As the people of Nigeria and other well wishers including
President Barack Obama of America mourn the physical passing
of President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua, what remains clear prior
to his death, was that his deceased-prone body certainly
slowed and stole his energy for effecting a workable
Nigerian environment.
Nevertheless, Yar’ Adua’s spirit of honesty, unity and
progressivism lives on. Goodluck Jonathan should walk in steps with this laid down
enormous spirit of renewing Nigeria but the difficulties
that could arise will be from using the same groups,
strategies and methods and expecting a different result. A
situation that is all too common in the nation, and is
nothing short of twisted logic.
Amongst those who directly and closely surrounded Yar’ Adua
are some who were outright dreadful as it was “all about
them”—their self interest only and nothing else, and they
overlooked the nation. And in the process they overwhelmed
not only Yar’ Adua’s physical being and body but his
mindset. Certainly, Jonathan does not want this to happen to
him!
In the next few months, great historical strides could begin
to take place with the leading support of God-fearing
personalities like Nuhu Ribadu, Nasir EL-Rufai, Farida
Waziri, and Attahiri Jega. These authorities are not perfect
but for the sake of goodness they appeared ready to
revolutionize the institutional environment of Nigeria, not
by way of violence but in a manner that could point to the
collective good of the nation.
All they need is full executive support from the President
with no questionable hindrance from some of the legislators,
especially those with something to hide, and with
self-engineered fear in their minds.
Professionals like Ribadu, EL-Rufai, Waziri and Jega could
add something new to a Jonathan Doctrine by sparkling it up
with up to date workable and functional course of actions.
Also, further in roads could be made through Nigerian and
other strategic makers and builders of the diasporan
background, that is, those who are used to the presidential
system of administration; a system of management, Nigeria is
still trying to understand.
So just use those who know it so well—politically,
managerially, commercially, technologically, and
professionally.
Given the heavy weight of problems the nation now shoulders,
under Jonathan’s arms, a new Nigeria could come to bear,
only if the President turns to drastic, far-reaching and
culturally appropriate measures.
Changing the nature of political governance in Nigeria will
not be easy due to the ingrained, inside and internal
terror-driven systemic behaviors that continue to produce
various anxieties and insecurities among the people.
The most damning security threat to the nation remains
within the context of the political neurosis or collective
confusion. These national infections extend to various
impairments, as in the psychological politics of corruption,
bribery, lawless killings, capital misuse, or money madness
and generalized “darkness”.
Let us for a moment focus on the man called Nuhu Ribadu, who
was recently cleared of various forms of made-up
transgressions.
This is the man who in recent times who tried to exemplify
the true meaning of public service, public decorum and
public patriotism. He was nationally discovered, first in
2003 and internationally acknowledged throughout the globe
beginning in 2004, and up to 2007 as well as at this time.
He is a peoples’ man as evidenced by the ongoing affection
and confidence Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora have
toward him.
The British and American governments who respectively stand
out as Nigeria’s administrative mother historically, and
political father currently have given Ribadu a global lift,
and this Jonathan cannot deny.
In fact, he visited the United States Capitol, at least
twice, for national and international discourse on Nigeria
before Jonathan.
Ribadu has showed to the world that the cost of saving a
nation from its self is always extraordinary.
To the good motivation and credit of the former president
Olusegun Obasenjo, his pick of Ribadu, to save the country
from its own creation, would be Ribadu, a lawyer/police by
professional. He is the man, who took on the burdens to
boldly plant various seeds of true development,
transparency, accountability, and stability, across the
nation.
Ribadu always envisioned Nigeria as a country that is full
of capability and wants to be a part of the global economy.
So he took on the massive war of societal repair in Nigeria.
No society is historically free from domestic or internal
strife and challenges, but Ribadu’s efforts from 2003 to
2007 showed to the Nigerian people and to the entire world
that Nigeria was hopelessly hooked with power-hungry
extremists with deep anti-national interest.
These were a line of men and women who wallowed in a
sub-culture of open criminality, engaging in far reaching
disrespect of the law and order as well as perpetuating in
various aspects of anti-justice forces.
