Tag: Mark

•By endorsing Jonathan, S/E and S/S govs are out of sync with their people

THE governors and few political leaders of the south-south and south-east geo-political zones of the country, save Edo State, met recently in Asaba, the capital of Delta State, to deliberate on the state of the nation. Amazingly, the best they could offer was to praise the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, as if they are oblivious of the grave crisis bedevilling the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the inability of the President to resolve any of them.

Their main concern was to endorse the presidency without any suggestions as to how the country could negotiate itself out of its political cul-de-sac. This can be likened to playing the ostrich, while the nation boiled.

Indeed, while the leadership of the political zones of the country is expected to consult often on the state of the nation, their followers expect that such meetings would provide answers or at least proffer suggestions that will better their lives. For instance, while the south-east is threatened by perennial incidents of kidnappings, the south-south is increasingly apprehensive of the reemergence of insurgency; yet at such a meeting, these serious challenges were relegated to the background. The governors and other political leaders at the meeting did not consider the security of lives and property of the people they are representing more important than the effusive praise of the presidency and its policies that have apparently failed the nation.

As many believe, the politicians apparently represented their own selfish interests and not that of the people of the zones on this mission. For, we ask, how can the people of south-south and south-east be expected to endorse the current national leadership in the midst of the crises that they face in their daily lives? We know that in the south-east, for instance, the critical infrastructure owned by the Federal Government is in dire need of attention; just like unemployment has contributed to the resort to sundry crimes, by their youths. It is indeed clear that the security of lives and property is seriously under threat in the zones, yet, the political leadership of the zones met to endorse the leadership of the Federal Government that has failed the people.

On its part, the south-south political zone is slowly regressing to its days of anarchy. Few weeks ago, security operatives travelling in the creeks of Bayelsa State were ambushed and murdered by yet-to-be indentified assailants. Again, the notorious militant leaders of the Niger Delta, despite the billions of naira spent to pacify them in the past few years, are increasingly pushing and openly threatening to revert to their violent ways.

The presidency is accused of fuelling political instability in Rivers State, while in the nearby Delta State, the atmosphere is charged and getting fouled by desperate political actors, all claiming patronage from the presidency. In all these, the lives of the people are not significantly getting better in most of the states, yet their sensibilities are being assaulted by leaders who are more interested in power than leadership.

While we do not begrudge politicians playing politics, we condemn political leaders behaving as if their positions and the authorities they exercise are all about acquiring power and nursing it. In our view, it is unfortunate that instead of nudging the President to deliver on his electoral promises in the interest of their people, the leaders of the two zones are more interested in appeasement. They must however note that where power is not used to advance the welfare of the people, the people will soon hold them to account.