3 May 2011
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One sweet victory leads to new challenges. As it is with other aspects of life, so it is with politics.
With a plethora of socio-economic problems bedeviling Nigeria's political spectrum, the newly elected President, Goodluck Jonathan has to hit the ground running. If there was ever any excuse before now, that he was not democratically elected, that has since been proved wrong.
Given the tremendous goodwill he has so far enjoyed from the good people of Nigeria, as reflected in the pan-Nigerian voting that saw him clinch the presidency, with over 25 per cent votes in more than 31 out of the 36 states he cannot afford to let the people down. Delivering good governance to the electorate has become an imperative. It must be admitted however, that he cannot do it all alone. He has to set the template for us to see governance as a collective responsibility.
There is no denying the fact that the supernatural element of good luck (true to his name) has seen him thus far. Within a short space of two years this former university lecturer rose through the rungs as deputy governor, acting governor, then a governor, Vice President, Acting President and ultimately the President upon the demise of former President, Umaru Yar'Adua (of blessed memory.) Furthermore, he is the first Nigerian from a minority ethnic group (Ijaw) to be democratically elected as the president of Africa's most populous nation.
The Mandate
But even more significant however, is the question on the lips of almost every Nigerian. Would such a factor of good luck rub off positively on the quality of life of the average citizen and translate into a transformative system of government from now till 2015? Despite the robust macro-economic indices of Nigeria having earned $200 trillion dollars from crude oil since 1958 there have been persisting problems of insecurity, a drastic dip in the Human Development Index, HDI. There is an upswing in hunger, diseases, illiteracy, with one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world since 1999.
Can the Jonathan-led administration break the vicious cycle and jinx of want and waste in the midst of wealth, and grinding poverty in the axis of plenty?
The Challenge
Notably, corruption on the part of the political elite, fuelled by jumbo pay of serving politicians with recurrent expenditure running as high as over 80 per cent has to be tackled frontally, more by action than through fruitless policies. The social structure is, more or less like that of a termitarium,(anthill) with the king and queen(the favoured politicians) constantly fed by the tireless workers. Here, the motive for political office is driven more by self aggradisement than as an altruistic service for the common good.
Thus, Nigeria paints the picture of a nation of several paradoxes. It is inconceivable that the country, which leads the world in the production of cassava and yam still suffers from food insecurity. Similarly, it leads Africa in oil and gas production yet, still depends on fuel importation to provide its energy needs. While South Africa with a population of 40 million people generates 36,000 MW, Nigeria with a population of 150 million generates a paltry 3,500MW from hydro-power and unstable gas supply.
Security
Indeed, prevailing mass youth unemployment is such that both the World Bank and the International Labour Organisation, ILO have described it as a time bomb. Only recently, a wave of wanton wasting of precious lives swept through the Northern States like a wild fire. The orgy of blood-letting violence perpetrated by armed youth left in its wake over 200 dead, including defenceless youth corpers, as well as over 400 wounded and over 48,000 citizens, especially Southern Christians displaced.
That, coming after the frequent killings in Plateau State and the Boko-Haram mayhem in Bauchi and Borno States underscores the essence and imperative of increased youth education, inter-religious harmony and the restructuring of Nigeria as a true federation.
The Way Forward
For President Jonathan to succeed, prompt consideration must be given to these suggestions:
•Assembling a team of tested technocrats, from within and outside the country , irrespective of political persuasion to drive the process of good governance. Their efforts should serve to bridge the wide gap between our God-given potentialities and the harsh economic reality on ground.
•Convocation of a Sovereign National Conference, involving representatives of the stakeholders in the polity to fashion out a new Constitution that guarantees true, fiscal federalism.
•Let every state control its natural resources and pay a small per centage to the centre. The Federal Government does not need to control up to 52 percent of the Federation Account. The recent proposal by the Govcernor Fashola-led Panel that 35 per cent goes to the Federal Gove4rnment,42 per cent to the states and 23 percent to the local governments should be given speedy consideration as a first step to fiscal federalism.
•Let the State governments control their police and establish community policing to stem the tide of insecurity.
•Let the State governments be more actively involved in education, agriculture, healthcare delivery and power generation.
•Let the salaries and emoluments of political office holders be drastically scaled down, in line with the civil service structure. This would reduce the do-or-die quest for political power and devolve more funds into governance.
•Let the Federal Government pursue the issue of the privatization of the power sector to its logical conclusion.
•Let the Federal Government consolidate on the gains of a free, fair and credible elections that reflect the wishes of the people so that the elected representatives can be held accountable for their actions and inactions. History beckons on him to be a jinx breaker in Nigeria's polity. I wish him good luck.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201105040822.html
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