When General Obasanjo in his ‘infinite’ wisdom decided to bequeath the Nigerian presidency to Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua in circumstances devoid of the popular acclaim of the Nigerian electorate; Nigerians could be forgiven for viewing his ascension to power with a sense of foreboding and ominous déjà vu. For barely thirty years ago, General Obasanjo presided over a similar and controversial transition process with not too dissimilar an outcome. Back in 1979, just like in 2007, General Obasanjo handed over power to a man who by his own admission had neither the ambition nor the inclination for high office.

In 1979, the direct consequence of that handover of power to a lethargic and ill-prepared, but otherwise good man, was the onset of aimlessness at the heart of government and the hijacking of presidential power by a group of corrupt and unpatriotic political predators who set about pillaging the nation’s economic resources for their personal benefit, while at the same time setting unbelievable standards for official profligacy, that subsequent military and civilian administrations not only sought to emulate, but also surpass.

Just like the surprising emergence and adoption of the largely unknown Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1979, in 2007 not much was known nationally about Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua beyond the fact that he was a recent two term governor of Katsina State and a younger sibling of the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’adua. A man who ironically spent much of his early retirement from Supreme Military Headquarters and the Nigerian Army in pursuit of the job that fell effortlessly into the laps of his brother; such is the working of fate in the affairs of man. It is widely felt, that it was the pursuit of this ambition, which led to his untimely demise at the hands of the monstrous Sani Abacha and his murderous goons.

In addition to the above, it also emerged to the wider public consciousness that during the currency of the second republic Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua was a member of the Peoples Redemption Party led by the saintly Mallam Aminu Kano. His past membership of the Peoples Redemption Party is instructive from the perspective that during the second republic it was more fashionable and lucrative for the offspring of Northern elite families to align themselves with the ruling, but wayward National Party of Nigeria. What his past membership of the Peoples Redemption Party also reveals, is the fact, that at one point, if not now, he had a social conscience and was committed to alleviating the harsh living conditions of the mass of the Nigerian people, or at least, those within the sphere of influence of the Peoples Redemption Party.

Unfortunately, past political affiliations are not definitive indicators of present or future political mindsets. For politics and its practice in Nigeria have changed, and sadly not for the better, so what a man once was, is not necessarily an indication of what he now is, or may yet become. So only the passage of time will reveal the precise direction in which the needle of Alhaji Yar’adua’s moral and political compass is oriented.

Choosing a president in Nigeria is a difficult task at the best of times; a task made even more difficult by the paucity of information about the ideological leanings, personal aptitudes, style of governance, and particular political visions of competing candidates. As far as I am aware, none of this information was known about the current president’s political convictions prior to his ‘selection’ for office, and not much is known about his views regarding these areas up till this moment. This is not an encouraging development and it is one which requires immediate rectification, preferably through the presentation of the president’s vision for the nation to the nation.

This lack of knowledge about the president’s political vision for the country may in part be responsible for certain reports critical of his leadership in sections of the Nigerian press. Reports of which began to emerge in the media shortly after his assumption of office. Most of these reports were pejorative in nature and were summed up by the use of the ‘colloquial’ idiom ‘Baba Go Slow’ to describe the president’s perceived style. Barely concealed within the import of this idiom was the clear insinuation that the president is dithering, plodding, and lacking in dynamism in his approach to matters of State.                  

When I first read these views in the press, my initial reaction was that they were unduly harsh, coming as they did, so soon after his assumption of office. For anyone starting a new job, let alone one as difficult as the presidency of Nigeria requires a period within which to become settled into the role. And only after such a settling in period can a fair and informed assessment be made of the occupant’s style of governance.

After almost eight months in office, and with his support team of advisers and cabinet ministers in place, there is still a sense of drift at the heart of the government. We are still none the wiser as to the policy direction of the government in a number of key areas. We do not know if there is a grand idea that defines the government? Is there a leitmotif which provides it with a basis for its existence? What is its raison d’etre for holding office? Is there an organising principle around which it is centred? If there is, I can see no evidence of such. For example, I struggle to discern what the nation’s foreign policy is, and neither do I know what the policy imperatives are for the education, health and transportation sectors, to mention just a few areas. Little is known about the government’s priorities to arrest the declining standards in these critical areas of national life.

It is increasingly beginning to look like the government is a policy free zone. Apart from of course, the often repeated, but vague mantra about the Rule of Law being the aspirational cornerstone of the administration, everything else seems to be shrouded in mystery. The government urgently needs to put in place a framework for the development, enunciation and implementation of policy initiatives if it is to discover a sense of purpose for being in power.          

Without a coherent sense of purpose at the heart of government a sense of aimlessness inevitably creeps into the affairs of State leading to executive idleness and mindlessness, which in turn encourages corruption at high levels. Too much time, with too little to do, is not good for any government. For when there is nothing to aim for, or at, ministers and other functionaries can very easily adopt the view that government funds are there, for them to do with, whatever they please. Without goals and priorities to work towards the achievement of, how can the progress of ministers and their ministries, and that of the government as a whole be assessed?

Winning office is clearly the ultimate prize in partisan politics, but winning office should be a beginning and not an end in itself. It ought to be an opportunity to provide quality service to the people from whom the mandate to govern is supposedly derived. And this should happen through the provision/renewal of infrastructure designed to make Nigerian society better. Rewarding party loyalists with political office, no matter how inept or unsuitable they are is wrong, and our political system needs to evolve beyond this narrow practice of patronage.      

