By Dele Momodu

My second coming, even if intermittently, had been foretold by no less a “prophet” than Simon Kolawole. He had told me it was virtually impossible for a restless writer like me to ignore the sad developments in Nigeria. We had this encounter on the day American Chronicle published on its website that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had died as far back as December last year, which was too sensational to be true. The news was so rife that most Nigerians made frantic calls everywhere and to everyone who could have any iota of clue. I had attempted to speak to the President’s spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, who was then in Angola but was not so lucky. He probably knew why his phones would have been ringing off the hook. I really felt for this great guy, and for what must have been his personal and private anguish.

I decided to try Simon, who confirmed that the raging news had been debunked and that in fact, our offshore President was going to speak to BBC Hausa Service. I instantly concluded that we were carrying this nonsense too far. How at this time and age can the President of a great nation as Nigeria just vanish from the surface of the earth without any trace? How can the family of our President turn a matter of greatest public interest into such a disgraceful circus clownery? How can our politicians fail to realise the danger they are attracting to us all by their endless irrational behaviour? (Don’t forget that Niger is just next door). Is life all about grabbing power at all costs? Why can’t the First Family spare Nigerians this unwarranted agony? These were the thoughts criss-crossing my mind.

As predicted, our President mysteriously, but not without some serious doubts, spoke from his groove in Saudi Arabia, and granted what must have been the most incoherent interview ever aired by any of the famous BBC channels. Many are still convinced till this day, that that interview was the handiwork of desperados who wanted to hoodwink what they believe is a largely gullible citizenry. Even the BBC which secured the exclusive interview of this century seems not to have been proud of its amazing achievement. The powerful radio channel has not been flaunting the interview the way you would expect of such rare interviews.

Let’s not waste too much energy and time on the dirty tricks with which the hawks have tried to mesmerise Nigerians. The meat of it all is that Nigerians have found a new freedom which is not likely toyed with anymore. It is a great pity if some day-dreamers cannot see that the last train has since departed the terminus. They can continue to waste our scarce resources, but the day of reckoning will come. It is obvious that these guys don’t care a hoot about the President. It is all about their pockets. The poor man I’m sure is not aware of the atrocities his acolytes have committed in his name. It is a shame that some Nigerians can still drag us down this hopeless route. But we shall rise above them. The ball is now in the hands of the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, who must act speedily and courageously. God has given him power, and it is Mr Jonathan alone who shall account for it. All the sycophants will simply move on when the chips are down.

His ascendancy is nothing short of a modern day miracle. Those who are still contesting the will of God are wasting their time. They are resisting Jonathan because they don’t want to lose their grip on power. They want to stall for as long as it takes so as to make it impossible for Jonathan to settle down to serious business. They know that the attention span of Nigerians are very short. Very soon, the fuse would blow, and we shall be plunged into darkness. And they thrive in that state of anomie. This is the reason Jonathan must seize the initiative and beat them in their game. He can. These guys are cowards. President Olusegun Obasanjo cowed and canned them, like corned beef, until he fell into their trap by dreaming of a third term. Nigerians have never united behind any man since they did on June 12, 1993, the way they have cuddled Jonathan. Just imagine that Jonathan did not have to lift a finger. He even looked like a man who loves his boss more than himself. But head or tail, he had to carry this cross that was placed on his laps by his benevolent Creator. And he would have to step on toes. Now that he has crossed the Rubicon, there is no turning back.

All roads must now lead to heaven or to hell. The choice is that limited. The road to heaven is a road to redemption. The road to hell is that littered with thorns and can only lead to perdition. In less than 16 months, Jonathan has a chance of recording monumental achievements. It is like being asked to play a penalty in a most gripping game. He must shun all distractions, and shut off the cacophony of the crowd all over the stadium. It is a game of death. When you score, you are a hero. When you miss, you are a villain. In Jonathan’s case, he needs to fire a blinder, and all his friends and foes will stand ramrod at full attention. He looks fit enough to score.

If I were in his shoes, I will recall the security details of our President from their mission in Saudi Arabia, and replace them with fresh ones. I will summon our Ambassador to Saudi Arabia home to debrief him. I will write a letter to the Saudi King, and express both appreciation for his kindness towards our President, and disgust for the manner Nigerians have been totally snubbed in the matter. I will remind His Royal Highness that when the former King Fahd ibn Abdulaziz had a stroke, he was the Crown Prince Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz at the time and was allowed to rule for many years. As a matter of irony, the current Crown Prince Sultan ibn Abdulaziz has been ill and was actually flown to the United States of America for intensive care. The Saudis were not kept in the dark. The media went agog with blow-by-blow account of his progress or lack of it. When he got better and was flown to Morocco to fully recuperate, the Saudi media followed him with the same frenzy.

The Saudis should remember that Nigeria is a major player in the oil business. And whatever happens later may be termed as a deliberate attempt at rubbishing a rival nation. The shame is that while they spent their proceeds into building a most modern society, our leaders wasted our proceeds on frivolities. For the first time in our chequered history, we had two former university teachers as President and Vice President. One would have expected President Yar’Adua to build one of the best University Teaching Hospitals in Africa. And to think that his health challenges actually dictated the urgent need for such a glorious investment. Today, he has paid the price for such humongous short-sightedness. If Yar’Adua was vegetating on a local hospital bed in Nigeria, no one except the soldiers would have dared remove him the way it was done by our National Assembly recently. The politicians who were too scared to discuss the health of a man no one has seen in three months would have been too timid to even table it before the National legislators. We must salute the gallant Nigerians who fought spiritedly for our liberation.

Acting President Jonathan must assemble a powerful team as a matter of urgency and ignore the advice of those who never wished him well in the first instance. The Present team needs to be energised. Everyone remembers with nostalgia a few of those bright stars in Obasanjo’s government. The debt repayment package of that era was a great boost. If such had been translated into rebuilding our infrastructure aggressively, we can all imagine where Nigeria would have been by now. Mr. Jonathan should not worry too much about playing dirty politics for now. If he performs well, Nigerians will beg him to stay on. We are very generous to those we love. And we are not asking for much.

