Date Published: 06/03/09
APPOINTMENT OF SUCCESSOR TO PROF. CHUKWUMA SOLUDO: YARÀDUA GAFFES AGAIN
By Temple Chima Ubochi
Inept from start to finish. (Liam Fox)
The man creates a pseudonym and hides behind it like a worm (Sylvia Plath)
They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit ( Job 15:35 )
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act (George Orwell)
Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation. ( Proverbs 26:26 )
The art of using deceit and cunning grow continually weaker and less effective to the user (John Tillotson)
One deceit needs many others, and so the whole house is built in the air and must soon come to the ground (Baltasar Gracian)
It's inefficient and inept out there — it's beyond incompetence (William Bagnell)
What they did was not intentionally malicious. If anything, it was slightly inept (Graham Cluley)
The worst thing that can happen to a good cause is, not to be skillfully attacked, but to be ineptly defended (Frederic Bastiat)
Surely the hypocrites strive to deceive Allah, and He shall requite their deceit to them, and when they stand up to prayer they stand up sluggishly; they do it only to be seen of men and do not remember Allah. (The Women 4.142) (The Quran)
The state can be inept, irrational and pursue strange interests, but those interests were always seen as in the national interest. What I could not foresee was that state interests could evolve into corporate and private interests to such an extent (Andrei Illarionov)
This writer has nothing against the president appointing Sanusi as the CBN Governor, but, the procedure used in the appointment is fraught with error. This writer cares less about who is appointed to any post (whether Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Tiv, Idoma, Edo etc) as long as the person is the best for it. At this point in time, we cannot afford to be appointing mediocre to positions carrying enormous responsibilities or the ones which determine the fate of millions of Nigerians. Gone are the days of appointing any riff-raff to any authority position and watch him/her falter. This writer has a “bone to pick” with the president about this appointment because, he (the president) has once again exhibited his deceitful tendencies and has again exposed his unpreparedness for the job of the president of Nigeria. The president is caught, once again, off-guard. It beats the imagination of this writer why our leaders don’t learn from other heads of governments who are really showing leadership in their respective countries. YarÁdua and his government are flouters of the highest order and it is a mistake that they are running around claiming to be ruling Nigeria when they are only neophytes in authority positions.
Yar’Adua sent the name of the Group Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria Plc., Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to the Senate for screening for the position of governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on June 1, 2009, while the tenure of Soludo ended on May 31, 2009. Why did the president wait so long before sending Sanusi´s name to the senate? Does the president know that he created a big vacuum in the apex bank by his inability to discharge his duty? Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo handed over to the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Mr. Ernest Ebi, whose tenure will end by June 4. What a hopeless situation? Soludo had to hand over to Mr. Ebi who will leave the bank by June 4; what if by June 4, Sanusi is yet to take over, what is going to happen? May be, Mr. Ebi will then hand over to the next senior person.
The president made up his mind for long not to re-appoint Prof. Soludo. Why didn´t he appoint his successor earlier so that the senate should have confirmed the person before Prof. Soludo’s tenure elapsed, as that should have afforded the “predecessor” the opportunity to hand over to his “successor” directly without going through a third person. Because of the fact that Prof. Soludo couldn’t hand over to his successor directly, a lot was lost there. We all know that when a story passes hands, it losses or gains something, as there’s nothing as good as hearing directly from the “horse’s mouth”, Mr. Ebi whom Prof. Soludo handed over to, might not brief Sanusi exactly as Prof. Soludo briefed him; Mr. Ebi might add or subtract something, from what Prof. Soludo told him, when handing over to Sanusi, if, Sanusi is confirmed before June 4.
Let’s look at this scenario: If Sanusi didn´t take over before June 4, Mr. Ebi might hand over to Mr. Lemo who will then hand over to Sanusi whenever he’s confirmed. Now in this situation, the handover from Prof. Soludo will have to pass through two different hands before getting to the owner of the message and you know what, before Sanusi gets the hand over note and all the stuffs connected to it, Mr. Ebi and probably Mr. Babatunde Lemo, must have added or subtracted something. On the other hand, there are things Prof. Soludo should've said to Sanusi; may be in private, may be some tips or secrets or confidential matters, if he had handed over directly to him. Prof. Soludo might have chosen not to give all the details to a third party. No doubt, there is a difference between handing over to a successor directly and handing over to a third party for onward hand over at a latter date. Now the senate is contemplating beginning Sanusi´s confirmation process when it resumes from its recess. So how long must Nigeria wait before having a substantive CBN Governor in this era of global economic melt down?
