By Che Oyinatumba
 Published
November 22nd, 2008
If Nigeria were a Premiership club side, I wonder which club
it will be. Obviously Bolton Wonderers won’t like any
analogy. Since I am not a fan of any Premiership club, I am
rudderless on the Creeks of Niger Delta as to which woeful
club to compare Nigeria to. What is not debatable among
sports lovers is that the quality of your bench determines
the success of the club. And the bedrock of any bench is the
coach who makes the deft changes at a crucial time and not
the money bag who buys off players like a race horse without
understanding the game plan of the coach.
President Umar Yar’Adua like a good coach we thought he was,
(he declared his assets, is the first graduate president of
Nigeria ) sacked 20 ministers with a promise of injecting
new blood into his lack lustre cabinet. We waited like a
pilgrim only to get to the holy land and discover that the
custodians of our are not so enthusiastic about our object
of worship. The list of would be ministers have been sent to
the Senate and the quality of people substituted for the
dismissed 20 ministers, shows that President Yar’Adua is not
ready to win this game against underdevelopment and be a
champion in 2020.
The most ridiculous of his last minute change, is 70 year
old Dr. Rilwan Lukman from Kaduna state. This old warhorse
is a spent force in the corridors of power. His inclusion is
like playing Taribo West against Mikel Obi. The world,
especially the crude oil world have changed and what Nigeria
needs is a dynamic young well educated Nigerian to combat
the oil cabals in the global market. Can Lukman at 70
survive the ever changing information technology wave length
that in a split a country can be reduced to the bottom of
the OPEC if her minister fails to grasp the supper sonic
change? The inclusion of Dr. Lukman is an indictment on the
younger generation of Nigerians and a show of failure of
Lukman to produce a successor either biologically or
politically to carry on whatever good work he feels he can
still contribute to the development of Nigeria .
For those asking when Nigeria ’s Obama will arise, the
inclusion of ex-governors is a seal on the unprogressiveness
of this administration. Sam Egwu, Achike Udenwa former
governors of Eboyin and Imo respectively, lorded over three
senatorial zones and in the case of Imo, 27 Local Government
Areas. For these two to be hungry for a ministerial
appointment, shows that there is something chronically wrong
with our leaders. Their inclusion should be likened to
asking JJ Okocha to play YUSFON. He will be a burden to any
coach as he has played at the zenith of the game. Will these
ex-governors be willing to take instructions from a Perm Sec
or from Mr. President having been his colleague during the
Obasanjo era? They are too big for the shoe of a minister.
In these states where these ex-governors are crawling out
from, has there been no emergence of able young hands during
the 8 years these ex-governors held sway? Where are those
young PA and SA that were loyal to these governors? Can’t
the ex-governors step aside for their young political sons
to take up the ministerial appointments? With this
domineering attitude of the older generation, tell me how a
Nigerian Obama will emerge. More also, these ex-governors, a
good number of them that is, were colossal failures in their
states. Didn’t Nuhu Ribadu the then EFCC terror labelled
over 32 governors as corruptly beyond redemption while the
other 4 are marginally corrupt? Abeg Gov. Saraki what is
Kwara State House of Assembly Speaker’s name doing in the
ministerial list? Every politician mouths grass root
development yet we all want appointment in Abuja .
Once in a while, this administration shows flukes of
intelligence but on the overall rating, she is not
performing like a winning team. After close to two years in
office, this administration has not gotten her foot soldiers
to implement her policies. It is a shame in a country of
over 150 million cerebrally endowed man/woman power, we are
recycling worn out leaders, who ought to be on retirement,
writing their memoir as a road map for the younger
generation.
The only ray of hope in the new line up of ministers is
Prof. Dora Akunyili the iron lady of NAFDAC. This Amazon has
proved her worth and anytime the history of Nigeria will be
written by honest scholars, she will have a place of pride,
if not close to Queen Amina of Zaria , then close to
Fumilayo Kuti and other Amazons of this great country.
Despite her inclusion in the team, I dare say, she cannot
make a difference to the dying Yar’Adua’s team. I wish she
will turn down this appointment. I fear for her as this
appointment may tarnish her reputation. It also adds weight
to what late Lamidi Adidibu, the Ibadan strongman said in
Magistrate Court Zone 6 Abuja about her unrefined vindictive
attitude and hunger for power. A Messi in the team made up
of Peter Rufia, Andrew Uwe and Philip Osondu cannot perform.
These great Nigerian players have gone beyond their prime
and were once the toast of any coach. Their time is over
like some of these people being appointed minister. The dead
wood appointees should learn from these great players and
start a leadership training institute or NGO. Dora will be
like a needle in a sack of hay No man claps with one hand.
These latest substitutions show that he has no idea that
Nigeria has become a laughing stock in the global village
where 30-50 year old viral young generation are the turning
wheel of industrialisation and development.
For those who think I am impatient, try and remember that
the man behind the miracle called Barak Obama’s victory, is
a below 45 young man named David Plouffe, the Obama ‘08
campaign manager.
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