It is on the premise that the younger generation has nothing good to offer that the elder generation keeps the youth out of the processes of policy formulation and other important aspects of governance in today’s democratic reality. No doubt, this is the direction in which the opinion of some youths and most of the elders run. Some youths hold it that the elder generation takes us to be young and foolish. And as a reaction to this, these youths rail back at the elder generation, calling them old and bereft of ideas, senile, selfish and so on. So the salvoes shoot, the elder generation pitted against the younger.
On this score, I will not join issues. I shall not dear to pit my tiny might in battle for or against any of the contending parties. I would rather stir the middle course; for as a wise man said, ‘the middle course can get the best of both worlds’. It seems to me best to stay the path of treading with caution. For there is much we could learn from the elder generation and at the same time, we would need the energy and the verve of youth to bring the ideas and wisdom of age to bear on individual and national development; for if wisdom comes with age only, then the youth lacks it and if strength and vigour wanes with age, then the elder generation can only boast a modicum of it. This is the typical symbiosis which characterizes most developed nations in contemporary times and in the antiquity; the brain and the brawn. It is requisite for a society that aspires to the heights of development to have a think-tank to marshal out blue-prints for societal development and the brawn, which could be the political-will, to undertake the execution of the blue-print.
We should take cognizance of the cords of mutualism that bind our two generations and also be very careful to not rupture them as we indulge in this unhealthy contention.
While I believe with the elder generation in the saying that a child who washes his hands properly will feed from the same plate as elders and in the Bible dictum that a man who is diligent in his work shall stand before Kings and Queens and not mere men, I also hold it to be true that it is the elder that would teach the child how most properly to wash his/her hands.
Children have very impressionable minds. They pick up attitudes and approaches to life which they see in others. Economic realities and societal conditions also contribute to shaping their orientation to life. This is a confirmation of the position held by John Locke that the human mind is a tabula rasa. For this same reason, the Christian Bible clearly admonishes that parents should train up children how they should grow. As youth, we are influenced in very several ways by peers, and our leaders. In fact, at every stage of development, the elder generation has a very critical role to play in the psychological orientation of a child/youth. And even if the child were recalcitrant, the best option would be to continue with our parental and elderly admonitions and not to give-up on that youth/child.
This role of the elder generation extends into the affairs of governance. The youth wants to see a certain clear headedness in policy formulation. They want to see a certain sincerity of purpose in the approach of our leaders to certain very important issues of national development. They want to see a clear demonstration of singleness of purpose in the thrusts for nation building. These actions on the part of the leaders of thought and opinion would serve a very essential role in teaching us youths how to properly wash our hands. These will serve to effect a values re-orientation in the youths; the National Orientation Agency has a lot to do in this regard. Institutions for citizenship training and leadership skills inculcation in the youths should be established. With the youth properly grilled in the art of leadership and management, the elder generation should not express reservation and objection to trying out youth in those spheres of governance which require energy and enthusiasm. These institutions would teach us to ‘look at the things that deformed us yesterday, that are deforming us today’. They would also teach us to ‘look also at things which formed us yesterday, that will creatively form us into a new breed of men and women who will not be afraid to link hands with children from other lands on the basis of an unashamed immersion in the struggle against those things that dwarf us’. The tribal and religious mistrust which has plagued us must be curbed entirely; those dwarfing tendencies of religious fundamentalism and terrorist sabotage must be confronted head-on and eradicated. These are but a few of the many issues that retard our national development which these institutions would help us to curb.
On our part as youths, we must be totally committed to a values re-orientation and we must begin to exhibit a quality of followership to our leaders of will, thought, and opinion. It does no advantage and no benefit whatsoever to launch vitriol and platforms of abuse and disrespect for our leaders. Wherever went all the African qualities of loyalty and respect for elders? They probably have been relegated to the background of historical antiquity with the progressive invasion of Western culture and ideas. Almost all the institutions which the elder generation bequeathed to us we have succeeded in bastardizing. We have proved very inefficient in their management. We are completely given to material gains and selfish interests. Maybe ours is a manifestation of the global trend of falling standards of excellence and judgement.
Our style of politics as youths reeks of mediocrity; our very strong attachments to tribal and parochial sentiments are tell-tale signs of the wide divorce from the very sublime ideals of our national heroes. We exhaust ourselves pursuing shadows and trivialities. It is little wonder we are called young and foolish.
Is it not foolery to call our leaders all manner of insulting names and level accusations on them which we cannot substantiate? Is it not foolery to be pessimistic about one’s own things, one’s country? Unfortunately, this is the attitude of most youths today.

It is on the premise that the younger generation has nothing good to offer that the elder generation keeps the youth out of the processes of policy formulation and other important aspects of governance in today’s democratic reality. No doubt, this is the direction in which the opinion of some youths and most of the elders run. Some youths hold it that the elder generation takes us to be young and foolish. And as a reaction to this, these youths rail back at the elder generation, calling them old and bereft of ideas, senile, selfish and so on. So the salvoes shoot, the elder generation pitted against the younger.
On this score, I will not join issues. I shall not dear to pit my tiny might in battle for or against any of the contending parties. I would rather stir the middle course; for as a wise man said, ‘the middle course can get the best of both worlds’. It seems to me best to stay the path of treading with caution. For there is much we could learn from the elder generation and at the same time, we would need the energy and the verve of youth to bring the ideas and wisdom of age to bear on individual and national development; for if wisdom comes with age only, then the youth lacks it and if strength and vigour wanes with age, then the elder generation can only boast a modicum of it. This is the typical symbiosis which characterizes most developed nations in contemporary times and in the antiquity; the brain and the brawn. It is requisite for a society that aspires to the heights of development to have a think-tank to marshal out blue-prints for societal development and the brawn, which could be the political-will, to undertake the execution of the blue-print.
We should take cognizance of the cords of mutualism that bind our two generations and also be very careful to not rupture them as we indulge in this unhealthy contention.
While I believe with the elder generation in the saying that a child who washes his hands properly will feed from the same plate as elders and in the Bible dictum that a man who is diligent in his work shall stand before Kings and Queens and not mere men, I also hold it to be true that it is the elder that would teach the child how most properly to wash his/her hands.
Children have very impressionable minds. They pick up attitudes and approaches to life which they see in others. Economic realities and societal conditions also contribute to shaping their orientation to life. This is a confirmation of the position held by John Locke that the human mind is a tabula rasa. For this same reason, the Christian Bible clearly admonishes that parents should train up children how they should grow. As youth, we are influenced in very several ways by peers, and our leaders. In fact, at every stage of development, the elder generation has a very critical role to play in the psychological orientation of a child/youth. And even if the child were recalcitrant, the best option would be to continue with our parental and elderly admonitions and not to give-up on that youth/child.
This role of the elder generation extends into the affairs of governance. The youth wants to see a certain clear headedness in policy formulation. They want to see a certain sincerity of purpose in the approach of our leaders to certain very important issues of national development. They want to see a clear demonstration of singleness of purpose in the thrusts for nation building. These actions on the part of the leaders of thought and opinion would serve a very essential role in teaching us youths how to properly wash our hands. These will serve to effect a values re-orientation in the youths; the National Orientation Agency has a lot to do in this regard. Institutions for citizenship training and leadership skills inculcation in the youths should be established. With the youth properly grilled in the art of leadership and management, the elder generation should not express reservation and objection to trying out youth in those spheres of governance which require energy and enthusiasm. These institutions would teach us to ‘look at the things that deformed us yesterday, that are deforming us today’. They would also teach us to ‘look also at things which formed us yesterday, that will creatively form us into a new breed of men and women who will not be afraid to link hands with children from other lands on the basis of an unashamed immersion in the struggle against those things that dwarf us’. The tribal and religious mistrust which has plagued us must be curbed entirely; those dwarfing tendencies of religious fundamentalism and terrorist sabotage must be confronted head-on and eradicated. These are but a few of the many issues that retard our national development which these institutions would help us to curb.
On our part as youths, we must be totally committed to a values re-orientation and we must begin to exhibit a quality of followership to our leaders of will, thought, and opinion. It does no advantage and no benefit whatsoever to launch vitriol and platforms of abuse and disrespect for our leaders. Wherever went all the African qualities of loyalty and respect for elders? They probably have been relegated to the background of historical antiquity with the progressive invasion of Western culture and ideas. Almost all the institutions which the elder generation bequeathed to us we have succeeded in bastardizing. We have proved very inefficient in their management. We are completely given to material gains and selfish interests. Maybe ours is a manifestation of the global trend of falling standards of excellence and judgement.
Our style of politics as youths reeks of mediocrity; our very strong attachments to tribal and parochial sentiments are tell-tale signs of the wide divorce from the very sublime ideals of our national heroes. We exhaust ourselves pursuing shadows and trivialities. It is little wonder we are called young and foolish.
Is it not foolery to call our leaders all manner of insulting names and level accusations on them which we cannot substantiate? Is it not foolery to be pessimistic about one’s own things, one’s country? Unfortunately, this is the attitude of most youths today.

Thus have I heard! That we should seek not what our country can do for us; but rather we should seek what we can do for our country. It is in accordance with this saying that I take it upon myself to try and capture in writing the optimism of a believer in the Nigeria project. Cynics may see this as an apologia for the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, but it does not matter. I am convinced it is also the view of many progressive minded Nigerians.
At 51, what is there to celebrate? So the questions would go. Is it poverty, unemployment, gang-rape, insecurity of lives and property in their manifold expressions that we celebrate? My answer is that we have lived with pessimism over the years and it has not changed many things. Rather it only served to undermine the progress efforts of successive civilian leaders. Those who think the job of leadership is child’s play must be very under an illusion. Over how many hundred million people across the entire length and breadth of this country with myriad challenges and prejudices and the subversive activities of certain elements in the guise of militant organizations and tendencies to grapple with is not really a small task. And on top of it all, the absence of support and encouragement for the persons in the helm of affairs. Is this good enough followership to exhibit? We are very bitter in our tirades against those in offices of trust. We are impatient in our demands. We want very quick solutions to troubles we have accumulated over the decades. We are righteous in our indignation. We go so far as carry on protest rallies. We call our leaders unruly names: dull, lacking in political will, etc. And we call ourselves patriotic?
However, not minding the calumny on our leaders, I choose to go the way of patriotism and optimism. I rather choose to see a Nigeria which is working. I see a Nigeria with improving electoral processes and greater confidence in the judiciary as the arbiter of what is considered just. I see a Nigeria with firmer thrusts to create jobs for the teeming unemployed as demonstrated by the GEJ administration. I see a Nigeria with better women representation in government. We can easily express our opinion today without fear of harassment.
In just about 12years of the democratic experiment and we have been able to achieve these. Our democracy is working. Our institutions of public interest are reviving. There is improvement in the way foreigners regard us. Many investors are coming to Nigeria and the prospects of employment gets better with the entry of every one investor. It is enough to celebrate knowing that much more is yet to come. We should assume an attitude of gratitude; for some hold ingratitude to be the greatest sin people commit.

Thus have I heard! That we should seek not what our country can do for us; but rather we should seek what we can do for our country. It is in accordance with this saying that I take it upon myself to try and capture in writing the optimism of a believer in the Nigeria project. Cynics may see this as an apologia for the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, but it does not matter. I am convinced it is also the view of many progressive minded Nigerians.
At 51, what is there to celebrate? So the questions would go. Is it poverty, unemployment, gang-rape, insecurity of lives and property in their manifold expressions that we celebrate? My answer is that we have lived with pessimism over the years and it has not changed many things. Rather it only served to undermine the progress efforts of successive civilian leaders. Those who think the job of leadership is child’s play must be very under an illusion. Over how many hundred million people across the entire length and breadth of this country with myriad challenges and prejudices and the subversive activities of certain elements in the guise of militant organizations and tendencies to grapple with is not really a small task. And on top of it all, the absence of support and encouragement for the persons in the helm of affairs. Is this good enough followership to exhibit? We are very bitter in our tirades against those in offices of trust. We are impatient in our demands. We want very quick solutions to troubles we have accumulated over the decades. We are righteous in our indignation. We go so far as carry on protest rallies. We call our leaders unruly names: dull, lacking in political will, etc. And we call ourselves patriotic?
However, not minding the calumny on our leaders, I choose to go the way of patriotism and optimism. I rather choose to see a Nigeria which is working. I see a Nigeria with improving electoral processes and greater confidence in the judiciary as the arbiter of what is considered just. I see a Nigeria with firmer thrusts to create jobs for the teeming unemployed as demonstrated by the GEJ administration. I see a Nigeria with better women representation in government. We can easily express our opinion today without fear of harassment.
In just about 12years of the democratic experiment and we have been able to achieve these. Our democracy is working. Our institutions of public interest are reviving. There is improvement in the way foreigners regard us. Many investors are coming to Nigeria and the prospects of employment gets better with the entry of every one investor. It is enough to celebrate knowing that much more is yet to come. We should assume an attitude of gratitude; for some hold ingratitude to be the greatest sin people commit.

