After This, What Next?

By

Jackson Stephen Liba

emmanuelkwache@yahoo.co.uk

Abuja.

Recently the South African President, Mr. Thabo Mbeki reconciled their sour relationship with his former estranged deputy, Mr. Jacob Zuma. That is the latest we have got on the African continent in terms of our fledging democracy. For nearly four years, our own President; Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has been at the throat of his Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar. The last of his persecution and humiliation of Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is the sacking of ten of his aides leaving him with only two. Even his Economic Adviser and Speech writer were sacked in a circumstance that is less than ignoble. This last bash has been part and parcel of the cumulative haunting of the Vice President who has stood by you all these years through the storm of life and even when you were in prison.

On unaccountable occasions you have other things that were unconstitutional and leave much to be desired of a gentleman. You started by stripping the Vice President of his Permanent Secretary as well as other paraphernalia of his lofty office. You also stripped him of those responsibilities like the Chairman of the National Council of Privatization (NCP), Chairman, National Economic Council, National Economic Revitalization, Chairman, National Planning Commission, and many other positions you thought, the Vice President would have an influence.

These did not satisfy you as you went on to persecute his associates from governors to ministers and personal assistants. You blackmailed some into resigning. You intimidated some into writing fictitious petitions to “Incriminate” the Vice President. You tried all other immoral methods of cajoling the National Assembly both the distinguished Senators and the Honourable Members of the House of Representatives; into finding ways to hook the Vice President. Even as he is a sitting Vice President protected by our own Constitution, it didn’t bother you when his house was ransacked in USA. You rather issued a belated terse statement that it was a personal affair. The US Courts exonerated the Vice President and many legal luminaries labeled the Jefferson’s case as 419, yet, you and your cocooned government kept a sealed lips.

You arrested his Aide-de Corp in broad day light because you “assumed” he was the brain behind the Turaki Vanguard.

You have completely refused to pass any memo through him to any ministerial department or parastatal. You have totally stopped asking his opinion on any matter of the state. Even the so-called National Executive Council and National Working Committee of the Ahmadu Ali-led faction of the so-called Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have stopped inviting him to meetings.

Persons and individuals close to the Turaki Adamawa who assisted you morally and financially before you were pushed into politics and gave you his shoulder to lean on are leaving in literal palpable fear.

Some have said vindictiveness and vengeance is your other name and it seems to stick.

From 1978 during your military regime, money amounting to N2.8 billion got missing into the air.

The other day, the Chairman Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Eng. Hamman Adamu Tukur was at the  National Assembly with facts and figures detailing the alleged operation of three illegal bank accounts against the Federal Government. The Chief Executive of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission named the three illegal accounts as export crude oil, excess Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) and Excess royalty accounts from which over $13.2b had so far been allegedly withdrawn.

The RMAFC Boss had said the three accounts are not only illegal but also have no status in law and contravene section 162 (1), (2), (3) and (10) of the 1999 Constitution. The Pan Yoruba Socio-Cultural group Afenifere has called on the National Assembly to investigate the alleged illegal operations.

It is almost true that Mr. Ugochukwu Uba, Mr. Andy Uba and Mr. Chris Uba have held you to ransom and can contract a defense deal worth $260 million, $100,000,000 more than the exact amount without the knowledge of the National Assembly, Defense Minister, and National Security Adviser and get away with it. They have perpetrated dastard acts like killing, hijacking, abducting and removal of anyone they have disliked.

The atrocities and ungentlemanly actions didn’t stop at the Vice President alone because he stood against third term and tenure elongation but your tentacles of oppression, dictatorship and ambitions for power despite your age has been visited on the poor masses with the prevalent poverty in the land. Goods and services, food and money are not within the rich of the poor. Because you are surrounded by sycophants and mostly persons who are bereft of ideas to generate comfort, you think everything has improved. You do not know yet power supply is not constant any more; insecurity has taken over our land. Even along the airport road in Abuja that you ply all the time whenever you are traveling to oversea countries or Ota farm here, lives are lost everyday. Everywhere; each square meter blood letting and gruesome killing is taking place because of lack of employment. Parents have become disillusioned that even when they succeeded in paying through their nose for their sons and daughters to graduate, there is no such job and they become militants and hold our society hostage. Some have been wondering whether the Book you wrote: The Animal, called Man: is your alter ego and true reflection of your beastly nature. You easily forget those who have proved loyal and trusted in your quality as an elder and supported you wholeheartedly and totally.

Some have argued you would harm Atiku Abubakar and throw the country into chaos so that your third term ambition can be achieved, even if it meant only two years. The least you can do to the man as some analysts and politicians have argued is to incarcerate him and continue intimidating the Vice President’s associates since they are your “perceived enemies.”

You do not mind that Otunba Fasawe or anybody, including others that have made their states ungovernable like Peter Odili to throw darts at the man who has kept quiet inspite of your desperation.

Mr. President, it is already known in many circles that you are a wounded lion and has gone berserk; a moving truck at a reckless speed ready to smash to smithereens any opposition, including the Vice President, the only leading contender and forerunner  in the 2007 Presidential elections. If I were you Mr. President, revive your conscience and rejuvenate the fear of God in you.

