By Dele Sobowale

“Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide; in the strife of truth and falsehood, for the good or the evil side”. James Russel Lowell, 1819-91.

Expectedly the President’s declaration of emergency has provoked harsh criticism from the usual opposition groups – particularly the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. As someone born and bred in progressive politics, I had spent all my life in the same camp as the progressives – even if, lately, the Awoists and progressives have started to resemble, increasingly, like the conservatives they want to replace at the centre.

Now, there is more hype than real performance from the standpoint of progressive agenda. A new leadership is in place – and that perhaps explains the difference in orientation. Still, on the major issues, I had gone along with them – until now. On Boko Haram, the ACN has been offering distractions instead of helping to solve the problem.

That is politics; what the nation expects from everyone, faced with this catastrophe, is statesmanship. That means proposing the other options available to the nation – instead of continuing to dismiss every initiative by government. Let us take a trip down recent history with one fact in mind – the original Boko Haram killings started before Jonathan became President. So, he did not start the problem – he inherited it. But, first let me make a necessary diversion.

Jonathan’s chief spokesmen, Reuben Abati and Okupe had spent the last two years chasing shadows and making themselves a liability to the President – when he most needed their credibility. Abati, in particular, should have been in all the newspaper houses weeks before this monumental announcement drumming up support for the measure.

But, after his self-destructive defence of what happened to LEADERSHIP staff, Abati had slammed the doors in his own face in every print media house.  Okupe is even worse; he was a failure as Obasanjo’s spokesman; he has done nothing to make his second coming a success. The official spokesmen have now created a vacuum which “unofficial” representatives have started to fill.

Two new “spokespersons” soon emerged to fill the vacuum left by Abati and Okupe – Kuku and Asari Dokubo. Unfortunately for Jonathan, they have also created more problems for Jonathan than they solved – if they solved any. The fractured PDP, which he leads, instead of providing support, had for some time become part of the problems which Jonathan must now manage.

*Jonathan

Some of the problems, like the palaver over Governor Amechi’s plane and the brutal attack on LEADERSHIP, were self-created. Yet, despite all these, the President of Nigeria still needs all well-meaning Nigerians to bring the war in this country to an end.

He has taken a tough position outside Aso Rock; he needs to take a hard look at his aides and ask himself if they still represent value for money. The bottom line for spokesmen is “are they still credible?” Credibility of spokesmen is indispensable because the “medium is the message”, as Marshall Macluhan had taught the world. Send somebody with tainted integrity to deliver your message; and nobody believes it. That is a fact Jonathan must understand.

After that Jonathan needs to reach out to create a new set of followers; people who support his measures on war and will help to get the message out to those who don’t understand or have not taken a hard position. The members of the new coalition need not support the President on everything else; they simply believe that he has the best plan for bringing the war to an end. So, it will be a one-issue coalition; it will not even be involved in any re-election plans that the President might develop.

It is my strong belief that millions of Nigerians will enlist to provide support for the President of Nigeria on this difficult project of bringing peace to our potentially great country.

The declaration of emergency has suddenly placed our brothers and sisters in uniform in greater danger as well as criticism. As the war deepens, the propaganda war will also escalate. The enemies will try to proclaim atrocities at every turn. Accusations of genocide, real or imagines will become more common – threatening to separate the Commander-In-Chief, C-I-C, from the troops.

To minimize this tendency, the President will need to develop a stronger relationship with the media than now exists. They at least can help by helping government to get its own story to the public. How to build that relationship will constitute one of the most important tasks of government.

The hoax of 185 people killed at Baga is an example of what the government should not allow to continue un-countered. That propaganda coup for the enemies of Nigeria has damaged the war effort more than is generally realized.

THE MINISTER VERSUS THE GOVERNOR: TWO NAKED DANCERS

“A truth that’s told with bad intent; beats all the lies you can invent, William Blake, 1753 – 1827

Last week, the Federal Minister for Aviation was at the House of Representatives to explain why a jet imported by Governor Rotimi Amechi of Rivers State had been grounded. The entire episode would have been comical if it was not tragic. Everybody now knows that planes are also flying bombs – which can devastate people if they crash on their communities.

Yet, the Minister of Aviation, sat in the NASS chambers, and announced that her Ministry allowed the government of Rivers State to bring a plane into Nigeria in September of last year and to fly it around the country, and endanger our lives, without fulfilling all the conditions for such an intrusion on our lives.

The Ministry obviously did not care if the plane was air-worthy; they could not “give a damn” if it posed a security risk; they did not check if appropriate duties and tariffs were paid; they did not ask if it was adequately insured. In fact, they did not undertake any of the checks established by various aviation laws in Nigeria. They allowed the ai
rcraft to fly.

The plane was allowed to fly because in 2012, Governor Amechi was still considered a friend; so he could be allowed to act with impunity. But, this is 2013, and Amechi has transformed into an enemy of Aso Rock. All of a sudden, the Minister of Aviation has woken up to her responsibilities. Even now, most of her statements are so bizarre, anyone listening, like me, must wonder if the Minister knows the difference between truth and falsehood – or, simply does not “give a damn” whether she is believed or not.

Meanwhile, the Governor himself is not smelling like roses from the revelations so far. First, it matters not whether the aircraft was procured for N7 billion or N9 billion. There is no state in Nigeria whose people are so affluent that its governor can spend N7 or N9 billion on a private jet which is used for personal trips unconnected with his responsibilities as governor.

The aircraft was delayed in Akure, where the current drama started, while the governor was on a condolence visit to Ekiti State. Going out of state to shed tears, crocodile or real, is not one of the statutory functions of a governor. So, it was a private visit.

The people of Rivers state should not be made to pay for it. Unfortunately, it is difficult to know how many private trips were made, at the expense of the people, before the Minister of Aviation woke up from her slumber to put a temporary stop to the nonsense. I said temporary because, either way, the palaver is not about the people of Rivers State – it is a fight between factions of the PDP about sharing the spoils accruing from being “elected” to office.

At least now, we begin to understand how the aviation ministry is managed.