The Peoples’ Democratic Party and the Prospects of a Better Nigeria
For me, Ngugi wa’thiongo’s ‘Petals of Blood’ is much more than a work of fiction; it is a passport to adventure and a call to patriotism at any level. For these reasons, I always will refer to the ‘Petals of Blood’. For it is like a manual to help me stay on the course of popular democracy for Nigeria and Africa at large. I therefore beg license, most esteemed fathers, to begin with a quotation from that book even as I pursue my theme as it concerns our party.
‘…There is the dream still taken up by the voices of children. It is the dream of visionaries and believers, all the seekers who retain their faith. Such will always be. It is good so’.
The vision herein referred to was that of an elder generation that had witnessed the dread ravages of crime and treachery and greed which passed for civilization. That generation, witnessing too the resistance waged and carried out with cracked hands and broken nails and bleeding hearts, voiced visionary dreams amidst sneers and suspicions and accusations of madness or of seeking pathways to immortality and the eternal self glory of tyrants. Their dream was that of African unity. The elder generation strove untiringly for the realization of that dream. While some ‘took arms against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and by opposing to end them’, others engaged the former colonial masters at the stage of intellectual space. Their struggle was a multifaceted venture; ‘to be or not to be, that was their question’.
Though the decolonization process in this country may not have been as harrowing and as gruesome as in some other African countries, we sure have had our own fair share of the experience in another form; the form of battling years of certain military regimes which were not at all sensitive to the plight of Nigerians. Frantz Fanon argues in his ‘Wretched of the Earth’ that “the mobilization of the masses, when it arises out of the war of liberation, introduces into each mans consciousness the ideas of a common cause, of a national destiny and of a collective history”. He further argues that ‘… the building up of the nation is helped on by the existence of this cement which has been mixed with blood and anger’. There was something akin to the mixing of the lives we lost and the blood which was shed in other African nations and it cemented our bonds so that we came to share the same vision of Africa’s unity.
To make the case brief, a military President that was willing to handover to a democratically elected President came along. This paved the way for the floating of political parties which went mobilizing popular support for the upcoming general elections and groupings around these parties followed certain lines. While some ran in the direction of ethnic bias and regional divide, only one party ran truly in the direction of national interest and national integration. And though the bulk of those that participated actively in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria did not seek election into offices of trust, one party there was that could boast of many of those few that decided to aspire to elective offices; it will not be wrong to mention that the Peoples’ Democratic Party is like a house that was built on the ruins of the old Social Democratic Party. The PDP is that party that has been truly national in its embrace and in its extended hand of fellowship right from the outset. And even before I was a card-carrying member of the PDP, I had sympathy for it; neither because my father was a party stalwart nor that it was the stronger party in this part of the country, no! But because of the very popular support it enjoyed and the truly national outlook it had. The PDP was the most widely acceptable party to Nigerians taking into account the overall national point of view. For me at that time, the PDP held the promise of nurturing the democracy which Nigerians had labored for. And not withstanding that the experience has not been very smooth, if one takes into consideration our twelve (12) years of the democratic experiment, one should not berate the PDP for its job. From a democracy that was merely budding, our democracy has been nurtured into a blossoming one; and in the process of building democracy, Nigerians from walks of life have contributed. Under the guidance of the PDP, our young democracy is growing very fast. Today there is no gainsaying the fact that the PDP has become a household name in affairs of national development and in deepening the delivery of the dividends of democracy. The PDP has maintained the approach of ‘sustained pressure for more life-touching’. Whether or not we agree, the PDP has come to be one of the institutions of our democratic culture. One only needs open one’s eyes to behold the gains of democracy under the patriotic nourishment of the PDP: the amended constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999; the amended Electoral Act; the improved electioneering process and machinery; the supremacy of the rule of law and the restoration of confidence in the Justice sector, etc. all of these gains we have been able to secure at the national level.
Let us take Rivers State as a case in study of a PDP government. Let me just mention in passing that it is one misfortune of men to forget easily the benefits which others do unto them. Such seems to me to be the situation of people with regards to the former Governor of Rivers State, Sir (Dr). Peter Odili.
Most esteemed fathers, allow to borrow from Rousseau’s ‘Social Contract’ where he says: “ Born as I was the citizen of a free state and a member of its sovereign body, the very right to vote imposes on me the duty to instruct myself in public affairs however little influence my voice may have in them”. The little instructions in public affairs which I came to understand, I will venture to relate vis-à-vis, the administration of Dr. Odili. I understand that form very early on during his administration, that Governor took upon his administrations shoulders the financial burden of registration of secondary school students for senior secondary schools WAEC and NECO examinations. I knew of certain big buses which were made available to cushion the effect of hikes in transportation fares and others which operated on a pro bono basis for primary and secondary school children. I know that workers in Rivers State never had cause to complain about non-payment and late payment of their remunerations. I know that Dr. Odili set up low a cost housing scheme, erecting several houses across the Local Government Area Councils. I have seen the Gas turbine at Trans-Amadi and have seen on television the other one at Omoku. The efforts of this governor, a PDP governor, and his infrastructural developmental strides in the state made him to be adjudged the best performing Governor in Nigeria at a certain year. It was Dr. Odili that initiated the sending of Rivers State students abroad for higher education. Of all the religious crises which rocked this country, none found expression in Rivers State because Dr. Odili so stationed adequate security for the protection of life and property. So we see that Odili was willing to deliver the dividends of democracy to all and sundry. That was a Governor, a PDP Governor. Only a few seem to remember today.
After him, Governor Amaechi came along. We all know that it was on the strength of the rule of law that Amaechi became Governor. The seeds for the respect of the rule of law were sown during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo and those seeds germinated and grew into trees which bore the fruits of obedience to the rule of law as was manifested in the victories of Governors Amaechi, Oshiomole, Fawehinmi of Rivers, Edo, and Ekiti states respectively. So Amaechi came on the scene and consolidated and expanded on the gains of the Dr. Peter Odili administration. His achievements are too numerous for me to catalogue. They are so massive that he was adjudged second best performing Governor, a very near second to Governor Fashola of Lagos State. And he is a PDP Governor.
Look at the zoning formula of the PDP. It follows the principle of Federal Character arrangement. I do agree that zoning formulae are not the best but at this stage of our young democracy, the Federal Character arrangement helps to allay mistrust and misgivings from any quarters of the nation with regards to participation in many affairs of national interests. The Federal Character allows for active involvement of every zonal people in participation in governance; it also gives every people the sense of collectively working for our commonwealth. At this level of the democratic experiment, the zoning formula is still the best so far as the best materials from the zones are engaged in the dispatch of national assignments.
Another thing about the PDP is its tendency to stick together. Unlike in some other parties where it is almost always the case to have two or more persons laying claims on crucial offices, the PDP has never had experience of that sort. Though we have had our own fair share of the turmoil and agitations, we always found ways of resolving our differences with minimal bruises on our ego. We have stubbornly stuck together despite court injunctions, and removals of party chairmen, etc. And it is working for us. Today the PDP is stronger and it is taxing itself more on the point of internal democracy. Predictions did abound that the PDP was going to rupture as fallout of the last PDP Presidential primaries. But to the total consternation of those analysts, not only was there not a rupture, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar gracefully swallowed the outcome of the primaries in the spirit of sportsmanship and PDP interest. As such, we could hold up the PDP as a model national institution in that aspect of unity. Nigerians should borrow from the PDP that knack for unity. Like a compass that always points in the direction of the magnetic north after every disturbance, so the attitude of its members always assumes the poise of unity after every episode of unrest.
But most esteemed fathers! We cannot beat our chests and pride ourselves on the party. We should not rest content with this height that we have been able to carry the party to. The room for self improvement is the largest room in life. There is ever room for improving ourselves and by extension, our party. I do not believe that what we have attained today is the picture that the founding fathers of our great party projected when they rallied round for its establishment. True we have a structure that if properly fine-tuned would establish us in power for upward of sixty (60) years, but it is not the finest we could build. We could expand into many more African countries than two. We could forge a front very popular and strong as to bring us further nearer the dreams and visions of the elder generation even as we resolve all contradictions in preparation for the day of unity.
Allow me, most esteemed fathers, to at this stage suggest some modalities that would fast track the realization of the ideal PDP. Still from Fanon’s ‘Wretched of the Earth’, he argues that “ A country that wishes to answer the questions that history puts to it, that wants to develop not only its towns but also the brains of its inhabitants, such a country must possess a trustworthy political party”. Fanon further stresses that this party should be a tool in the hands of the people and not the contrary; that it is people who should decide on the policy that the government carries out. I entertain no doubts as to the genuineness of our party as it concerns the welfare of Nigerians. The PDP is no doubt a manifestation of something in the line of capturing the yearnings of the millions of Nigerians, but it can do more. We must realize the role which Providence has meted out on us with regards to the historical development of this country. We must begin to put our act together. We must strive to create a party that reassures the ordinary citizen and not one that rouses his anxiety. We must push for a party that embodies in concrete form, the needs of the people in what touches employment, human capacity development, etc. A sure way of starting this is by making contact with the people. I will make reference to Governor Amaechi’s quarter yearly interactive sessions with Non-Governmental Organizations, Faith Based Organizations, Civil Liberties Organizations, and others. These sessions help clarify certain policy thrusts of his administration which are perceived as obscure. At these sessions, the people also are afforded the forum to ask direct questions and to also make suggestions on how to approach certain developmental challenges. These sessions are like accounts of stewardship of the Governor. They provide the stage on which the people hear certain facts and figures undiluted and directly from the Governor. These sessions also serve to sharpen the edge of his policy thrust and his developmental giant strides because he very well knows that at particular intervals, he would come before his people and hold interactions with them. It is little wonder Governor Amaechi is very popular in Rivers State and beyond and that popularity directly rubs off on the PDP, leaving the opposition political parties very little room for destructive criticism and comments aimed at detracting the Governor and his administration.
To further stretch the bounds of popularity of the PDP, all office holders, elected under the umbrella of the PDP, should borrow a leaf from Governor Amaechi. They should return to their constituencies at regular intervals and hold interactions with their constituents. This applies to ward councilors, Local Government Chairpersons, states Assembly members, National Assembly members etc. Most esteemed fathers, if my tone offends your sense of loyalty, pardon me. It is only a reflection of the urgency of the times and it is against the background of the current reality of the PDP losing out in the South West Governorship race in the last general elections. As Governor Amaechi rightly mentioned on the occasion of the swearing-in ceremony of LGA Council chairmen, the PDP may lose elections in 2015 if its elected representatives do not perform. The South West stares us full in the face.
All humans seek to express themselves. For this reason, humanity would clutch at any legitimate avenue to give rein to their expressions. We could make the PDP one avenue of legitimate expression for the people. To the people, the party is not an authority, but an organism through which they as the people exercise their authority and express their will. The party should not be made an automaton, insensitive to the yearnings of the people. It should rather be like a tree which grows according to the workings of the desires of the people, drawing nourishment from the active participation of the same people. The Town Halls meeting initiative of Governor Amaechi should be consolidated and expanded upon by the PDP. The leadership of the PDP at the Wards and LGA Councils level should regularly hold meetings of that nature with the people. Committees to handle the various villages that make up the Wards could be set up and directed to hold these meetings. This would guarantee a broader level of participation to almost every willing person in these villages and it is one way of bringing life to communities which are not yet awakened to life. As mentioned above, the party should be an organism and not an automaton. Activity in the party should not be clustered around election periods. Our mobilization campaigns should continue regardless of elections. That attitude of mobilizing only around election times has roots in the thought that the party is only an organ for winning elections and scoring other political points. But when we look at the party as an organ for deepening democracy and national development, we would cultivate the attitude of mobilizing at every feasible moment. We should mobilize opinion; we should mobilize sympathy; we should mobilize the mass of Nigerian people and channel their efforts towards national development correctly. That would be the attitude of a party which hopes to remain in power at the centre and periphery for at least sixty (60) years. That would be the attitude of a party which would prove to all and sundry that it is truly the largest party in Africa. That should be the approach of the PDP. Let us begin to aspire to the heights attained by political parties in farther advanced democracies. Let us shake off the fatigue satisfaction with the party as it is now and work so that we may put the PDP in the finest shape for it to play its part of guide of national interest and the more surely constitute for the people, a decisive guarantee of national development. Our party should be so positioned so as not to only have contact with the people but to be the direct expression of the people. Our party could be so worked as to make it the pulse of the nation.
Another thing we could do to further strengthen the framework of the party is educate the Nigerian people politically. It is very obvious that political consciousness and enthusiasm for affairs of national importance have risen tremendously over the last few years. This rise in enthusiasm was contributed to by the media and more importantly, by the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan factor. Not only is there this rise in enthusiasm, there is an attendant surge in concern for the success of our democratic process and development. Dr. Jonathan is truly the heartbeat of a process in motion; a theme I pursued in another dissertation.
Our party should take up political education of the people to further deepen the democratic process and also improve on this enthusiasm for issues of national relevance. This education should be a continuous exercise and it does not mean gathering people and delivering long political speeches. This education does not mean summoning the people only to demonstrate our skills in elocution. Political education means opening our minds. It means to teach them to understand that for every progress we make in the direction of sustaining democracy, they take the credit. Political education means to make the people to understand that every one of them owes obligation to the nation, to protect and to nurture ‘the unity and the married calm of states’ and to keep them from derailing quite from their fixture. Political education means to imbue in the people the knowledge of the historical epochs which brought about our nationhood and the exertions of our many heroes past to the end of attaining nationhood. Political education makes the heart of the people beat in unison with that of the party. Political education would restore the dignity of the voter and the sanctity of the vote. That man who is politically educated would not give away his vote for the pot of porridge. Political education means to teach the people that government and the party are at their service.
‘To educate the people politically is to make the totality of the nation a reality to each citizen. It is to make the history of the nation part of the personal experience of each of its citizen’. With a very politically educated people, race considerations, ethnic bias, and religious prejudices would play very minimal role in issues of national development and sustenance of democracy. Our party should take up the duty of politically educating the people and we would have the people solidly behind us.
Our party could also take up charitable concerns. Charitable concerns are aspects of human endeavour which rarely fails to register favourably in the hearts of society people. Our party could take up building of primary and secondary schools and the education of children of indigent parents/guardians. We could support the orphanages, and other institutions dedicated to the education of special children. We could also support the prison authorities in providing finer prison facilities. These little things would make all the difference. These are the little things that would cause the hearts of Nigerians to beat in sync with that of our party. Whatever stops our party from handing out special scholarships to students? Whatever hinders us from bringing succor to widows and their wards? Whatever stops our party from setting up self help schemes for our people in the rural areas? And who says anything hinders us from becoming actively involved in the social life of Nigerians? This is one way our party can truly be an organism and not an automaton. We should diversify our party’s aspects to include all these social and humanitarian endeavours. It should not only be a platform for winning elections. Let our party go the extra mile. We could assist in the welfare packages for the elderly. We could also contribute to the health of society by donating and equipping health care facilities. Most esteemed fathers, truly there are people who are only waiting for our party to assume this concern for the welfare of Nigerians to break ranks from opposition parties and join us and many more unaligned people who would also give us their sympathies the moment we put these things in place. Look at Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State. It was on the strength of his antecedent charity contributions that he rose to become Governor. Let us borrow a cue from him. Let us give back to society as a party.
Finally we should work to broaden the praxis of internal democracy within the party. Ours should be a participatory democracy where election of candidates to represent us in general elections would be on the basis of popularity and the acceptance of the candidate by the party faithful while we adhere strictly to the party guidelines for eligibility for contesting elections. The supremacy of the party’s constitution should be respected. For it is that document that binds us as a party and without it, there would not be this overboard arrangement we have as party today. Any single action which contravenes the provisions of the constitution of the party serves to undermine the confidence and trust which people should have in the party. What else informed the decision by several members to drag the party to the law courts? For situations in which duly elected people are deprived of the party’s flag is very athwart the democratic praxis. In other cases, party leaders would call for fresh elections after arbitrarily cancelling prior elections and declaring their outcome a nullity. These are the things which tarnished the image of our party and forced the aggrieved parties to seek redress at the courts of law or break faith with the party.
But things are changing. The last PDP primaries which produced candidates to fly the party’s flag in the last general elections were exercises in due process. What we should do is guard against forms of interests and arbitrary wishes that might want to again shift the course of our internal democracy to run along the lines of autocracy. A return to autocracy would be stifling the wishes of the PDP faithful and Nigerians by extension. So, we should guard the blossoming internal democracy within the party. We should open the windows of our party to the fresh air of popular participation. We should guard it with the paraphernalia of a total obedience to the provisions of the constitution and a return to the ideals of the fathers that founded the party.
Most esteemed fathers, permit me to also touch upon another subject that is of importance to the party and the nation by extension: the subject of the youth and our participation in the PDP process. It is common saying that the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow and it is against this backdrop that we see parents, communities, states, and indeed countries investing in their citizens. These ones are from a very tender age taught sound societal values and skills necessary for self and community and nation building. Most advanced nations, understanding the necessity for the proper education of the future leaders, set aside certain institutions for the inculcation of leadership s kills, human capacity expansion, and the acquisition of conventional social skills in their young. This contributes to a large extent in molding them in the fittest shapes for the assumption of leadership roles when due. And whether or not they eventually make fine leaders, the economies of these countries are there to tell. Most esteemed fathers, it is not exactly the same with us in this country and in our party. It seems to me that the extent of our relevance as youths in the PDP process is limited within the confines of mobilizing for elections. It seems to me that we just are tools for winning elections and that that is the farthest our relevance extends in the PDP establishment. It does not seem to me that the PDP leadership realizes that in the nearest future, the youths would rise to fill up offices currently occupied by the fathers; and what would become of our party and the country if the PDP does not put enough effort towards our education as youths? Whoever has heard of a PDP youth leadership training scheme? Whoever has heard of a PDP youth conflict management and resolution training programme? Whoever has heard of a PDP organized cultural awareness programme for youths which would advance the process of national integration and minimize tribal and ethnic mistrust? Can the PDP youth measure up to the youth of parties of other developed countries? Again, the earlier we see the party as being much more than a platform for winning elections, the better would be the prospect of the youth of the party and the party in general. With these, the PDP would help advance our quest to expand our capacity for organized reasoning which would catapult us to the height which we aspire to as a party. These are very crucial for the continuous evolution of our party and so should not be seen as luxuries. Times are changing and with it are changes in affairs of politics and in the provision of leadership to our nation. It is only that which guarantees regular training and retraining of our young cadres that would best position us for the roles which the changing times foists on us. As mentioned earlier, these should not be seen as luxuries, but provisions should be made for them in the constitution. For written constitutions are a bulwark in democratic organizations and parties, and societies need them to guarantee individual liberties and protect themselves from threats of extremism. With these provisions allowed by the constitution, it shall be viewed as the duty of the party to make available these leadership skills acquisition outlets for the youth of the party. In this way, our party would ensure the nurturing of a genuine democracy free of corrupt electoral practices and dedicated to the basic goals of collective social justice and individual self realization. History furnishes us with several examples to buttress this point. Suffice it to cite only the examples of the MPLA of Angola and the ANC of South Africa. The MPLA had organizations for children and as well as for adults. There was the pioneer group, the women’s group, and the group for the young MPLA cadres. Its passion was for the people. Again and again ‘people’s power’ was honed in the periodic seminars which were organized at various places to emphasize the link of the party with the people. Other events were organized which kept the people at a fever pitch politically. The party never ceased and never tired of pointing to the people that the MPLA control of most of the country was due to the people. Records also tell us that the MPLA ranks never tired of holding regular interaction with the people of Angola and that the truth was what they always told them at every turn of events in the decolonization process of that country. Look at the ANC of South Africa; after how many decades and still not just in existence but in power. These are some parties we could hold as models even as we follow their time honoured practice of politically educating their young and the country people. The modus operandi and the tenets of the party should be taught us and this should be done in complete clarity. With these put in place, one can vouch that the PDP would go the way of historical recognition as the MPLA and ANC went.
As I pursued in another work, the process of transformation of Nigeria has been started and this process is spearheaded by Goodluck-Sambo. Let this process reflect in the way we look at our party, the PDP.
Most esteemed fathers, today the ball is in your court and posterity is watching you. What becomes of the party shall be either to your credit or discredit.

