Why Mr. President Must Not Allow Sanusi Go!
By
Ibraheem A. Waziri
iawaziri@yahoo.com
LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPER, Monday, January 20, 2014, Page 35
I am having a good laugh at the unfolding drama! There are indeed no snipers that are organized by Mr. President to strike out some 1000 prominent Nigerians in preparation for 2015 elections. The fact is, if some 1000 prominent Nigerians are to commit suicide between now and the election time, Nigeria will be embroiled in a war. If they are to be assassinated by a suspected sniper the war will simply be indefinite and the casualties will be overwhelming in such a way that there will be nobody left to enjoy whatever the spoils of the after-war will be like. In that, I simply do not see any reason why Jonathan Goodluck would want such situation imposed on Nigeria. The snipers, sincerely, are very unfriendly to these climes, times and the political players at the center.
But since in war and love all is said to be fair – even if the war is a political battle and the love is the love of power – it becomes right that a charge akin to that of the snipers on a mission to do the prescribed deed, should be labeled against an obviously confused and un-focused political camp in order to cripple it further. Nasiru El-Rufai, in some report, even claimed to be number seven in the list of those targeted by the sting of the lurking sniper!
Yes, Mr. President’s camp is confused and very much in short of the needed focus to manage the present realities and live above its circumstances. In jitters it denied the charges regarding the snipers but went short of admitting other justified charges against it. As if that is not enough, it continued taking impulsive decisions such as calling for the CBN Governor to resign before the expiration of his tenure. There is a widely shared report of a telephone conversation between Mr. President and the CBN Governor that left the President being stood up to (ThisDay Newspaper, 9th January, 2014). It is a good evidence of his confusion that he at the first place initiated an altercation that he knew may reach public glare without foreseeing that he actually could lose on his expressed wish.
One may see this as something very unbecoming of the office of Mr. President but in truth it is the actual reality of leadership and responsibility. In responsibility that involves a lot of souls and especially to the tune of 167 million, the bearer cannot help but to get confused easily and no matter how strong and sober they may be. The sharp edge of conscience will be constantly pricking them as much as the pull towards their instinctive guilt. They want to hear only a word of praise from everybody close and everywhere around. Unfortunately those among their closest comrades who place more value for self-survival then what is in the best interest of the country, take advantage of such fears and insecurities and paint every of the leaders’ missteps as glorious and extra smart. As a result the leaders feel most consoled and draw them closer. In contrast those with constructive, blunt and sincere criticism, still played on the same insecurities though, are easily regarded as not loyal, enemies of the political regime and unrepentant saboteurs.
Yet, in truth leaders who have left permanent and very influential footprints in history are leaders who successfully lived above the storm of insecurities generated by the burden of responsibility. They felt the constant pricking of the sharp edge of their conscience; they tended to the hard pull of their instinctive guilt; they saw the need to console themselves with the, always, insincere and patronizing commentaries of their comrades; they were tormented by the desire to distant themselves from all hard and fair critics of their regimes. But they also were able to muster the strength to live above all these, swallowed the bitter pill of positive criticisms, carried out tough decisions and went with the people that did not seem to love them but could be sincere in the discharge of all responsibilities given to them.
For the remaining years of Mr. President to bear the desired fruits he has to have this truth reflecting in his actions and decisions. Among his appointees, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has displayed a remarkable feet at being able to face him and tell him the truth as he saw it fit. He’s never been found wanting in the discharge of his responsibility. His patriotism, so far as it could be seen, is unquestionable. He can be loyal to a fault but keep the right issues on the burner.
Of course Sanusi may have said he didn’t want an extension as the CBN governor; he may have expressed a desire to retire from public service early in life. But he also has made constant reference to his priorities in good sense of patriotism. These are the same reasons why he should be easily cajoled to continue in cabinet even if at different capacity. For it is those who have grown over the desire to be around somewhere that eventually deliver the most positive result when circumstances conspire to keep them around that same somewhere.
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