This Jamboree In Abuja -Comrade Timi Frank. Not a few Nigerians have expressed shock at the list of delegates to the proposed National Conference in Abuja. It does appear that the zeal and trust hitherto placed on the conference have faded away very quickly. Except for very few in the list, over 90 percent of the delegates to the confab are there to make up the numbers, and to get their own share of the national cake. It is clear that President Jonathan clearly has other ideas for finally deciding to hold this conference. It is obvious that the nation’s future is not the issue here. At best a jamboree is in the offing, or an owambe kind of picnic. Else, how can one describe the overcrowding of the delegates’ list with the very characters that since independence have kept Nigeria stagnated? A careful perusal of the list will reflect individuals whose actions and inactions have put Nigeria in its parlous state, those whose plundering of the public resource has put their countrymen in a perpetual state of suffering. The inclusion of past governors, ministers, politicians who have been in the cooler and a lot of ethnic jingoists clearly shows that perhaps there are other intentions behind the confab rather than national interest. If these politicians are those who had held onto positions in our nation over the years and woefully failed in articulating our unity and promoting our nation’s progress, but rather only foisted hatred, regionalism and tribalism on Nigeria, the natural question is, how would such characters impact positively on the proposed confab if not to further breed hatred and resentment? Among the motley crew are those with corruption cases hanging on their necks and who would be sent to jail if the courts succeed in proving their guilt. Now, what a tricky situation it would be if such characters with questionable moral standing would be the ones going to discuss our wellbeing and our future as a nation. If the average Nigerian is unhappy about his country, it is because those who have run its affairs put their interest above those of the nation – and had raped the nation to advance their own interests in the process. Now that we are looking for a new direction, a means to chart a way away from the current status, is it these same people, who had mortgaged our future in the past when they had the opportunity to do well for the people and didn’t, that should now sit over us to find this new pathway? Can a man learn to use the left hand at old age? For the few credible delegates, we fear that fratermising with the corrupt elements could denature them somehow. Looking at the delegates, I have come to the uncomfortable conclusion that a presidential jamboree has been slammed on us under the guise of a confab. Regrettably, our nation’s hard-earned income will this time be frittered away to the staggering tune of N7billion. While President Jonathan took time to enlist those who apparently had been left out of the scheme of things for a long while and so have to be rehabilitated, those who made the list from the states are clearly those who the governors felt needed to feel a sense of belonging. And so, collectively, we have an assemblage of ‘patronised’ delegates, depending on which side of the divide you fall. It is even the delegates representing the youths and students that make a curious reading. It is clear that the yardstick for selecting the youth delegates was basically compensation. Else, how does one explain that all the dramatis personae that have made the National Youth Council of Nigeria almost moribund with various court cases are the same persons deemed fit and proper to be included in the youth delegates’ list. Ditto for students, whose leadership over the years has been the plaything of unscrupulous politicians and whose ‘studentship’ is in question. An opportunity for us to sincerely and faithfully discuss how best to position our dear nation on the progress mode has already been undermined on the altar of parochial considerations. And what we are left with now is the obvious result – failure. Every actor in our nation’s polity today should well remember that history is a faithful companion. While it might make ‘pocket sense,’ and political convenience for the future of the nation to be toyed with in this way, however, the generations unborn will always have an axe to grind, if not with this set of opportunists, then with their lineage, for just as a good name is a treasurable resource, the lucre of the moment is a catalyst for self-destruction. It is unfortunate that we are making the same mistakes all over again. Time will tell. nigeriaintel/2014/03/11/this-jamboree-in-abuja/
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 13:59:29 +0000