08066004809

The Peoples’ Democratic Party and the Prospects of a Better Nigeria
    For me, Ngugi wa’thiongo’s ‘Petals of Blood’ is much more than a work of fiction; it is a passport to adventure and a call to patriotism at any level. For these reasons, I always will refer to the ‘Petals of Blood’. For it is like a manual to help me stay on the course of popular democracy for Nigeria and Africa at large.  I therefore beg license, most esteemed fathers, to begin with a quotation from that book even as I pursue my theme as it concerns our party.
                    ‘…There is the dream still taken up by the voices of children. It is the dream of visionaries and believers, all the seekers who retain their faith. Such will always be. It is good so’.
The vision herein referred to was that of an elder generation that had witnessed the dread ravages of crime and treachery and greed which passed for civilization. That generation, witnessing too the resistance waged and carried out with cracked hands and broken nails and bleeding hearts, voiced visionary dreams amidst sneers and suspicions and accusations of madness or of seeking pathways to immortality and the eternal self glory of tyrants. Their dream was that of African unity. The elder generation strove untiringly for the realization of that dream. While some ‘took arms against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and by opposing to end them’, others engaged the former colonial masters at the stage of intellectual space. Their struggle was a multifaceted venture; ‘to be or not to be, that was their question’.
    Though the decolonization process in this country may not have been as harrowing and as gruesome as in some other African countries, we sure have had our own fair share of the experience in another form; the form of battling years of certain military regimes which were not at all sensitive to the plight of Nigerians. Frantz Fanon argues in his ‘Wretched of the Earth’ that “the mobilization of the masses, when it arises out of the war of liberation, introduces into each mans consciousness the ideas of a common cause, of a national destiny and of a collective history”. He further argues that ‘… the building up of the nation is helped on by the existence of this cement which has been mixed with blood and anger’. There was something akin to the mixing of the lives we lost and the blood which was shed in other African nations and it cemented our bonds so that we came to share the same vision of Africa’s unity.
To make the case brief, a military President that was willing to handover to a democratically elected President came along. This paved the way for the floating of political parties which went mobilizing popular support for the upcoming general elections and groupings around these parties followed certain lines. While some ran in the direction of ethnic bias and regional divide, only one party ran truly in the direction of national interest and national integration. And though the bulk of those that participated actively in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria did not seek election into offices of trust, one party there was that could boast of many of those few that decided to aspire to elective offices; it will not be wrong to mention that the Peoples’ Democratic Party is like a house that was built on the ruins of the old Social Democratic Party. The PDP is that party that has been truly national in its embrace and in its extended hand of fellowship right from the outset. And even before I was a card-carrying member of the PDP, I had sympathy for it; neither because my father was a party stalwart nor that it was the stronger party in this part of the country, no! But because of the very popular support it enjoyed and the truly national outlook it had. The PDP was the most widely acceptable party to Nigerians taking into account the overall national point of view. For me at that time, the PDP held the promise of nurturing the democracy which Nigerians had labored for. And not withstanding that the experience has not been very smooth, if one takes into consideration our twelve (12) years of the democratic experiment, one should not berate the PDP for its job. From a democracy that was merely budding, our democracy has been nurtured into a blossoming one; and in the process of building democracy, Nigerians from walks of life have contributed. Under the guidance of the PDP, our young democracy is growing very fast. Today there is no gainsaying the fact that the PDP has become a household name in affairs of national development and in deepening the delivery of the dividends of democracy. The PDP has maintained the approach of ‘sustained pressure for more life-touching’. Whether or not we agree, the PDP has come to be one of the institutions of our democratic culture. One only needs open one’s eyes to behold the gains of democracy under the patriotic nourishment of the PDP: the amended constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999; the amended Electoral Act; the improved electioneering process and machinery; the supremacy of the rule of law and the restoration of confidence in the Justice sector, etc. all of these gains we have been able to secure at the national level.
Let us take Rivers State as a case in study of a PDP government. Let me just mention in passing that it is one misfortune of men to forget easily the benefits which others do unto them. Such seems to me to be the situation of people with regards to the former Governor of Rivers State, Sir (Dr). Peter Odili.
Most esteemed fathers, allow to borrow from Rousseau’s ‘Social Contract’ where he says: “ Born as I was the citizen of a free state and a member of its sovereign body, the very right to vote imposes on me the duty to instruct myself  in public affairs however little influence my voice may have in them”. The little instructions in public affairs which I came to understand, I will venture to relate vis-à-vis, the administration of Dr. Odili. I understand that form very early on during his administration, that Governor took upon his administrations shoulders the financial burden of registration of secondary school students for senior secondary schools WAEC and NECO examinations. I knew of certain big buses which were made available to cushion the effect of hikes in transportation fares and others which operated on a pro bono basis for primary and secondary school children. I know that workers in Rivers State never had cause to complain about non-payment and late payment of their remunerations. I know that Dr. Odili set up low a cost housing scheme, erecting several houses across the Local Government Area Councils. I have seen the Gas turbine at Trans-Amadi and have seen on television the other one at Omoku. The efforts of this governor, a PDP governor, and his infrastructural developmental strides in the state made him to be adjudged the best performing Governor in Nigeria at a certain year. It was Dr. Odili that initiated the sending of Rivers State students abroad for higher education. Of all the religious crises which rocked this country, none found expression in Rivers State because Dr. Odili so stationed adequate security for the protection of life and property. So we see that Odili was willing to deliver the dividends of democracy to all and sundry. That was a Governor, a PDP Governor. Only a few seem to remember today.
After him, Governor Amaechi came along. We all know that it was on the strength of the rule of law that Amaechi became Governor. The seeds for the respect of the rule of law were sown during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo and those seeds germinated and grew into trees which bore the fruits of obedience to the rule of law as was manifested in the victories of Governors Amaechi, Oshiomole, Fawehinmi of Rivers, Edo, and Ekiti states respectively.  So Amaechi came on the scene and consolidated and expanded on the gains of the Dr. Peter Odili administration. His achievements are too numerous for me to catalogue. They are so massive that he was adjudged second best performing Governor, a very near second to Governor Fashola of Lagos State. And he is a PDP Governor.
   Look at the zoning formula of the PDP. It follows the principle of Federal Character arrangement. I do agree that zoning formulae are not the best but at this stage of our young democracy, the Federal Character arrangement helps to allay mistrust and misgivings from any quarters of the nation with regards to participation in many affairs of national interests. The Federal Character allows for active involvement of every zonal people in participation in governance; it also gives every people the sense of collectively working for our commonwealth. At this level of the democratic experiment, the zoning formula is still the best so far as the best materials from the zones are engaged in the dispatch of national assignments.
Another thing about the PDP is its tendency to stick together. Unlike in some other parties where it is almost always the case to have two or more persons laying claims on crucial offices, the PDP has never had experience of that sort.  Though we have had our own fair share of the turmoil and agitations, we always found ways of resolving our differences with minimal bruises on our ego. We have stubbornly stuck together despite court injunctions, and removals of party chairmen, etc. And it is working for us. Today the PDP is stronger and it is taxing itself more on the point of internal democracy. Predictions did abound that the PDP was going to rupture as fallout of the last PDP Presidential primaries. But to the total consternation of those analysts, not only was there not a rupture, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar gracefully swallowed the outcome of the primaries in the spirit of sportsmanship and PDP interest. As such, we could hold up the PDP as a model national institution in that aspect of unity. Nigerians should borrow from the PDP that knack for unity. Like a compass that always points in the direction of the magnetic north after every disturbance, so the attitude of its members always assumes the poise of unity after every episode of unrest.
    But most esteemed fathers! We cannot beat our chests and pride ourselves on the party. We should not rest content with this height that we have been able to carry the party to. The room for self improvement is the largest room in life. There is ever room for improving ourselves and by extension, our party. I do not believe that what we have attained today is the picture that the founding fathers of our great party projected when they rallied round for its establishment. True we have a structure that if properly fine-tuned would establish us in power for upward of sixty (60) years, but it is not the finest we could build. We could expand into many more African countries than two. We could forge a front very popular and strong as to bring us further nearer the dreams and visions of the elder generation even as we resolve all contradictions in preparation for the day of unity.
Allow me, most esteemed fathers, to at this stage suggest some modalities that would fast track the realization of the ideal PDP. Still from Fanon’s ‘Wretched of the Earth’, he argues that “ A country that wishes to answer the questions that history puts to it, that wants to develop not only its towns but also the brains of its inhabitants, such a country must possess a trustworthy political party”. Fanon further stresses that this party should be a tool in the hands of the people and not the contrary; that it is people who should decide on the policy that the government carries out. I entertain no doubts as to the genuineness of our party as it concerns the welfare of Nigerians. The PDP is no doubt a manifestation of something in the line of capturing the yearnings of the millions of Nigerians, but it can do more.  We must realize the role which Providence has meted out on us with regards to the historical development of this country. We must begin to put our act together. We must strive to create a party that reassures the ordinary citizen and not one that rouses his anxiety. We must push for a party that embodies in concrete form, the needs of the people in what touches employment, human capacity development, etc.  A sure way of starting this is by making contact with the people. I will make reference to Governor Amaechi’s quarter yearly interactive sessions with Non-Governmental Organizations, Faith Based Organizations, Civil Liberties Organizations, and others. These sessions help clarify certain policy thrusts of his administration which are perceived as obscure. At these sessions, the people also are afforded the forum to ask direct questions and to also make suggestions on how to approach certain developmental challenges. These sessions are like accounts of stewardship of the Governor. They provide the stage on which the people hear certain facts and figures undiluted and directly from the Governor. These sessions also serve to sharpen the edge of his policy thrust and his developmental giant strides because he very well knows that at particular intervals, he would come before his people and hold interactions with them. It is little wonder Governor Amaechi is very popular in Rivers State and beyond and that popularity directly rubs off on the PDP, leaving the opposition political parties very little room for destructive criticism and comments aimed at detracting the Governor and his administration.
To further stretch the bounds of popularity of the PDP, all office holders, elected under the umbrella of the PDP, should borrow a leaf from Governor Amaechi. They should return to their constituencies at regular intervals and hold interactions with their constituents. This applies to ward councilors, Local Government Chairpersons, states Assembly members, National Assembly members etc.  Most esteemed fathers, if my tone offends your sense of loyalty, pardon me. It is only a reflection of the urgency of the times and it is against the background of the current reality of the PDP losing out in the South West Governorship race in the last general elections. As Governor Amaechi rightly mentioned on the occasion of the swearing-in ceremony of LGA Council chairmen, the PDP may lose elections in 2015 if its elected representatives do not perform. The South West stares us full in the face.
