IT is a matter of fact that the great statesman is gone, and gone also with all his attributes recognized throughout the world.  Never in African history has such array of dignitaries (including 91 Heads of governments) ever assembled in African soil to honour a departed soul.  The other great African, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana became dictatorial in his last days before he was ousted in a coup organized by his country’s military adventurers.

Among the many virtues of Nelson Mandela was that spirit of forgiveness – a trait alien to many African leaders, who like the French Bourbons have ‘learnt nothing and forgotten nothing‘.  His personality was assaulted, abused and his family serenity was disturbed during his long period of incarceration.
It is often forgotten by many that Mandela‘s forgiving attitude was borne out of the salient point of realism.  It is a fact that though political administration of the country in the 1990s was in the hand of Mandela and his African majority, but the economy and the brutal military force were in the firm control of the minority whites.  Nelson Mandela was not a stupid man when he was in ‘power‘ The outspoken but troublesome Zulus were among his bitterest enemies and his reconciliatory attitude was responsible for the emergence of Jacob Zuma  as the country’s current President.

The sad departure of Nelson Mandela has created a great vacuum in African political panorama.  The need for a ‘statesman‘ and not a politician is more obvious now more than ever.  As recognized by our own President Goodluck Jonathan, the local politicians are fussy and petty and with insatiable appetite for power, prestige and money.  They can maim and kill, if necessary, to satisfy their objectives.

Apart from lust for power and prestige, the bad local politician is very corrupt, surviving and promoting corruption in a corrupt society. The leadership which is corrupt would always find one excuse or the other to prevent eradication of corruption or the extirpation of any germ of social disease.  Anywhere the leadership itself is immersed in corruption, impunity would be the other of the day and those in the anti-corruption crusade would be regarded as avoidable jokers.  Thus, the beautiful country called Nigeria harbors many corrupt leaders and numerous jokers seeking attention of the people.  The bad politicians with their bags of money would always win any time and in any day in a country with deepening poverty and high rate of unemployment.

However, there is always a narrow gap between a hard-working politician and a Statesman which could be filled by a complete change of attitude.  A local politician, even if he becomes the leader, would concentrate only on those aspects which could keep his party together and plan always for the success of the party in future elections.  At present, the ruling party (PDP) is busy patching up its own internal problems of indiscipline, sabotage and disloyalty to avoid defeat in 2015.  The opposition, too, is throwing its doors wide-open to all comers, irrespective of difference in political ideology or economic philosophy in order to capture power in 2015.

The political parties are at each other‘s throats in the pursuit of political power in 2015 when in 2013, the fires of destruction of life and property, arising from Boko Haram insurgency, are still rife, the surge in criminal activities is unabated, oil theft and oil pipeline vandalisation are not reducing significantly and the scourge of poverty through unemployment is widespread.  That is the heavy burden of responsibility carried on the shoulders of President Jonathan on his journey to and back from South Africa.

Could President Goodluck Jonathan rise above the pettiness and corruption of the local politicians and their ever-learning process and view the problems of Nigeria with the eyes of a Statesman?  The problems of the country to me, are so fundamental and complex that they require “Helicopter View” approach.  Since it appears that such a lofty approach is not one of the natural gifts of the present leadership, it could be purchased at any price for the prosperous future of Nigeria    It requires a strenuous effort to convince Nigerians that the present administration is not for enhancement the South-South and South-Eastern zones and to influence the seemingly dangerous political alignment.  The seemingly dangerous political alignment of North-West; North-East and South-West political zones.   The President might be an adult during the civil war (1967-70) but his advisers might have informed him about the ethnic components of the Nigerian war generals.

It is unfortunate that since the return of Democracy in 1999, ethnic and religious disturbances have become more rampant throughout the country, especially in the Northern sectors. Also, issues of political dissents have become more acrimonious, leading to assassinations in the South.  However, President Jonathan‘s idea of a ‘National Discourse‘ (if genuine) and his pursuit of peace and reconciliation with G7 (rebellious PDP Governors) appear statesmanlike.

APGA’s victory
The victory of APGA‘s candidate in the recent ‘inconclusive‘ and later, ‘supplementary‘ elections‘ though expected, but raised some questions of legitimacy in the present electoral processes in Nigeria where the declared winner scores less than 50 per cent of total votes cast.

Some political pundits believe that the Ikemba (Ojukwu) wanted APGA to be the sole political party for the Ibo as the AD was the political party for the Yoruba.  Both parties were to form a block against the “Colossus” of the North.
The idea could not survive the rampaging forces of PDP under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.   What is happening now that the Yoruba are being driven into the warm arms of the Fulanis/Hausa strategists?

It looks as if the expected Yoruba/Ibo political alliance has become a mirage even with cases of long interaction and mixed marriages.