Is Jonathan destined to be a Nigerian hero?

With that change of ownership successfully done, a new era in the provision of electricity to power the Nigerian economy was ushered in. And to us optimists, Nigeria will witness far better times from now on than she did under the era of ECN, NEPA or PHCN when public power supply was the exclusive preserves […]

With that change of ownership successfully done, a new era in the provision of electricity to power the Nigerian economy was ushered in. And to us optimists, Nigeria will witness far better times from now on than she did under the era of ECN, NEPA or PHCN when public power supply was the exclusive preserves of government.
The sunny optimism of some of us that we are in for a better time is anchored on the fact that except the new gencos and discos do not want to make profit or they have been propped up by Nigeria’s enemies or those who are afraid of Nigeria’s greatness to sabotage Nigeria’s growth and development, there is no way that public power supply in Nigeria will not improve tremendously in the next few months.
Those who dismiss Jonathan as a clueless president may now be compelled to admit that at least in the power sector, he is one Nigerian or one Nigerian president that has found a clue to public power supply. And that key is: defy every lobby, ignore the temptation to personally profit from the gargantuan corruption in the power sector, settle the almost cultic clique in that sector and wrestle control and hand it over to the private sector and all will be well in the business of power generation, transmission and distribution of power.
The performance and contribution of the telecom-munication sector to the national economy since its deregulation in the past 11 years is enough cause to hope that in less than a decade from now erratic power supply will be a thing of the past in Nigeria. The tremendous boost a steady power supply will have on all sectors of the country’s life should be a good cause for celebration by even those who do not like Jonathan and those who are ideologically opposed to privatisation. Social life will improve; unemployment will be significantly reduced as there will be opportunities for improved production in all sectors of business. Nigeria is in for a swell time, thanks to the decision of Jonathan to do what is right in the circumstance.
There are of courser a few dyed- in- the wool socialists who are ideologically wired to oppose any such thing as the privatisation of public companies whether such companies are doing well enough or not to promote the public good, who will fail to hail the thinking, the wisdom and the courage that culminated in the event that took place three days ago.
Apart from the significance of what Jonathan did on Monday, the timing of the ceremony itself is also very apt. Whether it was a divinely inspired coincidence or it was merely a human move, the choice of September 30, the eve of the anniversary of Nigeria’s 53rd independence, is very symbolic. It is like saying that from October 1, 1960to September 30, 2013, old things are passed away and from October 1, 2013 onward new things will come into place for the greatness of Nigeria. My interpretation is that for much of our 53 years as an independent nation, we have wasted our time with bad thinking and bad polices. But that from Tuesday, 1st of October, 2013 onward, we will now be guided by good, realistic thinking and good policies.
In a sense, the event of September 30 was timed to send a clear message to all and sundry that at 53, Nigeria has decided to be on the rise again. More than anything else, erratic power supply has arrested the development of the country in the past 53 years. Now, with what Jonathan has found the courage and wisdom to do, no one can stop Nigeria’s rise any more. Electricity is the bedrock of the modern economy. And with the right policy measure now in place to guarantee steady power supply, nothing can stop Nigeria from moving forward.
There are basically two main ways political or any other kind of leadership can achieve significant results for a people or country: thinking, planning and formulating good policies that guide conduct. The second one is the boldness, sense of honesty and great commitment to implement the good policies enunciated either by one or by predecessors. Jonathan’s greatness or heroism lies in the fact he has chosen to put in place a policy regime that will undoubtedly promote steady power supply, a sector that is crucial for the country’s rapid development. Others before him thought about it but none had the courage or the wisdom or the commitment to see it through and claim the credit.
So significant is the action to Nigeria’s greatness that if I am to list the monumental achievements of each Nigerian president from 1960 to date, I will number it as the number one for Goodluck Jonathan. In fact I am tempted to say that quite unknown to many Nigerians Jonathan may ultimately become a Nigerian hero for this singular action.
What Jonathan has done and the positive results we are bound to witness in the next few months make me believe the saying of some spiritual teachers that God may send leaders to achieve only one or a few one specific assignments for a people and after that it may be his time to leave the scene. Take the past 14 years of the fourth Republic for example. God sent Obasanjo to use his power and strength to bulldoze his way and lay a solid foundation in many sectors so that other successors can build on. After using his seemingly brutish ways to pacify agitators in the Niger Delta, it now took a ‘weak’ and pacifist Yar’ Adua to bring lasting peace to the Niger Delta with his amnesty programme.
After Obasanjo’s deregulation and privatisation programme, Jonathan has now found a platform to privatise the power sector and usher in what surely promises to be an era of progress in the power supply generation, transmission and distribution.