Between change and continuity

Tuesday with dan onwukwe
08111813033
dan_onwukwe@yahoo.com
A giant electronic billboard with full portrait of the Presidential
candidate of the All Progressives Congress,Gen.Muhammadu
Buhari in Igbo traditional attire is mounted near the old gate
of Emmanuel College on Douglas road,Owerri,the Imo State
capital.It draws your attention.The words of the billboard
reads:”If anything goes wrong,I will take responsibility,and I
will fix it.That is what it takes to lead”.The message is all
about “Change”.What manner of change is APC talking about?
Perhaps a disruptive change,some pundit say.
On ther hand, major roads in the Imo State capital and across
the country are flooded with posters of President
Jonathan .The message on the President’s posters is
succinctly clear.One reads,”Support GEJ”. It’s about
continuity.Another message says :”if you have Gooluck,you
don’t need change”.That’s a call for continuity in the
President’s transformation agenda.Between Change and
Continuity, the difference is clear.
Heated arguments have become commonplace these days at
many popular points,markets, newstands,drinking pubs and
offices across the country.It’s a reflection of the divergent
opinions about the forthcoming elections,beginning with the
Presidential election.
Such is the hard choice facing over 68 million voters that are
expected to determine the fate of the two main Presidential
contenders. In this election,there are critical moments of truth
we cannot run away from.That raises the stakes even higher
than at any time in our election history.
For a President seeking re-election at such critical moment
could be a burden. But Jonathan has a lot to his credit going
into the election. So,how can the voters make the right
decision? I believe the record of accomplishments of each
candidate will play a major part on how voters cast their
votes. A lot of people are already asking,and with some
justification:Can Buhari be trusted to lead Nigeria and bring
about the “change” he is asking the electorate to make on
February 14? Trust involves presenting the facts before the
people in a coherent manner that people can see and
believe,just as politics requires that those who seek public
office should define themselves and where they stand on
important issues that affect the lives of the people.Buhari says
he has a vision of change in Nigeria.It’s centred around
combating corruption, insecurity unemployment and revamping
the economy.However,at every campaign rally,he has failed to
articulate coherently how he intends to bring this “change”
about.When he talks about change,his body language seems
to suggest taking the reins of power by force.He has also
threatened to clamp corrupt politicians into jail as part of that
change.And this sounds rather scary.The images and pains of
that period that he was in power still troubles the mind.Has
the leopard changed its skin? Public perception about Buhari,
and indeed, APC calls forth apprehension in the land. Key
questions in this election include: between Jonathan and
Buhari, who has a better vision for Nigeria?.Who can connect
more with the people,dispel their doubts and inspire them to
pursue their dreams? Who between the two has a more
realistic vision and a better record to run on? It is a fact that
the power to achieve results is always there for any leader to
use.The problem is how to apply this power to achieve
maximum result for the common good.
It must be said that the President Nigeria needs must be a
strong advocate of the rule of law and a committed
democrat,not a head-strong, wilful President. Buhari to me is
still unlearned in the nuances of democracy.So far,there’s no
assurance from him or his party that if given power he will not
be a sectional President.He has done little in this campaign to
convince Nigerians he has changed from the Buhari we knew
as a military Head of State or the man who in his previous
failed presidential attempts had incited his supporters to
resort to violence. This, in my opinion is where the odds
favour President Jonathan.He has said repeatedly that his
ambtion does not worth the blood of any Nigerian.That’s the
mark of a statesman,thinking beyond self. One thing is
clear:”The Presidency is not a prize to be won,but a duty to
be done”.These are the words of ex-U.S President,Gerald
Ford.Therefore,President Jonathan,more than any other
Presidential candidate is coming into the election with a
record of performance.The record is one of progress,not
platitudes.It is a record of accomplishments which he should
be proud to run on.This is what statisticians call “selection
bias”.It’s an advantage Jonathan has over his main
challenger.
In that respect,there are so much that President Jonathan
should be proud of.These can be found in many sectors.
But,first,the President should resist the urging of some
campaign advisers to go on the offensive and make Buhari the
main issue of the campaign.That will distract from the issues-
based campaign Nigerians expect in the elections.So far,the
President has refrained from making Buhari’s age,his alleged
health condition or the controversy over his academic
qualification campaign issues. Doing so will be of little
importance.
But as said ,Jonathan has a record of performance that can
get him re-elected.This is regardless of the security challenges
in the North . The present insecurity predates Jonathan’s
administration.It needs the cooperation of all to defeat the
Boko Haram insurgents.Good performance remains the key
any President can use to lock up any challenger. The
achievements of Jonathan in the last four years have been
grossly under-reported.I have said this before:I am not
playing politics when I say these things.It is giving due to one
who deserves it.I see President Jonathan as a humble,
rational and result-oriented,transformational,listening leader
who prefers that his accomplishments speak for him. The
problem however is that the opposition party,APC has
mischievously chosen to see the President as an
Alchemist,someone with an extraordinary capacity to deal
simultaneously with many complex situations at multiple
levels at the same time.He cannot be.
The truth is that power makes good works possible.As one
writer puts it,”power brings love and gratitude which then
provides the inspiration and vitality for further works”. But
some people have deliberately refused to acknowledge and
appreciate the administration’s accomplishments.That’s bad
politics. It will be unfair not to admit that, on a scale of
performance,this President has done more than his two
immediate predecessors in office. These are evident in the
areas of social infrastructure like road network, rail system,oil
and gas sector, healthcare,education,just to mention a
few.These achievements are not photo-shopped or internet
make-believe.They are real.The economy is in straits, no
doubt, but despite the current falling oil prices,Nigeria remains
the largest economy in Africa,measured by Gross Domestic
Product(GDP).Also in education, our universities and tertiary
institutions have received a boost through generous financial
interventions that have impacted on our higher institutions. I
am particularly impressed with the “Almajiri” education
programme aimed at improving access to education and
reducing the number of out-of-school children in the North.It
is one initiative that no previous government thought about.
This is the first time in as many years that petroleum products
are readily available to consumers.Only yesterday,government
reduced the pump price of fuel to N87,from N97 per litre.In the
power sector,no previous administration has done . Experts
have also hailed reforms in the agriculture sector as one of
the diversification efforts of theeconomy beyond oil.Everything
seems to point to food sufficiency soon if government
maintains the momentum. Available statistics from the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture,indicate that the sector is currently the
largest contributor to the non-oil sector.For
example,government’s ‘cassava revolution’ is projected to
bring revenue in excess of N127bn in foreign exchange every
year. In the public sector,the Integrated Personnel and
Payment Information System(IPPIS),a biometric innovation
introduced in 2011 is said to have drastically reduced
corruption in the public service.Billions of naira is reported to
have been saved.
These are records President Jonathan can run on and
win.But,the President must work harder to restore confidence
in the populace.