Goodluck Mr. (Acting) President

West Africa  |  02.11.10   By Kingsley Ewetuya

Apparently, the National Assembly of Nigeria finally heeded the words of Sir Walter Scott who said, ”Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”

After the propaganda and half-truths concerning the health of President Umaru Yar’Adua, who remains hospitalized in Saudi Arabia while Nigeria’s soul struggles to march on, Goodluck Jonathan is now officially empowered to salvage Nigeria and return the overturned ship of state to an even keel.

The action of the National Assembly, while unprecedented is nonetheless controversial, as the constitution does not allow for the replacement of the president by the National Assembly except if he or she is impeached.

Section 145 of the constitution stipulates that the president must transmit to the Senate President and House Speaker a written declaration that he or she is going on vacation or otherwise unable to discharge the functions of the office.

Then the vice-president can take over as acting president.

What a twist of fate that a president who assumed office via a fraudulent election yet ironically lectured the nation on the “rule of law,” could leave office ‘ex-constitutionally.’

Well as they say, “garbage in, garbage out.”

Now the eyes of a wearied and downcast nation turn to Goodluck Jonathan whose meteoric rise to Aso Rock is not unworthy of mention.

If anyone is in doubt that our steps are ordered by the triumvirate forces of fate, destiny, and providence, one need look no further than Goodluck Jonathan whose grandmother fondly called him “Azikiwe.”

According to political folklore, in 1999, the Doctor of Zoology was simply seeking the thankless position of a member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly when he was handpicked by higher political powers to be deputy governor in the ill-fated administration of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

When the latter bit more than he could chew and fell on the sword of the corruption watchdog (EFCC), Goodluck Jonathan became governor of Bayelsa in 2005.

After serving less than two years, the gods of the ruling PDP party, much to the shock of the nation, smiled on him once more and handpicked him to be the vice-presidential nominee to Umaru Yar’Adua and the rest as they say is history.

Now that his good luck has brought him to the zenith of power in Nigeria, he will no doubt find that the crown of Nigeria is uneasy to bear. Especially when surrounded by those who are invested in his downfall.

According to PDP policy, he cannot stand for the presidential election since the nomination rotates between the Muslim north and Christian south.

With that in mind, Jonathan would be well advised to cast his lot with the people and not with the PDP.

If Jonathan should effect a marked change from Yar’Adua’s lackluster presidency, he will be the champion of the people and the PDP may jolly well change its rotational policy.

To that end, acting President Jonathan must decidedly take a sharp turn and distinguish himself from the “go-slow” politics of President Yar’Adua.

Jonathan must immediately initiate a purge of former officials who held Nigeria hostage these past harrowing seventy-six days beginning with the attorney-general.

Those who connived to keep President Yar’Adua’s condition a secret from the people put our national security and prestige in danger and are undeserving of their positions.

They should be replaced by those who have the confidence of the acting president, otherwise he is a sheep among wolves.

Next, Jonathan must ensure he possesses the complete loyalty of the military.

That this power vacuum did not result in a military coup is a divine blessing.

Yet, Acting-President Jonathan must “beware the ides of March.”

The lack of military coups is the exception not the rule in Nigeria.

Ernest Shonekan only served for three months as interim president before then Chief of Defense Staff General Abacha unceremoniously showed him the way out.

Acting President Jonathan must capitalize on last year’s peace deal between the government and the Niger-Delta militants and project an image of stability to a world, which sees Nigeria as a ticking time bomb.

As multinationals such as Shell contemplate leaving Nigeria and moving to the greener pastures of Angola and Ghana to name a few, Jonathan must progressively act on the Niger-Delta crisis by ensuring resource control and other poverty alleviation measures in the restive area so that peace can be assured.

In like manner, Jonathan must address the human rights abuse by the Nigerian military, which murdered many people during the religious riots in Jos as shown in viral video clips on the World Wide Web.

Those who instigated those atrocious acts must be brought to book so that for once in Nigeria, justice is not aborted.

Nigeria’s economy must be diversified if it is to be rescued. Oil cannot be our daily bread, not for long anyway.

Jonathan must begin with an economic stimulus, which should be surgically aimed at our agricultural and tourism sectors that have suffered from neglect.

If grants to the people as opposed to sweetheart contracts to political allies are done, with one stroke, he could tackle unemployment while developing the nation’s economy at the same time.

Let’s not forget education.

It is no secret that Nigeria’s educational institutions are in shambles.

Now that Jonathan, once nicknamed Azikiwe, is empowered, perhaps he can repair the dilapidated schools that produced ZIK and other notables of Nigeria.

The acting president could leave an indelible mark by addressing teachers’ salaries and raising them to the level of true professionals not church rats.

In other words, Jonathan’s to-do list is longer than a year old palm tree.

Yet, something tells me that his good luck may avail him once more and see to the restoration of our polity.

I do not refer to the mere chance of fate, but to the words of the Roman Philosopher Seneca who said “Good luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Goodluck acting President Jonathan

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