This question came in light of the astonishment that heralded the statement of the President during a campaign speech.
The President recently at a campaign ground in Ekiti state, said he would develop Ekiti if Ayo Fayose wins the forthcoming Gubernatorial election.
Are
you surprised? Don’t we know the President often makes statements that
raises eyebrows? Was that statement Presidential? But to keen followers
of the polity, it is a common knowledge that how close and friendly you are to the President determines how much of development would come to a particular
state. Would you compare the relationship that exist between the
President and the quartet that include Gabriel Suswan, Olusegun Mimiko,
Godswill Akpabio and Seriake Dickson, the Governors of Benue, Ondo,
Akwa-Ibom and Bayelsa states respectively to that of Rotimi Amaechi of
Rivers, Nyako of Adamawa, or any other Governor of the APC in the
South-West?
The closer you are to the Presidency, the more
federal projects in your domain. That is the peculiarity of our
politics. The politics of favoritism! It’s un-constitutional but it
always plays out in our politics. Didn’t the President stop the World
Bank water project in Rivers states because of the wrangling between the Governor and the First Lady? A project that should benefit the people
of River states was jettisoned all in the name of politics. Even when
Dame Patience Jonathan is reportedly from that region of the state, the
Presidency damned all consequences and stopped that massive project.
That is Nigeria
for you! The question that would emanate from the President’s statement
at the campaign ground, is Goodluck Jonathan not the President of the
whole of Nigeria? Or is he a sectional President? I wished the President
would listen to French General and Emperor when he claimed “The heart of a statesman must be in his head.”
Our President should stop being emotional!
If
I recall, during the 2011 Presidential election, President Jonathan won
the South-West except Osun State that went to Nuhu Ribadu and the
defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The indigenes of Ekiti state
voted massively for the President in that election, so why deny them of
development on the account of the incumbent Governor being an APC’s
Governor?
In better climes, Presidents conducts themselves like
statesmen and not politicians. The immediate past US Secretary of
States, Hillary Clinton aptly puts it “a politician thinks
of the next election, a statesman, of the next generation.” Politics
should end with elections. During the period preceding the 2012 United
States Presidential elections, Hurricane Sandy broke out. Guess what happened, Barack Obama and the Governor of the state of New Jersey, Chris Christie worked as if they were of the same party. Both reportedly gave thumbs up to each other on their contributions in stemming the disaster.
That
is how to work for the people. The current brouhaha between the
Governor of Borno, Kassim Shettima and President Jonathan is as a result
of the mistrust between both. Otherwise, I wonder the tantrums being
thrown at each other by two men voted to lead and not to quarrel.
Our leaders should know when to politicize and when to offer leadership. Enough of these brickbats in the polity
No comments:
Post a Comment