He must rebuild our roads. They are all in bad shapes. Nigerian cities look like war-ravaged zones. And it speaks volumes about our crass irresponsibility and shamelessness. Our airports must be urgently rehabilitated. I flew through Murtala Mohammed International airport last night and nearly burst into tears. Nigerians and foreigners alike were hissing and cursing. Our power and energy situations would never improve unless Jonathan is willing to take on the various cartels that litter our landscape. Our education is currently a huge joke. As a former teacher, he should personally enter into dialogue with his former colleagues on the way forward. We must stop the present drift where our children are being tossed across the seas with reckless abandon. Our hospitals must be upgraded to reasonable standards. Our economy is in tatters, and we must rise above the uncertainties of the moment. The war against corruption can only be won when the leader is ready to subject his person to some levels of discomfort. A good leader must be bold. We must know where he stands on every issue.

Something tells me Jonathan is on the threshold of history. He could not have been raised this high if he was not destined for greatness. I pray he appreciates the enormous challenges ahead of him. By next week, he must convince us that he is ready, and must leave no one in doubt of who’s in charge.

May God help him.

by Dele Momodu

I had planned to say a different kind of goodbye to my ardent readers last week. A call to the Editor of THISDAY the Saturday Paper, Ms Ijeoma Nwogwugwu changed all that.

THISDAY was on holiday last Saturday, so I didn’t have to stress myself writing the Pendulum column. I had nearly completed what should have been my last piece for my THISDAY column. My target was to quit my weekly writing by the last Saturday of 2009. But that was not to be. That break turned out to be some kind of blessings, even if on some sad notes.

First was the unthinkable news of the alleged Nigerian bomber on an America-bound flight. I thought someone was cracking some cruel joke when the news broke. Nigerians have been widely advertised as the world’s happiest people. We often boast that a revolution cannot take place in our dear country for that simple reason.

We’d readily enter the Guinness Books of Records as the unsurpassable merry-makers on planet earth. How was I to believe that a 23-year old charming boy was capable of not just killing himself but also attempting to terminate almost 300 innocent souls? The story of the handsome young man remains stranger than fiction. Even as I write this the whole world is agog with the story of “The Nigerian”.

As if that was not rattling enough, I was in the ancient city of Ile-Ife last Sunday, December 27, 2009, when a text message flew into my phone like thunderbolt. I was instantly dazed by its content: MARYAM BABANGIDA IS DEAD! Like a somnambulist, I tried to clear my head of the confused state I was in.

And the journalist in me immediately took over. This was the second time in less than two months that I was receiving such terrible news. I decided to crosscheck with someone I knew was very close to the Babangidas and was able to confirm the breaking news.

I was more familiar with Maryam Babangida’s daughter, Aisha, but did not know where she was at that moment. As tradition demands in Africa, it was necessary to offer my condolences to the bereaved. I decided to send mine to Aisha and prayed for Allah to accept her mum’s soul. Surprisingly, I received a response from Aisha shortly after: “Dele, thank you very much for your thoughtful prayers. Thank you.” I could imagine how she felt at moment being a veteran of the same motherless status. My mum died over two years ago but I still cry like a baby once in a while. It is not easy to lose your mother, especially if she was as sweet as mine was.

Maryam Babangida’s battle with cancer had crept in like a thief in the night exactly ten years ago. As a matter of fact, Ovation International had published exclusive pictures of Maryam on her return from Paris where she had gone for the initial treatment in 1999. In the picture which appeared on our cover, she looked drained and darker. Our cover was a screamer of sorts: MARYAM BABANGIDA’S FIRST PICTURES AFTER HER PARIS OPERATION. But she bounced back to her usual gaiety in subsequent years and we all hoped the worst was over. In fact, she looked more radiant, and enjoyed life to the hilt.

But she had added a new kind of religious piety and her friendliness was palpable when we met at the swearing-in ceremony of Liberia’s first female President, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, in Monrovia a few years ago. She was very warm and pleasant. She made appearances here and there at birthdays, weddings and other such celebrity events. She remained a head-turner and newsmaker to the end.

I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to say goodbye to a stormy petrel whose stint as Nigeria’s First Lady was remarkable in many ways. Love or loathe her, Maryam Ndidi Babandida was a woman you couldn’t ignore. Her controversial Better Life for Women project was pursued with the agility of a wrestler. She eventually received her crowning glory when she won and shared The Hunger Project Award in 1991 with Kenya’s Nobel Peace Laureate, Professor Wangari Mathai. I was privileged to witness the powerful ceremony in London.

It was the tonic Maryam needed to continue her pet project to the very end of her tenure. Even when it seemed her husband had committed the terminal error of annulling Nigeria’s best election ever, and the people of the South-west of Nigeria felt aggrieved Maryam was the pathfinder who made it possible for the Babangidas to meander their way back to the Lagos social circuit. She was an energetic bridge-builder and a great networker.

From paying tribute to Maryam, I have the pleasure of saying goodbye to my readers. Whatever has a beginning must have an end. For me, it is time to move on. I’ll be 50 by God’s grace in a few months and I need some time to finish my books. I owe that project to the strident calls of readers who believe I must make my works permanently available to my ardent fans.

I sincerely thank both my fanatical supporters as well as my vociferous critics for making it possible for me to enjoy the cult followership I seemed to have commanded in the past few years. I’m particularly flattered and bemused that I have my chief critics who hate my column with so much venom but can’t wait to read and attack it every week. I’ll surely miss you all.

This voyage began about 30 months ago. I had just landed in Lagos that brilliant morning from my base in Accra, Ghana. As soon as we touched down, I had planned to speak to the THISDAY publisher, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, on some important issues affecting a few of our mutual friends.

I was already on the Third Mainland Bridge when I got through to Nduka and he told me he was on his way to the airport to catch a private flight to Benin City. He insisted I must join him on the flight in order to discuss the matter of our friends. In less than one hour thereafter, we were already airborne and cruising towards the ancient city of the once powerful Benin Kingdom.

It was in the course of our flight that Nduka revealed that Segun Adeniyi was on his way to joining the Yar’Adua team in Aso Rock. I asked what would happen to his extremely popular column, and Nduka said he would find a good replacement. He asked if I was interested, and if I’ll be able to find the time from my very hectic lifestyle to write a regular column and I answered in the affirmative. I love challenges and the discipline required to oil it. I was ready to resurrect Pendulum again, and that was it.

