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Carry on, President Yar Adua By Gideon Ahiaba Even though at a high risk of being branded as sounding too optimistic in these early days of Yaradua presidency, I would like to, with a reasonable sense of restraint, posit that God is still interested in the affairs of this potentially powerful Nation. If not, how else could one explain the way and manner He decided to use a highly corrupt, arrogant and dictatorial leader like former president Obasanjo through an equally flawed and fraudulent electoral process to put this gentle soul in position of authority in our Nation today! Yaradua, so far, has been sounding like a good song to one’s ears giving his major pronouncements and actions since assuming power. I am, as indeed so many other Nigerians, impressed by his undertaking to provide us with a servant leadership and his offer of zero tolerance for corruption. His humility, gentleness of spirit and God fearing posture are equally very welcome and desirable attributes. Most importantly, his avowed commitment to the rule of law which was totally ignored under past regimes –especially the Obasanjo years- is timely and fundamental. I am always full of respect for those humans who do not allow power, wealth and the extreme luxuries associated with leadership to taint their sense of judgment and humanness. There is something in President Yaradua that tells me we have another Nyerere or Mandela in the making in Nigeria. Initially, when President Yaradua admitted himself that the electoral process that brought him to power was not, in the least, free and fair as attested to by both local and international observers, I had opined among friends then that given this humble and sincere admission on his part, the right thing for him to have done would have been to hand over power to the president of the supreme court who would have set up a new electoral body and called for new rounds of elections at all levels. That was my view then; however, after listening to the man and watching him closely since assuming power, I have had a rethink over this stance of mine. I am now of the view that we should give him a chance or grant him the benefit of the doubt as time is not on our side and also given the fact that going through fresh rounds of elections would definitely result in huge cost implications in both monetary and physical terms with a high possibility of total national collapse should things go wrong. We should also not forget the fact that billions of Naira had just been spent in organizing the flawed elections. Let us just assume that the man means well for Nigeria, that he is God fearing and also corrupt –free. Having stated the above, I would want to affirm strongly here that Nigerians as a people have suffered enough in the hands of deceitful and corrupt leaders who have only succeeded in bringing extreme misery, poverty and squalor closer to their door steps. President Yaradua must therefore take heed that he should not follow in the footsteps of his predecessors by being seen to be totally transparent, leading only by example, always matching action with words and not ruling by mere pronouncements or lip-service. Nigerians, it seems to me, now have zero tolerance for bad leadership. Today, Yaradua stands a good chance of putting his name on the correct or right side of history. However, should he turn out to be another failed or deceitful leader, then Nigeria may not have another chance to make it or exist as one corporate entity afterwards. In this wise therefore, I would advise that the president pays immediate and serious attention to the following: Should be bold and fearless in fighting corruption, especially at the highest level, should address vigorously the issue of unstable power supply that has continued to make ordinary living and economic progress impossible in today’s Nigeria, should pay urgent attention to the issue of security of lives and properties of both Nigerians and foreigners by reorganizing and repositioning the police force to be able to discharge its functions effectively and efficiently, and finally, president Yaradua should be able to address and resolve the issue of violence in the Niger Delta area. There are indeed other important areas needing equal attention but these are the most serious for now. And thankfully, the President seems to be focusing on these key areas. Nigerians should all rise up in support of president Yaradua in order to make the enormous and challenging task of ruling Nigeria fairly easy. Nigerians are hard working and good followers if only they can detect some elements of sincerity and transparency in those that claim to be their leaders; all they are asking for is a conducive environment for them to thrive under. I know there are so many negative forces out there, both within and without, always trying to tear this country apart or push it away from the right part of progress and development; president Yaradua must strive by all means not to yield to these forces. He can be rest assured of the unflinching support of the masses of Nigeria if indeed he is really prepared, as he has indicated, to be their servant leader. Nigeria, as the only hope of the black race, cannot afford to continue to be a story of failure and disappointment. God will help us.
By: Dide Ainoko, Osborne road, Ikoyi.
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