Why President, NSA must not resign

By Dele Sobowale
“I CAN TELL YOU THAT
President Goodluck Jonathan
knows those behind this ugly
act. He is taking it with levity;
he has refused to expose
them. The President is
demonstrating his weakness
and telling the whole world
that he is not capable of
ruling the nation.
Tell the President I said so. If
he continues like this we are
going to wipe out Nigeria” –
Reverend James Oladunjoye,
a retired Bishop of Owo
Diocese, on President
Jonathan’s handling of the
Boko Haram challenge, in
PUNCH, April 24, 2012.
“It ain’t what a person….
Ralph Waldo Emerson,………
This would be second week in
a row that I find myself
coming out in defence of
President Jonathan on an
issue; and it is all a matter of
coincidence – before some
blockheads read any special
meanings into it. Last week, it
was about “a tempest in a
teapot”.
Irrespective of what the
opponents have to say about
it, St Jonathan’s Cathedral
Otuoke has come to stay. This
week, the matter is, literally,
more deadly – Boko Haram.
And Reverend James
Oladunjoye had just made the
sort of contribution which
could have been improved
upon by silence.
Before the fanatics in
Christendom get hot under
the collar, let me remind them
that Jonathan, the National
Security Adviser, NSA, and I
are also Christians. And, just
before anyone says that I
have no stake in the North,
let me tell them that I have
property in Kano, which I have
refused to sell because it is
my strong belief that the
building will outlast all the
problems of Nigeria.
Like Reverend Martin Luther
King, Jr, I have a dream of a
future Nigeria, united, strong
and a pride to all those who
will inhabit the space then.
Unlike the retired Bishop, I
don’t think “we are going to
wipe out Nigeria”; instead, I
think we are going to build it
–even if the job takes a
thousand years and rivers of
blood sweat and tears” – to
repeat what Churchill said
about war-time Britain.
Furthermore, we are going to
start with Jonathan, despite
all his faults, and not with his
resignation.
When the man of God
announced that Jonathan “is
telling the whole world that
he is not capable of ruling the
nation”, he forgot to tell us
the other choices available to
us. Had he done so, he would
have immediately recognized
the grave consequences of his
utterances.
Jonathan, for whom I did not
vote, was overwhelmingly
elected in, perhaps, the
second freest and fairest
elections ever held in Nigeria –
to serve four years; unless he
dies, resigns or gets
impeached. To the best of my
knowledge, the man is not
about to die; he has also not
committed any impeachable
offence – even the church at
Otuoke is not an indictable
misdemeanor. So that leaves
resignation – if Reverend
Oladunjoye is to have his wish.
And, it is that very option
which would create more
problems than it would solve.
Will Jonathan resign alone, or,
with Sambo? Jonathan
quitting alone means that the
Vice-President takes over. The
consequences of those are
not only numerous; they are
invariably catastrophic. To
begin with, the votes were
for Jonathan; Sambo
contributed next to nothing
to the result.
Nothing proves that point
more than the fact that
Kaduna is one of the deadliest
states in Nigeria today from
the standpoint of Boko Haram
operations and the Vice-
President had been powerless
to help. If, morning shows the
day, then Sambo taking over
from Jonathan will make no
difference.
On the other hand, the
simultaneous departure of the
President and Vice-President
will produce a David Mark
presidency. Millions of Nigerians
will respond to such a
possibility by saying “perish
the thought”. The last option
is the Speaker of the House;
nice guy; but loads of
problems will follow his
ascendancy to power. So who
is Oladunjoye suggesting
should rule and how, within
the presidential system we
practice, will that new and
“capable” leader emerge?
Those are minor reasons to
reject this message by the
retired Bishop, the more
important reasons concern
the assertions he made,
without proof, about
Jonathan. When he announced,
as if it were true, that “I can
tell you that President
Jonathan knows those behind
this ugly act”, my reaction is
“Sir, you can tell that to the
marines”…
AWARD FACTORIES OF NIGERIA –3
“You can fool all the
people………
Have you heard of the Kwame
Nkrumah Award? Or the
Oxford Socrates Award? If
not, don’t worry, our
research team at UniJankara
has uncovered how those
“international” affiliates of
Nigeria’s award factories have
been cashing in on our mania
for awards in Nigeria. One
award factory called Nnamdi
Azikiwe Annual awards, of
which you might have heard,
has had to be disclaimed by
the family of Nigeria’s great
leader. You don’t expect an
“award” for guessing why, do
you?
Kwame Nkrumah, for those
too young or too forgetful to
know or remember, led Ghana
to independence in 1956 –
four years before Nigeria’s
leaders got their acts
together. And as President of
Ghana, formerly Gold Coast, he
was a Pan-Africanist to the
core.
But like most African leaders,
he also gripped by the sit
tight disease until he was
toppled by a coup. He died in
exile. Still, he was one of the
greatest African leaders
ever. So, it would be assumed
that an award for leadership
bearing his name would be
appropriate; don’t you think?
The answer is “Yes and No”.
Yes, if it is all on the level. No,
if it is not. Unfortunately, a lot
of eminent Nigerians –
governors, SANs, business
moguls, even “men of God” –
have been taken to the
cleaners by those organising
the awards.
To begin with, they are not
Ghanaians but mostly Nigerians
cashing in on our flawed
mentality for dubious awards.
A nominee is required to pay
“processing fees” before
receiving the award. Once the
mugus fall for that ploy other
demands foll
ow. Yet, the dupes line up for
it. Apparently, it is more
prestigious to receive an
award in Accra than Abeokuta
or Ado.
Oxford Socrates is the Rolls
Royce of awards because it
combines two strong global
brands – Oxford (pretending
to affiliation to Oxford
University when it is not
associated) and Socrates, the
great philosopher who lived
several hundred years before
Christ.
Socrates was a wise man, but
the award organizers possess
real cunning. They know that,
even among eminent people,
“a sucker (fool) is born every
minute”, according to P.T.
Barnum. It is pathetic that so
many Nigerians are so anxious
to have cheap plastic adorned
with their names in exchange
for lots of cash.
So they fall over themselves.
Should I mention names? Don’t
worry; they know themselves
– SANs, PHD holders;
Professors; Ministers. God
help us!

Source: Vanguard Newspaper