Inyali Peter|25 July 2016|6:4l51AM
The events of the past few years in the politics of this geographical construct called Nigeria which primed in the ousting of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general elections should serve as a lesson to every reasonable Nigerian leader that the electorates have become more abreast of their responsibility to hold government accountable.
Nigerians now understand that their core civil responsibility in a democratic setting is not only in exercising their franchise in elections but to ensure their votes count as well as to hold the government accountable.
Although some Nigerians are still of the view that former President Jonathan lost the 2015 election as a result of his ethnic permutation as he emerged from minority of the minorities to become President in 2010 and 2011 and so the majority ethnic group, the Hausas even in his party wanted power back therefore connived against him.
But the truth is far from such school of thought. The reality is that he did his best but his best was not good enough to give Nigerians the fresh air he promised.
This however, may not mean that Mr. Jonathan didn't mean well for the country. It could just be that he was not prepared for the challenge of leading a sentimentally driven country like Nigeria. Or like in the words of Chief Edwin Clark, “Jonathan was a weak President”.
Personally, and in many of my articles at the time, I opinionated that Jonathan was a responsible leader betrayed by the incompetence of people around him. I came to that conclusion two years into his Presidency when I realised that he classically departed from the promise of fresh air that endeared him to Nigerians in 2011.
After listening to his speech during his party's primaries in 2010 where he contested against former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, my confidence in him to transform the political instability in Nigeria to a near perfection stage increased. The passion, the commitment and the determination he demonstrated in his speech to combat Nigeria's problems was second to non as the time.
While his opponent, Alhaji Atiku spent over one hour telling Nigerians areas Jonathan failed in the about one year he completed late President Yar'Adua's tenure without really making any clear cut statement on how he hoped to address it, Jonathan focused on his achievements and what he will do if given another opportunity by his party and Nigerians.
His statement “I'm not here to join issues with anybody” when people had thought that he will react to Atiku the way he was attacked, warmed him more into people's mind.
Arguably, Jonathan's Presidency in the few months he completed Yar'Adua's tenure was better than the four years he had as a full elected President between 2011 and 2015.
The classical departure from a President who between his short term of 2009/2010 did alot to cause social change in our system to a man who was more interested in building billionaires among billionaires spur me to commence serious analysis of what could have led to the sudden change in his leadership.
After a careful, objective and patriotic thought and consultation, I concluded that his achievements in his short reign prior to the 2011 was majorly as a result of the supportive lieutenants he inherited from his late boss. Although immediately he assumed office, like the usual trend in our politics, he reshuffled the cabinet. But there was no major change because it was more of a change of portfolio and repositioning.
Now as a full flesh elected President and Commander-in-Chief, Jonathan decided to surround himself with people who completely shared different political ideologies from him. He was in a midst of people who understood democracy as a government of few by the few and for the few. He was like a chicken in a midst of hawks or a rat in the midst of cats.
This set of people blind folded him on the reality on ground and the enormity of challenges the country was going through. They deceived all was well when nothing was working.
Almost every member of his cabinet and his ally was a two way black propagandist who beliefs in nothing but lies. They told lies to Nigerians and the President. The worst of it was that Jonathan trusted this set of people such that he openly defended the corrupt practices of some of them in several of his national broadcast.
His abysmal performance in 2015 general election meant a dawn of new political era in our history. This is because, he became the first sitting President to be rejected through a democratic process of election.
To try to justify his failure and further pushed the blame of his failures or make his supportive lieutenants look responsible for failing Nigeria in four years, Jonathan quickly acknowledged his rejection and conceded defeat to President Muhammadu Buhari without consulting anybody. Not even his wife who was like the co-president. I'm convinced if he had consulted anybody, they would have pushed him around like they always did. Thank God this time he was smarter.
By this singular action, a failed President who could not set up a viable cabinet to deliver on his fresh air promises became Africa's heroe of democracy. A legend in Nigeria politics.
The smart move has helped him to gradually start enjoying the goodwill and sympathy that brought him into power in 2011. Both locally and abroad, some wailers are seemly carried away by this that they fail to recognise the monumental corruption that characterized his government which has taken us twenty years back. Our economy is crunched as a result of financial recklessness and “lack of political will to save” according to his Finance Minister, Okonjo-Iwaela.
Now Jonathan has come and gone. For the past one year and two months, new administration at both states and federal levels have been working round the clock to contend with the economic woes Jonathan left them.
Many politicians and leaders have leant their lesson from the Jonathan's cabinet mistake but in Cross River, it's direct opposite of that. It may never be the case maybe not in this administration. In fact, it appears the governor Senator Ben Ayade has adopted completely the leadership style of Jonathan.
Three months into his administration, Ayade shocked the world by making the highest appointments any governor has ever made in Nigeria's history. He claimed just like Jonathan that he was expanding his cabinet to create jobs without really considering the implication of such move on the state's economy.
As if that havoc and disservice to the state was not enough, Ayade known for making headlines for the wrong reasons and creating bad records has paraded the worst set of cabinet members ever.
A part from the young Director General of Primary Healthcare Development Agency Dr. Beta Edu and a few others, his administration is surrounded by grossly incompetent people who are in government not to serve but to be served.
I won't bore you with all the names or their portfolios as they are countless. In fact, as much as over 90% of his about one thousand appointees are incompetent and have nothing to offer. They are just there to serve their selfish purpose.
From when I developed interest to be a social commentator, I have been a vocal advocate of giving professionals opportunity in politics rather than professional politicians. While a few that have had the opportunity have done remarkably well, some are just a disgrace not only to the office they are occupying but a shame to their profession.
One of such is Barr. Joe Abang, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General (AG) of the state.
Having an AG who know little or nothing about the law of the land is a big threat to the growth of democracy in Cross River. Abang has conducted himself like someone who is not ready or has no respect for the exalted office he is occupying.
The more I listen to the audiotape of his press briefing where he branded Ayade's fierce critic Ifere Paul a criminal and kidnapper, then I wonder his knowledge of the law. To say the least, his actions are shameful and total disgrace to the law profession.
Did our law not say that a suspect remains guilty until proven otherwise by a competent court of jurisdiction? Which court declared Ifere guilty of the shaddy, baseless and unfortunate allegations he leveled against him? Is he not aware of what the law says about slander, character assassination and defamation? These and many more questions have left Cross Riverians pondering.
Another very unfortunate aspect again was how an Attorney of a state like Cross River lacks the simple and basic knowledge that he does not have the powers to arrogate police powers to himself. How he reduced himself to becoming the police Public Relations Officer by declaring somebody wanted on behalf of the police is what is still amusing me.
Government is not a play ground and governance is not just about running media propaganda of signing agreement to do everything when in essence nothing has been done. This trial and error of every thing in this administration must stop.
Hence, if Ayade is ever serious to take governance seriously then he needs to have more of Dr. Beta Edu and less of Joe Abang. As a matter fact repeating Jonathan's mistakes of surrounding himself with incompetent people and expecting different result from outright failure will only strengthen his position as a “comedian” according to APC National Vice Chairman, South South Ntufam Hilliard Eta.
Joe Abang will only continue to make ridicule of the state, the government and the governor before the world. To avoid this looming disaster, Ayade must sack him now. Even the Nigeria Bar Association must punish or caution him for committing such judicial blunders.
A stick in time saves nine!
Inyali Peter
Writes from Calabar