In a few days, the Senate may finally take steps to validate the status of Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, as the Acting President of Nigeria. But even before that is done, many people are already falling heads over heels at the prospect of his temporary presidency. There is need for caution, however.
I urge all Nigerians to watch the Acting President with their two eyes widely opened, so that we do not fall trap to the wiles of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC. This is because in times past, populism has always been a ready tool in the hands of leaders with hidden agenda. Presently, the APC is busy garnering popular support for the Acting President, as if the fading party is presenting any credible alternative for the nation’s problems, beyond the deceptions of the past one half years.
This has been the trend, as was the case with Dr Goodluck Jonathan, for whom Nigerians waged a principled war of recognition, as Acting President and also voted for massively, as President, on account of his perceived humble background of “shoeless” President, but who eventually turned the wheel of progress of Nigeria backwards.
This was the same fashion of the perceived no nonsense Buhari, who had told Nigerians, on the day of his inauguration, that he would be a President of nobody but for everybody, only to end up in the cold hands of a wicked cabal, that has now imposed poverty and suffering, on our people, while they cruise around in comfort and opulence.
The recent visit of the Acting President, to the Niger-Delta, is all part of the populist agenda, as with his response to the mass protests of Nigerians (“We hear you loud and clear”) and now forwarding the name of Honourable Justice Onnoghen, to the Senate for confirmation, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria. Had Nigerians not taken courage to assert themselves on February 6, 2017, the Acting President was unable to match his words with action, by openly directing the police to respect the constitutional rights of our people.
The Acting President is only now attempting to buy the support of our people, whereas the obnoxious policies of the APC government are daily harassing the people to their untimely graves. Without addressing the fundamental issues plaguing our land, such as the Discos distributing darkness for money, the spiraling inflation, the collapse of the economy, the hypocrisy of the so-called anti-corruption war, the ethnic cleansing going on in some parts of the country, the multiple exchange rate regimes, and the palpable collapse of infrastructure all over the land, it is not yet Uhuru.
Let us there not be bamboozled with the recent utterances and actions of the Acting President, all of which are capable of sending us into some slumber, only to then wake up in another quagmire.
In particular, I urge all Nigerians, especially the elites and the people of the South, to subject the Acting President to a stricter rule of assessment, than that of Buhari, and to be sure that we are not now again up for another ride into empty promises without commensurate action.
So, let us beware of the isles of March, lest the very thick wool is soon pulled over our already darkened eyes, by the ruling cabal and its new jewel.
Nigerians should therefore intensify the ongoing protests against suffering and demand true accountability and good good governance, from the Acting President.
I pause for now.
Ebun Adegboruwa is a Lagos Lawyer and activist.
Accountability, Accountability, Accountability – that is the key word, if Nigeria is going to go any ways beyond rhetoric. This starts from the President (Insha Allah, he will get well and back, soon) to enumerate his administration’s achievement so far. This has to be a detailed, comprehensively ‘speech’ and written Report, simplified and made available to the entire populace. It should include a projected ‘where we are being taken to’, with a guide to ‘how we get there’ and when we ‘should get there’. These are fundamentals of transparency and inclusion – not just people carrying others along.
The Acting President is now in a position to make an impact by spearheading this approach. It saves us a lot of uncertainty, with consequent ambivalence and distrust.
A periodic itemised rendering of achievement by ministers will go some ways to measure what they are doing efficiently and what implications these may have on general resources, including manpower.
Politicians (NASS) MUst now see regular, time-tables returns to their constituencies to inform/update on current national issues. When people are left in the dark, especially when Trust is out the window for politicians, then a primary remedy is to be physically seen where you have been elected to represent. The laissez faire attitude of many politicians is what drives many unqualified individuals to seek position and do anything it takes to get there. At the moment, many Nigerians, even elites do not know their representative or what their functions are. Most are seen when another electioneering campaign commences, with bags of stolen monies to buy votes.
At the local level, councillors, etc, must render monthly performance accounts to representatives of local population, irrespective of political leanings. After all, we are talking about local growth and development. I admire the efforts taken by a particular TV channel where they audio/visual sample out various projects unattended including road erosions, flooded areas becoming impassable, unattended ‘dangling’ electric poles etc; all of which endanger and/or, inconvenience people and property.
Any politician’s pride is his/her contributory growth of locale and the nation in general.
There are miscellaneous assignments to be given to all those in the red,blue of green chambers, which makes them earn their keep as they definitely eat into the nation’s wealth substantially.
It should no longer be ‘free money’, it should be ‘earned’ money.
Parastatals now need to take the cue from this by conducting their operations diligently: as in old times: sign-in registers, Task sheets, Performance Report, Appraisals of Achievement, etc, from largest to smallest institutions (not just educational), even the EFCC, NEMA,ICPC; Judiciary, Health,energy, other Infrastructures,etc, all seem to be having their own administrative autonomy, well, until called to accountability borne out of stupendously corrupt practice.
These are no panacea to Nigeria’s current situation but it should have been in place 40 years ago and with the hope for betterment of Nigeria, it’s never too late. It does not take rocket science to formulate, it is just a common-sense approach, although the skeptic would say that ‘common sense is not common’. it wasn’t, but now, it should.