The question becomes: why did it take YarÁdua so long to nominate a successor? Nigerians, it is a pity that Obasanjo foisted a person not prepared for the office on us. Ruling Nigeria is light years away from ruling a small and poor Katsina State. This man that calls himself the president is overwhelmed and has lost touch with reality. Otherwise, he should have learned from president Obama. What is our president really doing in Aso Rock? He delegates most of his itineraries, people hardly see him, and he seldom speaks. May be, he "sleeps" all day long or he is always busy taking care of the first lady who this writer learnt is the de facto president. It surpasses this writer’s understanding that our president is not watching/hearing international news or has no access to the internet or has no time due to his busy schedule in the kitchen, as to read the news in the internet; because, if Yar’Adua is following the happenings on the international front, he would have learned a thing or two from President Obama. President Obama Picked Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court on May 26, 2009. The White House sent her nomination to the Senate on June 1, 2009. Sotomayor made her Capitol Hill debut, meeting the senators who will screen her, on June 2, 2009. Sotomayor, would replace retiring Justice David Souter, and President Obama wants the Senate to confirm Sotomayor before its August vacation. If confirmed this lady will take her Supreme Court seat in September or October 2009. Just check out the time line. That’s how leaders behave, as to avoid creating a vacuum, but, YarÁdua who has no leadership trait, is always behind schedule in every thing. The Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, will be retiring by July 7, 2009. By now, YarÁdua is supposed to have named his successor, but, he is less concerned, meaning that Okiro will be “pulled out” (farewell ceremony) without a successor in sight. Tell me what stops Yar’Adua from naming Okiro´s successor uptill now? Afterall ThisDay Newspapers of April 25, 2009 wrote:
“As the bells of retirement toll for the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mike Okiro, indications emerged during the week that the presidency might have narrowed the choice of his successor to the three deputy inspector generals of police (DIGs) left in Okiro’s management team. The three DIGs, one of whom is expected to emerge IG, are Ogbonna Onovo, Uba Ringim and John Hamza Ahmadu”.
That was in April and we are now in June and still nothing has happened.
Back to the new CBN Governor: This writer has said it all along that this government is not truthful to Nigerians. Why is YarÁdua being so deceitful by still doing something he denied earlier? This government, through the spokesperson, had denied, many days before, that Sanusi has been pencilled down for the CBN job. Why then denying what is obvious, who are they trying to deceive?
My premonition didn´t miss. I saw it coming and this might not be the end: In my article of Friday, March 27, 2009, captioned “The state of the nation: Good people, potentially great nation with pathologically corrupt and inept government that does nothing for the citizens”, I wrote:
“Why is the CBN Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo not getting another five-year term taking into cognisance of the facts that he performs his duties well as the CBN Governor and that he is one of the very few in the world that the UN appointed to form a high level task force to fix the current global financial crisis?
The Sun Newspapers of Thursday, November 20, 2008 wrote that the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Charles Soludo, has been appointed into the team of experts to form a high level task force to fix the global financial crisis. Describing it as a testimony of the global recognition of his unparallel achievements in reforming the nation's financial sector! The Paper reported that the UN General Assembly President, Mignel Descoto, who announced the appointment, said that the Commission of Experts will reform the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank while noting that the task force will suggest steps that member states can take to secure a more stable global economic order.
The Tribune Newspapers of March 17, 2009 wrote that the Federal Government has shortlisted 3 persons for Soludo's job. According to the Paper: Sources close to the government said that the Presidency had already ruled out the possibility of retaining the CBN governor for five more years! That as it is now, the government wants him (Soludo) to complete his tenure and then face questions from appropriate authorities on the AFC issue as well as other issues, that that is why he will not be re-appointed.
Reading between the lines, I can figure out that Soludo will go down the ways of Nuhu Ribadu and El Rufai. They will hound him down later. Some northerners haven't forgiven Soludo for the banking reforms he implemented as the CBN Governor. What a useless country?
Aka Ikenga and Constitutional Democracy Initiative (CDI) recently called on Yar'Adua, to retain the services of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for the greater economic growth of the nation. Thereby advising him (Yar'Adua) to ignore those asking for Soludo's sack, stressing that they were doing so for selfish reasons! For these groups, If Nigeria wants to make progress as a nation; it should look for people like Soludo. The groups further advised President Yar'Adua to work with his best team of which Soludo is a member. The groups stressed that Soludo has done a lot for the stability and growth of Nigeria's economy and as such should be honoured rather than castigated.
The group alleged that those calling for his (Soludo) sack are doing so for selfish motive because Soludo refused to yield to the pressure of releasing the foreign reserves for them to empty. The groups said that without the recapitalisation of banks carried out by Soludo, there would not have been any bank today in Nigeria in the face of the global financial meltdown. The CDI has even launched a campaign for the collection of five million signatures of Nigerians in support of the reappointment of Soludo for the second term. CDI alleged of an emergence of a cabal which had set aside over N200 million for the purpose of mounting campaign of calumny in order to stop Soludo's reappointment by the President.
