By Kassim Afegbua
Why does the country appear insecure and spineless in the last one year or so? Each time one expresses an opinion, no matter how logical and objective, what you get are phone calls from anonymous callers threatening hails and brimstones. When has it become a crime to express an opinion?

I expect people to advance superior argument to contradict my standpoint and not this barbaric and brutish method of trying to intimidate me with the sole purpose of quieting my voice. I would not succumb to any of such threats whether real or imaginary.

My perspective on this government is based on what obtains at present and which the president himself occasionally alludes to. I had stated that the alarming rate of unemployment and under-employment would kill the economy of the country; a fact that the President alluded to on Monday,November 28, 2011 at Lokoja in Kogi State where he reportedly stated that this disturbing unemployment scenario could lead to revolution. Thank you Mr. President for preparing the way for a revolution, since you appear helpless to confront this economic misnomer. “Occupy Eagle Square Abuja” will be a good way to take off.

I had previously stated that this government lacks the character and morality to contend with the challenges of governance that presently stare us in the face and my reasons are not far-fetched. Just imagine the abuse of processes that led to the emergence of the candidates of the Party in Kogi and Bayelsa States before a President that is preaching too much of anti-corruption and transparency in governance?

Imagine the transformational mantra and the several contradictions that have played out in recent times? The simple meaning of transformation is that there are conscious and deliberate attempts to change our ways of doing things, so that we could all embrace new ways that would appear more progressive and productive for the country.

But the President has been the most violator of that unwritten creed. Example, Mr. President has no business going to commission projects undertaken by state governments in such ostentatious wastage of public money. That crude idea belongs to the past; a characteristic way of showing the public that “we are working”. If any government is working, the people will naturally feel the impact. Why must a transformational government waste public money to go and campaign for his Party against another Party in an election that is expected to be free and fair?

Where did President Jonathan get the money that was expended in the Kogi State rally, such an elaborate event that could be put in the region of about two hundred and fifty million naira? Under what budget was that exercise carried out? Who approved the budget? Or, is it part of the dubious security votes that we hear of everywhere most of which is deployed to run politics and campaigns? Too many questions begging for answers.

Another example would suffice. In the spirit of transformation, there is usually a heavy burden on the protagonist, in this case President Jonathan who came up with the mantra as a selling point. Till date, nobody has offered any explanation on the removal of former EFCC czar, Farida Waziri. Nigerians deserve to know the reason behind the reason for her removal so that history of anti-corruption would be properly documented.

But a President who is preaching transformation has not deemed it fit and proper to tell Nigerians; such arrogance of power! Aside from that, the number of political appointees in this government is already over-bloated thus bringing undue pressure to bear on the recurrent expenditure and also creating room for unwieldy bureaucracy. Added to that is the fact that the government is chasing too many things that I consider not germane to the real issues of development. The Constitutional amendment to me is an exercise in overkill. The efficacy of the Constitution has not been tested enough to determine whether the provisions are suitable for our collegiate existence.

All these approaches are old ways of doing things to buy time or cover up certain inadequacies that are usually inherent in any administration. That President Jonathan is traveling the road that we are too used to or that we have traveled before is an indication that the government does not simply understand the weight and burden of transformation. I am yet to see the manifesto of the transformation agenda.

Government business is still being run in the old way. I have not seen anything different. The only difference I have witnessed is the fact that we are worse off. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo told the nation that he left about USD35billion in the coffers before he left office and that the money appeared to have been squandered. Who is he directing the question to?

President Jonathan should have been able to provide ready answer to OBJ in order to keep the public informed about our financial status. Alas! Mum is the word. Nobody has offered any explanation. Yet, government singers would continue to chorus the old tune; “in line with the transformation agenda of Mr. President, …” This government has too many people who have certificated knowledge but lack the morality and confidence to confront the President by telling him the truth.