It was really a kind of homecoming. I had been a part of the foundation that packaged the birth of Leaders & Company, the parent company of THISDAY newspapers, as far back as 1992. I had secured the services of some of the key staff at that tough beginning in the Ikoyi office. THISDAY would always be dear to my heart for that reason. I’m proud that the THISDAY media brand has grown into an octopus with fingers in many pies. It was only natural that I’ll always love to contribute to its phenomenal growth.

My biggest challenge was the difficulty of creating the time every week to write the column. The fact that I was constantly on the move made matters worse. A lot of the times, I found myself typing frantically on the plane. There were times I had to contend with the problems of time difference and internet connections, even in the United States.

I was fortunate to have had to deal with understanding editors like Simon Kolawole, at first and later Ijeoma Nwogwugwu and Laurence Ani, who gave me some flexibility. Ijeoma in particular became my chief critic. We discussed issues a lot and I found her extremely knowledgeable. She was as comfortable with financial matters as with political topics. Her versatility extended even to the choicest wines in the vineyard. Nigerians should watch out for this terrific Amazon in the future.

A second challenge was how to respond as quickly as possible to a nation and a people perpetually on the fast lane. News items are often produced in Nigeria with the rapidity of popcorn. Keeping up sometimes could be breath-taking. We also had a cynical public to deal with. They sometimes know you more than you know yourself, and they judge you by your appearance than by your real thoughts. The critics sit in the comfort of their homes to dictate who you should be and not what they should become.

Some people have taken permanent residence on the internet to attack fellow citizens without any justification. My only sin is that I publish a very popular magazine that gives space to saints and sinners to feature their events. Our magazine is largely pictorial, and we don’t write editorials which glorify “thieves and rogues”. My critics can’t seem to appreciate the risk I take by speaking up against those they claim to be my friends. Is it not easier to dine with the devil and see no evil?

There is also the issue of literary appreciation which has become lacking in our society. Some readers find it hard to appreciate the literary skills of a writer. They are only interested in his message. But writing is not always about its didactic relevance, the literary styles of the writer must be enjoyed and enjoyable. Experience they say is the best teacher. But when a writer writes from his personal experience and encounters, he’s often attacked as a boastful, name-dropping and egoistic columnist.

My favourite columnists and reporters are those who throw themselves into their art. May Ellen Ezekiel’s column, MEE, was extremely influential and inspiring because she was able to feed her readers with her incredible life experience. It is difficult to forget her Classic, Over Cognac, in which she detailed what she had to go through to have a child, including being asked to drink concoctions made from her own body fluids. An ambitious writer must be bold and be ready to shock sensibilities.

There is no law that says all columnists must write alike. That is why a column is the personal property of the writer. A reader is at liberty to read his favourite column and ignore the ones he doesn’t like. You may choose one for his message and read the other for its literary style. It is wrong to insist that every writer must embrace the same ideology and methodology. A writer is a member of our society.

He’s not a saint on account of being a social critic. He must feed his family and pay his bills like the rest of us. He’s not a masquerade from heaven. His mission is to seek for a better society, not necessarily a perfect society, because none exists in our world today.

Those who attack Segun Adeniyi for doing his job today are very unrealistic. What do they expect of him? Once a man accepts a job, he must obey his boss. He may privately advise his boss, but it would be reckless of him to criticise him in public. Segun has not behaved like the usual loquacious spokespersons of government. He has comported himself with decorum. The vicious attack on people like him is one reason good people are afraid to serve in government. The alternative is for bad people and rogues who don’t care about the name-calling to continue to rule us.

I have been asked by many readers why we bother to write in a nation where leaders don’t seem to read, and even if they do they don’t really care. My answer had always been that I write personally as a form of psychotherapy. It heals my mind to think that I can talk freely when others have been cowed. I feel good that I can risk my business and everything to criticise a system that has kept us down as a people. Writing for me is a personal victory over the principalities that inhabit our corridors of power. Nobody should take that joy away from us.

We must all engage in constructive criticism. Abusing people for fun will never change any system. Our country needs to be rescued, and we can no longer afford to keep our arms akimbo. The days of arm-chair criticism should be over. It has led us nowhere. If we truly love our country, we must join hands to liberate Nigeria from the backwardness that stares us all in the face.

I have had great fun on this page and I’ll always treasure the memory of the wonderful goodwill the Pendulum column has brought to me. May God bless us all.

Happy New Year.

By Dele Momodu

As I write this piece, Nigeria is still without a functioning President. The regularity of our President’s disappearing acts reminds me of Ola Rotimi’s play, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. In this case, it is our country that has actually gone a bit neurotic. Or how can one explain the fact that some Nigerians are afraid of discussing the state of our President’s health, and by extension the state of our dear nation, as if it’s some sort of heresy. Since our President became invisible to radar detection, no one has been able to explain why a critically-ill President would continue to keep the keys of Aso Rock in far-away Saudi Arabia.

Our ever-loyal Vice President has been left in a state of stupor. I watched him on television the other day, as he struggled to act the part of a man in control of nothing. Some visitors were in his residence to pay homage to him during the Eid kabir festival. He was dressed in an all white outfit with a white cap to match. Gone was his traditional Niger Delta cap.

We did not know in what capacity he received the Moslems; as an Acting President, or what? I saw a man with a heavy burden on his shoulder. Here was someone who was supposed to be a co-pilot but unfortunately was saddled with the task of operating only on cruise control. He’s never been allowed to use his initiative or skills. It must be very frustrating.

Meanwhile, our nation continues to haemorrhage away. Everyone is calling for prayers, as if we’ve not been praying and fasting enough. The situation should never be this bad.

Everything has gone quiet in the seat of power. Nothing is moving. But everyone has been involved in one permutation or the other, from the sublime to the supine. In all of this, we don’t know what tomorrow holds for our beleaguered country.

I had cause to call my dear brother, Simon Kolawole, last Sunday. I had just read his article as usual, and was worried that his main message could have been missed by casual readers.

I was particularly concerned about the issue of rotation or zoning, or whatever it is called. Why should anyone debate what happens if the President does not recover soon from his illness? The answer should be as clear as pure water.

The Constitution of Nigeria states very clearly that the Vice President must take over power. It is not negotiable.