The group alleged further that opposition parties, labour unions, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and some prominent persons were being used. The CDI told us that: "It is no longer secret that disgruntled politicians, failed banks' chiefs and overnight turned economic experts have commenced a nationwide smear campaign targeted at the political and economic development of Nigeria which is the core foundation of the Yar'Adua's seven-point agenda. We are told that these "economic coup plotters" and their pay masters have outlined the use of rumours, disjointed facts, sponsored media attack and press statement and circulation of alarming text messages to run down the economic sector of Nigeria; believing that by the time the economic sector is down, the banks will look unsafe, the consolidation gains will be reversed, the CBN will be distracted, the Central Bank Governor, his efforts and personality must have been tarnished; and the nation will run into an economic grave. (Champion March 26, 2009)“
The Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) in its Press Statement wrote amongst other things: “We are implacably opposed to the choice of Mr. Lamido Sanusi on (one) of these two grounds:
(i) Violation of the principle of Federal Character. Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is very clear on the application of Federal Character principle in the composition of Government or its agencies. This principle has been observed in breach by President Yar’Adua, which has led to the entire Economic Team coming from two States – Kano and Katsina.
(1)The President (Head of Economic Team) - Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua from Katsina State; (2) Minister of Finance - Dr. Mansu Mukhtar from Kano State; (3) Minister of National Planning - Dr. Shamsudeen Usman from Kano State; (4) Chief Economic Adviser - Prof. Taminu Yakub from Katsina State. To now pick the CBN Governor from Kano means that the Economic Team would sit and take decisions for the whole country with perspectives from only two States. This is not healthy for the Federal Republic of Nigeria made of different peoples who have different views of how to tackle the economic problems in the country. Only last week the Northern Union came out to say that the cause of poverty in the North was Soludo’s decision against proliferation of Bureau De Change operators. A narrow team from Kano and Katsina may take it that once Bureau De Change operators are allowed free rein, poverty is resolved all over the country. This is what motivated the authors of our Constitution to insert the Principle of Federal Character to have wider perspectives on national issues before decisions are made. To go ahead with Mr. Lamido’s nomination would therefore further erode the confidence of other sections of the country in the Federal Government”.
Also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Development, Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah, sent a letter to President Umaru Yar’Adua, asking him to adhere to the Federal Character Principle in the appointment of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Senator Obiorah said in the letter, dated May 25, 2009, that appointing someone from the North to succeed Soludo would amount to a breach of the Federal Character principle enshrined in the Constitution. In the letter entitled: “The Need to reflect Federal Character Principle in the Finance Sub-sector,” Senator Obiorah said that the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mansur Muhtar, and the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, were both from Kano. Obiorah said that the report which indicated that Sanusi Lamido was being tipped as the new CBN Governor would offend Federal Character.
The Senator stated in the letter: “I am therefore compelled with the highest sense of responsibility to advert your mind to the fact that the other two heads of the finance sub-sector to wit: Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, the Minister of National Planning; and Dr. Mansur Muhtar, the Minister of Finance, are both from Kano State. The appointment of another person from Kano State to head the Central Bank of Nigeria will therefore offend the letter and spirit of Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates the compliance with the Federal Character principle in the composition of government or its agencies or part thereof. He also stated that his intervention should not be mistaken as an attempt to promote the North/South or zonal dichotomy, but an attempt to ensure that the states of the federation are well represented in line with the Federal Character principle. He said: “But rather, it should be seen as an abiding need to ensure that out of the 36 states of the federation, one state only should not produce persons to head an entire finance sub-sector of the Nigerian economy. The senator expressed the hope that President Yar’Adua would find his advice useful in view of the government’s “avowed commitment to the Rule of Law and Due Process.”
YarÁdua ignored the senator’s advice because he is not the person ruling Nigeria, he is only a seat warmer; when the real “misrulers” are taking the decisions, he (YarÁdua) slumbers.
This writer uses this opportunity to congratulate Mr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on his appointment and do wish him success in office.
In all and all, Nigeria is the loser today and not Prof. Soludo. Soludo has made his mark and will only climb higher and higher from now on, because, his work speaks for itself. Nigeria will definitely miss his service.
This is what this writer wrote on another website few hours before putting this piece together:
Compatriots,
Today, it became very obvious to me that it might take a while for Nigeria to sort itself out of the avalanche of problems it is in. Sanusi might be qualified for the job, but, "you don’t change a winning team in the middle of a game". YarÁdua has proved that he isn’t in control of anything. Now, the Northern Union (NU) and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) can start popping up their champagnes, they have achieved one of their agendas.
I feel so sorry for Nigeria.
THE THANXS IS ALL YOURS!!!
Temple Chima Ubochi writes from Bonn, Germany through ubochit@yahoo.com
