Date Published: 03/29/10

Flipside of Political Intrigues in Nigeria By Idumange John 

Life is full of intrigues so does history. History itself is an aggregation of truths, half-truths, semi-truths, fables, myths, rumors, prejudices, personal narratives, gossip, and official prevarications.  It is a canvas upon which thousands of artists throughout the ages have splashed their conceptions and interpretations of a day and an era.  Some motifs are grotesque and some are magnificent. 

In the words of Joseph Heller ‘History was a trash bag of random coincidences torn open in a wind.  Surely, Watt with his steam engine, Faraday with his electric motor, and Edison with his incandescent light bulb did not have it as their goal to contribute to a fuel shortage some day that would place their countries at the mercy of Arab oil’ History is replete with situations where human actions yield unintended consequences. In politics, intrigues are a routine vocation for politicians hence everyone watches his back. In Nigeria, the political theatre is like as gangsters paradise characterized by vendetta, mudsling and back-stabbing.  

I woke up at the crow of the cock and sauntered, perhaps uncertain about Nigeria’s future. I gazed at the skies. The clouds had gathered as though they were in a holy assembly ruminating on when the rains would add value to those who cultivate cassava at the fringes of the River Nun.  A though raced through me as  I vividly captured the campaign message of the Obama phenomenon – change. I shuddered to think, if Bush’s America can change, why not Nigeria, why not Bayelsa State – my home State. Like the clouds in the high heavens, I conjectured that the political atmosphere looked murky. I believe Nigeria can change whether we adopt Ghaddaffi’s theory or not. That theory after all is an alluring recipe that can correct all the ills of inequity, the structural deformities in Nigeria’s body politic and the executive rascality displayed by those in power. Politics in the Niger Delta States is even murkier because its now difficult to differentiate between oil and blood.  

Since Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and the civilians took the civilian democracy was entrenched in 1999, the State has been enmeshed in political intrigues. The nugget of intrigues was part of the fighting spirit for which the Ijaws are known. The DSP Alamieyeseigha administration faced stiff opposition from Timi Alaibe, who unleashed all his arsenals to dismantle and unsettle the administration. With the aid of Nigeria’s maximum civilian ruler – Obasanjo and his lapdog Ribadu, the Governor General was incarcerated. I had interviewed most Bayelsan and a huge segment of them confirmed that Alamco’s impeachment and his travails were the results of high wire politics laced with toxic conspiracy. That was how the light and charisma that accompanied Chief Alamieyeseigha was extinguished by Obasanjo through his kinsmen.  

The ascendancy of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as Governor drew the ire of some political gladiators who went to work by writing petitions, concocting sabotage and doing violence to the polity. Goodluck survived because of his rare gift of humility and ability to listen to wise counsel. Tons of vitriolic petitions were written against him when it became obvious that he was to run with Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. The will of God eventually prevailed. He is now Ag. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.   

In Rivers State a similar scenario played out between Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his godfather former Governor Peter Odili. The K-Leg phenomenon pronounced by Obasanjo at Liberation Stadium was the conspiracy of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). God straightened the K-leg through the Supreme Court. Amaechi’s ascendancy has made people appreciate the difference  between sycophants and leaders. The same trend seems to be noticed in Ondo State since  Mimiko supplanted  Agagu. The story line is not different in Edo State since the fire-eating Adams Oshiomole took office. Senator Joy Emodi has just been kicked out of office following a decision of a Appeal court which sat at Enugu. What a way to kick-out a Senator when she has done more than 70% of her tenure?. This emphasizes the need for executing the electoral reforms. 

At the national level, intrigues have become established pastimes of politicians.  Political manipulations are taken as sagacity or skullduggery. Politicians try to outwit each other, sometimes even resorting to treachery, backstabbing and outright sabotage. In Nigeria, the concept of service has been replaced with material acquisition, while indiscipline has taken the place of morality. Politicians therefore manipulate the party structure, the Legislature and other government apparatus to circumvent established rules and regulations. Even the electoral process is subject to horrendous manipulations. That explains why members of the civil society are calling for the deiwunization of the electoral process just as the banking sector was desoludonized. 

Now, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is Acting President but the people that surround him are suspect. The two Generals: Obasanjo and T.Y. Danjuma have never been best of friends. They should not transfer their age-old animosities to affect the policy direction of the dispensation. Already, the derailing of the Jonathan dispensation seems to have started. The strongman of Ota has started to meddle into the affairs of the new EXCO. When a child grows up to maturity, he is given the right to freedom of choice. Again, most of the faces in the Jonathan’s EXCO are still the over-recycled people.  Nigerians already know a good quantity of Mrs. Josephine Anineh her performance can be estimated and most people had expected that there is a robust array of technocrats in Anambra. Besides, Dr. Mrs. Diezzani Allison is widely recognized as a non-performing Minister even though Abuja may thing otherwise. The Ag. President should listen to popular opinion and not be subjected to the whims and caprices of some old politicians. 

