Nigeria: Arise O Compatriots

Arise O Compatriots

If there was ever a time for Nigerians to come out and demonstrate for the good and progress of the country, the time is now.

It is not a time to wait and observe hoping things would turn out right, for months the executive has been incapacitated until the legislature was literally embarrassed into creating precedent whilst the judiciary doled out periods of grace that offered no foreseeable closures.

This time, the battle lines are clear, we have to accept that President Yar’Adua is really history as far as his position is concerned; the need for him to resign or be impeached would just be an energy-sapping exercise of no beneficial value to the country.

Nigeria must be run

The ship of state must run and we now have someone at the helm, with the nominal title of Acting President, but there is no doubt that he is substantive President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He himself should know that he has the opportunity to do something for Nigeria, either for the good or the bad, one cannot say, but to know that he has the support of the nation in this interesting circumstances would be useful and hopeful persuade him of the better nature of using power with wisdom, honesty, fairness, justice and modesty.

President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved the Federal Executive Council yesterday, we might well speculate on why he did and what he wanted to achieve, I think it is clear that he found them hostile and probably uncommitted to whatever agenda he had for Nigeria such that change was necessary.

Surely, he must have considered the cost of redeployments with that council he had over creating a new one and decided it was better that he have one shaped according the ideas he has for the country.

Get the Senate working for their pay

As usual, some have already defaulted to type and considered the Nigerian Senate the most insurmountable obstacle to progress on selecting a new council in that they would have to be bribed, cajoled, railroaded or more.

Let us look at it from a different perspective, the members of the Nigerian Senate are probably the most well paid public servants in the country with the most lucrative perks that very successful global entrepreneurs would dream of having, it is time for them to earn their keep.

That is where Nigerian pressure should now be exerted for compel the Nigerian Senate not to hinder and obstruct the smooth running of the ship of state for personal aggrandisement, the quest for influence and opportunity and corrupt merchandising.

The placards, the protests, the demonstrations, the commentaries, the news, the blogs, the activism should be targeted that the non-objective special interests that have held Nigeria back for decades – no more business as usual, this is no time for largesse and filling pockets, this is the time for Nigeria and for the good.

Get the Senate working overtime

Once the names as submitted and the people are considered satisfactory they should be approved and allowed to get on with the job and all this should be done within a month not drawn out incessantly for show and disruption.

It is time for the Nigerian Senate to earn their keep, if they have to have 16-hour days and no holidays or recesses until the ministers are fully vetted and approved, then so be it.

Block the gates of the National Assembly and prevent them from going home until they have done their work before they return to their cosy palaces paid for by the sweat and toil of longsuffering Nigerians who have endured so much indifferent abuse of power without accountability.

Get everyone who has a voice speaking up for the ship of the state to be well oiled with all hands on deck and everyone who has something to do diligently pushing for the good, break the monopoly of power held by unreasonable and unconscionable influences especially that of the PDP and its perverse constitution or gentleman’s agreement.

The new council may not have saints

I would presume the Presidential Advisory Council was already well at work at choosing suitable ministers, the council is comprised for some quite eminent Nigerians, well that is the sort we have, they are not saints – the good thing is that the ruling party did not have too much influence in that selection and hopefully would not have that influence in this case.

The so-called forum of governors have no business interfering with federal matters and it is time the people in the states reacted to get the governors to concentrate on the managing their states than meddling in extra-constitutional matters – they have not of the influence they portend to exert apart from that for the ill of the country.

Support the leader

President Jonathan is the man in charge, we have no alternatives, he would rule or lead as the office he holds confers, and the least he can ask for is support and prayers of the great people of Nigeria he has by circumstance found himself in front of.

I think that is goal to march for and I do hope that we can all rally round our President to wish him well and good luck in this accidental job, he has a year, let us give him a good year and let history judge if he used it well.

In the words of our national anthem – Arise O compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey.