By Dele Sobowale
“Why not “step aside”, to borrow the words of another failure, and let Nigeria march to her destiny? Perhaps, his departure might even help to undo the harm done by a cynical former president”.

Dele Sobowale, in OPEN LETTER TO TURAI YAR’ADUA, SUNDAY VANGUARD, February 2009.

That advice to the former wife of the late President, was repeated early this year when Yar’Adua became terminally ill and the tragic-comical series of events which eventually resulted in his death unfolded.

I even went further to predict last year that Yar’Adua’s name would  not be on the ballot papers in 2011 at a time when a Senior Special Adviser, a former Senator, had already started to organize Yar’Adua/Jonathan re-election committee. I knew it was a waste of time.

Incidentally, the same Senator has now joined the bandwagon for Jonathan.  In  an interview he pronounced that he had “always known that Jonathan was the best candidate for President of Nigeria”. Really? Did that include when Yar’Adua was alive?

And would the Senator have encouraged Jonathan to vie for president if the Umoru were  alive? That is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the falsehoods being offered for sale by Jonathan’s newly found admirers.

Yet, none of them, not even Chief Edwin Clark, had the guts, in February 2009,  to ask Yar’Adua to leave as I openly did. And that call was made fully in the knowledge that power was again shifting back to the South despite the gentleman’s agreement which existed within the PDP.

That call was grounded in the constitution, just as Jonathan’s right to contest in 2011 is. Unfortunately, as far those whose hold on the principles of democracy are concerned, Goodluck’s right to contest means two things. First, his fortunate ascent to the presidency means that a principle, which even he knows was in practice within his party should be summarily discarded just to please him.

Second, nobody who does not agree that Jonathan does not possess the necessary qualities for the ultimate leadership of our country should voice his opinion. So, they have applied all sorts of fatuous arguments to promote their unhidden agenda. Let me for the thousandth time declare that Jonathan has a right to contest. But so do others –even from the South South.

In that connection, the first fallacy being promoted is thinly veiled in the notion that power shift to the South South means only Jonathan should contest from the zone. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Once zoning is jettisoned, every zone, including the South West, can contest and let nobody tell us that “you had your turn”.

Closely allied to that is the often repeated assertion that “zoning promotes mediocrity”.  From that questionable assertion, they then jump to two conclusions; first, that zoning must be abolished and, second, that Jonathan alone represents merit.

Again, these assertions represent the triumph of faith over experience. Those making those statements are either too young to know or too careless about researching into Nigerian history. Otherwise they would not be so sure. Follow me down memory lane.

As we approach our 50th  anniversary of independence one thing is clear – we have lost ground to other nations with which we were at par in 1960 on account of poor leadership.

The first election, which took us to independence was in 1959. Awolowo, Azikiwe and the Sardauna of Sokoto led the three main political parties – Action Group, AG, NCNC and NPC respectively.

The NPC won the largest number of seats; followed by the NCNC; the Action Group came third. An NPC/NCNC coalition government was formed and Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa became the Prime Minister and Head of Government; Azikiwe became the ceremonial President while Awolowo was leader of opposition. There was no zoning.

Another election in1963, after Nigeria’s equivalent of change of alliances, saw renegades of AG and NCNC teaming up with NPC to slug it out with AG/NCNC alliance. Again, the NNA (AG/NCNC/NPC) was declared winner. Abubakar returned as Prime Minister before the coup of 1966 which toppled the government. There was no zoning.

The question is: did the elections of 1959 and 1963 produce the best candidate for Prime Minister?…..

NEXT WEEK: SECOND REPUBLIC AND BEST PRESIDENT WE NEVER HAD….
MINIMUM WAGE AND THE SILENT MAJORITY –2
“0806-594-5685
I’d be glad if u could on behalf of Nigerians launch war on d wages of National Assembly members”.

Why National Assembly members alone? All the public servants in Nigeria, without exception, from President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Special Advisers, Commissioners, Local Government Chairmen, Councilors, down to the last civil servant are all parasites on the nation. Last week, one fellow,

who reads but does not fully understand, had inferred that because Governor Gbenga Daniel was quoted as  saying Ogun State cannot pay the new minimum that meant I was in favour of governors.

It was arrant nonsense; especially when the sender, obviously a civil servant who stands to benefit from the new scheme of things, went on to advise governments to increase their internally generated revenue.

What the person failed to realize was the fact that increasing internally generated revenue meant placing additional burden on the populace, workers and unemployed, so that the four percent of the working population who are civil servants can continue to milk the remaining 96% us dry for producing next to no service for us.

Again last week, it was pointed out that the Nigerian Labor Congress had conspired to make the rest of us believe that “worker” means public servants. So once they receive their 221% wage increase all is well. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Only one in 25  of workers are in the public sector.

Yet 75% to 80% of every state and federal budget is spent in paying the one person while the rest of us, including me, have to fend for ourselves. Is the mai-ruwa, supplying water to people nationwide on account of the total failure of the civil service not a worker? Rest assured,

Nigerian will feel the absence of those ubiquitous water suppliers more in one day than they will feel the absence of “civil service workers” for a month. By the way, the parenthesis on civil service workers is deliberate and not meant as compliment either. Let me quickly explain.

Is the policeman not a worker? Is it not his primary duty to prevent crime and apprehend criminals? Why then does he openly commit crime in front of our eyes through bribe taking and still gets paid for it and now will get more? Is the Customs officer not a public servant? Why then does he allow contraband to enter and ruin our manufacturing sector and still gets paid for it?

Are all the staff of the Ministry of Works, Highway Division, not civil servants, engaged to maintain roads, which they never do, and still get paid for it? More to the point, which civil servant actually lives on those wages?

It is almost impossible to obtain service from any government agency without paying bribe.

Those old men and women dropping dead on queues were civil servants and those torturing them to death now are also public servants; they in their turn have punished others unjustly. Are the tormentors not civil servants? Should I go on?…..
NEXT WEEK: REWARDS AND PRODUCTIVITY….