Reigning governments, like Yar’adua’s must recognise the importance of setting its own agenda and not following that of others. Rather than being reactive, it must proactively take charge of events, in order to avoid being dictated to by circumstances not of their making. A concomitant to political office is the availability of State power with which to effect meaningful changes in the lives of the governed. The present government must set its stall in place, in order to avoid falling victim to what I term the ‘Lamont’ syndrome of appearing to be in office, but not in power.       

Some may think that the absence of the ‘vision thing’ at the heart of government is of little consequence, as Nigeria has always managed to survive and defy the odds. But this is the problem, Nigeria needs to do more than survive, it needs to thrive in a manner consistent with its abundant array of human and natural resources. Nigeria should be punching its weight and acting its age. It is only when we begin to do so, that we will cease to be a ‘BBC’ (Big Blind Country) as Nigeria was aptly and colourfully described by that late patriot, musical genius and national treasure - Fela Kuti.

It is ironic that while President Yar’adua’s predecessor was widely disliked by reason of his obdurate and prickly personality, his government was actually defined by a number of policy initiatives, even if their implementation left a lot to be desired in a number of areas. For instance, his first term was characterised mainly by the controversial privatisation of state owned assets; while his second term policy focus was largely directed towards international debt repayment/relief. The present government urgently needs to define its beliefs and go about the business of achieving them.                        

In writing about the above, I am not oblivious to the complexities that bedevil Nigeria. And neither do I think that governing Nigeria is an easy proposition. I am well aware of the dysfunction that pervades our nation. How many nations on earth have as many different people groups and languages per square mile as Nigeria? A position compounded by the legion of interfering ‘traditional monarchs’ who abound in the land? Or which other nation has as many professional political operatives united in their determination to loot national and state treasuries for personal gain? How many nations have a multiplicity of uniformed personnel who terrorise the people on a daily basis in the pretext of performing their duties? And how many other nations have potentially restive armed forces, upon which a perpetual eye needs to be set, in order to ensure that they remain within barracks and out of mischief. Not many I think. All of these are factors are things, that I recognise the Nigerian leadership has to contend with.

As hard as it may seem to believe, Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua is our first post independence executive president to have had the benefit of a University education.  He, unlike his predecessors in office, can lay claim to having received a form of structured educational training founded on the principles of the modern world. And it is largely for this reason that I expect his administration to perform better than those that have gone before him. The bar of performance against which he must set his aim, and against which he will be judged, must of necessity be much higher. I am not suggesting that by reason of his educational training alone, he should have an absolute knowledge of, and a solution to, all the problems that confront Nigeria; far from it. But one expects from him, an intelligent approach to the formulation, analyses and resolution of issues.   

One of the drawbacks of being a reluctant candidate or president, is that one can very quickly become a hostage of manipulative forces and become drawn, against one’s will, in many conflicting directions by competing interests. Much better it is, to have an agenda and a mandate of one’s own, than to be the captive of interfering patrons. Manoeuvring between a rock and a hard place must be a frustrating experience for any leader, and it can’t be pleasant for President Yar’adua either.

I do, however, suspect that the president’s apparent initial reluctance is beginning to give way to an acceptance/appreciation of his role. For during his recent visit to the White House, I noticed a certain twinkle in his eye as he sat in the Oval office in the warm glare of the klieg lights. Listening to his responses and reading through the transcript of that visit suggest that he may have experienced something of a political epiphany. Quite possibly that visit succeeded in persuading him of Nigeria’s importance in, and to, the world and the fact that he has the unique opportunity of leading it at this time.

Overall, it is yet early days for the Yar’adua administration, but the earlier it defines its agenda for the nation, the better for the nation and his government. Nigeria has to be roused from its slumber and assume its rightful place in world affairs. Maybe then a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council will yield itself to the nation as of right, in recognition of its pivotal place and role in Africa and its importance in international geo-political calculations.

In spite of all the odds set against the president, I am convinced that there is one ‘secret’ that will guarantee him success in office, and win him the respect and admiration of the Nigerian people. It is this; he simply needs to adhere to, and apply the political doctrines and principles of the late Mallam Aminu Kano - his former political mentor - in his (Yar’adua’s) leadership of Nigeria. To do this successfully, he must withstand the forces of resistance within his own party. He needs to strengthen both his position and hold over power, by surrounding himself with people of like mind and stature. He needs to loosen the strangle hold that his patrons and sponsors exert over him. Like his late former mentor and guiding political light, he needs to recognise that even the least of Nigerians is worthy of being served. By so doing, he will have paid the greatest tribute to the memory and ideals of the saintly Mallam Aminu Kano, who lived and died in the service of his people.    

I like to believe that, fundamentally, President Yar’adua is a good man, who is as much the victim of circumstances as he is the beneficiary. Nonetheless, experience has taught me never to endorse governments too early in their political lives, and I am not about to depart from this practice. Rather than endorse his government, I shall be doing the ‘Sting’ thing; I shall be watching him:

Every breath he takes
And every move he makes
Every bond he breaks, every step he takes
I'll be watching him

Every single day
And every word he says
Every game he plays, every night he stays
I'll be watching him    

With every step he takes