Rotation or zoning cannot apply here. Rotation or zoning are not recognised by our law. That was the first question I asked Simon Kolawole when he returned my call: Is rotation of the Presidency enshrined in our Constitution? We both agreed the answer is No.

There should be no debate about who should even be in charge right now. But ours is a nation of hypocrites where everyone pretends to love whoever is in power. No one is asking the Vice President to steer the wheel of State in full throttle.

Even if it has been said that no one pressurised him into resigning, we are still very worried that after all we went through during the June 12, 1993, presidential election debacle, some Nigerians can still dream of annulling the verdict of our Constitution.

The Yar ‘Adua family would sooner or later see the true colours and character of these politicians who are saying there is no vacancy in Aso Rock. We’ve seen it all before. It is all about cash and power. It is never about service to the people. It is never about loving the President. They would soon shift their allegiance to someone else, without any qualms.

I always wonder how they do it. Their present excuse is how the North would like to complete its term, whatever that means. No one is telling us under what section of our Constitution this has been written.

They have conveniently forgotten that when General Murtala Mohammed was murdered on the street of Lagos, the man who took over was the one and only Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo. Beyond that, for the purposes of history, it must be noted that Obasanjo handed over to President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, a teacher from Sokoto. When Shagari was booted out of office, the man who took the baton of power was no other than Generals Mohammadu Buhari and Babatunde Idiagbon, who were both Northerners.

They were soon booted out by General Ibrahim Babangida, a Northerner. When Babangida stepped aside in 1993, he handed over power to a weak government that was led by Chief Ernest Degunle Shonekan, who was soon kicked out by General Sani Abacha, a Northerner. When Sani Abacha suddenly died, under mysterious circumstances, it was General Abdusalami Abubakar who took over, a Northerner.

No Igbo man, or Niger Delta man, was ever considered for the number one slot. What rotation are we talking about under this lopsided arrangement? I have no problem with a Northerner or Southerner ruling perpetually if Nigerians have something positive to gain from it. We should all be happy that one day an Igboman or Niger Delta man would govern this great country.

As for me and my house, it does not matter who governs Nigeria. What we need are responsible human beings who can move us forward. We must put an end to the primordial sentiments that keep us down. Only the profiteers continue to insist on rotation and zoning. Without it, they’ll be like fish out of water.

What have we benefitted from zoning and rotation? Nothing really if we examine it. The city of Kano has produced two Heads of State, Generals Murtala Mohammed and Sani Abacha. Has Kano transformed into a Dubai or Doha? Minna has produced two Presidents, Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abubakar.

Has Minna become a Honolulu or Hong kong? Abeokuta has produced General Obasanjo and Chief Shonekan, and a President-in-waiting, Chief Moshood Abiola. Has it turned Abeokuta into a Sun City or Shanghai? Why do people really worry about where the President and other men of power come from? Even when our kinsmen get to power, they often forget those who voted or rigged them into power. Educated Nigerians most times turn into stark illiterates on account of ethnic sentiments. I always wonder why we are ready to sacrifice the progress of Nigeria for the sake of zoning and rotation.

All patriotic Nigerians must rise up and fight against this collective stupidity. We must insist on merit and merit only. We need energetic and forward-looking leaders, and they abound here. The problem is we have not been bold enough to stand together and challenge the status quo. Our leaders too have been too timid about changing anything because they were products of the useless system.

I’m sure there is a reason and purpose for the Constitutional challenges we are about to experience with Yar ‘Adua’s absence from Abuja. Nigeria is not likely to remain the same after we would have sorted ourselves out one way or the other. The health of one man has become the only issue on all lips. We have virtually forgotten our many woes. The Federal Government has abdicated its responsibilities to Nigerians. Last week, I drove from Port Harcourt to Yenagoa. I could not believe how bad the road was. The experience finally convinced me that PDP cannot redeem Nigeria, if after ten years no city has benefitted anything from its rule. It is such a shame.

All Federal roads have packed up. The airports are ugly and disgraceful. The ruling government has demonstrated a total lack of vision and ambition. This is evident in every aspect of our daily life. How can any government ignore the Benin-Ore, and Lagos-Ibadan roads? Ibadan-Ife road has become a death trap. Ile-Ife Akure road has failed. Akure-Abuja road is shameful. All roads in Nigeria are practically useless. What has zoning got to do with anything?

There are incompetent people everywhere, and they are the ones we tend to recycle. Why can’t we begin to zone power to great people? I won’t mind a Katsina man ruling for as long as it takes if he’s very good. I’ll support a man from Ibesikpo in Akwa-Ibom, if I’m convinced he can do the job of rescuing Nigerians from poverty, hunger, joblessness, unemployment, diseases, and general backwardness. That is how it is in the game of football. We care less where our strikers come from when we are playing the game of soccer. The most important thing is for our team to keep scoring. I always wonder why we haven’t learnt any useful lessons from the game of football.

And talking of football, the World Cup draws took place last night in South Africa. I have had to delay this piece to be able to reflect on the mood at the epochal event. There are lessons for Nigeria. Did you see Jacob and Joseph, I mean Zuma and Blatter, as they walked proudly onto the world stage? Did you notice the charisma of both world leaders? Did you realise there were no overzealous security aides and sycophants falling over themselves in front or behind the South African President? The man was at peace with the world and I was so touched by what I saw. The event ran smoothly. Everyone wore serious looks. We did not see big men and women disturbing the peace of other people. They did not fight for seats not allocated to them. There was no Federal character in the choice of music and musicians. The venue of the event was spectacular. There is not a venue to host such an event anywhere in Nigeria. The event was executed with clinical precision.

The level of preparation in South Africa is awesome. Most cities are wearing new and heavenly looks. The infrastructure has been upgraded. We have not read that contractors ran away with the monies meant for the development of a whole nation. There are Nigerians who can make things happen. They can even do better. But it won’t happen, until we begin to allow our best brains to function without all the nonsense about zoning and rotation.

