On this Jonathan’s last lap, whither Nigeria?

The administration is perilously steering us to the cliff. President Goodluck Jonathan proudly and deservedly beat his chest when he counted the final elimination of kidnapping in south-east as one of his achievements on security before he was elected in 2011. But now, he has allowed some gloating in this respect. But bombs that these […]

The administration is perilously steering us to the cliff. President Goodluck Jonathan proudly and deservedly beat his chest when he counted the final elimination of kidnapping in south-east as one of his achievements on security before he was elected in 2011. But now, he has allowed some gloating in this respect. But bombs that these days explode in the North, starting from Independence Day 2010, are threatening to wipe out everything else on his slate of achievements, if any.  I am worried about lack of leadership ideals in those who claim that they lead us; indeed I am appalled at the lack of perseverance, courage, self-confidence, competence, doggedness, principle and dignity in the character of those who hold sway in our country today, and also in the pursuit of what they believe in and is good for Nigeria.  
Let us not mince words here: President Jonathan cannot bring Nigeria out of the woods we are in today. The style of leadership of the current administration is characterized by divisive policies, insincerity, and injustice in politics, ineptitude and insensitivity in governance.
The resultant effects of these are continuing insecurity, civil unrest, rising unemployment, increasing armed robbery, explosion of bombs, violence, abduction, protest, wanton and extrajudicial killing, cultism and other bizarre and atrocities all over the country. The administration also lacks focus, demonstrated by the absence of policies in education, agriculture, housing and industrial development and apparent failure of security in the country, breaching constitutional provisions, and feathering the nest of corrupt politicians and other public office holders. Nigeria is chronically sick, if not terminally; a pluralistic country with almost 250 languages and over 400 dialects.
When one considers the majority of Nigerian politicians, especially those that are visibly playing a role in the direction of our government from 1999 to date, one realizes that they have stayed in the corridors of power way past than any safe expiry date.
With the names of governors that have served for two terms since 1999 and subsequently served as ministers and senators returned as ambassadors, waiting impatiently for possible federal appointments, one begins to wonder and ruminate whether in a country of over 150million only these select few have capability to serve the nation at that level. I agree with what the former National Security Adviser, the Late General Andrew Oweye Azazi said in this analysis of the security challenges. He said “The issue of violence did not increase in Nigeria until when there was a declaration by the current President that he was going to contest. PDP got it wrong from the beginning. The party started by saying Mr A can rule and Mr B cannot rule, according to PDP conventions, rules and regulation and not according to the constitution. That created the climate for what is happening. Is it possible that only Mr A could win, and if he did not win, he could cause a problem in the society?”
Azazi showed that his office was unique and not connected to the bureaucracies and could therefore offer independence advice.
The political party structure that we are operating gives our politicians comfort zones. Indeed, our political parties are nothing but social clubs, where people acquire positions through relationship to other people not on the basis of merit.
They consider politi-cal appointment as a   resolution of a dispute or a settlement for losing an election and see it as an opportunity to steal or avoid prosecution for corruption behind the cover of immunity.
Our leaders have simply mismanaged our economy and grossly abused our country. We are coming to a time when we will ask ourselves whether this nation can afford this kind of political system.
In Nigeria we have a cancerous situation, you fight one problem and another one grows. I don’t want to pigeonhole my piece by writing about subjugations and manipulations.
We must critically examine our political system in order to comprehend the emerging reality. We have been accumulating our grievance for 15years. This time around we say enough to those deceptions and falsifications.
The greater challenges facing us now is how to reformat our country as a place of peace, law and order, a disciplined society focused on common national objectives.
We are dancing same old dance when the music has changed. We need important blueprint to guide the process for dreaming up our socio-economic policies for the future.
We need to complement the fundamental struggles and fundamental values that would make us live in peace with one another. We need to domesticate our values for the benefit of our country. We need a government perceptive enough to build resilient institution that will be the foundation of true national building.
We need proliferation of leaders that genuinely want to serve the nation, not to grab power for its sake or for bleeding our resources. We need dignity and integrity in our politics. If we want development in all ramifications, we must be determined to live in peace.
The politics of purpose, politics of identity and politics of development offer us a unique platform and opportunity to re-think, re-strategize, and re-focus. We must predict, anticipate and prepare for the changes in our country’s desire not to continue to respond to changes forced upon us by desperate politicians.
We need change in our politics, different from our politics of vilification. The world is changing and we must see how to take advantage of those changes for our own good.
Nigeria is too complex for an ill-prepared, ill-equipped (and novices to boot) to handle.

Mua’zu wrote from Jam-maje Academy,  Kano <[email protected]>;