    All humans seek to express themselves. For this reason, humanity would clutch at any legitimate avenue to give rein to their expressions. We could make the PDP one avenue of legitimate expression for the people. To the people, the party is not an authority, but an organism through which they as the people exercise their authority and express their will. The party should not be made an automaton, insensitive to the yearnings of the people. It should rather be like a tree which grows according to the workings of the desires of the people, drawing nourishment from the active participation of the same people. The Town Halls meeting initiative of Governor Amaechi should be consolidated and expanded upon by the PDP. The leadership of the PDP at the Wards and LGA Councils level should regularly hold meetings of that nature with the people. Committees to handle the various villages that make up the Wards could be set up and directed to hold these meetings. This would guarantee a broader level of participation to almost every willing person in these villages and it is one way of bringing life to communities which are not yet awakened to life. As mentioned above, the party should be an organism and not an automaton. Activity in the party should not be clustered around election periods. Our mobilization campaigns should continue regardless of elections. That attitude of mobilizing only around election times has roots in the thought that the party is only an organ for winning elections and scoring other political points. But when we look at the party as an organ for deepening democracy and national development, we would cultivate the attitude of mobilizing at every feasible moment. We should mobilize opinion; we should mobilize sympathy; we should mobilize the mass of Nigerian people and channel their efforts towards national development correctly. That would be the attitude of a party which hopes to remain in power at the centre and periphery for at least sixty (60) years. That would be the attitude of a party which would prove to all and sundry that it is truly the largest party in Africa. That should be the approach of the PDP. Let us begin to aspire to the heights attained by political parties in farther advanced democracies. Let us shake off the fatigue satisfaction with the party as it is now and work so that we may put the PDP in the finest shape for it to play its part of guide of national interest and the more surely constitute for the people, a decisive guarantee of national development. Our party should be so positioned so as not to only have contact with the people but to be the direct expression of the people. Our party could be so worked as to make it the pulse of the nation.
    Another thing we could do to further strengthen the framework of the party is educate the Nigerian people politically. It is very obvious that political consciousness and enthusiasm for affairs of national importance have risen tremendously over the last few years. This rise in enthusiasm was contributed to by the media and more importantly, by the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan factor. Not only is there this rise in enthusiasm, there is an attendant surge in concern for the success of our democratic process and development. Dr. Jonathan is truly the heartbeat of a process in motion; a theme I pursued in another dissertation.
Our party should take up political education of the people to further deepen the democratic process and also improve on this enthusiasm for issues of national relevance. This education should be a continuous exercise and it does not mean gathering people and delivering long political speeches. This education does not mean summoning the people only to demonstrate our skills in elocution. Political education means opening our minds. It means to teach them to understand that for every progress we make in the direction of sustaining democracy, they take the credit. Political education means to make the people to understand that every one of them owes obligation to the nation, to protect and to nurture ‘the unity and the married calm of states’ and to keep them from derailing quite from their fixture. Political education means to imbue in the people the knowledge of the historical epochs which brought about our nationhood and the exertions of our many heroes past to the end of attaining nationhood. Political education makes the heart of the people beat in unison with that of the party. Political education would restore the dignity of the voter and the sanctity of the vote. That man who is politically educated would not give away his vote for the pot of porridge. Political education means to teach the people that government and the party are at their service.
‘To educate the people politically is to make the totality of the nation a reality to each citizen. It is to make the history of the nation part of the personal experience of each of its citizen’. With a very politically educated people, race considerations, ethnic bias, and religious prejudices would play very minimal role in issues of national development and sustenance of democracy. Our party should take up the duty of politically educating the people and we would have the people solidly behind us.
Our party could also take up charitable concerns. Charitable concerns are aspects of human endeavour which rarely fails to register favourably in the hearts of society people. Our party could take up building of primary and secondary schools and the education of children of indigent parents/guardians. We could support the orphanages, and other institutions dedicated to the education of special children. We could also support the prison authorities in providing finer prison facilities. These little things would make all the difference. These are the little things that would cause the hearts of Nigerians to beat in sync with that of our party. Whatever stops our party from handing out special scholarships to students? Whatever hinders us from bringing succor to widows and their wards? Whatever stops our party from setting up self help schemes for our people in the rural areas? And who says anything hinders us from becoming actively involved in the social life of Nigerians?  This is one way our party can truly be an organism and not an automaton. We should diversify our party’s aspects to include all these social and humanitarian endeavours. It should not only be a platform for winning elections.  Let our party go the extra mile. We could assist in the welfare packages for the elderly. We could also contribute to the health of society by donating and equipping health care facilities. Most esteemed fathers, truly there are people who are only waiting for our party to assume this concern for the welfare of Nigerians to break ranks from opposition parties and join us and many more unaligned people who would also give us their sympathies the moment we put these things in place. Look at Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State. It was on the strength of his antecedent charity contributions that he rose to become Governor. Let us borrow a cue from him. Let us give back to society as a party.
    Finally we should work to broaden the praxis of internal democracy within the party. Ours should be a participatory democracy where election of candidates to represent us in general elections would be on the basis of popularity and the acceptance of the candidate by the party faithful while we adhere strictly to the party guidelines for eligibility for contesting elections. The supremacy of the party’s constitution should be respected. For it is that document that binds us as a party and without it, there would not be this overboard arrangement we have as party today. Any single action which contravenes the provisions of the constitution of the party serves to undermine the confidence and trust which people should have in the party. What else informed the decision by several members to drag the party to the law courts?  For situations in which duly elected people are deprived of the party’s flag is very athwart the democratic praxis. In other cases, party leaders would call for fresh elections after arbitrarily cancelling prior elections and declaring their outcome a nullity. These are the things which tarnished the image of our party and forced the aggrieved parties to seek redress at the courts of law or break faith with the party.
But things are changing. The last PDP primaries which produced candidates to fly the party’s flag in the last general elections were exercises in due process.  What we should do is guard against forms of interests and arbitrary wishes that might want to again shift the course of our internal democracy to run along the lines of autocracy.  A return to autocracy would be stifling the wishes of the PDP faithful and Nigerians by extension. So, we should guard the blossoming internal democracy within the party. We should open the windows of our party to the fresh air of popular participation. We should guard it with the paraphernalia of a total obedience to the provisions of the constitution and a return to the ideals of the fathers that founded the party.
    Most esteemed fathers, permit me to also touch upon another subject that is of importance to the party and the nation by extension: the subject of the youth and our participation in the PDP process. It is common saying that the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow and it is against this backdrop that we see parents, communities, states, and indeed countries investing in their citizens. These ones are from a very tender age taught sound societal values and skills necessary for self and community and nation building. Most advanced nations, understanding the necessity for the proper education of the future leaders, set aside certain institutions for the inculcation of leadership s kills, human capacity expansion, and the acquisition of conventional social skills in their young. This contributes to a large extent in molding them in the fittest shapes for the assumption of leadership roles when due. And whether or not they eventually make fine leaders, the economies of these countries are there to tell. Most esteemed fathers, it is not exactly the same with us in this country and in our party. It seems to me that the extent of our relevance as youths in the PDP process is limited within the confines of mobilizing for elections. It seems to me that we just are tools for winning elections and that that is the farthest our relevance extends in the PDP establishment. It does not seem to me that the PDP leadership realizes that in the nearest future, the youths would rise to fill up offices currently occupied by the fathers; and what would become of our party and the country if the PDP does not put enough effort towards our education as youths? Whoever has heard of a PDP youth leadership training scheme? Whoever has heard of a PDP youth conflict management and resolution training programme? Whoever has heard of a PDP organized cultural awareness programme for youths which would advance the process of national integration and minimize tribal and ethnic mistrust? Can the PDP youth measure up to the youth of parties of other developed countries? Again, the earlier we see the party as being much more than a platform for winning elections, the better would be the prospect of the youth of the party and the party in general. With these, the PDP would help advance our quest to expand our capacity for organized reasoning which would catapult us to the height which we aspire to as a party. These are very crucial for the continuous evolution of our party and so should not be seen as luxuries. Times are changing and with it are changes in affairs of politics and in the provision of leadership to our nation. It is only that which guarantees regular training and retraining of our young cadres that would best position us for the roles which the changing times foists on us. As mentioned earlier, these should not be seen as luxuries, but provisions should be made for them in the constitution. For written constitutions are a bulwark in democratic organizations and parties, and societies need them to guarantee individual liberties and protect themselves from threats of extremism. With these provisions allowed by the constitution, it shall be viewed as the duty of the party to make available these leadership skills acquisition outlets for the youth of the party. In this way, our party would ensure the nurturing of a genuine democracy free of corrupt electoral practices and dedicated to the basic goals of collective social justice and individual self realization. History furnishes us with several examples to buttress this point. Suffice it to cite only the examples of the MPLA of Angola and the ANC of South Africa. The MPLA had organizations for children and as well as for adults. There was the pioneer   group, the women’s group, and the group for the young MPLA cadres. Its passion was for the people. Again and again ‘people’s power’ was honed in the periodic seminars which were organized at various places to emphasize the link of the party with the people. Other events were organized which kept the people at a fever pitch politically. The party never ceased and never tired of pointing to the people that the MPLA control of most of the country was due to the people. Records also tell us that the MPLA ranks never tired of holding regular interaction with the people of Angola and that the truth was what they always told them at every turn of events in the decolonization process of that country. Look at the ANC of South Africa; after how many decades  and still not just in existence but in power. These are some parties we could hold as models even as we follow their time honoured practice of politically educating their young and the country people. The modus operandi and the tenets of the party should be taught us and this should be done in complete clarity. With these put in place, one can vouch that the PDP would go the way of historical recognition as the MPLA and ANC went.
    As I pursued in another work, the process of transformation of Nigeria has been started and this process is spearheaded by Goodluck-Sambo. Let this process reflect in the way we look at our party, the PDP.
Most esteemed fathers, today the ball is in your court and posterity is watching you. What becomes of the party shall be either to your credit or discredit.

