Now that the President will run Who says President Goodluck Jonathan is not a listening leader? In the last few months, individuals and groups have been begging him to seek re-election in 2015. They pleaded with him to contest the next presidential election so that he can continue with his administration’s transformation agenda beyond 2015. Pressure groups with different names (some very funny) were set up just to convince the man to run. From Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria to Goodluck Support Group, Team Goodluck, Community Awareness and Development Network, Presidential View And Endorsement Platform, PDP Women Support Group for GEJ 2015, Youth Coalition for Goodluck, Goodluck Jonathan 2015 Online Group, the Light Network for Jonathan 2015. The list is endless! To make the contest easier for him, all organs of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party also endorsed the President as the party’s sole presidential candidate. As if he was not interested in second term, the President kept mum on the appeal for months and promised to speak on the matter at the appropriate time. At a point, he even reeled out the criteria he would use in making a decision on the issue. He promised to jettison personal ambition or sectional agenda in taking a decision, saying he would take into consideration greater interests of national harmony and cohesion. “I thank the many individuals, stakeholders, groups, associations, non-governmental organisations, unions and political leaders from across the country who have, in recognition and appreciation of our efforts and commitment to repositioning our dear nation for more rapid growth and development, urged me to seek a second term in office. “In deciding on an appropriate response to such calls, I will place the greater interests of national harmony, cohesion, unity, security, political stability, progress, equity, justice and fairness above any personal ambition or sectional agenda,” he had said in his last Eid-El-Kabir message to Nigerians. For all those who participated in the “Jonathan, you must run” crusade, good news came their way last week when the President of the most populated black nation had compassion on them and granted their request! He told a delegation of PDP leaders that he had accepted the offer given him to run as their sole candidate. Who will not jump at such mouth-watering offer? He quickly set up a committee saddled with the responsibility of coming up with a programme for his formal declaration. The committee led by a former Minister of Defence, Dr. Haliru Bello, has not only started work in full scale, it has also in turn inaugurated subcommittees to ensure a hitch-free declaration that has been fixed for November 11. The President has also purchased his nomination and expression of interest forms. The two forms cost him mere N22m out of the over N100m (voluntarily?) contributed by individuals, groups and communities to enable him to purchase the forms. Without seeing a copy of the President’s declaration speech, I can safely guess what he will tell Nigerians or PDP members on November 11. He will talk about the remodelling of airports in the aviation sector. He will boast about the elimination of corruption in the distribution of fertilizers with the use of e-wallet in the agriculture sector. In health sector, the President will harp on the success recorded in the containment of the Ebola Virus Disease. On education, he will talk of almajiri education and the creation of nine new federal universities. The President will not forget the revamping of the railway in the transport sector. He will mention massive construction of roads across the country and will not leave out the 2nd Niger Bridge. He will beat his chest on the successful privatisation of the power sector. He will add that he has sanitised the electoral system. He will list sporting glories recorded after he convened a sports summit. On security, he will say though the nation is facing its share of global terrorism, the country will overcome because his administration is changing security architecture to confront the menace. I can go on and on but for the fear that the President’s speech writer may feel threatened that I am after his job. How else will he conclude than to tell all the apostles of second term that he had heeded their calls and decided to offer himself again for service! That statement will naturally attract a loud applause and shouts of “P-D-P, Power!!!” Unveiling the President’s big boys Ask anybody to name the most powerful members of President Jonathan’s cabinet and they will not blink an eye before mentioning the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Maduekwe. Some will add the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed, to the list. Although those who list these three ministers may not be far from the truth, careful study of the weekly Federal Executive Council meetings will reveal that there are two “big boys” in the house even though they do not attract the kind of media attention that the three ministers listed above enjoy. The two super stars are the Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Gusau (retd.), and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali. The situation, I suspect, has to do with their ages. Both of them are septuagenarians and they are clearly the oldest in the cabinet. Wali is 73 years old having been born on August 3, 1941 while Gusau is 71. He was born on May 18, 1943. He is 14 years older than the President who will be 57 on November 20. Apart from their ages, the two elderly ministers are obviously accomplished Nigerians having held different public offices in the past. Gusau was even at a time, a presidential aspirant. These are the reasons why members of FEC have profound respect for the duo. The two ministers carry themselves in the Council Chambers with dignity. Unlike the younger ministers who go round to exchange pleasantries with their colleagues on arrival at the chamber, these two ministers always head straight to their seats and start perusing the various memoranda slated for discussion at the day’s meeting. With huge respect, younger ministers will then be going one after the other to greet the elderly ministers where they are seated. The one who enjoys this privilege more between the two is Gusau. Younger ministers, especially those who sit close to him, will be conferring with him. Out of respect, they will not look at him in the face. So pronounced is the respect the two ministers command in the cabinet that but for protocol, even President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo would also be paying obeisance to them before FEC meetings start.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 22:48:36 +0000
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