]]> http://papercolumns.com/home/2009/12/05/a-nation-on-auto-pilot/feed/ 0 http://papercolumns.com/home/2009/11/28/yar%e2%80%99adua-please-talk-to-us/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://papercolumns.com/home/2009/11/28/yar%e2%80%99adua-please-talk-to-us/#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:38:24 +0000 admin http://papercolumns.com/home/?p=134

By Dele Momodu

I have no intention of joining those who would gloat over the failing health of our president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Only God can give, and only God can take. No man knows the appointed time he would leave this cruel life and join his creator. That is why we must all crave to do good deeds while on earth. It is not how long we live, but how well. The failing health of President Yar’Adua was always a major cause for concern even before he became president.

During the presidential campaigns in 2007, rumour was rife that he had kicked the bucket somewhere in Germany. I was in Accra when the news came. As typical of such ugly news, someone actually claimed to have received the report from an insider in the presidential villa. Meanwhile, Umaru’s rambunctious mentor, President Olusegun Aremu Okikiolakan Obasanjo was visiting Ghana when Nigerians went to town with the story of Yar’Adua’s sudden death. I remember calling the then Nigeria High Commissioner to Ghana, Dr Isola Kolapo, who debunked the wicked rumour.

That was what led President Obasanjo to make his hilarious telephone call during which he asked, “Umoru, is it true that you are dead?” or some funny thing like that. Of course, our dear “Umoru” survived that first alarm, and even boasted that he was fit enough to play many rounds of squash. But jokes apart, that was enough ominous sign to a nation that was, and remains, virtually in a state of emergency.

Like most things Nigerian, we merely shrugged our shoulders, and moved on with the usual attitude of incurable fatalists. We should have known that soon or later, Nigeria would have to pay the heavy price of putting a sick man in our presidential villa, while studiously ignoring the fact that our own very condition as a nation required the urgent services of a man fitter than a fiddle. But the selfishness of a few people won the day.

There is no doubt that Yar’Adua is a likeable character. My first close encounter with him was his first visit as president-elect to Ghana and I was asked by Dr Tunji Kolapo to welcome him on behalf of the Nigerian professionals. I was impressed by his response to my speech, as he encapsulated the meat of it and offered his assurances on issues raised by me. But ruling a nation requires more than being nice and brilliant. It is a cumulative package. Leadership in modern times, and even in ancient history, required some special attributes and qualifications.

The first is charisma. It helps a leader to command instant respect at home and abroad. There are examples of such political leaders, and iconoclasts, the world over: Madiba Nelson Mandela, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, Jerry John Rawlings, Muamar Ghadaffi, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Owelle Nnamdi Azikiwe, Asiwaju Obafemi Awolowo, Aare Ona Kakanfo Samuel Ladoke Akintola, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, Sekou Toure, Nwalimu Julius Nyerere, Napoleon Bonaparte, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Sir Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Wole Soyinka, Barack Hussein Obama, and many other great personalities of all times.

The second is principle. The citizens must know the antecedents of their leader and be able to form an informed opinion of his state of mind. A leader must be clearly known for his ideas and ideology. Even when misunderstood, his principle must stand the test of time. He must pursue his vision relentlessly, and that vision must ultimately lead to the common good of his followers. Such examples include Ghanaian leaders who were clearly misunderstood in their days in power, but obviously laid a solid foundation for what Ghana has become today: Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah and Jerry John Rawlings who enjoyed the acronyms of Junior Jesus and Junior Judas at different times.

Another of such awesome characters was Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the leader of Nigeria’s most vocal ethnic group, the Yoruba, who became deified like the great progenitor, Oduduwa, and built the old Western Region of Nigeria into the most cosmopolitan community in West Africa. He was certainly a misunderstood leader in his days. He wore the tag of a tribalist for showing unconditional love for the general wellbeing of his people. Just imagine if he had been allowed to lead Nigeria at the national level. Nigeria would probably have been way ahead of Dubai and Singapore today.

The third is courage. A leader must be prepared to tackle the parasites who always work behind-the-scene to slow down the wheels of progress. We’ve had two good examples in Nigeria. The first was General Murtala Mohammed who came with a singleness of purpose to tackle the hydra-headed monster of corruption head-on. He was slain in no time, but his name will always remain in the history books as a brave leader who led by example even if he could not complete his mission.

The nearest leader who got to his record is still very much around and still fighting to attain power again. He’s no other than General Mohammadu Buhari who exploded like a thunder on our firmament at the end of 1983, and with his second-in-command General Tunde Idiagbon scared the living daylight out of our incorrigible politicians. Just like Murtala Mohammed, they were soon booted out in a palace coup, but not before they had shown enough courage in tackling the general malaise of indiscipline even if they suffered the lapses of double standards.

The fourth is stamina. A nation as important as Nigeria where most things don’t work, and practically all the infrastructure has collapsed, needs the services of a leader with the agility of a horse. The leader must possess a sound mind and a physical alertness that can propel us to greatness. We cannot afford a brain-box that packs up every now and then. If a sick private man cannot function well, how can a sick president run a nation? When a car begins to spend more time with the mechanic than the owner it is certainly time to take a serious decision. I’m not being cynical but that’s just the reality of life. What Yar’Adua and his acolytes are doing is to short-change Nigerians by not providing full services as demanded by the high office. The presidency is not a personal property. If the president is as sick, as he obviously appears to be, he should be charitable enough to spare Nigerians this ordeal of his too frequent shuttles to Saudi Arabia. He should speak to us directly, because nothing is moving. Nigeria urgently needs a Chairman Mao who would lead us on the road to prosperity, and not a figurine. Nigeria itself is almost terminally sick and desperately requires the best surgeons in the world.

The fifth and very important attribute of a leader is the power of oratory. He must be able to raise the dead with his voice, and wake up a narcoleptic nation from its deep slumber. Unfortunately, Yar’Adua’s taciturn nature could make the Guinness Books of Records. Our president disappeared from radar for nearly three weeks last year, and he never thought we deserved an explanation. The only action he took on his return was to sack his Secretary, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe, and we all just moved on as if nothing happened – we did not deserve any explanation from our president.