08066004809

Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan: The Heartbeat Of A Process In Motion.
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Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan: The Heartbeat of a Process in Motion.

It is now particularly requisite to divulge by way of a written oration the aspects and the goodly qualities of the man, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. And though I take upon myself an arduous and onerous task, I shall try to do justice to it secured in the knowledge that even if I am not able to portray, by way of this written oration, the fine standards of his charisma, at least I would have tried to paint it. To borrow from Cervantes’ ‘Don Quixote’: “that burden must be sustained by stronger shoulders than mine: that talk were worthy of the pencils of Parrhasius, Timantes, and Apelles, or the graving tools of Lysippus. The hand of the best painters and statuaries should indeed be employed to give in speaking paint, in marble; and Corinthian brass, an exact copy of his qualities; while Ciceronian and Demosthenian eloquence labours to reach the praise of his endowments”. With my own tiny eloquence, which pales into relative insignificances when placed beside those of Cicero and Demosthenes; with this meager oratorical process, I shall venture to delineate, and copy one by one each of the several fine qualities of this man, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR.

And so he came on the scene, first as the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State. And all the feelers me got about him were tales of humility and loyalty. Through thick and thin, his armour of loyalty was never chinked. For about seven (7) years, he served as the Deputy Governor and by the divine dictates of Providence; he rose to become the Governor of that state. On the completion of that tenure, he contested for the ticket of the PDP for the governorship race in the 2007 general elections. He became the flag-bearer of the PDP and was raised to be running mate of President Umar Musa Y’adua of blessed memory. As Providence would have it, the PDP ticket scaled through in the general elections and Umar Y’adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan were elected President and Vice President respectively. At that stage, most people felt that the rise of this man had reached the zenith. Some others argued that he had not contested in a general election and that the much taunted ‘Goodluck’ was going to run out at that level. Yet some of us believed, with me in this category, in his ‘Goodluck’ and the divinely orchestrated move to sit him as President. For it was so clear, so obvious that the hand of Providence was involved in the success story of this man.

As Vice President, he loyally dispatched his duties and every such assigned him by our President, Umaru Y’adua. Without complains, without conceit, and swallowing all the scorn and acts of disloyalty exhibited by certain ex-ministers.

As it is written in the pages of brilliant Shakespeare, “when fortune means to men most good, she looks upon them with a threatening eye”; Providence frowned at him. For according to certain natural equations, to borrow the words of our hero, our beloved President Umaru Y’adua of blessed memory, succumb to the darts of the ailment he had bravely battled for a while.

So, Providence frowned; and the winds of dissent and animosity went whirling; and the subterranean waters of greed and avarice went rushing and sighed one unto the other: the waters of who to succeed the ailing President, the waters of zoning formula, those waters of division along religious and tribal bias. But still this man stood; the steadfast epitome of humility and loyalty; loyalty to his boss, as he called him; loyalty to the wishes of Nigerians. Not a word of insubordination escaped his lips. Not a breath of corruption, the corruption of the ideals of loyalty and humanity, passed from him. And as if that was not enough, he held his calm to the height of perfection. He never fidgeted. And again, Providence frowned. This time, the whole nation was almost at a stand still. Visitation panels were set and sent to ascertain the ability of the President to continue in office. There were talks of denial of access to the President. It was as though it did not directly concern him that was why he was able to maintain his cool.

And then, Providence finally rained. The Nation became leaderless for a number of weeks and it finally entered the National Assembly’s conscience to declare him President in acting capacity, after very protracted calls for this by progressive minded Nigerians and other believers such as the Senator Bala Mohammed, and Prof. Dora Akunyili.

If there is one thing I have learned in my quarter-century old existence, that thing is that power comes from God. As it is written in the Christian Bible, ‘once hath He spoken; twice have I heard: that power comes from God’. It is also written that God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble and we are further admonished to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift us up. Dr. Jonathan’s career is an affirmation of the truth in the afore cited Bible passages. The man is the quintessence of humility and the apotheosis of loyalty. These two qualities are very much appreciated by the vast majority of Nigerians but there is a third one which is less often talked about: Patience.

Directly he was made Acting-President, there was a demand that was put across to him. For this need had been in our hearts as Nigerians. We demanded that the then Minster of Justice/Attorney General of the federation should be sacked. For that Minister had so misinformed Nigerians, regardless of his office; probably that was his own very loud display of the supposed loyalty he bore the ailing President Y’adua. But honest loyalty must not have recourse to lies; it stands firm on its ground. It tells truth and stays wherever responsibility dictates without fearing to fall with that person or cause for which the loyalty is exhibited. Honest loyalty is like that of our hero, Dr. Jonathan’s, who was still loyal to President Y’adua even while the latter was ailing and away from the country. Our hero never begged nor rallied the support of any zonal leaders to be made President. His was the divine intervention of Providence. And even after he was made Acting President, he was very ready to return the reins of leadership to President Y’adua if the latter were disposed to man that office again.

So we demanded that that minister of justice be sacked. For ours was a righteous indignation and a very justifiable demand since a justice minister should have respected the intelligence of his country’s people, but that one rather insulted ours.

But our hero never hurried. He gently moved him from that very sensitive ministry to another that was not as sensitive. It was like a sigh of relief for us. It was like a weight off the chest of Nigerians and we could breath freer. Though we did not get exactly what we wanted, our ire was a bit cooled. That alone demonstrates how patient our President is. For I make bold to say that if President Y’adua had appeared on the scene again after the minor cabinet reshuffle which affected that minister, he would have very readily licensed it. For them both are made of the same substance of humility and a sense of responsibility to the Nigerian people.

Permit me, at this level, to mention that some of the leadership acumen and the personality traits of President Y’adua rubbed off on our hero, Dr. Jonathan. Dr. Jonathan had complete respect for President Y’adua. Otherwise, how could he have remembered to acknowledge him before Nigerians, and indeed the entire world, when he asked for a moment’s silence in honour of Y’adua at the PDP Presidential primaries manifesto; where he also said that certain natural equations made it possible for him to be President? So this goes to demonstrate the respect he had and still has for the late President. As a mark also of the respect he bore the late President, see the way he absolved the former first lady of any blames as regards the handling of the health issues of the former President and Commander-in-Chief. He did not pursue vendetta, neither did he bear a grudge against any body that was thickly against him in the events that saw him rise to become Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief. He does not hurry. My President does not.

So Dr. Jonathan finally became commander-in-chief after Y’adua gave in to the cold hands of death (May his gentle soul rest in peace). You see, there is much that this country owes to the leadership of President Y’adua: the opening up of the justice system; the admission of a not very fine electoral process which ushered him into office and the resolve to correct it; the creation of the Niger Delta ministry; the granting of Amnesty to Niger Delta militants and the attendant calm which we now enjoy in this part of the country; and so much more. That is why I cannot speak of the late President Umaru Musa Y’adua except in terms of respect and love. Let me just advocate, in passing, for a national institution in honour and in memory of this man, late President Y’adua.

