By Donu Kogbara
I HAVE gradually become extremely disillusioned about certain aspects of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s regime. As I’ve said a couple of times in this column, he has too many unimpressive aides and ministers…and has not been sufficiently dynamic or inspirational since he took over from his late former boss, Yar’Adua.

However, I regard Dr. Jonathan as a basically decent gentleman who has the potential to be an adequate leader; and I was very annoyed when I heard that PDP Governors gave him such a hard time at last week’s NEC meeting that he wound up getting emotional, pleading for their support and agreeing to let their gubernatorial primaries take place before his own presidential primary.

I am at a loss to understand why Nigerian Governors have been allowed to transform themselves into such an overbearing and omnipotent pressure group.

There are always exceptions to every rule. But most of our Governors are lousy or mediocre performers who achieve little or nothing during their tenures and indulge in sickening and shameful conduct. Most of them are vulgar, extravagant spendthrifts.

Most of them do not hide their penchants for blowing vast sums on talentless cronies, greedy first ladies, immoral girlfriends, obsessive hedonism, meaningless baubles and totally unnecessary overseas travels.

Most of them are Impositions who rigged the elections that installed them as custodians of state funds. Most of them cannot properly account for the billions that have passed through their hands. Most of them have violated our trust and cheated us.

Many of them are from impoverished backgrounds, yet have no social consciences and display no real concern for the needy brethren they left behind in the tragically deprived villages from which they emerged.

Most of them are insults to our collective intelligence…and cruel, inept, dishonest jokes. But we still permit them to arrogantly strut across the land like Lords Of The Manor who deserve heroic status and unrestricted powers!

We have, by being too passive and too sychophantic, created uncontrollable monsters. We cheer them on, like stupid, short-sighted slaves, whenever they show up at public gatherings in grandstanding mode. We sit back and shrug while they carry on like cheap bullies and oppress everyone, including a President who has every right to expect them to stand behind him at a critical juncture.

I would be much less angered by their disrespectful attitude towards Jonathan if Nigeria was a truly democratic country in which governors graciously tolerated legitimate dissent from their constituents. But this is an intensely hierarchical and essentially tyrannical nation in which most governors have no egalitarian or objective instincts and are harsh, uncompromising, scary despots.

The majority of Nigerian governors ruthlessly exert their authority over their fiefdoms like Mediaeval kings…and frequently try to paralyse or destroy the few “subjects” who have the temerity to openly oppose them on any issue.

And they get away with throwing their weight around because this is a conservative society in which the average citizen, apart from being a coward, genuinely believes that Ogas and Madames should never be challenged.

I once had a househelp who was rebellious by nature. She was always querying instructions. And though it is irritating to be queried by anyone – and especially irritating when the someone happens to be a subordinate or youngster – the girl had a sharp brain; and there were times I had to admit that her queries were valid and took it upon myself to explain my reasons for telling her to do x or y.

But her fellow domestic workers were appalled by my willingness to rationalise my decisions and allow her to air opposing opinions. They were always cautioning her and telling her to shut her mouth and not dare to answer Madame back.

They wanted me to put my foot down and demand blind compliance. And it is this same mindset that enables our governors to get away with all sorts of rubbish.

And, given that governors insist on absolute obedience from folks who are “lower-ranking” than they are, is it too much to ask that they be consistent and give absolute obedience to a Commander-In-Chief who is higher-ranking than they are?!

Humility definitely has its merits. And timidity is not a crime. But  I take the view that it is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees. And since one cannot be sure that stooping to conquer will bear fruit, I would, if I had been in Dr Jonathan’s shoes, have flatly refused to beg those saucy governors or succumb to their unreasonable threats. I would have told them to treat me with utmost deference…or to take a walk and do their worst.

Christmas greetings

MERRY Christmas to you and yours. Sincere thanks to all dedicated readers of this column for thinking my sweet and sour observations worthy of attention.