As a matter of fact, they stand out as the worst
representatives of national security terrorism, in both
domestic and economic terms.
Ribadu, to his credit engaged himself with these
authoritarian elements, within and outside the country, and
across the world. He made some in-roads and positive
interference with regard to the overall security of country.
At least, this is how he is being viewed across the world.
This type of a judgment has also been arrived at by the vast
majority of the Nigerian people whose constitution he
embraced and enforced in order to protect the common
citizen.
From the perspective of civil psychology, Ribadu’s
short-term contribution goes beyond the successful
prosecution and conviction of many legally and stained
public officials, and corporate heads.
Furthermore, his genius lays in his ability to create
measures and policies which to some extent helped pulled the
nation from entirely falling into the permanent pit holes of
various disasters like national starvation, damage and harm.
For the people, the day to day irritants continue to include
religious terror, politicized religions, cruel behaviors,
governmental violence, kidnapping, extra-judicial killings,
power breakdown (e.g. Electrical insufficiency), and other
gross public or corporate lawlessness. Other common havocs
include electoral terrorism by some powerful elements,
financial and health-related distress among the disadvantage
Nigerians.
The acceptable fact is that within a short span of time,
Ribadu with the help of international security agencies
mostly from the United States of America and United Kingdom,
saved and rescued Nigeria from been illegally privatized by
a handful of shameless, precarious, brutal and anti-social
minds.
Ribadu to his greatness have succeeded in presenting the
Nigerian people as a body of deeply resourceful and good
nurtured people, who mostly live in a grand nation fully
known throughout the sub-Saharan world. Then something
happened.
Suddenly, Ribadu’s work became somewhat short lived in 2007
when a medically vulnerable president in the person of late
Yar’Adua was surrounded by institutional rogues, political
terrorists, economic criminals and so-called educated
personalities.
Ribadu’s unfinished work was revealed this February in his
testimony in the United States Senate where he raised hope
for his motherland and pressed for the continued monitoring
of the mass corruption in Nigeria. This is certainly
encouraging.
He has indicated that in spite of his near death experience
in Nigeria, a day before he escaped from Nigeria late last
year, his work continues. Therefore his on going crusade
needs broader support during this transforming period in
Nigeria, especially from Jonathan.
To optimize the on-going work in Nigeria, let us hope he
returns home soon but to a more powerful advisory and
executive role under the current Jonathan presidency.
Ribadu’s hope and mindset for a good Nigeria is not far off
from the likes of the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University,
Kano, Professor Attahiru Jega. Dr. Jega specifically judged
the country as currently in a disabled state as a result of
a public leadership marked with corruptible hands. Dr. Jega
has called for strong public support for the anti-corruption
agencies, in their daily legal battle against those that are
illegally sucking the people’s money for their own personal
and selfish use. His expertise and patriotic mindset is just
what the nation needs at this time.
Along this part of mindset is the work of Lawyer (Mrs.)
Farida Waziri, a law enforcement expert, the national
prosecutor and the current head of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a professional and a definitive way Waziri has opined
that only extreme and stiff legal consequences could in a
lasting way, reduce corruption in leadership and deter acts
of corruption now, and in the future.
In the same vein like Ribadu, is Nasir El-Rufai, a man who
knows the inner workings of Nigerian government and have in
the last two year remained in self exile from where he
continuously pressed on diasporan Nigerians’ to return with
him (which he recently did himself); in order not to leave
the nation under some bad elements and outrageous minds.
El-Rufai, a public policy and management expert could be a
valuable support as Jonathan attempts to rebuild the nation.
The aforementioned Nigerians’ strength of minds are reasons
why some diasporan Nigerians should to take the bold step to
return home when called upon, especially those with highly
specialized positions in the advanced world.
This will allow many to play out their part in a way that is
not about personal fortune or self-interest but about the
larger good of the society. With very few months left for
any actual breakthrough, President Jonathan should act now,
especially when the strict force of the “gentleman’s
agreement” could make it a high tribal risk for him to join
in the next race for the presidency within his political
party.
Published
May 11th, 2010