As I was rounding off this piece, I saw a news report from the presidential spokesman, my dear brother, Segun Adeniyi, who disclosed what was wrong with our president. While this is a radical departure from the past, it is not enough. If a bank MD was as sick as our president, I’m sure he would have been long blown off by Hurricane Sanusi Lamido Lamido. The only way to allay our fears is for President Yar’Adua to talk to us as regularly as possible. He must dissociate himself from the political prostitutes who are already campaigning for a second term for a man who we are all praying to God to restore his health by whatever miracle.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa on the Cross

I ran into one of Nigeria’s most visible lawmakers, Honourable Mrs Kafayat Abike Dabiri-Erewa at the office of Honourable Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of the House of Representatives, last week. For the first time since I knew this energetic broadcaster some 30 years ago, I found her in an unpleasant mood. She was obviously irritated by the rash of negative comments on a bill she’s championing at the hallowed chambers of the House of Representatives. The bill, according to those opposed to it, is tantamount to censoring the press. But our sister believes nothing could be farther from the truth.

What makes it more painful to her is the fact that the attack is coming from her very close friends whom she believes were at liberty to point out the contentious sections of the proposed bill and reach an amicable resolution. She’s further miffed by the fact that some of the commentators seemed to have based their submissions on mere hearsay. In fact, she stated categorically that one of the critical intentions of the bill is to protect the general welfare of media workers who more often than not, end with the short end of the stick. The personal attacks on her therefore appeared to have been premeditated.

I really do not see what the whole controversy is about. The bill is about the need for self-regulation by journalists. At the moment, a complete illiterate can call himself a journalist without even paying any attention to the tenets of journalism. The bill itself is in a formative stage of public hearing. A technical committee headed by our big boss, Chief Tony Momoh, has been set up to fine-tune the salient details of the bill. Inputs are expected from distinguished representatives of Guild of Editors, NUJ, NPAN, NAN, BON, and others.

Why can’t we conduct a healthy debate instead of seeking to destroy the hard-earned reputation of a lady who is one of us? Here was the same lady who stuck out her neck for the Freedom of Information Bill. She was in the vanguard of those who shot down the third term delusion of the last administration. Even if some of our colleagues are not convinced that she means well with the new bill in the works, it is not enough to forget her past contributions. We must jealously protect the few good people we have in politics.

by Dele Momodu

There is no better time than now to examine the socio-political dynamics of corruption in Nigeria. The landmark judgment handed down to some bigwigs of the ruling party last Monday has made the topic even more attractive to commentators. But I’m not about to comment on that particular case, which like most things Nigerian, is already being politicised. My only worry is why it is ever so difficult for our politicians to accept a simple verdict, and if necessary, challenge it later.

Rather they must cast aspersions on the judiciary when things are not favourable and hail it when it is expedient to do so. The good thing about legal tussles is that there are always options to be explored, and it is almost impossible to accuse everyone of bias, from the lowest to the highest courts of the land.

The judiciary is the last hope of the common man whatever the imperfections that may exist within the system. No matter what you want to say about the Yar’Adua government, those days of brazen disobedience of court verdicts are gone. The type of political rascality we see on parade in Anambra State would abate when it is certain that politics would be played in the true spirit of democracy, and the perpetrators of anarchy would enjoy no protection from the government.

A strong message must be sent out that no one is above the law of the land, and that membership of the ruling party would not guarantee automatic victory at the polls. The only reason the political gladiators fight to finish is because of the high stakes that the control of political offices has become. Winners always take all, without any consideration for others.

This is why we must establish the rule of law as one of the major pillars that can save us from total Armageddon. Even if the economy and regular power supply are beyond the capabilities of the federal government, President Umaru Yar’Adua would be fondly remembered for his avowed protection of the rule of law. As such, we must continue to encourage his administration to even do better. Let us hope that all the cases in many of our courts pertaining to corruption and election rigging are quickly concluded and respected by all parties.

Nigeria is in desperate need of a miracle. Most of our national institutions have collapsed and the process of restoration has been painfully slow. If the judiciary can rescue us as an impartial arbiter, perhaps we’ll be able to avert the imminent conflagration that some politicians are hell-bent on attracting to our nation. It is so sad because only a few of our politicians are ready to talk about what positive contributions they can make to the country. We do not know their manifestos. Theirs is not about service. It is all about making money by all means. Nothing scares them because of the belief that they can get away with anything. Sadly, they are not wrong. They often do.

It is almost a given in Nigeria that corruption is it! We are now better known for corruption than for our wobbly dexterity in the field of soccer. It is as if corruption is non-existent elsewhere. But it does exist everywhere. The problem is we’ve not managed our own situation well. There have been flashes of good efforts here and there, from the regime of General Murtala Mohammed to the present administration. But they remain flashes of hope. We have never really been able to set up a proper structure that can punish, discourage and reduce corruption at all levels.

Our style has always been to handpick a few people, hype the operations up to the highest level, and everything goes quiet again. There have been many cases of double standards, and of sacred cows. There are no clear cut criteria that we can strongly hold on to as to how we arrived at certain decisions. A few governors are arrested and painted as devils incarnate while many bigger cats walk away as if they were never in power. Such situations would always compromise the integrity of the war against corruption.

The war ought to be fought across board, and with sincerity of purpose. We have also not been able to bring our infrastructural development to a standard where most Nigerians would not have to erect their own government at home and at work. The pressure this puts on the individual is huge, and every human being must survive first before being a radical and patriot. It is the first rule of the jungle.

I’m interested in proposing my ideas on how to truly combat the menace of corruption. This should be more productive than the staccato fashion virtually all Nigerian governments have used to fight against corruption these past years. It seems both the governments and the governed are not very clear about how to deal with this stubborn goat called corruption. Before we continue, we must agree on what constitutes corruption and corrupt practices. My definitions are going to be elaborate and all-encompassing. I’m not unmindful of the controversy that this topic usually throws up everywhere, but every solution begins at the level of discourse and theoretical postulations. This assignment cannot even be concluded in one column. But we must start from somewhere.

Every human being has the proclivity to be corrupt. It is the degrees that differ. While some can resist corruption, most people cannot. I’ll love to see the man who has never fallen for the temptations of corruption at one time or the other in his lifetime. In fact, my theory is that if you’ve not been tempted, you can’t claim to be a radical. If you’ve not received bribes in different forms, you must have been offered gratifications or inducement at one time or the other. A friend of mine once said that “if you search the wardrobes very well, you’ll find some white cockroaches.”

