Speaking Truth to Power:  The Metamorphosis of Yar’Adua from Baba ‘go slow’ to Baba ‘standstill’ and now Baba ‘Road Block’.

-Olu Ojedokun, Ph.D.-

I know that it has become habitual for the write ups ascribed to my name to regularly lay into the Nigerian administration, critiquing it left, right and centre.  I realise that I have developed the routine of laying into Mr President, placing at his doorsteps the ignorance of the complexities of power.  However, I do these not because I enjoy laying bare the inadequacies of Mr President and his team. It is because within my motivation is a desire to use and see these means of communication primarily as an aesthetic tool for self-fashioning in order to help reconstitute the Nigerian society by re-description and constructive criticism by being a speaker of truth to power.  I know that in the past I have been accused in the Vanguard newspapers, specifically of the 20^th of October 2007 of being a ‘Ribaduists’ (also defined as supporters of the ‘former’ EFCC chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu) and self-proclaimed “scholar of power and speaker of truth”. In detail the relevant accusation states:

“……. Dr. Olu Ojedokun, lawyer, self-proclaimed “scholar of power and speaker of truth”, and our dear Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN and brother Femi Falana (undoubtedly soon to be a SAN), Barrister Umar Mohammed and Mr Osita Nwajah, head, Media & Publicity for the EFCC, represent the Ribaduists.” 

But I can assure you that I was merely being flattered for deception.  However, you might be correct in the assumption that I have set my goals too high to be achievable and this could be for a variety of reasons.  Validity for this might be that the many articles ascribed to my name usually have limited circulation and mostly and predictably find their way to spam boxes, waste paper bins and delete buttons of the editorial boards of many Nigerian publications.  Yet it is not uncommon for a few to slip through the net and for its readership to reach where it matters, the citadel of power.

Therefore today I sincerely hope that if there are any views, ideas or constructive criticisms contained in this article it will miraculous find its way beyond the internet space and gain the attention of power.

Now, back to Mr President, I hope in some limited way to unpack some of the defence offered by the President through his spokesman for his so called ‘methodical’ approach to tackling issues.  An approach which has variously been described as ‘go slow’ and has metamorphosed into ‘stand still’ and is in danger of becoming ‘road block’.   The President’s spokesman on August 10 2007 when articulating his reasons for taking the job spokesman was quoted as saying:

“He is somebody who listens; somebody who has a clear vision of where he wants to take Nigeria ; somebody who is methodical in his approach to tackling issues.”

On the 1^st anniversary in office, the spokesman penned another similar defence, singing the same tune, stating that:

“One year on, President Umaru Yar'Adua's chief spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, says his principal is neither slow nor lack the solutions to Nigeria 's problems as perceived in some quarters.

On the contrary, he says the President "has a clear vision of where he wants to take Nigeria and how to get there" and that the "objective of his deliberative style is to lay a solid foundation for further results." "Rather unfortunately, however, many vocal critics appear not to be patient enough to wait for the certain and enduring benefits of this novel approach to governance in our country. The charge today is either that the President is too slow in coming up with solutions to our problems or that he has no clue as to what to do.

"Opposition politicians, quite naturally, would want the nation to believe the latter. But that is far from being the case. President Yar'Adua has a clear vision of where he wants to take Nigeria and how to get there.

The objective of his deliberative style is to lay a solid foundation for future results. "No objective person can deny that by training and exposure, this President has the necessary background for a clear understanding of fundamental problems confronting the nation and the requisite skills for evaluating the implications of policy measures and the choices to be made.” 

One is tempted to argue that against the objective evidence on the ground, this is a lot of hot air and ‘mere words’.  For it appears that the spokesman may have sold his pen to vacuity and a different planet of reality.

Let us for a brief moment explore and examine the claim to the ‘methodical approach’ to Nigeria ’s governance.   It has been argued that the timing and manner of Ribadu’s removal fits into a larger pattern.  Some suggested that based on Mallam Ribadu’s baggage, the government might have made a straight case for his removal.  The argument, not mine, is developed further, stating that Instead at the time, President Yar’Adua chose to operate in a covert manner.  After more than a week of watching the fermentation of public speculation, Adeniyi finally came out to launch a blistering personal attack on Ribadu. He accused the former EFCC helmsman of using the Nigerian and foreign media to blackmail the Yar’Adua administration.  In what must rank as a low moment in presidential posturing, Adeniyi left the impression that Ribadu lost out in a war to establish bragging rights between him and Yar’Adua.

The argument is concluded; stating that that such personal animus should inflect public policy speaks volumes about Yar’Adua’s approach to statecraft. It raises questions about the authenticity of the man’s calm, reassuring veneer. Does his seemingly composed and unflappable demeanor mask a harsher mien, a man who would not brook opposition of any sort?  Nevertheless the Ribadu saga continues at below the radar in the courtesy of the law courts, courtesy of Gani Fawehinmi, SAN.

