For the past three weeks or thereabout, I have watched, listened to various commentaries about the impending threat of impeachment proceedings against president Obasanjo. Unfortunately, what is disappointing is not the threat of impeachment but sadly, the fluid, ethnocentric, self-assuming, and self -opinionated reactions of the traditional clique of harbingers of Nigeria's democracy. At the onset, I would like to state without equivocation that I hold no brief for either sides in the stand-off, however, that does not mean that as a 'neutral' Nigerian I am not concerned about the wellbeing of the country. From this standpoint, what is relevant is not the politics or the emotions of impeachment proceedings, but rather the constitutionality of it in the prevailing circumstances. Therefore what is required is an objective appraisal of the merits and demerits of impeachment proceedings taking into account the constraints of time, circumstances, national interest and geopolitical implications.

Assessment of the Government:

There is no better starting point for me than the quote from Maya Angelou's biography "What is right anywhere is right everywhere" indeed the value of judgement is the corollary of its basis. As far as this piece is concerned, the appropriate index for assessment of the performance or failure of a government is the different facets of national development: education, the economy, energy, agriculture and rural development. The truth is that, Obasanjo's government has not just failed to deliver the so-called dividends of democracy but is fast squandering the prospects of an enduring democratic culture. The persistent regulatory failure of the education system is manifest in the quality of graduate, and the dire devil culture of cultism ruining the institutions, the economy is still in doldrums, the energy sector has suffered a system failure despite the domestic and foreign investment drive and the frivolous record of investments. Agriculture has remained the perpetual casualty of momentary oil price boom, ironically, rural development has become academic in the face of legitimate public expectation. The reality is that, the foregoing characterization of performance index in national development predates the Obasanjo's administration. However, the inability of the government to make a difference despite tremendous goodwill, and comparative international oil price advantage underscore the frustration of Nigerians yearning for a change. Needless to say that, the policy of attributing the failure of the government to successive military administrations by the hired guns and spin-doctors of the administration has remained inconsequential. It is a failure of capacity for vision and self-initiative to consigned self to past failure as a preparatory justification for non-performance when you have the resources, tools and the opportunity to rewrite history. I am sure Nigerians are tired of being levelled the prisoners of history, moreover, the 1999 re-independence has rekindled hope and re-energised the collective will and determination of the Country to move forward. This damning verdict on the administration takes us to the next stage of the piece:

Impeachment Proceedings under the Nigerian Law

Impeachment proceedings constitute the modus operandi for the function of the principle of check and balance in the dynamics of interrelationship between the legislature and the executive in a democratic environment. It is a containment device for the excesses of the Executive, the exercise of this constitutional right of the Legislative Arm of the government is intended to ensure the former functions within the realm of the constitution. S. 143 of the 1999 Constitution, and S. 140 of the 1989 draft Constitution provides for removal of the president from office, (2) of both vested the power to do so on the National Assembly when the allegations against the president sufficed for the conditions so provided by the Constitution. Without prejudice to Mr Rueben Abati of the Guardian, and Presidential Liaison officer to the National Assembly, it is mystification of Constitutional reality or rather an alarmist gesture to create the impression that the right to impeach is not constitutional. On the other hand, it is permissible within the context of right of personal opinion to hold the view that aggregate ulterior motives of membership of the National Assembly rather than the drive to safeguard the Constitution was the motivation behind the impeachment proceedings against the president. However, that will not erase the fact that impeachment proceedings against the president is a legitimate constitutional option available to the National Assembly.

