Nigeria: Inauguration – in Search of an Agenda for Jonathan

Leadership (Abuja)

Stanley Nkwocha

28 May 2011

As President Goodluck Jonathan is sworn in tomorrow as the 14th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, STANLEY NKWOCHA discusses what could easily pass as the average Nigerian’s expectation of the incoming administration. Beyond the fanfare tomorrow is the quest for quick redirection of the course of the nation’s ship.

It will not be an understatement to postulate that the Nigerian nation has not had it quite good, both for its citizenry and as an entity over the years, as the mismanagement of resources and frittered goodwill have characterised the country’s governance and leadership.

It must be stated that since stepping into the presidential shoes of the nation following the unfortunate demise of late President Umaru Yar’Adua, President Jonathan has operated in a more engaging and entrepreneurial manner that suggests he is poised to redefine the course of leadership in the country. The president must thus vindicate the hope entrusted in him by being a transformational leader that works very hard to change the unsettling realities of a nation fast sliding into a failed state and tops all indices of bad governance, ranging from the absence of pipe borne water, bad roads, electricity, dysfunctional schools, hospitals and mass unemployment.

Statistically, Nigeria also has the 2nd highest poverty rates in the world, the highest global incidence of diseases such as polio, the 2nd highest road accident rate in the world, the 2nd lowest life expectancy in the world, and ofcourse, tops the list as the most corrupt country in the world. These are grim statistics indicative of Nigeria’s steep decline into a failed state and underscores the urgency and importance of a new deal from President Goodluck Jonathan to address these issues.

The colour and texture of the president’s next cabinet will ultimately indicate to Nigerians the kind of government we should see. To signal a change from the decadent past, President Jonathan should constitute a cabinet of technocrats and other such persons of proven integrity and competence to drive core and critical sectors of the economy. This is so as Nigeria must be geared towards attaining greater heights in the near future.

Over the years, needless to say that what has kept Nigerians in almost a static state while countries of same generation have since progressed to the next stage is the lacklustre appointments which have been based on political, religious and personal leanings, thereby instilling laxity on the system. It is high time professionals and seasoned administrators of repute were brought on board to take the nation to its promised land.

The army of millions of unemployed youths without any means of income is a time bomb which explosion will spared no one. Massive infrastructural development and other public works programmes that will repair and build new roads, hospitals, schools, water generation and distribution schemes etc, will significantly create jobs. The president should also consider creating a committee on direct labour that will register unemployed youths in every state. The committee could be used at lower costs to carry out public works on a recurrent basis.

Nothing has devastated the nation as much as corruption. It has single-handedly destroyed every national institution and brought the nation to her knees. In spite of the monumental destruction corruption has wrought on the nation, there has been no genuine and effective strategy to decisively combat it. There is a general consensus that the war on corruption is largely a sham. President Goodluck Jonathan must demonstrate a determination to combat corruption by sponsoring a bill to create time limit for special criminal courts or tribunals to adjudicate and dispense with corruption cases within a maximum of 6 months with stiffer sentences, including capital punishment.

The absence of a data base in Nigeria has made it impossible for effective planning and the creation of social order. President Goodluck Jonathan must now take advantage of the digital age to modernise the art of governance by carrying out a comprehensive biometric registration of every Nigerian. It is recommended therefore that every state set up civic registration centres, where all residents of the state will register for a biometric identity card by having their fingerprints, digital photographs and other personal details captured and stored in a database and an identity card issued as proof of registration. A unique lifelong social security number should be assigned to every registered resident. To facilitate registration and issuance of identity cards, the federal government can contract or partner with private IT companies to set-up database logistics and commence registration of all residents in the respective states.

To make sure that everyone registers, identity cards should be made compulsory by law and also tied to accessing public services such as hospitals, schools etc. The law should make it mandatory for every resident of the state from 16 years of age to carry an identity card at all times. It should be an offence punishable with up to 1 year in prison or the payment of a fine not to carry an identity card.

President Goodluck Jonathan should also pass a social welfare bill which will guarantee the payment of some monthly allowances to unemployed graduates and the setting up of vocational training centres for other categories of unemployed persons. The social welfare bill should also cover the provision of housing and basic medical care for poor and low income earners. Funding for the social welfare or social security programme can be derived by introducing a national social security tax which all corporate organisations and workers will contribute to. A marginal social security tax can also be introduced in the sale of alcohol and petroleum products. A national annual property tax and car road tax by the federal government and state governments can also be introduced. Account holders and bank card holders should also pay marginal annual social security taxes as part of widened tax initiatives to pool resources to fund the social welfare programmes.

Nigeria is experiencing the worst security crisis in her entire history, which has, amongst so many other challenges, recently progressed to include bombings. The protection of life and property is the most fundamental constitutional responsibility of governments anywhere in the world. President Goodluck Jonathan must give security the priority it deserves so that social order can be restored across the nation. A practical first step to reforming the Nigerian police is the introduction of benchmarking and accountability. The Nigerian police has practically collapsed due to corruption and lack of accountability. Reforming the police must thus begin by introducing accountability in the police.

Police commissioners, divisional police officers and zonal commanders should henceforth be promoted or demoted through specific benchmarks. Police formations should be re-organised and properly equipped with vehicles, mobile communication gadgets and given specific benchmarks of crime control within their jurisdictions. Any divisional police officer, police commissioner or zonal commander that falls short of the stated benchmarks in their respective jurisdictions should be removed and possibly demoted. This initiative of accountability which was used successfully in New York will almost immediately begin to produce results as respective police officers will become more disciplined and determined to combat, and thus drastically reduce crime.

Science has made it easier to fight crime. Forensic laboratories should be established in each of the six zones for proper investigation of crimes, and electronic tagging should be introduced for bailed offenders. CCTV cameras should be installed in all public places and major highways as part of an overall security anti- terrorism strategy.

The state security service (SSS) has become a largely ineffective and comatose organisation, yet it is supposed to function like the American FBI in intelligence gathering and crime fighting. President Goodluck Jonathan should set up a committee to the root and branch re-organisation of the SSS to make it a more accountable and functional organisation that functions properly in intelligence gathering, crime fighting and other complementary efforts in the restoration of social order across the nation.

In the next four years, if the massive support accorded President Jonathan does not equate visible transformation and measurable success, then it needs not be mentioned that Nigerians would be disappointed; and regrettably, the president would have missed the opportunity to make bold, his footprints on the precious sand of time. And the nation cannot afford this.

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