But back to our hero and what became when he was sworn in as President. Let’s just talk about a little of the many things he has been able to achieve as a mark of his delivery of the dividends of democracy: First, the issue of fuel scarcity. For once in my conscious life, I witnessed a Yuletide without fuel scarcity and attendant hike in the fare of transportation, and till now, there has not been an incidence of pump price hike. Second, the raise he gave the entertainment industry? This is one industry that employs a good number of young people and with that raise, at least a good number of youths can access funds to further explore and develop their talents. Thirdly, the treat he gave to the Super Eagles before they set out for the South Africa 2010 world Cup. There was that touch of patriotism in that treat. Yet the super Eagles could not reciprocate the gesture and disappointingly crashed not of the FIFA World Cup in the first round. The fine thing about the whole Super Eagles poor outing was the way President Jonathan reacted. It was obvious to Nigerians that he was disappointed. A disappointment one could palpate. For as they say, to whom much is given, much is expected. The Super Eagles had been given much and we expected much in return. How many of us patriotic Nigerians rejoiced at his decision against the NFA. There was also a touch of patriotism in his decision. Unfortunately, the FIFA had to intervene and he graciously shelved his decision. Fourthly, the Power sector and the marked improvement his resolve to make it better has brought. Finally and above all else, our electioneering machinery and process. At least Nigerians are now confident in the electioneering process. Nigerians now believe in their votes counting. And to have experimented with his own presidential hopes speak volumes about our President. In the eyes of all Africa and indeed the wide world, he experimented with his presidential aspirations and got it right. And the beauty of that experiment; Nigerians trooping out in their millions to vote for this man that held the promise of a Greater Nigerian; Nigerians filing out to vote across lines of divergent party sympathies, across the walls of religious differences and across the barriers of ethnic and tribal sentiments. Those were the demonstrations of their own faith in the Nigerian cause and faith in this man Goodluck Jonathan.

Our experience with Dr. Jonathan is very similar to that of the USA with Obama. For it was against the backdrop of tension along the lines of zoning formulas; it was against the tension that follows the feeling, by one part of the nation, of being cheated out on what was duly theirs; it was against this background of uncertainty, that we had that experience, the ‘Goodluck’ experience.

Like Obama, rising from relative unpopularity to become the flag bearer of the Democratic Party, so Jonathan passed through very trying situations to be the flag-bearer my great party, the Peoples Democratic Party. Like in Obama’s case where certain dogmas and unstated strongholds had to be shaken, so in the situation of Jonathan; where certain formulas had to be kept aside and the desires of the people allowed to be expressed and not drowned by those waters of zoning formulas and the provincial view of being cheated out by different geopolitical zones, eschewed for national interest and for the consensus desire to take the nation to the Greater height. And as Obama, on the strength of his oratorical dexterity and the yearning of the American and indeed people of other nations for a more peaceful and prosperous America, so Jonathan rode on the wings of the loud eloquence of Providence and the yearnings of Nigerians for a leader of his nature and vision, to become the elected President of the Federal Republic. As it was with Obama, “change we can believe?” so it was with Jonathan, “a breath of fresh air”.

Let me at this point hail the Fresh Air Initiative for a very apt and timely slogan. That it was only a campaign slogan we can comfortably deny as we have had experience of his leadership style while he was completing the term of office of late President Y’adua. That it was a forecast of the manner in which his leadership thrust would continue, we can comfortably believe; God bless Governor Rotimi Amaechi for that brilliant catch phrase; and I believed in Jonathan, even as I still do, in Amaechi. That it was a characterization of the personality of the man Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, I entertain no doubts. For I believe in Goodluck Jonathan as Senator Bala Mohammed believes. I believed in Goodluck Jonathan even as Governor Godswill Akpabio believes. I believe in Goodluck Jonathan; the breath of fresh air, the heartbeat of a process in motion. Even as Vice-President, Arch. Namadi Sambo believes, I believe. In the spirit of patriotism, and in the newness of hope and expectation which abides with belief, I shall speak with something akin to the complete trust a child reposes in parents. As it is written, somewhere in the pages of Ngugi wa ‘thiongo’s ‘Petals of blood’ that “there is the dream still taken up by the voices of children. It is the dream of visionaries and believers, all the seekers who retain their faith”. Ngugi went ahead to say that such believers and seekers and children will always be; for it is good so. I am that child; I am that seeker; I am the believer. Ever more, let it be so, Amen! And so I don the toga of the believer and follow after the trial they blaze in the pursuit of a Greater Nigerian. I lay aside every weight of skepticism that had bogged me even as I run with the vision of a Greater Nigeria of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. I remove every doubt that had clogged the wheel of my enthusiasm in the Nigeria project. I have hope coursing in my veins. I have the blind faith of a patriot. I believe that Jonathan holds the promise of this Greater Nigerian; for there is that thing about him that calls, and sobs, and clutches at the heart of every well-meaning Nigerian. There is something about him that rekindles the dying embers of nationalism in the bosoms of every people, in Nigeria and beyond, who want the best for our country. In him we see an unyielding desire and thrusts to get our country working better. For I believe that he realizes that Providence has so positioned him for this task of taking Nigeria, at least if not to the land which our bounteous mineral resources and human capital promise us, somewhere very close to that.

In his ‘Prince’, Nicolo Machiavelli argues that for Moses to have shone the way he did, that there had to be Israel in Egypt. Then he went ahead to cite the instance of Cyrus and the Persians to further buttress the point that Providence so prepares a particular man for a specific job and that this man’s job would be the succor he would bring a people who had, all the while of his preparation, been having it very challenging in their aspects. So it seems to me that Jonathan is that man. I believe he knows he is that man.

The events which unfolded during his elections, the landslide victory, and the post election incidences, are to me, clear indicators of his being the one person Providence has prepared for this Job. His is one best of luck. For when he gets it correct, as I believe he would, his name would go into the records of history and he will be named in the same breath with those heroes of our National traditions. It would be said of him: that President that, working will well spirited Nigerians, changed the course of development of this nation. He has worked with, and is still working with, Nigerians that are young at heart. My meaning of ‘young at heart’ being those Nigerians that believe that the best is going to come out of Nigerian, whether they be old or not. This President paid tribute to ‘Da Grin’ of blessed memory at the 26th convocation ceremony of the University Of Port Harcourt; this President has been having interactive sessions with secondary school children; this President so embraced the entertainment industry and did something unprecedented and very sweet to them; this president made it possible that our name be de-listed from the USA’s ‘book’ of terrorists nations; I could go on and on but I would not want to set myself up to be shot-down by cynics and unbelievers in the Nigeria project who would shoot me with bullets of accusations of sycophancy. But I do not fear such accusations.

For if being a believer in this man, and by way of expressing that belief, giving him fires to achieve that which we expect from him is sycophancy, ever more, I would be sycophant. For our hero owes us obligation, both for our belief in him and for our votes at the election. Deep in our hearts we know that if he had not won in the last election, it would have left a very bitter taste in our mouths. Such knowledge can only be when there is belief in our hearts; when there is belief for this man.

So we see a willingness to carry every Nigerian along in President Jonathan. He has demonstrated to us that Power does not corrupt him. For he is still that gentle and unassuming man we saw as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State some years ago. He still retains that humility which so characterized the late President Y’adua and him. If only that humility could rub off on me, I would hug him as I would the Pillars of Hercules; as I would hug those Straits of Gibraltar. My earnest prayer is that Providence, which so made it possible for this man to be as tall as he is today, would take it as a duty to take me to this man.

Goodluck! Goodluck! I see you from my wondrous beautiful afar: I see you now. Everything in you inspires hope and holds promise: from your kindly and sympathetic visage, to your humble and gentle carriage. I have never seen you irritable. You have never demonstrated impatience. Your story is confirmation of the pronouncements of the inspired word of God, the Christian Bible, which concludes all under time and chance and the mercies of God Almighty. You are an expression of the earnest cravings of the most people of this country! For in you, our votes did find expression.

You are a complete product of the Nigeria project; born and bred in this nation; sustained by the lives in the rivers that spring from the Niger and the fingers of the Atlantic Ocean; schooled in our nation’s once very fine educational institutions and retuned to lecture in the same. You have demonstrated to those that were in doubt that something good could come out of this country, and have proved to the world that our country still produces people of unassailable and unpretentious character.

Greater, they say, is the doubt that grains from the inside. To those Nigerians that had given up hopes on Nigeria, you have been able to instill grains of hopes and those grains are growing into tress ready to bring forth fruits of confidence in and trust in the Nigeria process. Truly, you are a breath of fresh air and the heart beat of a process in motion; a personification of the Greater Nigeria project.

This Greater Nigeria is possible with Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. A Nigeria where the epileptic nature of electric supply, and the attendant very high toll it takes on investors and others doing business in Nigeria, would be stabilized to such an extent that there would be a very marked improvement. A Nigeria where subsequent elections would be an improvement on the marked achievements of the last general elections; elections in which every single vote shall count and the enthusiasm of Nigerians to vote would be distinctly gross. A Nigeria where our education system and standards would be raised to meet those of other developed nations so as to properly position our children to compete with others on the international scene and enable them make their contributions in the fields of economics, arts, medicine, architecture, pure science, mathematics, etc. A Nigeria with more solid banks and a wider economic base so as to relax the cut throat grip of oil on the economy. A Nigerian with finer agricultural institutions and facilities for proper, mechanized lager scale farming to aid the process of national development. A Nigeria with a finer and a better Health care delivery system, very minimal maternal, infant, under-5-mortalities and improved life expectancy. A health care delivery system that will be of the same high status as there are in developed countries. A Nigeria where the menace of unemployment will be reduced to the minimum and our youths and adults would be gainfully engaged. A Nigeria where the harmful exploratory excesses of the multinational oil companies would be stemmed and they would be obliged to operate in such a way that meets the bench mark of international standards of global best practices.

This is the kind of Nigeria, the Greater Nigeria, which we all desire to have and which we shall have; at least in our life times. For the process has already been started. The project is already in motion and with our continued support for the man who is at the centre of it all; we shall achieve our much craved end.

Like a snowball that becomes bigger the moment it is set in motion, so this process which has been started by Jonathan. The ball rolls on, picking momentum, gathering believers in its course; it rolls on, confident in the certainty of its victory, for the set time to favour Nigeria has come; it rolls on, shaking up all the strongholds of corruption, calling to itself people of a like mind; it rolls on, leaving in its wake, the manifestations of the truth that past is the era of having recourse to arms and violence on account of the merest trifles in the pretext of fighting a just cause; and who are the victims of these demonstrations of juvenile delinquency? Innocent youth-corpers, women and children, the very brothers and sisters they have known over the years; but on the ball rolls, singing out loud that a new page has been turned in the history of this nation that has been described as the giant of Africa not in vain; along, the ball continues, bringing to our remembrance the exertions and the labours of our heroes past and reminding us of their ideals for this nation even as it takes us closer to those ideals; along, this ball continues, the Greater Nigeria project; on this ball rolls, like a song which, to borrow from Nikolai Gogol, is carried along the whole length and breath, from sea to sea of this country, which echoes and re-echoes incessantly in the ears of the patriotic and progressive elements in Nigeria and in the Diasporas; on this ball rolls, the tiny spark that has started a prairie fire; on this ball rolls, defying the reservations of every tribal jingoist and every religious bigot, bonding together Christians and Muslims, Northerner and Southerner, confounding the speculations of the faithless elements, bringing to naught, the hopes of the ‘divisionist’ and secessionist elements among us; on, the ball rolls, and at the centre of it we see Goodluck- Sambo transforming Nigeria; on, this ball rolls, and a little away from the centre we see the likes of Gabriel Suswan of Benue State, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom State, Senator Bala Mohammed of the F.C.T. etc., staunch believers in the man Jonathan; on, the ball rolls, and at the very centre of this whole process, at the very heart beat of it is the man Jonathan smiling gently and beaming his benign audition upon me, this new and young ‘child’ that has joined his believers train; for that is about the best way I can demonstrate my appreciation of his charisma and my total support for the Goodluck-Samba transformation agenda; on, this ball continues even as I committedly follow it, as a mark of my earnest resolve to see the Greater Nigeria. And for that resolve, I scale every height of limitation and brave every odd to see that, in my own little way and by my own tiny contribution, the transformation agenda of Goodluck-Samba is realized. I ‘muscle’ every challenge that would keep me from contributing my own small quota in the realization of the Greater Nigeria Project, even as Dr. Jonathan ‘muscled’ obstacles to be elected President; thanks to all his believers, in the South and North, and especially former President Olusegun Obasanjo. For my nature is something in the line of those Chinua Achebe described in his ‘Anthills of the Savannah’ thus : “those who see no blot of villainy in the beloved oppressed, nor would grant the faintest glimmer of humanity to the hated oppressor are patriots, partisans, and party-liners. In the grand-finale of things, they will be received and lodged in comfort by the demigods of their single minded devotion. But it will not be in the complex and paradoxical concern of mother Idoto”.

