Why can’t The President be more like a dad?

I was forced to ask my own question about our president when it became obvious that by omission or commission his actions are becoming ever more in contrast with those of a man heading a country in crisis. As if it wasn’t bad enough that while we were mourning our dead and grieving over our […]

I was forced to ask my own question about our president when it became obvious that by omission or commission his actions are becoming ever more in contrast with those of a man heading a country in crisis. As if it wasn’t bad enough that while we were mourning our dead and grieving over our missing daughters, he had to proceed with the jamboree called World Economic Forum, his handlers now announce a decision to plan big for Democracy Day. Again just when we were trying hard to accept that he missed the trip to Chibok with the best of intentions, he now jets out to South Africa for a summit on terrorism rather than make up for that failed trip by going there now.
But the biggest display of the president’s insensitivity was when he actually said that he didn’t have to visit Chibok because even his presence cannot produce the missing girls. What happened to good old pursuit of political capital that Mr. Jonathan will find it hard to even feign concern for Chibok parents by visiting them even though he would rather be in Paris or Pretoria? Is he really surrounded by political nincompoops that they couldn’t advise the president to do what is politically expedient even if it’s not sincere? Or is it because in Nigeria people’s votes don’t really count because elections are won through other means? For sure if our leaders believe we have a say in how they emerge, they will not be subjecting us to some insensitive actions and remarks.
Two weeks after the Chibok abductions I had written on this page that if we were in a country where such an episode is considered the tragedy that it is, the president would have relocated to Borno State to personally oversee the search and rescue efforts by the armed forces, as their command-in-chief. I had also said that all the service chiefs would have been in Sambisa and surrounding forests, if we were in such a concerned country. While writing that I remember having at the back of my mind the very memorable incident of the rescue of 33 Chilean miners two years ago. We were all living witnesses to how the president of Chile left all matters of state aside to personally oversee that near-miraculous rescue. He hugged each miner as he emerged from that tube, not because he liked hugging miners who had gone seven weeks without a bath but because he wanted to rejoice with them and identify with their plight. And this was a man who wasn’t even seeking a second term.
Now compare this with how it took our government three weeks to make the Chibok affair a national priority. Even this was thanks to the Bringbackourgirls activists’ protests which commenced two weeks into the abduction. Criticism by reputable foreign media also helped to let the president’s men know that this is no small matter for them to sweep under the carpet. But not to be outdone, Dame Patience Jonathan also rose to the occasion, with her pathetic theatrics, to remind us that ‘Dia ris God o’ after totally ignoring the respectable core of protesters keeping vigil right under her nose for days. I can’t say for sure what the magic was in waiting till the third week, but even the alleged mastermind of the abduction, Abubakar Shekau waited till after 21 days to claim responsibility for this highly successful mass-kidnap. Why?
Can it be that the real masterminds had to shop for and get a good Shekau look-a-like before they shot the responsibility claim video? I mean lots of us still remember that we were told Shekau had been killed and buried in a neighbouring country last year. Unless he rose from the dead to continue his atrocities, we deserve an explanation on the new Shekau, who took so long to claim his prize. And when he finally did, it was to say that he will be selling the girls soon, as if there is such a market for women existing anywhere near us.  Meanwhile the killings continued, though no one is ready to claim these bloodbaths anymore. In Gamboru Ngala town alone, a total of 315 dead bodies were certified buried, after a killing spree that went on for hours and included the razing of the main market and most other buildings in the town.
The curious thing about the Gamboru Ngala massacre was how a soldier’s testimony said they were barred from going in to save the people when these inhuman gunmen descended on them. According to the soldier who spoke on BBC Hausa service, they rushed to their commander to seek permission to run to the aid of the Gamboru community but were barred from doing so by him. In the soldier’s own words, ‘When we got to our camp at Gamboru, before our commander went to his office, he told us that no one should go anywhere close to the town….. instead of him to direct us to go and face the insurgents, since we are soldiers who know how to attack them, and the civilian JTF, who were from the area were available to take us to the town through a route where the insurgents will not see us, this was not done. ‘ Alleging foul play the soldier also disclosed how a military chopper was hovering above the skies of Gamboru while the massacre was going on but it neither attacked the insurgents nor destroy their armoured tanks.
Though the government was quick to deny these allegations, the least we expect from a sensitive administration is a thorough investigation of them. Already it amazes us to hear that gunmen carry out their atrocities in army uniform, within range of military check-points and for hours without being apprehended by real members of the Nigerian armed forces, isn’t there enough in this for us to demand more investigation into what is really happening in this so-called insurgency? But instead of our government to dedicate itself to this onerous task and keep all celebrations low-key, it is planning big for Democracy Day because PDP has been at the helm for 15 years and President Jonathan had to celebrate his third anniversary. Does this make a great deal of sense?
So while this government moves from one Owambe to another ‘showcasing’ their achievements to an increasingly skeptical world, we are left in fear; mourning our dead from Maiduguri to Kano and to Jos. What is clear is that we have leaders who are out of touch with our grim and terror-filled reality. The president does not see the need to act like a father whose family house is on fire. This is why I can’t help asking ‘Why can’t the president be more like a dad?’