BY EMMA AGU

NO one who is familiar with the robust nature of the Nigerian Press will be surprised at the criticisms that have trailed the renaming of the Maitama Extension District in Abuja to Jonathan Goodluck District. Nor is there anything new in the argument that public institutions should not be named after serving public functionaries.

Seen from the above perspectives, it becomes easier to understand the controversy over the decision of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed to rename the district after the president. ThisDay Newspaper, in its editorial of March 21, 2012 went as far as imputing that the minister is a sycophant who wants to cling to office in spite of presumed incompetence.

Because I have known Bala Mohammed for over 30 years, I shudder at some of the invectives being heaped on him. As colleagues on the staff of The Mirage newspaper (now defunct) in Jos in 1983, he came across as a rather shy but forthright person.

Intense scrutiny
He is very intelligent, energetic and ambitious. I can also add that he was never bereft of ideas and remains very calm even in the midst of turmoil.

Let us get back to the Jonathan District saga. While it is axiomatic that the proprietary of the minister’s action would come under intense scrutiny, it is difficult to rationalize some of the extreme insinuations and conclusions as they affect his motive and competence. Let’s get one thing straight: Had the FCT minister sought my opinion before his action, I would have advised him against the gesture, no matter how well deserved.

Presiednt Jonathan

For a start, precisely for the reason of a misconstruction of the action, I support the view that it is nobler to honour public officers when they are out of office. For another, I would want to guard against capitulating to the designs of habitual cynics and political detractors. It appears that Senator Bala Mohammed has unwittingly plunged himself into murky political waters.

But if we may continue with the debate, it is rather unfortunate that we are devoting so much time, space and energy to an innocuous recognition accorded the president by a serving minister. Perhaps one could allude to the symbolism of the action. But it pales into insignificance when considered alongside more fundamental issues plaguing the country at this point in time.

I would, for instance have considered the matter deserving of more rigorous scrutiny, even condemnation, if the minister had lacked the power to rename the district or if he had replaced the name of an opposition leader with that the President.

But neither was the case. Nor was the recognition at the instance of the President who, at this point, is inundated with more pressing national problems.

From the above, it could be argued that if there was any offence by the minister, it was simply the elementary matter of the timing of the recognition. Some would argue, not without justification, that the minister allowed his emotions to rule his heart because of excitement over the President’s total commitment to the transformation of Abuja.

Yet, neither did he commit any crime nor was there an illegality. There was no earth-shaking misdemeanour as to warrant the wholesale demonization of the minister as the ThisDay editorial and some other critics had sought to do.

Any dispassionate Nigerian will admit that the insinuation that the minister was only trying to ingratiate himself to a displeased master will collapse in the face of the facts. Long before now, Senator Mohammed had established himself not only as a Jonathan admirer but an unrepentant defender of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Admittedly, human memory may be very short. But it will be absurd if, by some contrived amnesia, we have forgotten so soon how the minister, a senator at the time, defied the position of many hawks from his part of the country, and stuck his neck out, as leader of the Integrity Group in the Senate, to insist on the emergence of erstwhile vice president Goodluck Jonathan as acting president.

By his action, along with other compatriots, he toed the principled line that facilitated the passage of the ‘Doctrine of Necessity’ motion which paved the way for Jonathan to become president.

That singular act, which elevated national interest above sectional calculations, and paid short shrift to the advocates of ethnic hegemony, ushered in the peaceful transition that was to spare Nigeria the political tsunami that was building up at the time. With all due respect, I think we shall be standing the truth on the head by casting such a man, who defied ethnic disavowal on the side of constitutionality, in the mould of an office-seeking praise-singer.

I wish I had the same power of clairvoyance being exhibited by those who seem to know beyond the veil regarding the FCT minister’s action. That is why I reject the view, in some quarters, that the onslaught on Senator Mohammed is a throw back to that badly managed succession battle in which some people lost their jobs. No. It is not that. Truth is: we enjoy these debates.

I am not even impressed with the insinuation that the minister is only a fall guy, that the real target is the President. Reason: that will run against the grain of commonsense. Come to think of it: If anything, the President, through his minister and other officials, remains on track when it comes to the development of Abuja.

The steady achievement of the ten lanes from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Kubuwa to Abuja, the Abuja rail project, the pursuit of the Gurrara Water Works and the flag_off of the five districts are all clear pointers to a very bright future for the federal capital territory.

Salutary implications
I make bold to say that, nothing should be taken away from the salutary implications of the burgeoning districts. And that is without prejudice to what the President decides to do with any of his ministers, Senator Bala Mohammed inclusive. My view is that the name imbroglio is nothing more than a storm in a tea port; it can be regarded as much ado about nothing, a distraction that should be put behind us in a hurry.

Rather than dissipate energy over the district’s name, we should be more concerned with how the project impacts on jobs creation, housing needs, decongestion of Abuja metropolis and ultimately, realization of the Abuja master plan.

Besides, at a time of grave national emergency such as the nation is passing through amidst a global economic turmoil, we cannot afford to distract the President by trying to make cheap political capital out of every conceivable issue. Certainly, not a minor issue such as a name change in which no illegality has been established.

On a lighter note, it is possible that the minister was simply following the tradition in some parts of the country where the names of personalities and towns are co_extensive. However, if the matter does not abate, he has a remedy: warehouse it with the Nigerian Stock Exchange as a ‘blind trust’ pending President Jonathan’s exit from power.

*Mr Agu, former Managing Director of Champion Newspaper, wrote from Abuja.