Blogger's Comment, March 29, 2015
- 12 Noon, Central Time.
President Jonathan of Nigeria is
at the moment contending gracefully with the strangest and fiercest political
battle of his life, not necessarily due to performance deficits as a President,
but for self-inflicted wounds: communication, communication, communication.
That President Jonathan is inscrutable is not a misstatement. Besides, he surrounded himself, time and time
again, with bunch of quota imposed advisers who are not known to be openly
supportive of the Presidency that they serve.
And a docile Presidential Team who had difficulties grasping or
appreciating the concept and the enormous power of the bully pulpit at their
command. Simply put, there was no excitement at Aso Rock - the citadel of
power. Nigerians are inherently boisterous. They cherish a performing President
Jonathan who is gregarious; not loud, but one who exudes aura, power and
gravitas. Indeed, Jonathan did perform, but he didn't lead; thus, making an
easy win in the ongoing Presidential Election improbable. We saw it coming, and
we wrote about it three years ago. President Obama reinvented himself, the
narrative, and his campaign team, and they secured a landslide victory during
the 2012 Presidential election. President Jonathan and his team did not - they
waited until two months to the election.
The Piece Below was First
Published on May 14, 2012.
President George Bush ruled
America for eight years, in spite of the much satirized communication
deficiencies. President Bush had the ultra-partisan Vice President (Dick
Cheney), a man full of bile and venom and a team of White House operatives who
do not have problem slamming members of the opposition and the news media below
the belt. And of course, the unconditional support of FOX News Network - the
mouth piece of the conservatives and by extension, the Republican Party. They
succeeded in convincing the America people and Congress that Millionaires
deserve tax break even when America was fighting two wars. And they made
Senator John Kerry - a man who fought for his country and was awarded Purple
Heart - to defend his patriotism when he ran unsuccessfully against President
Bush in the 2004 Presidential election.
President Clinton had Paul
Begala, George Stephanopoulos, Rahm Emanuel, John Podesta, Erskine Bowles, Dee
Dee Myers, James Carville, just to name a few. These guys were not Ministers,
PhDs or Professors while serving under President Clinton. They were highly
dedicated Technocrats and policy wonks who - as die hard supporters of the
President - spit fire and brimstone at political opponents systematically and
with devastating precision. They had a firm grasp of how President Clinton’s
mind works, his vision for American people and where he is going. They know the
issues, they have the facts, and they were on top of the game. In the height of
President Clinton impeachment trial, Mr. James Carville came out on TV to
declare war on Kenneth Star - the callous Independent Counsel who shamelessly
turned White Water investigation into a sex scandal.
Granted President Jonathan cannot
be President Clinton, but his administration certainly needs a mature voice –
not press releases or rejoinders – but a policy wonk who has a firm grasp of
what PDP wants to accomplish and where President Jonathan is taking the
country. I want to read Vice President
Sambo's view and position on specific issues. I want to read from the Economic
Adviser. I want to see the face of the President's Energy czar on TV,
explaining before the nation how the scams that depleted the subsidy regime
funds was so easy to execute and how the President and his administration want
to fix the problems. Nigerians are tired of Press Releases by the Media Adviser
to the President. They want to see action.
The Chief Press Secretary or
Media Adviser to the President is what it says it is – he is not a politician
or a policy person, he is the voice and spokesperson of the President on
developing issues. He is not the economic adviser, and certainly not the energy
adviser or energy czar of the administration. The Director of Communication is
the politician, the policy guru – who knows the nitty-gritties of governance
and the position of the party on specific issues. He or she manages the flow of
information, the talking points within and outside of Aso Rock. Mr. Abati is
doing a good job as a media adviser. He is a news analyst – a writer; he is not
your Odia Ofeinmu, Duro Onabule, Chinweizu, Stanley Macebuh, Paul Begala, James
Carville, or Ari Fleischer. He is
certainly not your Chuba Okadigbo or Uba Ahmed. You don’t have to like these
two guys, but they served President Shehu Shagari very well in dealing with
members of the opposition. So, where are President Jonathan's men?
I remember in 1993 when President
Bill Clinton had to send his Vice President, Al Gore to CNN Larry King Live to
debate the garrulous Ross Perot. I remember the debate vividly. I was a student
in Nigeria. As an unrepentant admirer and supporter of President Bill Clinton,
I didn't want to miss any bit of the debate... I honestly thought that
President Clinton was committing a political suicide for allowing Al Gore to
debate Mr. Perot, given what Mr. Perot did to President George Bush Sr in the
1992 Presidential 3-way debates. ...
As calculated by President
Clinton and his new administration, the debate was the best thing that happened
to them in their first year in office. Al Gore decimated Ross Perot beyond
redemption ... Not surprising, President Clinton and his administration had a
fulfilled first term in office.