Impeachment: Constitutionality Versus Emotions

Undoubtedly, the threat of impeachment against president Obasanjo has charged the political atmosphere across the Country. The divergent views expressed on the matter underlines the group and individual political characterisation, sub-national culture and allegiance, fear, anxiety, and above all narrow parochial interests which has corrupted our minds set. As stated above the constitutionality of impeachment proceedings against the president can neither be faulted nor denied on the paradigm of Nigeria's groundnorm which is the basis of our constitutional democracy. It has been argued severally that the impending threat of impeachment proceedings was irresponsible, some even said that it was a gross disservice to national interest. Fair enough, but the neglected question is whether individuals with narrow parochial interests rather than the national legislature representative of the collective democratic mandate of Nigerians should determine what the national interest is. Most certainly, the National Assembly has the constitutional highground to determine when the national interest is threatened and whether a given circumstance justifies the invocation of the right of impeachment. In any case why tantalising the potential implication of impeachment beyond reality, when international practice has proven that any impeachment proceedings that refused to recognise legitimate and unadulterated public opinion would be self destructive of the party spearheading it. The irony and the uniqueness of the present case has buttressed the hopelessness of the president and stupefy his fallback circle of political have never being. The irony is that the threat of impeachment proceeding emanated from within his own ruling party, which controls the house. I am not unaware of president Theodore Roosevelt's proposition that: "Greatness in politics is rarely self-created; it is a consequence of trouble in the world. A leader without a crisis is usually consigned to the periphery of history." Without a doubt, leadership is most demanded and most tested during crisis, but this in someway is the exclusive of those leaders who are products of Armageddon, those who create crisis, walk through the political minefields to triumph over adversity. However there are leaders and there are leaders, there is No basis for juxtaposing president obasanjo with those crème of leaders. This is a leader held hostage by lack of vision, crisis of confidence, ethnicity and poverty of judgement. This is a regime stretched to the edge by policy laziness, profligacy, poor capacity for threat analysis and deficiency of sense of proportion in response to national emergencies. Obasanjo's regime insults human conscience, challenges morality, defies justice, failed legitimate expectations, disregards public opinion, concerns the international community and awaits the judgement of posterity. Therefore, the only irresponsibility perhaps imagined by the critics of impeachment proceeding is for a president whose party controls the house but yet to allow his presidency to degenerate to the level of irrelevance, vulnerability and political liability. It goes without saying that if his own party which provided the platform, packaged him and campaigned for his election victory could abandon him a minute to midnight, there must be something fundamentally wrong with his style of leadership. It is not good enough to resort to geopolitical rhetoric of calling names, unsubstantiated allegation of political undercurrent in order to divert attention from the colossal failure of the Obasanjo's presidency. Regional press gangsterism cannot compromise the super-imposed national interest rooted in the collective survival of the country, neither can it overwhelm the emerging formidable interregional unity of purpose determined to rescue the country from the brinks.

The Justice of Impeachment

There are divergent perceptions of the administration depending upon the standpoint of analysis, however, what is incontrovertible is the majority verdict that Obasanjo's regime is a failure. This conclusion leads us to the question what do we do?: Should the national assembly initiate impeachment proceeding against the president? Have Nigerians been prepared for the trauma of impeachment proceedings? Can we justify impeachment against a failed president just couple of months away from the judgement day? Although it is no longer a secret that the various regions that make up Nigeria have de-invested from the common stock of national unity, can Nigeria in her present fragile state of ethnic political and economic volatility survive an impeachment proceedings? It is my view that every rational and sound appraisal of the situation must take the foregoing into account, what is involved is not just the organic law of the situation but also the justice of the circumstances. Although this is a rejected president, justice of the circumstances require courage, patriotism and patience, let us refuse to be provoked into extremism that will portray him as the victim deserving of public sympathy. Nigerians have survived the three years of the ongoing mal-administration; our resilience is the strength to persevere to the promise land. Finally, let me re-echo Tom Crew who wrote: "Wisdom eludes those who assumed they know it all, the prize of extremism is the lost of justification, and those who pursue vengeance and allow revenge to overshadow logic always end into trouble."


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This is interestingly interesting... Good job.... following...

THE HUNTER AND A SOLITARE REWARD by Adeoye Feranmi. (a poem with the theme of patience)

_Perhaps 'twas the hunters' hunt.
_On he went, no grunt.
_As for his eyes, the whole jungle strictly they marked.
_His gun? Its dexterity he never lacked.

_The day's fiendishly insipid.
_But surely, he comprehends.
_Pa 'tience must have taught him so.
_The day's long, the day's still barren.

_A solitaire game deserves a solitaire reward.
_That pa 'tience eventually did not unproof.
_Back with beast, pa 'tience landed.
_The curious 'HE' clears with firing.

_The beast dies a happy one.
_'cause, He has got an ample patience.
_On his shoulders, he carries back home
_bulldozing the path blocked by awaiting awaiters.

You are welcome! Just cool down as you read books {interesting stories by popular writers} on the internet. Just don't worry, it's my pleasure to serve as the supplier. But you can only encourage me to keep it up by posting your comments and telling me the taste of the book I'm sharing with you. Either to keep sharing or switch over to another one. I'm a writer too, so... The first story you're gonna read here is "THE MAN FROM SAGAMU". It's written by Adaora Lily Ulasi. She was born at Aba. she is the first African woman to obtain university degree in journalism and the first and only one to write detective novels. The story was first published in Fontana books 1978. (summary:In this story, it is festival time in the Nigerian town of sagamu, but no one is feeling festive. Olu Agege, the most prominent, if not responsible citizen has vanished- literally into thin air. The baffled police force suspect kidnapping. The oba suspects he will be suspec

I was reading through an encyclopedia today and i came across a quote. it goes thus:
Failure is not falling down. it is staying down.
what do you think a bout this?

this' great.