02 Jun 2006 |
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Beyond the more complex and controversial issues of ethnicity and electoral framework, we are left on the long run with having to decide who our next President should be. What kind of qualities should he possess? Should he be a Sergeant-Major, a stick-wielding, chest-thumping, table-banging, self-appointed headmaster galumphing over anyone that crosses his path; unable to appreciate an argument, or any form of reason, or the sound of other people's voices - a simple, unreconstructed animal in the corridors of power with the habits and predilections of a hyena on the prowl, unleashed upon less powerful, thoroughly cowed, helpless animals? In the hands of such a man, every other citizen is no more than an ant to be crushed, and discarded as an unwanted pest, every other person making any claim to prominence must be intimidated, crushed even. Or should the next President be a humanist of the first rank, a man in whom flows the milk of human kindness, or possibly, a woman with the spirit of motherhood, someone for whom powers means service, high office, a privilege, and the common good, an article of faith. Power is infinitely dangerous. In seven years, we have seen how powerful the office of the President in a Presidential system can be, especially under a unitary context where power relations between the centre and the state is vertical, with the President on many occasions exercising a divine authority that is unknown to the Constitution. The personal factor is unarguably central to the integrity of the political system. The destruction of value in public affairs and of a code of ethical conduct for public officials has created a fluid power system in which elected officials are tempted to abuse the privilege of high office. For the people's voice to matter, for our votes to count, the leadership recruitment process must be addressed. It is disturbing that a conclave of Governors has been set up to anoint one of their own, as President Obasanjo's successor. This Presidential election before the election amounts to the exercise of a dangerous veto power whereas in choosing the next President, a veto is not what is required but the people's inalienable right to choose. Consider this: if the PDP Governors anoint one of their own, after supposedly consulting the people in their geo-political zones, would that automatically mean that they would 'deliver' their states to that candidate in the 2007 election? Should the Governors choose a candidate whereas there is a party process that should be set in motion for that purpose? Is there a hidden agenda in all this: to cause confusion among the ranks of Governors, and to widen 'the nest of killers?" These are issues that would need to be addressed soon, but for now, I return to the original question: what kind of President do we want? Either male or female, any future President of Nigeria must be someone with a programme of action. He or she must have a road map which is not just something that is thought-up for election purposes but a well-considered, duly contextualised articulation of target areas of service delivery. Such a Presidential agenda must be measurable in terms of likely performance. It must not be composed of sweet platitudes, plain promises, and catch-in-the-air declarations to which no one can relate because they are all in the air precisely at an unreachable point in the stratosphere. The future President's agenda must be submitted to all Nigerians, very early in the day so that, it can be thoroughly digested, analysed and evaluated. We are not looking for one of those party manifestoes which are busy with words and paragraphs. No, what we want is a simple road map. A President needs not do everything in four years. A future President should take two or three specific issues in a four-year tenure; post concrete-achievement through intense focus and service delivery, and that would be enough. But to be so peripatetic, busy doing nothing concrete is the biggest pitfall awaiting any President who is more interested in micro-managing the country's development framework and process. We want in 2007, a President who is a humanist, with blood in his veins, and a heart that beats. We do not need a superman, we do not need a messiah. Only the people will and can save their own destiny. But the man or woman who will be President must be a team-player, a manager; he must operate like the CEO of a multinational who is running Nigeria for profit - not personal profit but profit for the people of Nigeria. As CEO, he must render account to the people, and whenever he is called upon to do so, he must not be such a person who will treat Nigerians as if he is doing them a favour. We want a President who reads newspapers, not a President who relies on summaries of national events by press aides who in an attempt to keep their jobs, often choose to tell the man of power only those things that they think he wants to hear. Truth in the corridors of power is too selective, and the biggest promoters of fiction as fact are those sycophants whose future is so uncertain they would sacrifice their own mothers if that would help their selfish cause. A President who reads newspapers, watches local television and listens to local radio can at least, gain a first-hand impression of the reality over which he governs. We want a President who travels on the road, who is ready to see the potholes and the craters on the roads, and so would have no need for the lies that Ministers of Works and Housing readily tell their boss. We want a President who will not be too far away from the people. He must understand the plight of the masses. He must be prepared to think deeply about their problems and never assume that the best response is to throw money at those problems. In 2007, we would need as President a man with a listening ear. Too many men of power in Nigeria have lost the capacity for listening. They are victims of a strange culture under which intelligence is considered a given feature of high position; whereas there are as many stupid persons in high places as there are among the common folk. Power in the hands of an ignorant man, is like a rocket launcher in the custody of a terrorist. When a President listens, he gains the benefit of the intelligence of others. He releases the full potential of the human resources around him. He reproduces and maximises himself and the tools at his disposal. Leadership is not about one individual in his own make-believe world; it is about results. We want as President in 2007 a man with an understanding of Nigerian history and politics. We should not elect into power a man whose knowledge of Nigeria is worse than that of a sophomore. A man without a knowledge of history is no better than an assassin. He will handle power blindly, and dismantle the country before realising it. Those who want to present themselves for consideration can begin by recruiting teachers of history to offer them knowledge about the complexities of this plural, multi-cultural entity called Nigeria. There is a lot about this country that is not available as common knowledge in open documents. A man who wants to be President must seek that special knowledge about how this country is organised. For now, the impression is being given that the Presidency is a big chieftaincy title which any lucky man or woman can bid for, and use as decoration. There is a big treasure hunt going on in the country and the Presidency is the prize. The job of a President requires the ability to think, read, analyse issues, relate with human beings and take decisions. We don't want a President whose brain is so weak, it cannot be adapted for any of these functions. We don't want a somnambulist as President whose best moment is when he is asleep. It would help to have as President, a man who has spent some time acquiring quality education, and whose mental faculties are developed. We want as President, a man or woman who is happily married. Marriage is this sense means conventional marriage, not an ambidextrous kind of marriage. We want a President who will not be tied down by difficulties in the home-front. He must be a man whose home is not a complex government of its own: with wives running into double-digits and children as numerous as the sands of the Sahara with each branch of this unmanageable family tree making claims on the President's time. How on earth do men with multiple wives and concubines manage? How do those women with complex, hyphenated surnames, each belonging to a separate husband, surrounded by children with conflicting surnames, cope? We want as President someone who will see Nigeria as his primary constituency. He must appreciate the fact that this country is the star of the Black race, endowed with countless gifts and possibilities. We want a President who will build on the achievements of the past seven years and turn those possibilities into assets. He must not be such a man who tells lies. Even if he falters, he must be ready to stand up for his beliefs and choices. We don't want a monk in Aso Villa though. The President of our dreams must necessarily possess a sense of humour. To rule Nigeria, the leader must be able to enjoy a joke. He must appreciate the lighter side of things. He should be able to appreciate beauty. He must learn to enjoy wine, an occasional glass of beer or fruit juice, and a good and healthy conversation. He must be a courteous diplomat, with refined manners, a man of taste and culture, not a high-decibel personality who is constantly in a state of excitation, induced by abused substances. If he is a good dancer, that would help too. He must be an example to both the young and old, a kind of personality that commands respect, whose aura fills and energises a room, whose words carry weight, in short, a gentleman who can be trusted with the neighbour's wife. Above all, he must be the people's choice, the product of their majority will, an expression of their sovereignty. If you know such a man, please tell us; not just a man, a woman as well
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