Franklin Otorofani Esq.
 Published
December, 4th, 2009
As copiously demonstrated in several of my write-ups, I’m
not a fan of President Musa Yar’Adua. I’m particularly
un-impressed with the tentative, roundabout, style of his
administration that seems to take one step forward and two
steps backwards. I’m not impressed either, with his
revisionist policies that initially saw to the crude
dismantling of the well-articulated policies inherited from
the previous administration in the areas of power supply for
which several contracts had been awarded and construction
ongoing in some, including NIPP and the Mambilla Plateau
mega power projects, unbundling of NEPA, as well as the
contracts for the modernization of the railway lines,
including of course, the deregulation of the downstream
petroleum subsector with the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)---all
which he is only now beginning to implement after wasting
more than two years in the saddle looking for excuses and
playing the blame-game. But, as it is often said, better be
late than never.
Regardless of our individual or group
misgivings about the Yar’Adua presidency, however, the stark
reality before the nation today is that the President is
currently on a medical admission abroad for heart and kidney
related conditions as reported. He is a human being like us
who deserves nothing but prayers and respect. This is not
the time to gripe over political differences or settle
personal or group scores. Yet we have seen the despicable
conduct of several individuals and groups seemingly more
concerned with the President’s resignation than his recovery
and return to Nigeria. All of this is being hinged on their
warped and opportunistic interpretation of the clear meaning
and intendment of the constitution. Why are Nigerians
behaving like kindergartens in a matter as grave as the
hospitalization of the President? It appears nobody is
putting his/her thinking cap on these days and everybody is
just belching out trash, including, as always, some
self-seeking political renegades wanting to capitalize on
the President’s illness as if that will somehow change their
political fortunes for the better---nothing but a pipe dream
of course. Yar'Adua has only been out for less than two
weeks, not on a picnic or jamboree abroad as some of the
governors, but on a medical admission, and people are just
going gaga and hyperactive as if the heavens are about to
fall on them. By the way, what was he doing when he was
around all this time that you missed so much? Did his
presence give your jobless youths jobs? Did his presence fix
your gullied and broken roads? Did his presence remove
darkness from your homes and offices? Or did his presence
fix your educational and healthcare institutions? Or, for
that matter, did his presence put food on your tables?
Nigerians are a funny lot, indeed. It seems they’re all so
easily excitable even in a morbid situation like this. Why
has his absence suddenly become unbearable that you are all
asking for his replacement? Is Nigeria at war with another
country or is she being invaded by Cameroon or Republic of
Benin? So Nigerians cannot do without Yar”Adua for even a
week for fear of being overrun by another country or what?
What exactly is your problem? Is it the budget that was
hurriedly dumped on the National Assembly or what? Do you
have any share in that budget too? How much was your share
in previous budgets? Oh, so you've all been counting on that
budget, uh? Fools for ever! How many budgets have come and
gone and not one of them has been implemented? How many
budgets have come and gone and your conditions have gone
from bad to worse? What exactly are you counting on
Yar'Adua's presence for? Every action must be objectified
otherwise it becomes a lunatic rant. What is the clamoring
intended to achieve? What is the objective behind the clamor
for the President’s resignation? Give me just one reason you
want him back home so bad! Oh, wait a minute! You don’t
really want him back home hale and hearty—on the contrary,
you want him dead and/or out of office by any means
necessary, natural or man-made, uh? Suit your sadistic
selves, but give me one reason how that will improve your
condition? Is it for VP, Goodluck Jonathan, to take over?
Take over and then what? Would that make Yar’Adua
administration anymore legitimate than it is or what? Or is
VP Jonathan suddenly the magician who will work miracles for
the nation? Is VP Jonathan no longer a PDP man? Have you
suddenly forgotten so soon what you’ve always said that
nothing good could come out of the PDP? Has the PDP suddenly
changed in your assessment? So you want to remove a ring
from one leprous finger and put it on another leprous finger
of the same leprous hand and call that change and be happy,
then go home and make merry for the dawn of a new era, uh?
What exactly is your problem, talking heads who do not take
time to ponder and think deeply before running your mouths
like kids? It's a shame—a crying shame indeed that the
nation is currently plagued by shallow mentality! Whether
Yar'Adua is here on not makes absolutely no difference
whatsoever to the nation’s fortunes. Whether VP Jonathan
takes over or not makes no difference to the nation’s
fortunes including the opposition. The AC, ANPP, PPA, APGA,
or CNPP, IS NOT coming to take over from the PDP if Yar'Adua
dies or resigns from office. They will remain exactly where
they’re today. It's all motion without movement. Let the
President take good care of himself in Saudi Arabia and come
back home whenever he is cleared by his doctor to do so.
Therefore on no account should anybody or group go bananas
because of Yar’Adua’s absence. It’s sheer lunacy. The man
should be allowed time to receive proper medical treatment
without undue pressure from any quarters.
The Nigerian government can function
without the President. Let no one stampede him into rushing
back or pressure the Federal Government to take precipitate
actions that could destabilize the nation at this most
critical juncture of our national journey. It's utterly
uncalled for and done in bad taste. Nigerians must learn to
imbibe the virtues of due process and natural order of
things. Unlike before we have been told this time around the
nature of the President’s ailment and his hospitalization.
This is not the first or second time he has undergone
treatment abroad. So what? What is that supposed to mean? Is
that something new and unheard of? Must the president resign
just because he has been hospitalized or I’m I missing
something here? The constitution does not say the VP must
take over if the president is admitted in hospital for any
length of time. It says if he is certified to be physically
or mentally incapacitated and therefore not fit to carry on
his presidential duties, not momentarily as when he is
undergoing treatment, but on a permanent basis. He is not on
a long term medical disability as yet. The interpretation of
this simple and straightforward constitutional provision
ought not be rocket science for anybody, but hey, we’re
dealing with a peculiar species of homo sapiens in that part
of the world capable of inventing crisis where none exists
and that’s why Africa is rife with unnecessary, self
inflicted crisis. All we know how to invent is political
crisis while others are excelling in science and
technology. It bears repetition that at this moment in time
the President is not on long term disability except somebody
somewhere has it in his morbid prayers that he should be.
God forbid, should that happen or the President fails to
make it out, it would, of course, become a totally different
matter altogether. But that is not the case today and no one
should pretend or presume that to be the case. That would be
wickedness in high and low places. Therefore all that talk
about resignation is totally premature and the handiwork of
idle minds and political desperadoes. Pray for the
President in these trying times even if he is your Enemy
Number One. Is that not what Jesus teaches us in the Bible?
Oh, how we pay lip service to Christianity even as we
profess it to High Heavens! God is not deceived. We deceive
no one but ourselves when we profess Christianity with our
tongues on Sundays and wish others dead in our hearts
including even our arch enemies. This is the ultimate test
of faith and many are already falling by the wayside. Men of
little minds! And if you don't know how to pray for your
friends much less your enemies, why, go jump in the Lagoon!
The mighty Atlantic would be more than happy to embowel you
and your sick wishes for the President and the nation. I'm
sick of these infantile rants and nauseating bellyaching. If
Yar'Adua's death will make your life better, then continue
your morbid prayers of sin. But guess what, you could be
next for playing God for God is not deceived. Seriously, no
kidding!
Long live Mr. President.
Long live the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
 Franklin Otorofani Esq
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