Time to End this Nonsense
By Dele Momodu, 02.20.2010

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, a

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

Back to his self-aggrandizing self! He is definitely back!

I can bet my bottom dollar, Goodluck is too humble
to let this guy get near him

haha

old soldiers never die as they say.


who go refuse better thing