Now where do we place all the reversals and anti-reversals? I quote an old story:

“The fortunes of Transnational Corporation an attempt by the Obasanjo government at creating a mega-corporation capable of driving industrial development in Nigeria, have collapsed dramatically as the Minister for Information and National Orientation, Mr. John Odey, announced on Saturday the reversal of the sale of NITEL and its mobile telephony subsidiary Mtel. The Minister attributed governments decision to the volume of complaints regarding the manner in which NITEL/Mtel was sold, and the “failure of Transcorp to achieve the objectives of the privatisation guidelines”.

The point to note here is that the decision was the fourth reversal of a privatisation exercise since the Yar’Adua assumed office on May 29, 2007.

The facts suggests:  “That the sale of NITEL/Mtel to Transcorp came after three failed attempts by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to sell of 75% of the governments shares in the under-performing telecoms company. In 2001, International Investors of London Limited (with the prescient acronym IILL) failed to make timely payment for its winning bid and thus forfeited its 10% deposit of $131m. The bid was largely funded by First Bank of Nigeria Plc. whose chairman at the time, Mr. Bernard Longe, paid the price of failure by being removed by the board. He was later to emerge briefly, as an executive of Transcorp Plc. In December 2005, the government rejected the highest bid to emerge for NITEL/Mtel made by Orascom Telecoms of Egypt to the tune of $256m.

A 51% holding in the company was eventually sold to Transcorp Plc. by

negotiation for $750m in July, 2006.”

It may very well be that the details of these are open to contestation; however, it does leave a sinking feeling of directionless rather than purposefulness.

Again to test the veracity of Mr Adeniyi’s claims, I have taken some liberty in going back to the 2007 PDP manifesto on the economy.  It states:

“3. Economy

At the root of Nigeria 's political and social problems is poverty and low access to economic opportunities. The improvement in the well-being of Nigerians is the ultimate objective of the PDP's economic policy, and make accessible to every Nigerian the basic needs of life. The focus would be to create a market-based economy driven by small and medium scale businesses and regulated by a reformed public sector.

At the very foundation of the above objective of the party is the pursuit of a strong, virile and diversified economy built to stm rural urban migration through investment in modern agricultural methods. PDP's economic policy is centered on people and seeks to realize the Millennium Development Goals………… 

The PDP aims, altogether, at establishing the leading economy in Africa and one of the 20 leading and largest economies in the World by 2020; an economy that experiences rapid and sustained growth of not less than 10% per annum.” 

It is by these standards that we should and will measure the performance of President Yar’ Adua and not through carefully timed and orchestrated outbursts by his spokesman.  No evidence so far has indicated that President Yar’Adua is not more than a Baba ‘go slow’, who in 12 months has transformed into Baba ‘stand still’ and in danger of becoming Baba ‘road block’.  The reality is that a government with four year term, in reality has a 24 month window of opportunity to make its mark.  The reality is that the rest of the term is used up running for re-elections and maneuvering.  The added complexity is that this President is ill; it would therefore appear that he has less than 12 months window to prove us wrong and I am praying that he does.

The writer is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria .

Robot  Villager

# 1 Speaking Truth to Power: The Metamorphosis of Yar’Adua from Baba ‘go slo...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 29.06.2008 14:45

delemajek  Villager

# 2 And from Baba road block to Baba 'Non-existent' Saw him walking sluggishly behind the Self-styled Robert Mugabe @ a recent meeting of African Heads of State Posted by delemajek| 30.06.2008 08:23

Toku.A  Villager

# 3 Some of the government decisions have been ok but He is really a Baba standstill Posted by Toku.A| 30.06.2008 08:30

Kabikala  Villager

# 4 He looks more like Father U-turn to me. Posted by Kabikala| 02.07.2008 07:42

BBalogun  Villager

# 5 Simple, no amount of paint brushing can disguise the facts. UMYA has nothing, absolutely nothing to offer Nigeria. Posted by BBalogun| 02.07.2008 08:39

DeepThought  Villager

# 6 Though he hasn't improved anything, at least he hasn't yet set out to delibrately corrupt Nigeria any more than Nigeria already is. Lets just hope he doesn't get worse, become Baba-Reverse and join the IBBs/Objs/Abachas Posted by DeepThought| 02.07.2008 09:30

tonsoyo  Villager

# 7 He reverses and go the other direction so I agree with Kabikala that he is Father-U-turn Snr. He never show any sense of urgency for the myriad problems of Nigeria, so he is also, Baba-No-Regret. Posted by tonsoyo| 02.07.2008 09:52

Dr. S Adetunji  Villager

# 8 =tonsoyo;4295064104>He reverses and go the other direction so I agree with Kabikala that he is Father-U-turn Snr. He never show any sense of urgency for the myriad problems of Nigeria, so he is also, Baba-No-Regret. Oyibo repete:D:D:D Posted by Dr. S Adetunji| 04.07.2008 09:01