The institution of “eye-service” and sycophancy has grown extraordinarily ingenious. There are several departments in that institution now. There are government choreographers and script writers. There is a department of the absurd, churning out ribaldrous drama sketches to amuse the President while they plunge the nation into cesspool of corruption. There is also a department of anything goes; this is the school for hangers-on who depend on the crumbs from the master’s table. And the climax of all the phoney schools is that of Presidential Jesters. Labaran Maku, the Information Minister belongs to this category.

Nothing is and must be seen to be wrong with the government, even when the obvious is the case. When there are fuel crises or queues, you hear this category of government saxophonists telling us; oh, never mind, the queues were a consequence of the fight between two taxi drivers. It will soon be over”. This category of persons would call a woman by another name, all in the name of keeping their jobs. With characters like these, how will the transformational agenda be driven?

How does a President desire to achieve transformational leadership orientation with over-used adults that cannot change old habits? Visit any Ministry, it is still the same old ways of doing business. Their toilets are filthy, unkempt environment, littered bins, break-down elevators, and a redundant setting that tends to suggest that government is on perpetual holiday.

When you ask questions; what you get as feedback is as unfriendly as the man making the response; unmotivated staff, who appears uncertain about his future. Nigeria Civil Service is still a file pushing one; in this age of ICT, a lot of government business is still being conducted the old way. There are several offices without computers and where they exist, they are not in use. When will the “transformational” President jump-start the process?

The various sectors of the economy are presently in shambles; health, education, power, aviation, housing, agriculture and infrastructure, to mention but a few.

When Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU went on strike sometime ago over poor services in the tertiary education sector, what did government do? In response to the decaying infrastructure in the tertiary sector and other infrastructural deficiency syndrome [IDU], government’s response was to inject six Federal Universities into the system with one located in Otuoke, the President’s village.

Was that a transformational response to a transformational problem in this digital age; discard old universities and let’s build few new ones? Haba! As we speak, those Universities are still at the foundation stage and the whole educational sector is totally castrated; poor quality, decayed infrastructure, and unmotivated personnel. What about the health sector? It is still the same old rhythms with cracked tunes and voices.

Life expectancy has dropped to a frustrating 47 years. What is the agenda of government in this direction? Who is communicating to us? What about our roads? They are still same old roads with potholes and gullies everywhere killing innocent souls. Since President Jonathan has joined air travellers, he doesn’t seem to appreciate the plights of road users. Deaths on our roads everyday are disturbing. Rather than fix our roads and make the Federal Road Safety Commission more committed to their responsibility, the Chidoka-led administration has introduce the old number plates as new one. I cannot see any difference other than the green Nigeria Map that conveys no meaning since we all are in Nigeria. Why do we make life difficult for the average motorist in the name of trying to introduce new number plates? Why create avenue for some charlatans out there to make unworthy income in the name of new number plates with such bogus pricing?

From every indication, I can say without any fear of contradiction that the meaning of President Jonathan’s transformation agenda is more hunger in the land, more poverty, more hardship, fuel subsidy removal, paying more for less services and several other untold hardships that have overwhelmed the system for the past two years.

In the fullness of this snail-pace approach to solving developmental issues, the country and her citizens will suffer deprivations.

The President must show the character and morality of his government. He must be ready to do a lot of sensible explanations for the good of the public. His temperament must convey a readiness to confront challenges and not shy away from problems. If transformation is something to cheer about, President Jonathan should stop granting import waivers to importers particularly in areas that we are trying to do well. And if waivers must be granted, it must be devoid of favouritism and double standards.

As import-dependent economy, I had thought the whole gamut of transformation would mean trying to grow our own home-grown economy to suit our local peculiarities but the existing contradictions have clearly demonstrated a lack of basic knowledge of the rudiments of governance anchored on the transformational highway.

If a President could suspend the swearing-in of a nominee for the ICPC Chairmanship position on the excuse of receiving too many calls, then that should tell us about the clueless character of this government. And since experience is not easily an item to be purchased across the counter, the country and her citizens must be prepared to bear with the hardship that inexperience will bring forth. That in itself, is the breathe of fresh air, the Jonathan way.