By Gabriel  Adebayo

SECONDLY, the promise of a free and fair election must be strongly backed by concrete and clearly-independent actions. The exercise of presidential powers, when influenced significantly by political godfathers, casts a dark shadow on promises, and can only heighten the degree of distrust by the electorate in particular, and by all Nigerians in general, of the Federal Government.

In fact, it behoves the President to summon the political courage to fight corruption, and even jail treasury looters of past administrations as becomes necessary, if for no other reason than to deter others from such harmful acts in the future. An even more compelling objective is to prevent the recycling of looters’ booty, via vote-buying or sponsorship of mayhem during the forthcoming elections.

But most important of all, the President must put his mind to the monumental task of job creation.

Investment in infrastructure should top the list of job creation programmes to be pursued. The N10 billion allocated for celebrating Nigeria at 50, or at least a significant portion of it, would find better use in the overhauling of Nigeria’s infrastructure.

The infusion into the Police Force of our jobless graduates, even at least on contractual terms, is another programme that would reap immediate benefits. Not only will it enhance the President’s chance of winning, should he vie for the job he is already doing, but it will also go a long way in reducing tension during the elections, since it would beef up the ranks of law-enforcement officers while bringing down the number of would-be thugs.

Finally, the President is afforded the chance to display his statesmanship by pursuing justice and equity in the Niger Delta. The amnesty granted by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is a cornerstone for lasting peace in that region, and for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to see it through would result in a presidential legacy, the like of which rarely presents itself in a political lifetime.

By the lights of civilized history’s arguably foremost political philosopher – classical Greece ’s Plato – Nigeria set itself correctly, at its birth as a nation, a half-century earlier, on the path of building a republic, in the now much-sought-after form called democracy.

A government’s raison d’etre is to see that the common good of the governed is arrived at, then made practicable to benefit the many, thereby upholding and respecting the governed’s political will.

Underlying the political process of arriving at the common good, which many leaders, in the comity of nations, easily fail to recognise, is that over time, political institutions must take firm roots to hold together the aspired-for “political tree” – a true republic.

Needless to say, it is only when such political institutions are deeply-rooted that the tendency of leaders to treat governmental authority as if it were personal property becomes a thing of the past.

Such has been the experience of the mature republics of the world, whether they are tilted towards either of the two benevolent forms – a democracy or a monarchy.

President Jonathan would be well-advised to contemplate on this. As the first-emerged young-generation leader of Nigeria, going into the second-half century of our nation-building efforts, he could indeed take us in the right direction so that Nigerians could ultimately build a viable republic.

Should he demonstrate, by tangible and independent deeds, a commitment to achieving our nation-space’s loftiest end — the attainment of a truly working democracy — he will find that especially among his highly-educated young-generation Nigerian peers, whether living in Nigeria or living abroad in search of broader opportunities, he will not lack for highly-competent assistance and support.Such is the opportunity, at our fingertips, on the dawn of Nigeria ’s next half-century.

Dr. Jonathan and his young-generation leadership peers can see to it that indeed, a vigorous and proud nation of Nigerians can finally claim ownership of its nation-space.

Coming as it is on the heels of the 50th Independence Day celebrations, it is a new dawn that we cannot afford to mess.

Dr. Adebayo, a commentator on national issues, writes from Chicago, USA.