By Douglas Anele

It is no longer news that President Goodluck Jonathan, has won a four-year mandate from Nigerians to govern till May 29, 2015. He and 26 governors were sworn into their various offices a week ago. Clearly, it is indeed true that the last April elections appear to have better acceptability among Nigerians and foreign observers than the ones conducted in 2003 and 2007 under the chairmanship of Maurice Iwu.

However, the process was marred by irregularities that usually attend elections in Nigeria, which implies that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the political class are yet to get to the promised land, so to speak, in terms of giving our people free, fair and credible elections. To dissect the reasons for flaws observed during the last elections will take us beyond the scope of this essay.

Keep in mind, though, that the exercise is the most expensive in the nation’s history. Probably, about N100 billion was spent to elect President Jonathan, 26  governors and all members of the national and state houses of assembly. It is still a matter for debate whether the process is worth the huge amount expended on it – to be candid, I think the elections were too costly financially and in terms of personnel.

From another perspective, it appears that the political class and ruling elite seem not to learn from the mistakes of the past and make amends. For instance, the politics-with-bitterness exhibited by some politicians which culminated in post-presidential election violence that broke out in some Northern states was totally uncalled for and unnecessary, because genuine democracy and electoral violence simply do not go together.

At any rate, it is evident that Nigeria is yet to outgrow the ethnic and religious cleavages that led to the bloody civil war of 1967-1970. It is equally clear that President Jonathan has a lot to do  to assuage frayed nerves and move the country forward and forge a united commonwealth. The title of our discourse contains the Igbo expression, ibu anyi danda, which means in English “the load will not overwhelm the danda.”

Danda is a tiny ant which can carry objects several times its weight from one point to another. Hence whenever anyone is saddled with a burden or responsibility that appears to be too much for him, he is encouraged by being told that “Ibu anyi danda” or “ibu anaghi anyi danda”. He is thereby told to have the fortitude and endurance of the tiny insect that does not balk at the challenge of carrying a load that seems too much for it. The ibu anyi danda metaphor perfectly fits the situation of President Jonathan right now, considering the weighty problems of governing that character flaws of Mr. President.

In otherwords, given the  impression in certain quarters that President Jonathan lacks the gravitas, iron will and discipline to take tough decisions against “sacred cows”, many Nigerians believe he cannot resolve the difficult challenges of tackling corruption in high places, breaking the back of the cabal that has frustrated efforts of the Federal Government to generate adequate electricity, correcting the constitutionally-entrenched structural anomalies and imbalances in the Nigerian federation, and implementing people-oriented programmes that will bridge the widening gap between the rich and the poor nationwide. If that is the case, Nigerians should be prepared for four years of “business as usual”, of wasted opportunities and gargantuan corruption among members of the ruling and business elite.

But we know that human beings can change by manifesting latent possibilities, because no one is completely determined by his past. To use a biblical illustration, there is always the possibility that Saul can become Paul, which implies that Mr. President might surprise those who are sceptical about his ability to take tough decisions against the “high and mighty” whose corrupt practices have compromised the legitimate hopes and aspirations of our people. As Jean-Paul Sartre the hard-core existentialist affirms, man is condemned to be free, but must be ready to take responsibility for his free choices. President Jonathan is the substantive President on his own merit.

Right now he is under tremendous pressure from family members, friends and politicians from within his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and other parties for all kinds of favours. One cannot honestly belittle the impact of the pressures, especially from his spouse and from those that played important roles in his electoral success. Yet, the buck stops on his table: ultimately, he is the one to decide what to do. He can decide in favour of pressure A, if he thinks it is the best for the country, and rebuff pressure B, just in case he sees it as detrimental to our national interest.

Consequently, having complained publicly that most of the VIPs who have been coming to him want appointment for their wives, relatives and friends, and are unconcerned about whether those they are lobbying for are suitable for the jobs, he should do the right thing and ignore them. If he allows himself to be intimidated into making wrong choices by his friends and associates with pernicious food-is-ready mentality to public office, he will unwittingly be corroborating what his traducers have been saying about him, that is, that he is too weak to lead. President Jonathan should be his own man, because he has no one but himself to blame if his administration fails to deliver good governance to the people of Nigeria.

Having said all that, it is time to identify those areas of our national life that Mr. President must pay attention to in order to positively transform the living conditions of Nigerians. In our view, the most serious problem we face right now is the inappropriate constitution the country is operating.

TO BE CONTINUED.