CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT AND 6YRS SINGLE TERM:- OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT GEJ

Some months back while reading a column in one of Nigeria dailies, a columnist described true leadership as “realizing the depth of challenges facing one's nation and challenging yourself to rise to the challenge".

I ask a question, if this thought is way near anything called truth, do we call President Goodluck Jonathan a True Leader. I guess not. My reasons are simple and clearly visible, GEJ appears to be static always in a State of Inertia, wanting to be pushed and pulled around before he does something meaningful, all the above mentioned attributes are those of a confused man, not even a Bad Leader.

GEJ is the subject of my writing, because he committed a taboo, he did what even OBJ in all his illiterate life wouldn’t dare to do, how would he propose a 6yr single term for Presidents and Governors at this point in time. Mind you the idea is good his argument even better but his timing was totally wrong, Nigerians aren’t interested in such frivolities.

Our perpetually block-head politicians need to realize that we aren’t concerned with frivolities anymore, we focus now on priorities, the issues of single term or double term is not a pertinent issue now, we won’t cry if it works or not, but we would definitely suffer if the socio-economic issues are not trashed out and long-lasting solution found. Imagine Lagos-Ibadan road in a perpetual state of decay, Benin-Ore road almost impassable, most Federal roads are totally in a state of absolute putrefaction and somebody in talking about single or double term, see what our constant silence has cost us, I hate this idea of being a Christian means we should not ask or fight for our right, after-all in the first instance the constitution clearly states that anybody in power was elected by common will of the populace, so why can’t we reap the “Fruits of our Labor”, my friend once told me we are not entitled to any fruit, because we planted none (laughs).

Back to the issue, why dwell on tenure elongation or  the guise now used single term vs double term, when the Education standard in the country is nothing to write home about, Economic Situation is very poor despite our excess crude revenue, more than 80% of our over 150million people live on less than 1 US Dollar a day, even a church rat would attest to the increasing rate of poverty in the country, clean and portable drinking water is exclusively for the rich, why chase useless issue when Boko Haram is making my University’s Security chain look like CIA operatives, when compared to our Almighty Nigeria Police Force(NPF) and even under-performing Secret Service, why pursue single tenure system when the populace are concerned with Poor Health issues and standards, malaria is giving the government a hell of a day when it can be totally wiped out, why concern us with a boring topic when our Transportation system is in a messy state, railway contracts just like every other contracts has been given out but execution is what is lacking, why bother us with such nonsense when graduates find it hard to get a  real means of livelihood not to talk of illiterates ( rising Unemployment), the few available jobs are given to the highest bidder not the Brightest individual ( Constant Corruption), why concern yourself with that topic when Babatunde Raji Fashola who is visibly doing a better job is not bothering himself with such issues, the BRF issue would be definitely hard to comprehend if one is not a keen disciple of politics like my humble self, but breaking it down, President GEJ in his argument for a 6yr single term implied that 4yrs is too small to deliver dividends of democracy, however looking at Babatunde Raji Fashola’s achievement and that of other Governors both Incumbent and former, Governors Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi Bukola Saraki, Olusegun Osoba, and Chris Ngige quells such rumor

President Goodluck Jonathan why bother yourself with 6yrs single term with so much passion if you are sure you won’t run.

  I really doubt that, especially based on the fact that you belong to People Destructive Party (PDP), who knows GEJ might be saying the truth and might have a pure altruistic reason, however Nigerian Politicians have shown us time and time again that the most expensive commodities in their market are Truth, Transparency and Honesty and only for this reasons will I disagree with President GEJ because He is No Better than Them.

The argument for and against the motion is still very hot but whatever the outcome, hope it means well for the Ordinary Nigerian if not then I say NO to it.

The argument President GEJ brought to the offing against MY Counter Argument.

1)    GEJ: The President’s patriotic zeal and the belief that the constitutionally guaranteed two terms for presidents and governors is not helping the focus of governance and institutionalization of democracy in the country.

 Counter Argument: In essence the 2 terms of 4yrs each is too small to deliver dividends of democracy, somebody must be kidding me, if it is too small for you then please find another JOB, it is not a must to serve your father’s land, there are many people who wish they had such opportunity.

2)    GEJ: The president was said to be concerned about the acrimony which the issue of re-election, every four years, generates.

Counter Argument: acrimony? Yes elections are always acrimonious because majority of people seeking election into such office are going there to feed their stomach and that of their families and trusted friends and associates, 2 terms of 4yrs each or 6yrs single term cannot stop their aims nor objectives, if a person really wants to serve he cannot agitate, fight or even kill for it, a desperate politician is a dangerous politician

3)    GEJ: The cost of conducting party primaries and the general elections, the president reasoned, have become too high for the economy to accommodate every four years.

Counter Argument: yes the cost of conducting general elections is high, because our lack of maintenance culture is killing us, 2 years from now, ask for the DDC (Direct Data Capture) machines, laptops, webcams used to conduct 2011 general elections and see if they can be found, they are either damaged or sold off and the money pocketed and someone there is telling me that cost of election is rising. Why put cost of conducting party primaries, is that the duty of the Federal Government, can someone see what I am seeing? So party primaries now are included in the FG’s annual Budget, cool, and the cost is rising? Why can’t the Economy accommodate it after-all we no dey chop from the Excess Crude Account, where is the money? In Your pocket or that of other fellow Poli-thief-cians?

I am not saying that His Idea or “Their” Idea is totally rubbish; I’m just giving my candid and honest view about it because it didn’t seek to remedy the pertinent issues about economy, health, poverty, unemployment, education, transportation that people are interested in. So why chase the idea of 6yrs single term when clearly it is no better than the 2terms of 4yrs each constitutionally enshrined.

It’s high time we wake up and stand to be counted, we cannot just fold our hands and allow our country to be run by an invisible Naira and Dollar-sucking Cabal to the detriment of our own survival, we made the country what it is, why can’t we “at least” feed on the left-over’s and crumbs.

I conclude by taking a Proverb I saw on Sun Newspapers, it is a Yoruba Proverb but translates, that we should “focus on treating the Leprosy affecting us now than Eczema that might affect us tomorrow”, In essence make a worthwhile use of today than thinking of a tomorrow you are not sure of seeing.