I am not asking for President
Jonathan's men or any President to descend on their political opponents and
decimate them, but to raise public awareness of what the administration is
doing and where it is going on specific issues that matter to Nigerians the
most. Enough of Press Releases. It shows naiveté in public affairs commentary.
Follower-ship is about trust.
People must believe in you. Without that, no amount of paid adverts or press
releases can buy public sympathy and acceptance. Even in faraway Nigeria and in
the very first year of President Bill Clinton in the US, I could feel his
passion for real leadership, and his genuine commitment to do good for the
people. Nigerians must feel that you care.
In 1992, not wanting to be left
out of the Clinton phenomenon, I had to risk my School Fees to buy a Satellite
Cable Receiver at Alaba Market and had it installed in my elder brother's house
in Lagos. In that case, whenever I am home on weekend or during holiday, I
always have President Clinton on top of my hand. Call it fanaticism, if you want, but I call
it loyalty.
Growing up, I had to buy every
book, magazine, article, journal, etc., written by Chief Obafemi Awolowo as
well as those written by other people
about him in order to have an independent knowledge of him besides his
accomplishments and public service credentials as told by my Mother - a huge
fan and supporter of the sage. I became an admirer of Awo in no time - not
letting any opportunity slip by without standing for him, defending him, or
setting the record straight, or injecting stories of his accomplishments into discussions,
with a convincing pride. It is not fanaticism; it is trust in the man and trust
in his leadership.
Governance is a fiduciary
responsibility – it connotes a duty of care - an utmost good faith on the part
of the elected representatives and their paid special advisers. The President
should look inward and ask his men the simple question: are we living up to our
promise, and are we serving the Presidency and the people as expected of a
prudent fiduciary? Of what political merit is retaining a Special Adviser if
his or her counsel is of little or no relevance in your decision making
process?
This administration has
communication problem and that to a significant degree is responsible for the
unguided utterances often credited to the President. Adding to that, President
Jonathan does not command the sort of media respect and support that President
Obama has. Therefore, it is left to him and his administration to find their
voice and find it fast in the crazy cacophony occasioned by Rep Lawan's report on
the petroleum subsidy scam.
Granted it is not humanly
possible to guide against gaffe at impromptu press briefings, but only the
President, by himself, and himself only, can develop the craftsmanship of
President Bill Clinton and the eloquence and audacity of President Barack
Obama. It requires constant reading. And it is about knowledge. The New York
Times is a must read for every American President first thing in the morning.
President Jonathan can elevate
his game and relevance by skimming, at least three Nigerian national newspapers
every morning before proceeding to work. Adding to that, a copy of The
Economist magazine must always be by his bedside. Not just to keep abreast of
the latest development in the business World at home and abroad, but for an
overall philosophical and intellectual enrichment. The President can also arrange for mock
debates, at least once every two months, with his closest confidants on both
domestic and international issues as if he is preparing to debate President
Barack Obama or planning a tete-a-tete with his number one nemesis - Mr. Sonala
Olumhense. I am not being sarcastic; the President should endeavor to embrace
the concept of content management and transcribe it into politics and
governance; enmesh himself in philosophical reawakening, focusing on the
nitty-gritty of political economy and public affairs.
When the President's men are
missing, only the President can up his game. There is no short cut to vision.
Right now, something isn't right in Nigeria. And the people are yearning for a
change, looking for a great leader to lead and restore hope in a dispirited
populace.
It’s all about knowing little
about most things; how to communicate, improve on what you know and how to
express yourself in simple, yet mature syntax. It's all about awareness of what
great leaders do and what they read. Ask President Bill Clinton. President
Jonathan has the resources and men and women to transform himself and mission
of his administration, and do for Nigeria what President Bill Clinton did for
American people and what Awo did for Western Region of Nigeria. It's all about
the reading, because it makes the man.
NB
I also do believe that President
Obama's men are missing in action. This is the time to stand out and stand
partisan. This is the time to put a lie to all the Republican lies and
mudslinging. This is the time to talk about Governor Romney's performance or
lack of it, while he was the Governor of the great Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
