By Muyiwa Adetiba

I get uncomfortable, peeved even, when I hear the sweeping statement that the Presidency has achieved nothing in what? Six years? It is a statement that is shallow at best and, stretched further, uncharitable. Even Lucky Igbinedion, as incompetent as he was, achieved ‘something’ in Edo State.

An unbiased assessment of the critical areas of the polity—the economy, security, democracy, institutions of governance—will show that this administration has not fared any worse than its predecessors. It might not be the transformational government it is touting itself to be and might even be described as mediocre given the national resources, but I do not in all honesty, believe that we are worse off in critical areas (save for corruption) than in Yar’Adua’s or even Obasanjo’s governments.

Besides, when you ask those who say the President has achieved nothing, whom they would rather have in his place, the masks go off and we hear comments that betray their true, selfish intentions.Some will say we need a better person. I agree; but who? Other say nothing good can come out of PDP. Again, I agree; but where is the alternative? To those who say it is the turn of the North to rule again, I simply raise an eyebrow and ask who the North is coming up with.

The answers I get to these questions show many people want a change for its sake or for selfish, tribal and religious reasons.Even those who want Jonathan to stay on are not pointing at his weaknesses or strengths. It is the same primordial interest that has benefited no one except the caucus that feeds on people’s tribal and religious fears.

This lack of preparedness on our part, and that of opposition, to grapple with serious issues of governance will stand the President in good stead in 2015— assuming he throws in his hat. In fact, he has an even better chance if he seizes the initiative and does one or two things quickly ‘before it is too late’ (to use the words of a famous General).

The first thing is to move against corruption. The deployment or outright removal of certain Ministers will go a long way to burnish the image of the Presidency. The immediate resolution of all pending corruption cases in pension, fuel subsidy and NNPC missing funds palavas will restore some confidences. So will an announcement that the Presidency is prepared to cut cost in the running of its affairs. This will show a President who is listening and responding to his people.

The second is the correct handling of the National Conference. If he can conduct the National Conference in a fair and equitable manner, if he can successfully devolve power to the six zones without silencing the minorities, then he would not only have done the zones, including his own oil producing south-south zone, a great service. He would also have done the nation a great service as well because the agitations for the centre would reduce significantly and inter zonal competitions would hot up as never before with we, the people being the beneficiary.

The third area is a touchy and sensitive one because it has become personal. It has to do with the developments in River State. I believe the President has allowed his personal relationship with Gov. Rotimi Amaechi and the feeling of betrayal in having ‘an enemy’ that is too close to home to becloud his duty as President and Statesman. The result is that the Presidency is going from blunder to blunder. The Presidency has tried to use a sledge hammer to swat a fly. He has not only missed the fly, it has hit and in some instances, dented many unintended places.

Let’s start with its decision to recognize the supremacy of 16 over 19 in a freely conducted election amongst peers. It was a decision that has thrown an egg on the face of the Presidency and on the faces of those who stood truth on its head. It has also cast doubt on the Presidency’s ability to conduct a free and fair election come 2015.

Then we went on to the supremacy of 5 over 26 as some House of Assembly members wanted to remove their Speaker. This, like all crimes that need to be covered up, has led to an uneven sleight of hand in police investigations. In between all these, the governor has been harassed and belittled. He is, in case we are forgetting, the governor of an independent State in a Federal Republic. He is also the chief security officer of his State.

I am not in any way suggesting that Ameachi has been saintly in all his actions. In fact, I see arrogance and provocation in some of his actions. But a Statesman has to be a Statesman and the President has played not only into the hands of the opposition, but also into the minds of the fair minded Nigerian citizens.

The Presidency should have held back when the National Assembly first stepped in. It did not. The Commissioner of Police should have been deployed to avert unnecessary focus on him. He was not. Now the PDP has lost its majority in the house and the opposition is showing its teeth by threatening to block the passage of bills from the Presidency. This is untidy and could lead to impeachment grounds if not well handled. The impeachment of Richard Nixon in 1973 is instructive.

Danger, as it is often said, lurks in the little things that are allowed to fester.