‘To govern according to sense and agreeable with the interest of the people is a great and glorious element of government…’——–—Edmund Burke
This is the last piece from this column for year ending 2012. So, the New Year would have been some days old before next Friday’s edition will be due. As an observer and commentator on events of the past months, one thinks it pertinent to reflect over the way governance is being muddled up in the country in the past twelve months. President Goodluck Jonathan started this year on the wrong side of history. On the first day of January, 2012, he greeted Nigerians with indefensible 49 per cent fuel price increase under the guise of removing fuel subsidy. Nigerians resisted the cruel move and in the end, his imprudence in decision making came to the fore when the sleaze about the corruption called fuel subsidy started coming to the public domain.
The shame of that expose should ordinarily have compelled the president to resign in other clime but this is Nigeria where anything, including official criminality can maliciously escape the klieglight of the law. From that January till today, just three days before year 2013 beckons, the president has been wobbling and fumbling in his handling of state matters. Yet, he is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces that seem to have lost control over his troops.
The spate of insecurity in the country has continually been on the increase without corresponding effective solutions from the presidency. The Boko Haram cankerworm, the armed robbery operations, kidnappings and abductions continue without inhibition. It is only when family members of top-notchers in government and society are victims of kidnapping that the security agencies really prove that they can work. Yet, the president sees nothing bad in the deployment of military jet for personal use of one of his aides recently. It is indeed very sad that the military jet used during the final rites of Oronto Douglas’ father crashed. May the souls of the victims of that crash rest in peace. Amen. But the fact still remains that it was wrong to have deployed such important service jet for the social use of a mere presidential aide. Such impunity must have been going on within power circles without the public knowing. And Nigerians would not have known but for the unfortunate crash that claimed the lives of those brilliant Nigerians. Who then should be held responsible if not a president that is obviously not in firm control of his office?
Surprisingly, the same president in his Christmas message wants Nigerians to still be hopeful about a positive turn around in his uninspiring approach to governance. He said: “No one should doubt that we have the political will and determination to deliver on our promise of positive changes in the living conditions of our people in the shortest possible time….. It is my hope and expectation that more of the efforts, actions and measures we are already undertaking in these areas will successfully come to fruition next years and make the results of the diligent project planning and execution being done under this administration more apparent to all Nigerians.”
Which of President Jonathan’s project was diligently planned and executed? Could it be the fuel subsidy removal policy which even the unintelligible in the society now know is just a conduit pipe to service the profligacious proclivity of some powerful elements in government and the society. Let us flash our minds to the messy details of corruption that trailed report of the House of Representatives ad hoccommittee that probed management of subsidy funds; What about that of the Mallam Nuhu Ribadu oil Committee that finally nailed the presidency as being complicit in the fuel subsidy scam that Nigerians are made to forcefully pay for. It is sad that the president still believes in fuel subsidy when those‘oil thieves’ indicted in the various committees’ reports are now roaming freely in the streets. More importantly, the issue of corruption of values is hurting the nation so much; what has the president done about it? In Jonathan’s usual saying, it may be true that corruption in the country predates his ascension to power but he owes Nigerians that duty of bringing it to a minimal level now that he is fully in power. Is he doing this? The only thing that the present government understands is how to further entrench the anomalies of the past in the public affairs of the country.
Let us be sincere with ourselves, Nigerians may find it difficult to believe Mr President whose hallmark as president has been imprudence. He seems not to be perturbed by the looming harsh verdict of history.
To brood over the nation’s avoidable afflictions is a serious issue that could engage one for days. But the leadership is not bothered about the hypertensive consequences of these endless thoughts about Nigeria’s problems by right thinking citizens.
What then happens in 2013? Will it be the routine ritual of doing things the old ways? Will this administration give serious and sincere priority to the security and welfare of Nigerians? Will there be safety net to cushion the effect of official profligacy that erroneously looks incurable? Indeed, brooding over Nigeria’s problems is an important work on its own because governance in 2012 was not done according to good sense nor was it carried out in the interest of the people.
Thank you all….my readers!
All thanks to God, the almighty, for imbuing one with the grace of good life, knowledge and the skill to sustain this column in the past 12 months. Our sincere gratitude to readers for their interest in the column and The Nation newspaper, over the past months. Let me state that those responses of yours, through text messages, though not usually published, are very inspiring and motivating. May I seize this opportunity to wish you all compliment of the season and a prosperous New Year in advance.