Corruption therefore is a common phenomenon and cannot be reduced to the exclusive preserve of political office holders. The Nigerian state makes corruption too irresistible. A country where there is no form of social security is a natural habitat for criminals, induced or hardened. There is also the lack of a credible pension scheme. The fear of the future usually haunts most of our public servants who now believe that you must prepare for the dark days ahead.

Unfortunately, the virus has now spread to the private sector and is of epidemic proportions. A nation is doomed when the public and private sectors are both corrupt simultaneously. Such is the tragedy we face in Nigeria. There seems to be an unwritten law that the only avenue to success is through making money corruptly. And the easier way is to have a juicy government appointment. Such positions of power usually attract serious lobbying. It is almost impossible to get such plum jobs on merit.

If public officials regard themselves as servants of the people, there’ll be no compulsion to fight over any special placements, rendering the godfathers would be idle. There will be no need to organise thanksgiving services over government appointments. But you and I know it doesn’t work that way most times. A powerful appointment confers on the appointee an instant power over life and death. Your house soon becomes a beehive of activities. Suddenly, you are the beautiful bride of everyone, and the toast of every lip.

This is what I call the institutional corruption. It is a crime in some communities for their kith and kin to return home with poverty after a meritorious or even unproductive service in government. Such appointment is seen as an invitation to partake in the cutting and eating of the national cake. The man who holds the biggest knife returns with the chunkiest part of the proverbial cake. That is never a big deal. It only becomes a major deal when you fail to return home with enough to show for your stint in the kingdom of thieves.

This is why the lazy promoters of zoning and federal character will never give up the fight. It is the same reason Nigeria will find it difficult to make substantial progress in the comity of nations; when the right people will never find themselves in the right positions. A situation where a Donald Duke for example, and there many of them, cannot be offered a strategic post by their own PDP government is a tragedy. When a hardworking man cannot be encouraged, then bad people would continue to thrive.

Every political party has its good and bad people. But the good materials find it hard to have a say in what goes on. Many of our ambassadors fall far below expectations in a modern world. The Ministers see themselves as representing a sectional block. They are loyal to their parties and communities and not to the nation.

My theory is that you cannot put people who have failed in their personal lives in positions of authority. They will first try to take care of their personal failings. They are the ones who build the biggest mansions in a village where they don’t live. They buy expensive cars for their young kids in order to oppress their mates. They marry brand new and more sophisticated wives to announce their newly-acquired status. The poor wife who followed them from the village, and suffered through thick and thin, is no longer posh enough to be seen with Oga. It is a case of beautiful wife, big budget. Now imagine a country where a public servant has acquired countless wives and concubines, the result would always be catastrophic.

The next form of corruption occurs where a man cannot survive on his income. This is induced corruption. I’ll love to see a hardworking man who can easily pay all his bills on the salary he takes home. You have to pay a minimum of two years rent in advance when you don’t earn your salary in advance. You have to furnish the apartment no matter how modest. You must pay for electricity, and buying a generator is not a luxury but a necessity. You have to pay school fees, buy a car, and furnish your apartment, stock up on food for the house, among so many other things. Is it not one of those supernatural wonders that some salary-earners in Nigeria are not only able to pay all those amazing bills but even have enough to buy choice properties all over the world?

•To be continued

by Dele Momodu

There is no better time to liberate our country than the year 2011. By then, Nigeria would have been 51 years old as an independent nation. We would have wasted a total of 50 long years trying to build a solid foundation for democracy, good governance and accountability. We would have endured incompetent, kleptomaniac, insensitive, wasteful rulers, for those number of years. 50 years in the life of a people cannot be a joke. As Chief Moshood Abiola once noted at the launch of Dream-maker by May Ellen Ezekiel Mofe-Damijo, “If we spend 50 years dreaming dreams, when are we going to see vision?”

That profound statement encapsulates the story of Nigeria. We have spent 50 years daydreaming. Our so-called leaders have continued to do the same things in different ways. They have not learnt any lesson from history. They have treated the ruled with incredible disdain. Just look at what they’ve just done again in Ekiti. The ruling party told us all to go to hell, when it announced that it had won the most improbable gubernatorial election, practically with the much disputed, and most likely-doctored votes from one local government. What chicanery is this?

But they are wrong in thinking we can be treated like rams being led to slaughter. The shame is theirs to live with, when tomorrow comes. The world would laugh at us as usual. The infidels would ask, where is our God? The faint-hearted would easily give up. But we must not allow the shameless old fuddy-duddies to savour their pyrrhic victory. We must continue this match towards the redemption of our souls. We must prepare for the battle ahead, now that we know the PDP would continue to force its ill-assorted candidates on us. We must reject this slavery, by all legal means available.

There is always a purpose for every situation we find ourselves in. Without the madness of the Bush years in America, there would have been no Obama today. Yar’Adua will be the catalyst for our own Obama. Mark my word. We are back at the barricade, and it is time to scream, Let my people go! We must pray every day for Yar’Adua. We must ask God to grant him long life, so that he can feel what Obasanjo is feeling today. We must pray for him to run for his own second term. This is what we should all push for, for our own Obama to emerge. We must demonstrate our anger against these reckless riggers by making up our minds to register to vote, and stand by our votes henceforth.

We must encourage as many good candidates as possible to come out nationwide. The search for our own Obama has now become a task that must be accomplished. We must stay many steps ahead of our oppressors. Never again must we allow these insults to stick. Nigerians must speak up from every corner. In the mosques, and in the churches, we must continue to pray, for our walls of Jericho to collapse. We must encourage our congregations to stay strong and support good candidates. We must emphasize the ugliness of our rulers. We must put their incompetence on display for all to see. We must convince ourselves that we deserve better. We must accept the fact today that our redemption lies not in the hands of incurable desperados, who must cling to power at all cost. We must salute the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, for showing us good example, and for being a voice of reason.

Our Obama must be bold. He/she must be selfless. Donald Duke is a good material any day. But he is in a wrong party. PDP will never field such an urbane candidate. The party is led by control freaks and warlords. They will always pick one weakling after the other from their database of political zombies. They care less that the world today is led by smart, young, energetic, trendy, and brilliant leaders. If Donald wants our votes, he must quit the party that has attracted so much shame and repulsion to Nigeria. He has to make his move very quickly.

