One of the tell-tale signs of a government at odds with itself is the outbreak of paranoia within its ranks. Outbreaks of this nature often infect the apparatus and body of government, to such an extent, that its different parts become suspicious of one another. And rather than cooperate in their dealings with one another, they instead, operate at cross purposes, causing major dysfunction to their operations. Such that, the right hand no longer knows what the left hand is doing and vice versa; its eyes begin to envision imaginary things, becoming suspicious of its own shadow; while its feet attempt to walk in opposing directions; but most worryingly of all, a disconnection occurs between the heart and mind of the government de-coupling its soul from its body, and causing it to lose sight of its way. In such circumstances, it is no surprise that such a government, very quickly, becomes overwhelmed to the degree of its dysfunction, thereby becoming unable to function in the behalf of the people it is supposedly represents.
Unfortunately, since the inception of this present government, one distraction after another has occurred to take its focus away from its mission to repair, redirect, and reposition the nation on the path of prosperity. These distractions have also had the effect of laying the government open to a charge of ineptitude, by reason of its pace of action; a position which is now compounded by an internal lack of trust and a failure of confidence at its heart. For a government that is yet to reach its half way mark in office, it is a troubling development. For if the president is unable to repose his trust in those proximate to him, how can he conceivably be expected to trust those who are distant to him, but upon whom he has to rely for the delivery of his programmes.
If things are really how they seem to be, then the president is in a bind and he needs to get himself unfastened quickly. But how did things come to be the way they are? One of the key problems facing the government – and which is entirely of its own making – is its failure, right from the outset of its administration, to set and promote its agenda. By reason of this omission, it now finds itself regularly distracted, and dictated to, by events, leaving it in a reactive, rather than pro-active position.
Much of the problem facing the government has to do with the quality or lack thereof, of the personnel surrounding the president; personnel of which, he must have a hand in appointing. It is clear that their impact is not being felt within the aisles of power, leaving one with the impression that they are either: too timid; or too indolent; or lacking in ideas and confidence; or simply not up to the job of pushing forward and defending the government’s agenda. It is this failure also that has left the president exposed to the charge of being out of his depth in relation to the challenges of Nigeria.
Such that, the president now carries about his person the unflattering epithet of ‘Baba Go Slow.’ An epithet which was never once ascribed to Alhaji Shehu Shagari nor General Sani Abacha, neither of whom were known for their dynamism while in office. It must be embarrassing for the president that this epithet has been allowed to stick and now hangs around his neck like an albatross.
From the outset, this labelling of the president should have been rebutted by his aides, through a demonstration of the initiatives and activities that occupy the president’s time. But rather than do this, matters were left to fester and were further compounded by the president’s implicit and explicit acceptance of the premise of the contention that he is lacking in dynamism.
If by accepting this premise, the president thought he was being transparent, it was a mistake. For in the eyes and ears of the people it came across as an express admission that he is being overwhelmed by the intricacies of his brief; thus raising questions as to his preparedness and suitability for office. It also raises questions as to competence of his key staff and their capacity to generate ideas in order to move things forward and his receptiveness to such ideas. Could it be that his key staff are too awe struck by their proximity to presidential power to be able to feed through their input? Or are they simply incapable of generating ideas that are able to meet up to the challenges the nation faces? Whichever of these is the case; it leaves the nation with much to be concerned about.
It is no secret that the president health is not what he would like it to be, and no one I imagine blames him for this. In matter of fact, I suspect that most Nigerians would much rather a president who is not a hundred percent fit, than one who is, but who is also corruption personified, much like some of the ones who have ruled and damaged Nigeria in time past. Better an impaired president than a corrupt one.
In this regard, no matter how uncomfortable it is for the president, he would be best advised from now on to be transparent with the people about his periodic medical treatments. Leaving the matter to the realms of speculation can only do him more harm than good in the long run. Nigerians, as he must now know, excel at the art of generating rumours. And so much better, it will be for him to control the flow information on this subject, than for others to do so. He must be aware, that he has been ‘interred’ more than once by professional purveyors of rumours in Nigeria.
Speculation regarding the above subject may be what is responsible for recent reports regarding the prescription, and administration, of oaths of secrecy upon staff in the presidency. One would have thought that such oaths, as prescribed by law, were par for the course, as far as holders of sensitive position in governments are concerned. And in the light of this, there should be no imputation of anything sinister to such a development.
But what there does seem to be something very sinister about, are the suggestions in the press, that some members of the government may be the subject of clandestine eavesdropping operations by security forces. If this is the case, then it is a worrying development and symptomatic of a state of paranoia at the heart of the government and it really ought not to be so. If the president has any doubts about the loyalty of any of his appointees, then he should dispense with their services forthwith.
Such clandestine activity belongs on the pages of political thrillers, and not in the corridors of power. If true, such activity will prove to be counterproductive and only succeed in engendering an atmosphere of fear and mistrust across the government. All it will end up doing is undo the government’s best efforts, as concerns for self preservation will override any other considerations. It will also repel the very talent that it needs to attract into its fold; particularly if it is serious about bringing about positive and meaningful change to the nation.
When things go wrong in politics it is tempting to become paranoid and suspicious of the motives of the people around one. The president must know where he stands and stand where he knows in order not to fall prey to this destructive mindset. He needs to set firm performance targets for all his aides and ministers. And should they fail to measure up to them, he should not fail to let them down and out of his government.
Nigerians demand that their president be clear minded in the pursuit of the functions of his office. Any signs suggestive of his having succumbed to paranoia will only serve to erode confidence in him and his government. He must resist this temptation at all cost.
And as for anyone in his government whose loyalty he doubts, rather than bug them, he should tell them to bugger off.