Remember, no condition is permanent. Power, position, wealth and even riches are transient. They are here this minute, the next hour they are blown away somewhere by the divine wind. Haven’t you realized lately those that used to jostle around you have systematically and gradually kept their distance?

Therefore, you must beware and relax a little and re-consider your decisions and attitudes towards Atiku Abubakar, who is your vice and handover to him peacefully. It is better than the spoilers who are busy spending your money, the common wealth of the nation for no other purpose but to hurt the man who started from the scratch with you in 1998.

Mr. President Sir, if you recall clearly, people like the Abdullahi Adamu, the Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Jonathan Silas Zwingina, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa, Tony Anenih, Jerry Gana were the hench men of the late General Sani Abacha now they are the ones winning and dinning with you. Could it be that you have forgotten so soon? In the last seven years that the humble Atiku Abubakar has been your deputy, as a responsible and calm citizen even when provoked to the hilt by the Ahmadu Alis, Ojo Maduekwes, Bode George, Chief Yinka Omilani, National Vice Chairman South of the PDP and some other nonentities who have lost ground completely in Adamawa State like Professor Jubril Aminu who is completely finished politically and Senator Paul Wanpana, bread and butter politician, he never uttered a word.

To this end, responsible leaders do not make irresponsible statements. A godly leader speaks out of the presence of God. A humble leader never makes light of eternal truth but esteems them with reverence. A wise leader resolves conflicts peacefully not forcefully. An enduring leader withstands insult without anger. A wholesome leader is characterized by tolerance, which saves him from hasty decisions in crisis and relations in the face of contrariness. The good leader attempts to make friends not enemies. Have you not seen the silver lining in the sky? Some parties are coming together to install the Vice President Atiku Abubakar as their Presidential candidate at the next year general elections. Take a look once again Mr. President Sir and see the rising anger against your administration, the harrowing excruciating pain and suffering of the people in all ramifications; hunger, joblessness, insecurity, demolition exercise, falsehood, youth decay, deceitfulness, backbiting, hatred, ethnic problems and high rate robbery.

So do not deal harshly with your opponents who may be in power next year and leave you in the cold, further aggravating hostility. A polite leader uses gentleness and kindness. A leader who listens well to his subordinates manages them well. Listen to your deputy who has been loyal to you.

The greatness of a leader is in his humility before God, not in his eloquence before man just as we have seen in your deputy, the Turaki of Adamawa. A devoted leader submits himself totally to his subordinates by helping them to discover and develop the hidden potentials.  A patient leader remembers that people’s responses vary according to their nature, temperament and level of development. A mature leader shows the highest respect for others irrespective of their races and ranks. A wise leader guards himself against the pitfalls of success, self-assertiveness and over confidence. Broken promises easily destroy confidence in leadership. A wise leader inspires and motivates rather than intimidating and manipulating.

Therefore, Mr. President, whatever evil plans you have against your amiable affable Vice President as been speculated by fellow country, you better jettison it because nemesis is around the corner, he who kill by the sword shall also… I do not want to mention. This is an open letter to you Mr. President.

A weak leader retreats in the face of rising difficulties and loses the respect of his followers. It seems you are losing the respect of most Nigerians. You are no longer the messiah, we thought, unless you handover to Atiku Abubakar. There are piles of dossiers of some of the things you did during the first and the present tenure as civilian head. Impeccable sources say they will release them for public consumption, unless you change your attitude toward the elders that saved you from Golgotha.

Several trials like these one that you are going through to open the door to new revelations. The path of leadership is always lonely. The greater a leader, the greater his fall when he succumbs to temptations. A teachable leader eagerly probes for truth, learned by others regardless of their status. A relaxed leader relaxes his followers.  The self-righteous leader lives in a cell made of blocks of deception, hypocrisy and lies.

A stubborn leader is a menace who can not be trusted by his colleagues. These are the people’s projection and that is the truth.

Some leaders in my church have criticized your thick skin and the nonchalant attitude to dilemma, you have put the families and the children of the twenty (20) Special Assistants while your own are sixty-two (62) excluding the five you have recently relieved of their duties. Some have asked whether you have become so callous as to throw these families into the unemployment and labour market inspite of the burgeoning sufferings growing day by day.

Do not let us believe General Victor Malu (rtd) that whosoever has been a tenant in the Nigerian prison would never be the same again. Dr Stanley Macebuh, your immediate past senior Special Assistant on policy and programme monitoring has lost his sleep after being bitten twice humiliatingly. Do not lose your own sleep Daddy. You can mend the fences between you and your deputy. Do not embark upon those evil plans. Remember just one of those verses in the Book of Proverbs especially when you use to mediate on them day and night in Yola. The walls have ears and the bird can take the message to the unknown. Your end desire is already known and it will never succeed. A stitch in time saves nine. Save yourself a bowed head to the grave. Reconcile this moment and leave the evil plans to the wicked. It is not your portion.