The same old argument that a woman is married to a man from another State confers on her the privileges of that State is germane. If I were a member of the National Assembly, I would drop Mrs. Josephine Anineh and Dr. Mrs. Diezanni Allison. Bayelsa people expected a better representation that is capable of attracting federal presence to the State. If she is cleared by the NASS, Mrs. Diezani should be given lesser responsibilities wherever she is deployed. Nigerians may be weary of these people for their lack-lustre performance in their previous capacities. 

I would have done same for Mrs. Aishatu Jibril Dukku   of Gombe State and Dr. Shamsudeen Usman of Kano State. Most foreign policy experts would be pleased that the apostle of citizens diplomacy. Chief Ojo Maduekwe - the PDP strongman should look for a more pro-active and traditional role to play in grooming young leaders. We have the former Senate President Senator Nnamani – who should be a role model for Ojo to emulate. The academic community would organize a dancing party because he organized a dancing party when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was on a prolonged strike. In modern times he appears to be the  worst Minister of Education in recent times. For Dr. Sam Egwu, its good riddance to bad rubbish. 

Chief Godsday Orubebe should be made a senior Minister in the Ministry of the Niger Delta Affairs, while Odein Ajumogobia should be in the Justice Ministry. If Professor Dora Akunyili would be considered she may serve Nigeria better as a Junior Minister of Health. The Information Ministry and that of foreign Affairs are  so critical to be handled by people who are not professionals. It is my view that a career diplomat should man Foreign Affairs, a media Practitioner with integrity and untainted track-record should be made Information Minister.   

My plea is that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the godfathers should allow the Ag. President to initiate his own policies, pursue his own programmes and fast track development. One of such areas the Ag. President has to act fast is to fix power to leverage Small and Micro. The politics of power supply was complicated by previous administrations. Till date the $16 billion misappropriated in the power sector. As a person, I would have declared Mrs. Farida Waziri and Femi Babafemi wanted for politicizing the prosecution of those behind the lucre. I had thought Frida Waziri would expeditiously prosecute the case involving the former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili because the interim report submitted by her predecessor would have formed a basis for Odili’s prosecution. The inability of EFCC to prosecute Ibori and Odili has demonstrated that they actually played a role in Farida Waziri’s appointment. The issue of Michael Aandoaka as Ibori’s stooge is a foregone conclusion.  

It is heart warming that the Ag. President shunned the nominees of State Governors. There are two advantages of this development. First, State Governors notorious for their mal-governance should not play more than a casual role in the appointment of Ministers, so they can serve the Federal Reublic without paying tithe to the demi-gods in the States. Secondly, in a presidential system, each Minister is accountable to the President. The State Governors should be more concerned about how to deliver democracy dividends.   

The Obasanjo administration wasted over $16 billion on the sundry failed power projects. The Elumelu led committee revealed that most of the companies to whom billions were paid, are not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). But rather than go further to recover the stolen. Today, Nigerians are at a loss as to the direction of the power project. Because of the bankrupt moral economy of the nation’s leadership, even the National Assembly does not feel obliged to compel the executive organ to adopt a more pragmatic approach to the knotty issue of power supply in Nigeria. Ag. President Jonathan should be aggressive in implementing the power programme of the nation. 

Now, the issue of amending the constitution is on the front burners yet there are some enemies of the country who are working hard to sabotage and truncate the whole process. Our law makers the centre are motivated by materialism and they do not feel obligated to serve the interest of the people. The Ag. President should not hesitate to replace Professor Maurice Iwu - who claims that America has a lot to learn from him especially his deception that ballot papers were printed in South Africa and that N70billion  was spent on electronic voting machines that cannot be seen. By 2011, Nigerians should insist on the electronic voting system, as it would reduce the malpractice index. This administration must not go back on the implementation of the justice Uwais Committee Report. Good governance is inconceivable without a free and fair electoral system. Only a good electoral system would weed out political scavengers and nonentities from power and enthrone true democracy.  

Ag. President Jonathan should not reiterate the empty mantra that by the year 2020, Nigeria will rank among the 20 th greatest economies in the world. There is no economic history in any progressive country of the world that has aspired to greater height without a stable political system, basic infrastructure and honest leaders who are ready to make sacrifice to move the country forward. It is time to save the nation from political deception but to adopt more pragmatic approach to development. For Nigeria to move in the positive direction, the President must place development over and above politics. My prayer is that the Ag. President should not be distracted by the witty and crooked members of the Presidential Committee. He should concentrate on service delivery to prove the enemies of democracy wrong that he should not contest for the top job come 2011.