Our devotion is single; A Greater Nigeria with Goodluck-Samba taking the lead.

And so the ball continues along; and that ball carries me along.

In his ‘Discourses on the first Ten Books of Titus Livy’, Machiavelli argues that it is essential that men who live together under any constitution should frequently have their attention called to themselves either by some external or by some internal occurrence. That when internal, such occurrences are usually due for some law which from time to time causes the members of this body to review their position; or again to some good man who arises in their midst and by his example and his virtuous deeds, produces the same effect as does the constitution.

In my own humble opinion, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan meets the requisite requirements for the station of that virtuous and good man to be held up as the model for us to call attention to ourselves. For as I mentioned earlier, who is more a Nigerian is Dr. Jonathan. He is typical of the new generation Nigerian and it is a great consolation that our generation can boast of the likes of him.

For as many as still have not accepted the Nigeria process, look upon Dr. Jonathan and take solace in his thrusts for a finer and more equitable and prosperous nation. Look upon Dr. Jonathan and see the prospects of A Greater Nigeria. For as many as need a hand to hold to strengthen their belief in this nation, take the extended hand of Goodluck-Sambo.

Let us all put in a little more effort in our thrusts to build this Greater Nigeria. Let us decorate our daily activities with a little more tinge of patriotism and commitment and follower-ship, even as Goodluck-Sambo pilot our nation to Greater status. This is the appeal I make to progressive and otherwise minded Nigerians. It is an appeal to your finer sides of judgment.

I speak the language of believers. I speak the language of all the seekers who retain their faith. I speak the voices of children. There is a lot I can offer this country; something in the line of Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; dogged in his patriotism and his resolve to raise the banking standards higher. That is the single mindedness I earlier mentioned. And, we, all of us together, believers in the Greater Nigeria, shall win! For we have a good cause and to crown it all, we have Goodluck: the heart beat of this process in motion!





Uku, Paxman Dandyson

Final year medical student

University of Port Harcourt

08066004809

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Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan: The Heartbeat of a Process in Motion.

It is now particularly requisite to divulge by way of a written oration the aspects and the goodly qualities of the man, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. And though I take upon myself an arduous and onerous task, I shall try to do justice to it secured in the knowledge that even if I am not able to portray, by way of this written oration, the fine standards of his charisma, at least I would have tried to paint it. To borrow from Cervantes’ ‘Don Quixote’: “that burden must be sustained by stronger shoulders than mine: that talk were worthy of the pencils of Parrhasius, Timantes, and Apelles, or the graving tools of Lysippus. The hand of the best painters and statuaries should indeed be employed to give in speaking paint, in marble; and Corinthian brass, an exact copy of his qualities; while Ciceronian and Demosthenian eloquence labours to reach the praise of his endowments”. With my own tiny eloquence, which pales into relative insignificances when placed beside those of Cicero and Demosthenes; with this meager oratorical process, I shall venture to delineate, and copy one by one each of the several fine qualities of this man, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR.

And so he came on the scene, first as the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State. And all the feelers me got about him were tales of humility and loyalty. Through thick and thin, his armour of loyalty was never chinked. For about seven (7) years, he served as the Deputy Governor and by the divine dictates of Providence; he rose to become the Governor of that state. On the completion of that tenure, he contested for the ticket of the PDP for the governorship race in the 2007 general elections. He became the flag-bearer of the PDP and was raised to be running mate of President Umar Musa Y’adua of blessed memory. As Providence would have it, the PDP ticket scaled through in the general elections and Umar Y’adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan were elected President and Vice President respectively. At that stage, most people felt that the rise of this man had reached the zenith. Some others argued that he had not contested in a general election and that the much taunted ‘Goodluck’ was going to run out at that level. Yet some of us believed, with me in this category, in his ‘Goodluck’ and the divinely orchestrated move to sit him as President. For it was so clear, so obvious that the hand of Providence was involved in the success story of this man.

As Vice President, he loyally dispatched his duties and every such assigned him by our President, Umaru Y’adua. Without complains, without conceit, and swallowing all the scorn and acts of disloyalty exhibited by certain ex-ministers.

As it is written in the pages of brilliant Shakespeare, “when fortune means to men most good, she looks upon them with a threatening eye”; Providence frowned at him. For according to certain natural equations, to borrow the words of our hero, our beloved President Umaru Y’adua of blessed memory, succumb to the darts of the ailment he had bravely battled for a while.

So, Providence frowned; and the winds of dissent and animosity went whirling; and the subterranean waters of greed and avarice went rushing and sighed one unto the other: the waters of who to succeed the ailing President, the waters of zoning formula, those waters of division along religious and tribal bias. But still this man stood; the steadfast epitome of humility and loyalty; loyalty to his boss, as he called him; loyalty to the wishes of Nigerians. Not a word of insubordination escaped his lips. Not a breath of corruption, the corruption of the ideals of loyalty and humanity, passed from him. And as if that was not enough, he held his calm to the height of perfection. He never fidgeted. And again, Providence frowned. This time, the whole nation was almost at a stand still. Visitation panels were set and sent to ascertain the ability of the President to continue in office. There were talks of denial of access to the President. It was as though it did not directly concern him that was why he was able to maintain his cool.

And then, Providence finally rained. The Nation became leaderless for a number of weeks and it finally entered the National Assembly’s conscience to declare him President in acting capacity, after very protracted calls for this by progressive minded Nigerians and other believers such as the Senator Bala Mohammed, and Prof. Dora Akunyili.

If there is one thing I have learned in my quarter-century old existence, that thing is that power comes from God. As it is written in the Christian Bible, ‘once hath He spoken; twice have I heard: that power comes from God’. It is also written that God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble and we are further admonished to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift us up. Dr. Jonathan’s career is an affirmation of the truth in the afore cited Bible passages. The man is the quintessence of humility and the apotheosis of loyalty. These two qualities are very much appreciated by the vast majority of Nigerians but there is a third one which is less often talked about: Patience.

Directly he was made Acting-President, there was a demand that was put across to him. For this need had been in our hearts as Nigerians. We demanded that the then Minster of Justice/Attorney General of the federation should be sacked. For that Minister had so misinformed Nigerians, regardless of his office; probably that was his own very loud display of the supposed loyalty he bore the ailing President Y’adua. But honest loyalty must not have recourse to lies; it stands firm on its ground. It tells truth and stays wherever responsibility dictates without fearing to fall with that person or cause for which the loyalty is exhibited. Honest loyalty is like that of our hero, Dr. Jonathan’s, who was still loyal to President Y’adua even while the latter was ailing and away from the country. Our hero never begged nor rallied the support of any zonal leaders to be made President. His was the divine intervention of Providence. And even after he was made Acting President, he was very ready to return the reins of leadership to President Y’adua if the latter were disposed to man that office again.

So we demanded that that minister of justice be sacked. For ours was a righteous indignation and a very justifiable demand since a justice minister should have respected the intelligence of his country’s people, but that one rather insulted ours.

But our hero never hurried. He gently moved him from that very sensitive ministry to another that was not as sensitive. It was like a sigh of relief for us. It was like a weight off the chest of Nigerians and we could breath freer. Though we did not get exactly what we wanted, our ire was a bit cooled. That alone demonstrates how patient our President is. For I make bold to say that if President Y’adua had appeared on the scene again after the minor cabinet reshuffle which affected that minister, he would have very readily licensed it. For them both are made of the same substance of humility and a sense of responsibility to the Nigerian people.

Permit me, at this level, to mention that some of the leadership acumen and the personality traits of President Y’adua rubbed off on our hero, Dr. Jonathan. Dr. Jonathan had complete respect for President Y’adua. Otherwise, how could he have remembered to acknowledge him before Nigerians, and indeed the entire world, when he asked for a moment’s silence in honour of Y’adua at the PDP Presidential primaries manifesto; where he also said that certain natural equations made it possible for him to be President? So this goes to demonstrate the respect he had and still has for the late President. As a mark also of the respect he bore the late President, see the way he absolved the former first lady of any blames as regards the handling of the health issues of the former President and Commander-in-Chief. He did not pursue vendetta, neither did he bear a grudge against any body that was thickly against him in the events that saw him rise to become Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief. He does not hurry. My President does not.

So Dr. Jonathan finally became commander-in-chief after Y’adua gave in to the cold hands of death (May his gentle soul rest in peace). You see, there is much that this country owes to the leadership of President Y’adua: the opening up of the justice system; the admission of a not very fine electoral process which ushered him into office and the resolve to correct it; the creation of the Niger Delta ministry; the granting of Amnesty to Niger Delta militants and the attendant calm which we now enjoy in this part of the country; and so much more. That is why I cannot speak of the late President Umaru Musa Y’adua except in terms of respect and love. Let me just advocate, in passing, for a national institution in honour and in memory of this man, late President Y’adua.

But back to our hero and what became when he was sworn in as President. Let’s just talk about a little of the many things he has been able to achieve as a mark of his delivery of the dividends of democracy: First, the issue of fuel scarcity. For once in my conscious life, I witnessed a Yuletide without fuel scarcity and attendant hike in the fare of transportation, and till now, there has not been an incidence of pump price hike. Second, the raise he gave the entertainment industry? This is one industry that employs a good number of young people and with that raise, at least a good number of youths can access funds to further explore and develop their talents. Thirdly, the treat he gave to the Super Eagles before they set out for the South Africa 2010 world Cup. There was that touch of patriotism in that treat. Yet the super Eagles could not reciprocate the gesture and disappointingly crashed not of the FIFA World Cup in the first round. The fine thing about the whole Super Eagles poor outing was the way President Jonathan reacted. It was obvious to Nigerians that he was disappointed. A disappointment one could palpate. For as they say, to whom much is given, much is expected. The Super Eagles had been given much and we expected much in return. How many of us patriotic Nigerians rejoiced at his decision against the NFA. There was also a touch of patriotism in his decision. Unfortunately, the FIFA had to intervene and he graciously shelved his decision. Fourthly, the Power sector and the marked improvement his resolve to make it better has brought. Finally and above all else, our electioneering machinery and process. At least Nigerians are now confident in the electioneering process. Nigerians now believe in their votes counting. And to have experimented with his own presidential hopes speak volumes about our President. In the eyes of all Africa and indeed the wide world, he experimented with his presidential aspirations and got it right. And the beauty of that experiment; Nigerians trooping out in their millions to vote for this man that held the promise of a Greater Nigerian; Nigerians filing out to vote across lines of divergent party sympathies, across the walls of religious differences and across the barriers of ethnic and tribal sentiments. Those were the demonstrations of their own faith in the Nigerian cause and faith in this man Goodluck Jonathan.

Our experience with Dr. Jonathan is very similar to that of the USA with Obama. For it was against the backdrop of tension along the lines of zoning formulas; it was against the tension that follows the feeling, by one part of the nation, of being cheated out on what was duly theirs; it was against this background of uncertainty, that we had that experience, the ‘Goodluck’ experience.

Like Obama, rising from relative unpopularity to become the flag bearer of the Democratic Party, so Jonathan passed through very trying situations to be the flag-bearer my great party, the Peoples Democratic Party. Like in Obama’s case where certain dogmas and unstated strongholds had to be shaken, so in the situation of Jonathan; where certain formulas had to be kept aside and the desires of the people allowed to be expressed and not drowned by those waters of zoning formulas and the provincial view of being cheated out by different geopolitical zones, eschewed for national interest and for the consensus desire to take the nation to the Greater height. And as Obama, on the strength of his oratorical dexterity and the yearning of the American and indeed people of other nations for a more peaceful and prosperous America, so Jonathan rode on the wings of the loud eloquence of Providence and the yearnings of Nigerians for a leader of his nature and vision, to become the elected President of the Federal Republic. As it was with Obama, “change we can believe?” so it was with Jonathan, “a breath of fresh air”.