But will he? Analysts have said he is not likely to do that. Their reason is simple. The average Nigerian politician is never prepared to take the risk of quitting the party that controls all the plum appointments. He’ll rather continue to hope that something would drop in his laps. His is never a call to service. Any job would do. The world is waiting to see if Donald can call the bluff of PDP and join forces with more forward-looking Nigerians.

Nasir El-Rufai is an erudite and tested leader. He demonstrated enough guts in dealing with environmental issues in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. Of course, like all mortals, he made a few mistakes, and stepped on powerful toes. But he remains one of the brightest hopes of Nigeria. There are allegations of improprieties against him, and he’s being pursued with the agility of a horse. That is to be expected in a country where we love to chase shadows and the leadership has gone neurotic.

He must make plans to return to Nigeria to defend himself. Every soul knows there are desperate attempts to smear him. Not that he’s a saint. But if we can keep some of the characters we see in the corridors-of-power permanently in government jobs, then Nasir smells like a beautiful rose. He should remain unruffled. Persecution sometimes helps its victim. A good example is that of Jacob Zuma of South Africa who got the overwhelming support from his people despite his “bad boy” image. Such is life.

Barrister Babatunde Raji Fashola is one of the greatest things to happen to Nigerian politics. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and current governor of Nigeria’s most important state, Lagos. Babatunde reinforces the theory that the future of Nigeria should be placed in the hands of members of the private sector. Our incorrigible politicians would never change their bad habits. Babatunde is strict, smart and business-like. He has given Lagos a good direction by promoting good governance above partisan politics. He was a virtual underdog at the time his former boss, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu practically forced him on the Action Congress.

He was young and shy. But he has matured into a confident leader who clearly has his master-plan in view, and the willingness to execute it with clinical precision. He has shown exceptional courage in dealing with grave issues. And he’s being applauded by everyone for his stupendous efforts. The question on people’s lips is if Babatunde would risk his plush job to attempt a shot at the presidency. The answer is that he needs more time to tackle the many challenges of Lagos, and that he must wait till 2015. But Nigeria is in dire need of a new leader and cannot wait or waste much time getting such a man.

So our search continues. Professor Pat Utomi should step forward. His rich knowledge of the Nigerian economy should naturally qualify him for this most important job. He also comes with the experience of running for the presidency in the last election. His major problem is how to persuade a largely illiterate community that a very academic man can take Nigeria to the next level of prosperity and accountability. As good as he is, he seems to have an uphill task unless he can get a broad coalition of Nigerian parties to adopt him.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is primus inter pare amongst the women who are qualified to lead Nigeria. Her intimidating job as the managing director of the World Bank makes her a veritable candidate for the presidency of Nigeria. She also comes with the wonderful experience of being our former minister of finance, and subsequently foreign affairs. She ably distinguished herself on both jobs. She was a powerful voice on the continent of Africa and beyond. It is yet to be seen if a largely male-dominated country like Nigeria is ready to jettison its traditional chauvinism to enthrone a proud daughter of Africa in power.

Next on our list of potential Obamas is Dr Oby Ezekwesili, current vice president (Africa) at the World Bank. Reasonable Nigerians would forever remember her heroic deeds for institutionalizing due process in government activities. They will remember with fond memories her epic battles against the enemies of qualitative education for Nigerians. In a very normal society, technocrats like Oby should make a spectacular showing in governance. She’s one of the leading lights of Nigeria, and definitely a lady to watch in the near future. She would be needed to perform some of the badly needed surgeries on our cancerous nation.

One of our best women, Professor Dora Akunyili, has been sucked into government full time. She gave a good account of herself as the Director-General of NAFDAC, where she executed a running battle against the producers and marketers of fake drugs. Her fame grew in leaps and bounds, and she almost won a Nobel Prize for her gallant efforts. There is no woman more popular in Nigeria today than Dora Akunyili but her recent appointment as Minister of Information and Communications has placed her in a very precarious situation. Many of her great fans are very worried about how this job of defending a poor government might affect her political future. She would have to learn how the other women on our list left government with their reputations intact, by not being overzealous about a thankless job.

We welcome Fola Tajudeen Adeola, the whiz-kid of Nigerian banking and co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank, to this great company. The gentleman with very extensive contacts is respected in many circles. He endeared himself to most Nigerian youths when he voluntarily quit his powerful job as managing director of GTB, and headed straight to the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, near Jos.

It was a move that was seen at the time as preparatory to joining the presidential race. He was briefly involved in political assignments under the Obasanjo government, an experience that must have taught him a few things about the intricacies of working under an insincere leadership. If he works very hard, he’s well positioned to attract massive support from both the Muslim north and the southern Muslims.

No one can ignore Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa in the scheme of things in Nigeria. There were attempts to rubbish him when he showed interest in the presidential race under the government of Olusegun Obasanjo. He had to make a quick retreat after he was whipped into line by the powers that be. His sparkling military career and outstanding performance as the military governor of Lagos State are enough reasons for his fans to see him as a potential Obama. He’s one cosmopolitan figure within the military mafia in Nigeria, and his relevance endures by his appointment as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa and Lesotho. His albatross would be his membership of an irredeemable political party, and like Donald Duke he may find it difficult to pull out.

Another school of thought believes that one of the biggest problems Nigeria faces is that of a negative perception by the global community. There have been suggestions that Nigeria should adopt the Italian style of putting a media mogul in power. Such a man would be able to put his journalistic experience into good use by re-orienting our people and building a credible image for a much-maligned nation. The name of THISDAY publisher, Nduka Obaigbena, looms large across the world as Nigeria’s most influential publisher. His foray into showbiz promotion and political and economic summits are said to be part of a calculated strategy to launch a mega political career, an assumption he readily dismisses.

In all, there are many more potential Obamas. The idea was to tickle us into thinking that Nigeria desperately needs a change, and that we are not lacking of our own Obama. The logical follow-up to our search is how to successfully launch and install such a great character in a country where a Moshood Abiola was left to rot in prison until he died. What was worse, the beneficiaries of his death never acknowledged his amazing contributions for the eight years they spent in power. It was as if they even hated him more in his grave. But no man can kill a dream when its time has come.

Our next challenge is no longer the search for the representative of the true aspirations of the people. It is how to ensure that our candidate is not mercilessly bruised or battered by the wolves on the rock.