3, East 1/3 all ‘equal’. The military cleverly consolidated the ‘enemy’ into one, South, and made it North 1/2, South 1/2 and then 6 ie NorthWest, North Central, North Easy, South West, South East, South South, 1/6th each. Only ‘the big three’ WAZOBIA, actually hated by the other-300+ ethnic groups, feel ‘nationalised’. And even in the WAZOBIA, there is a pecking order and disappointment. Is it ZOZOZOZOZO—WABIA in the corridors of power? We must insist on sharing the exalted throne and positions and actual power with less numerous groups. We hail GL J as Ag President but why was a South South person not President years ago? What corruption secrets do ‘presidential power’ hold? The Freedom of Information Bill will help.
The best way for a group to feel it belongs is not handouts during political rallies, encourage godfatherism and a few wasting, useless and abandoned corruption projects. The best way is to have ‘political space’ and representation –‘OUR MAN AND WOMAN AT OR NEAR THE TOP’. GL J is not going to sell Nigeria to his ethnic group as others have done in the past. Merely sitting on the President’s seat creates a state of ‘mental and political stability’ among groups MISNAMED AS ‘MINORITIES’, North and South. So it is possible to get there and serve every group. Attempting to serve killed Abiola. Such service is no longer the preserve of the ‘PERMANENT MEMBERS OF THE RULING CLASS-OR THE BIG THREE’. What strides would Nigeria have made if it had ‘conceded’ the Presidency to other ethnic groups apart from ZOZOZOZOZO—WABIA since 1961. They would not have THE 30 year HANGOVER FROM THE CIVIL WAR UNDER WHICH THE ‘EAST’ WAS PUNISHED AS THE WAR CONTINUED ‘POLITICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY’ UNTIL 1999’. Rail and bridges are necessary development strategies not luxuries to be withheld or bestowed on favoured subjects. Power would be 100,000Mw by now. The painful joke in the ‘East’ is that there are more bridges in ‘ethnic’ Abuja which has no rivers than in the riverine areas populated by ‘minorities’ where all Abuja’s money comes from. This is a morality issue.
We talk of ‘minorities’ who ‘should wait their turn’, but who is a ‘minority’? It is a most hated word in Nigeria –used as for a dirty word meaning ‘does not count’. No one is a ‘minority’ –we all have equal votes, one each. The words ‘Minority’ and WAZOBIA should be banned and equality and dignity must be restored to all. JOURNALISTS SHOULD ENSURE THE WORDS ARE NEVER USED AGAIN as they give false ‘power’ to big ethnic groups to further subjugate, politically and psychologically, other less numerous ones. We are all Nigerians! Remember that to make themselves survive someone invented the anguished lament that ‘NO ONE IS A MINORITY WITH GOD’.
Ag First Lady-Lady Patience –GL J also needs Solomon’s WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING to shun solidarity visitors and keep out of headlines. Traditionally, the overexposure of first ladies is nationally nauseating. Silent good is better. Send a cheque instead of spending N20m to visit a state to give N100,000. A meeting with governors’ wives, at N10-20m/ lady is N360m-N720m, almost a billion. Discourage delegations. The most important assignment of the wife of a President or powerful figure can do is to push your husband to have more ‘MANDELA MOMENTS’ and do ‘MORE GOOD FOR THE GREATER NUMBER’. Concentrate on DECENTRALISING POWER-political and electrical, women and school libraries, Second Niger Bridge and East West Highway, make the Ore Benin Expressway motortable by 1-10-2010 using 5 contractors with 24 hour work and accelerate the railways. Continue as a conduit of ideas –like YOUTH CENTRES IN EVERY WARD. Your’s is the honest last voice GL J hears at night and the first on waking. MAKE IT THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE, NOT THE POWERFUL. You, LADY can MAKE A DIFFERENCE by 1-10-2010. Then you would be the best first lady we have ever had. It is not how long but how well you serve. CountdowNigeria@50-225 is awaiting your OWN project.