Let me at this point hail the Fresh Air Initiative for a very apt and timely slogan. That it was only a campaign slogan we can comfortably deny as we have had experience of his leadership style while he was completing the term of office of late President Y’adua. That it was a forecast of the manner in which his leadership thrust would continue, we can comfortably believe; God bless Governor Rotimi Amaechi for that brilliant catch phrase; and I believed in Jonathan, even as I still do, in Amaechi. That it was a characterization of the personality of the man Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, I entertain no doubts. For I believe in Goodluck Jonathan as Senator Bala Mohammed believes. I believed in Goodluck Jonathan even as Governor Godswill Akpabio believes. I believe in Goodluck Jonathan; the breath of fresh air, the heartbeat of a process in motion. Even as Vice-President, Arch. Namadi Sambo believes, I believe. In the spirit of patriotism, and in the newness of hope and expectation which abides with belief, I shall speak with something akin to the complete trust a child reposes in parents. As it is written, somewhere in the pages of Ngugi wa ‘thiongo’s ‘Petals of blood’ that “there is the dream still taken up by the voices of children. It is the dream of visionaries and believers, all the seekers who retain their faith”. Ngugi went ahead to say that such believers and seekers and children will always be; for it is good so. I am that child; I am that seeker; I am the believer. Ever more, let it be so, Amen! And so I don the toga of the believer and follow after the trial they blaze in the pursuit of a Greater Nigerian. I lay aside every weight of skepticism that had bogged me even as I run with the vision of a Greater Nigeria of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. I remove every doubt that had clogged the wheel of my enthusiasm in the Nigeria project. I have hope coursing in my veins. I have the blind faith of a patriot. I believe that Jonathan holds the promise of this Greater Nigerian; for there is that thing about him that calls, and sobs, and clutches at the heart of every well-meaning Nigerian. There is something about him that rekindles the dying embers of nationalism in the breasts of every people, in Nigeria and beyond, who want the best for our country. In him we see an unyielding desire and thrusts to get our country working better. For I believe that he realizes that Providence has so positioned him for this task of taking Nigeria, at least if not to the land which our bounteous mineral resources and human capital promise us, somewhere very close to that.

In his ‘Prince’, Nicolo Machiavelli argues that for Moses to have shone the way he did, that there had to be Israel in Egypt. Then he went ahead to cite the instance of Cyrus and the Persians to further buttress the point that Providence so prepares a particular man for a specific job and that this man’s job would be the succor he would bring a people who had, all the while of his preparation, been having it very challenging in their aspects. So it seems to me that Jonathan is that man. I believe he knows he is that man.

The events which unfolded during his elections, the landslide victory, and the post election incidences, are to me, clear indicators of his being the one person Providence has prepared for this Job. His is one best of luck. For when he gets it correct, as I believe he would, his name would go into the records of history and he will be named in the same breath with those heroes of our National traditions. It would be said of him: that President that, working will well spirited Nigerians, changed the course of development of this nation. He has worked with, and is still working with, Nigerians that are young at heart. My meaning of ‘young at heart’ being those Nigerians that believe that the best is going to come out of Nigerian, whether they be old or not. This President paid tribute to ‘Da Grin’ of blessed memory at the 26th convocation ceremony of the University Of Port Harcourt; this President has been having interactive sessions with secondary school children; this President so embraced the entertainment industry and did something unprecedented and very sweet to them; this president made it possible that our name be de-listed from the USA’s ‘book’ of terrorists nations; I could go on and on but I would not want to set myself up to be shot-down by cynics and unbelievers in the Nigeria project who would shoot me with bullets of accusations of sycophancy. But I do not fear such accusations.

For if being a believer in this man, and by way of expressing that belief, giving him fires to achieve that which we expect from him is sycophancy, ever more, I would be sycophant. For our hero owes us obligation, both for our belief in him and for our votes at the election. Deep in our hearts we know that if he had not won in the last election, it would have left a very bitter taste in our mouths. Such knowledge can only be when there is belief in our hearts; when there is belief for this man.

So we see a willingness to carry every Nigerian along in President Jonathan. He has demonstrated to us that Power does not corrupt him. For he is still that gentle and unassuming man we saw as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State some years ago. He still retains that humility which so characterized the late President Y’adua and him. If only that humility could rub off on me, I would hug him as I would the Pillars of Hercules; as I would hug those Straits of Gibraltar. My earnest prayer is that Providence, which so made it possible for this man to be as tall as he is today, would take it as a duty to take me to this man.

Goodluck! Goodluck! I see you from my wondrous beautiful afar: I see you now. Everything in you inspires hope and holds promise: from your kindly and sympathetic visage, to your humble and gentle carriage. I have never seen you irritable. You have never demonstrated impatience. Your story is confirmation of the pronouncements of the inspired word of God, the Christian Bible, which concludes all under time and chance and the mercies of God Almighty. You are an expression of the earnest cravings of the most people of this country! For in you, our votes did find expression.

You are a complete product of the Nigeria project; born and bred in this nation; sustained by the lives in the rivers that spring from the Niger and the fingers of the Atlantic Ocean; schooled in our nation’s once very fine educational institutions and retuned to lecture in the same. You have demonstrated to those that were in doubt that something good could come out of this country, and have proved to the world that our country still produces people of unassailable and unpretentious character.

Greater, they say, is the doubt that grains from the inside. To those Nigerians that had given up hopes on Nigeria, you have been able to instill grains of hopes and those grains are growing into tress ready to bring forth fruits of confidence in and trust in the Nigeria process. Truly, you are a breath of fresh air and the heart beat of a process in motion; a personification of the Greater Nigeria project.

This Greater Nigeria is possible with Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. A Nigeria where the epileptic nature of electric supply, and the attendant very high toll it takes on investors and others doing business in Nigeria, would be stabilized to such an extent that there would be a very marked improvement. A Nigeria where subsequent elections would be an improvement on the marked achievements of the last general elections; elections in which every single vote shall count and the enthusiasm of Nigerians to vote would be distinctly gross. A Nigeria where our education system and standards would be raised to meet those of other developed nations so as to properly position our children to compete with others on the international scene and enable them make their contributions in the fields of economics, arts, medicine, architecture, pure science, mathematics, etc. A Nigeria with more solid banks and a wider economic base so as to relax the cut throat grip of oil on the economy. A Nigerian with finer agricultural institutions and facilities for proper, mechanized lager scale farming to aid the process of national development. A Nigeria with a finer and a better Health care delivery system, very minimal maternal, infant, under-5-mortalities and improved life expectancy. A health care delivery system that will be of the same high status as there are in developed countries. A Nigeria where the menace of unemployment will be reduced to the minimum and our youths and adults would be gainfully engaged. A Nigeria where the harmful exploratory excesses of the multinational oil companies would be stemmed and they would be obliged to operate in such a way that meets the bench mark of international standards of global best practices.

This is the kind of Nigeria, the Greater Nigeria, which we all desire to have and which we shall have; at least in our life times. For the process has already been started. The project is already in motion and with our continued support for the man who is at the centre of it all; we shall achieve our much craved end.

Like a snowball that becomes bigger the moment it is set in motion, so this process which has been started by Jonathan. The ball rolls on, picking momentum, gathering believers in its course; it rolls on, confident in the certainty of its victory, for the set time to favour Nigeria has come; it rolls on, shaking up all the strongholds of corruption, calling to itself people of a like mind; it rolls on, leaving in its wake, the manifestations of the truth that past is the era of having recourse to arms and violence on account of the merest trifles in the pretext of fighting a just cause; and who are the victims of these demonstrations of juvenile delinquency? Innocent youth-corpers, women and children, the very brothers and sisters they have known over the years; but on the ball rolls, singing out loud that a new page has been turned in the history of this nation that has been described as the giant of Africa not in vain; along, the ball continues, bringing to our remembrance the exertions and the labours of our heroes past and reminding us of their ideals for this nation even as it takes us closer to those ideals; along, this ball continues, the Greater Nigeria project; on this ball rolls, like a song which, to borrow from Nikolai Gogol, is carried along the whole length and breath, from sea to sea of this country, which echoes and re-echoes incessantly in the ears of the patriotic and progressive elements in Nigeria and in the Diasporas; on this ball rolls, the tiny spark that has started a prairie fire; on this ball rolls, defying the reservations of every tribal jingoist and every religious bigot, bonding together Christians and Muslims, Northerner and Southerner, confounding the speculations of the faithless elements, bringing to naught, the hopes of the ‘divisionist’ and secessionist elements among us; on, the ball rolls, and at the centre of it we see Goodluck- Sambo transforming Nigeria; on, this ball rolls, and a little away from the centre we see the likes of Gabriel Suswan of Benue State, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom State, Senator Bala Mohammed of the F.C.T. etc., staunch believers in the man Jonathan; on, the ball rolls, and at the very centre of this whole process, at the very heart beat of it is the man Jonathan smiling gently and beaming his benign audition upon me, this new and young ‘child’ that has joined his believers train; for that is about the best way I can demonstrate my appreciation of his charisma and my total support for the Goodluck-Samba transformation agenda; on, this ball continues even as I committedly follow it, as a mark of my earnest resolve to see the Greater Nigeria. And for that resolve, I scale every height of limitation and brave every odd to see that, in my own little way and by my own tiny contribution, the transformation agenda of Goodluck-Samba is realized. I ‘muscle’ every challenge that would keep me from contributing my own small quota in the realization of the Greater Nigeria Project, even as Dr. Jonathan ‘muscled’ obstacles to be elected President; thanks to all his believers, in the South and North, and especially former President Olusegun Obasanjo. For my nature is something in the line of those Chinua Achebe described in his ‘Anthills of the Savannah’ thus : “those who see no blot of villainy in the beloved oppressed, nor would grant the faintest glimmer of humanity to the hated oppressor are patriots, partisans, and party-liners. In the grand-finale of things, they will be received and lodged in comfort by the demigods of their single minded devotion. But it will not be in the complex and paradoxical concern of mother Idoto”.

Our devotion is single; A Greater Nigeria with Goodluck-Samba taking the lead.

And so the ball continues along; and that ball carries me along.

In his ‘Discourses on the first Ten Books of Titus Livy’, Machiavelli argues that it is essential that men who live together under any constitution should frequently have their attention called to themselves either by some external or by some internal occurrence. That when internal, such occurrences are usually due for some law which from time to time causes the members of this body to review their position; or again to some good man who arises in their midst and by his example and his virtuous deeds, produces the same effect as does the constitution.

In my own humble opinion, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan meets the requisite requirements for the station of that virtuous and good man to be held up as the model for us to call attention to ourselves. For as I mentioned earlier, who is more a Nigerian is Dr. Jonathan. He is typical of the new generation Nigerian and it is a great consolation that our generation can boast of the likes of him.

For as many as still have not accepted the Nigeria process, look upon Dr. Jonathan and take solace in his thrusts for a finer and more equitable and prosperous nation. Look upon Dr. Jonathan and see the prospects of A Greater Nigeria. For as many as need a hand to hold to strengthen their belief in this nation, take the extended hand of Goodluck-Sambo.

Let us all put in a little more effort in our thrusts to build this Greater Nigeria. Let us decorate our daily activities with a little more tinge of patriotism and commitment and follower-ship, even as Goodluck-Sambo pilot our nation to Greater status. This is the appeal I make to progressive and otherwise minded Nigerians. It is an appeal to your finer sides of judgment.

I speak the language of believers. I speak the language of all the seekers who retain their faith. I speak the voices of children. There is a lot I can offer this country; something in the line of Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; dogged in his patriotism and his resolve to raise the banking standards higher. That is the single mindedness I earlier mentioned. And, we, all of us together, believers in the Greater Nigeria, shall win! For we have a good cause and to crown it all, we have Goodluck: the heart beat of this process in motion!





Uku, Paxman Dandyson

Final year medical student

University of Port Harcourt

08066004809