It is being asserted that Nigeria faces great and severe challenges in her
\nmarch to nationhood. some of the challenges include poor leadership,
\ncorruption, poverty in the midst of plenty, insecurity, defective federal
\nstructure etc.<\/p>\n
Nigeria should change their political structure this New Year in order to
\nallow democracy to grow. In the U.S which we like to copy so much,
\nimmediately after the election the loser steps aside and allow the winner
\nan opportunity to at least rule. In Nigeria, opposition and politics
\ncontinue until the next election. So it is politics and ‘opposition’ for
\nthe next four years and as a result governance is seriously affected.<\/p>\n
Not many people take notice that a serious problem facing this country is
\nthe so called ‘opposition’ and armchair critics. In Nigeria, immediately
\nafter the elections or a new government is set, opposition emerges. One
\neasily gets confused whether the opposition is in good faith or not.
\nHaving started with the parliamentary system, the ‘opposition’ culture
\nparticularly in Western part of the country does not seem to have left our
\npoliticians.<\/p>\n
Consequently, immediately government is set up at the Federal level, those
\nwho lost the election will immediately set up the ‘opposition’ and ensure
\nthat government does not have peace or does not work until the next
\nelection. The late President Yar Adua faced the same situation. Few months
\nafter he took over government, they described him in the Nigerian press as
\n‘Baba Go Slow’. Suprisingly however, it was this Baba-Go-Slow who sorted
\nout the Niger Delta militancy in a classical manner and brought peace to
\nthe Niger Delta, a crisis that almost destroyed the Nigerian economy.
\nSurely it was not the strong man of ODI that brought peace to the Niger
\nDelta but the Baba-Go-Slow.<\/p>\n
President Goodluck Jonathan successor to Late President Yar Adua has been
\nthe worst victim of Nigeria’s armchair critics. President Jonathan’s case
\nis worse in the sense that immediately after the election results were
\nannounced and Jonathan was declared winner, opponents took to the streets
\ndestroying lives and properties. He therefore started on a sour note. No
\nsooner than he was sworn in than opposition started. Nothing that he did
\nor said was right. In recent times, attacks have become mostly personal
\nagainst Jonathan. From perverse criticism the attacks have turned to
\nabuses.<\/p>\n
He has become not only the most criticized but the most abused and
\ninsulted President in the world. The tragedy is that if he loses power, it
\ncould turn out that he was innocent and that all what he critics wanted
\nwas to get him out of power no matter the reforms he wants to bring to the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Those who are old in Nigeria know that this is the tactics used to bring
\ndown governments over the years and if military coup was fashionable now,
\nthe military wold have taken over, the important thing is for the
\ngovernment to fail no matter the consequences on the nation. In fact the
\npresent defections could still be regarded as a coup.<\/p>\n
Media bashing of Nigerian leaders did not of course start today. Media
\nbashing encouraged the military to sack the Abubakar government of the 1st
\nRepublic on allegations of corruption. But when they were overthrown most
\nof the stakeholders did not have a house of their own. Sir Abubakar is not
\nknown to have had a house anywhere. Government of Yakubu Gowon was also
\ntoppled on grounds of corruption after series of media bashing. When they
\nwere overthrown, most of the Governors returned home as paupers. Late
\nGovernor Esuene who ruled South Eastern State for nine years did not have
\na plot of land in the State capital or anywhere apart from his country
\nhome built on bank loan. Gowon himself is not known to have built a house
\nduring this period. Most of the infracstructures they built are still
\nbeing used till today.<\/p>\n
Another victim of media bashing was Alhaji Shehu Shagari. He was accused
\nof being weak and his Lieutenants corrupt. As usual, the process was being
\nprepared for him to be overthrown by those who lost the election and he
\nwas accordingly overthrown. Shehu Shagari was not known to be corrupt. He
\nwas a great and acceptable leader. Today he could travel to any part of
\nthe country without security. Although the politicians were jailed
\nhundreds of years by the military junta, there were no serious cases of
\ncorruption against them. Dr. Joesph Wayas, Senate President (as he then
\nwas) returned to Calabar his State no a rich man. Compared to what is
\nhappening now they were angels. When the Shagari government was
\noverthrown, the military was welcomed and celebrated but the honeymoon did
\nnot last long as the media attack continued particularly when journalist
\nwere jailed and the reforms Buhari & Idiagbon tried to bring was aborted
\nby the Babangida coup. Many people believe that if Buhari’s reforms were
\nallowed to grow, Nigeria would have been a better place. Though
\ndictatorial, he tried to discipline the country which is what Nigeria
\nneeds even till today.<\/p>\n
Our fellow countrymen should not get us wrong, we do not condone poor and
\ncorrupt leadership but there is a trend in the country that if a set of
\npoliticians loose elections, they join forces with the enemies of the
\nregime and ensure that it will not have peace and be able to implement its
\nprogrammes. Such regimes are not even given the chance to announce the
\npolicies when the attacks start coming. We should try to drop this
\npolitical structure to allow the country to progress. President Jonathan
\nhas not even been given the the chance to implement his policies. The
\nimplication of this media bashing is that one does not know whether the
\ncriticisms are in good faith or not.<\/p>\n
The irony is that even the ruling party men join in attacking their
\ngovernment than even the opposition. This is strange and can only happen
\nin Nigeria. Nigerian politicians do not have or show class in what they
\ndo. Top members of the PDP attack their government and get away with it.
\nThis is the genesis of the crisis in the PDP – INDISCIPLINE. A situation
\nwhere an immediate past president and immediate past chairman of the Board
\nof Trustees who left the government barely years ago join in attacking the
\ngovernment that he set up, who then do we hold accountable for the wrongs
\nof the government. The open letter written to President Jonathan by his
\npredecessor and his earlier newspaper criticisms is AB INITIO wrong, if
\nnot for anything but under the general principle of ‘COLLECTIVE
\nRESPONSIBILITY’. Even a card carrying member of a political party should
\nnot openly criticize the government set up by his party because of this
\nprinciple not to talk of high ranking officers. Political parties should
\ninsist on discipline of party members. That is why for example, the APC
\nshould not jubilate too much over its recent political fortunes because
\nthe APC is now dominated by by the nPDP and if care is not taken they
\nmight bring the culture of indiscipline to the new party. With due respect
\nto the politicians, it is not act of impunity that is affecting the
\nfortunes of the PDP but indiscipline. it is hoped that whoever takes over
\nin 2015 will be given opportunity to rule without distractions.<\/p>\n
Finally, on the issue of corruption and insecurity, the National Assembly
\nshould play less politics. They should grant some emergency powers
\n(subject to check an balances) to the President to deal with severe cases
\nof corruption and those who perpetually cry for bloodshed or those who
\ninstigate insurrection against the government all in the name of politics.
\nWithout emergency powers, there is not much the President can do. It is
\ndifficult to investigate most corrupt cases and most security breaches
\nwithout Emergency Powers.
\nIta Akwaowo, is a lawyer.<\/p>\n
ita_akwaowo@yahoo.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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