By Sabella Abidde
The latest bomb blast is not the most spectacular that has been attributed to the extra-legal group, Boko Haram. And from all calculations, it is not likely to be the last for the year 2011. The group has become adept at making the Nigerian security and intelligence agencies look amateurish, incompetent, and dense.
For almost two years now, Boko Haram has dictated the nation’s security pace; and in the process, has unnerved the service and security chiefs, along with the National Security Adviser. It is as if the President sent these men to the battlefield (to confront a 21st Century scourge) with 18th Century security tactics. The joke making the rounds now is that members of the security agencies are "fervently praying to God for the nightmare to go away" -instead of addressing the structural and institutional causes of the problem.
Whether this administration fails or succeeds in its efforts to fight terrorism and other malaise, the blame and or the praise will, mainly, go to one man: President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. He volunteered to lead the nation: to provide direction; to provide moral a compass; to be its chief architect; and to be the chief law enforcement officer. And in times like this when the innocents are killed and wounded – and in times of natural or man-made calamities – he must soothe the nation’s nerves. Presidents do these mostly by word and action.
Who can forget the fatherly and healing words of Nelson Mandela after he was released from several decades of imprisonment, and after he became the leader of a free South Africa? Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Kwame Nkrumah and Léopold Sédar Senghor, also, are leaders who understood the power of the spoken word and its ability to soothe a nation in crisis or a people in mourning. Gen. Yakubu Gowon also had this gift. A president must be careful with his words. Voicing the right words at the right time and in a nuanced manner can help heal wounds. Carelessness and insensitivity have their price as well.
For ages, statesmen have come to realise this and so they speak in ways that reassure their people – not divide or inflame wounds. Who can forget President Bill Clinton (after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995), when he told the American people, "We pledge to do all we can to help you heal the injured, to rebuild this city, and to bring to justice those who did this evil…
One thing we owe those who have sacrificed is the duty to purge ourselves of the dark forces which gave rise to this evil. They are forces that threaten our common peace, our freedom, our way of life… My fellow Americans, a tree takes a long time to grow, and wounds take a long time to heal. But we must begin. Those who are lost now belong to God. Some day we will be with them. But until that happens, their legacy must be our lives."
It matters not whether you read or listen to the speech in the winter, in spring or in summer; or during the wee hours of the morning – you get the message the former president was trying to convey: condolences to the family of the killed and the injured; justice for the dead; the long and just arm of the law for the accused; and a balming reassurance to a nation in shock and in deep mourning. In the last 30 or so years, one can hardly think of a worthy speech by any Nigerian leader (during periods of mourning). For instance, President Olusegun Obasanjo didn’t really care what he said or how he said it. He infamously told off a gathering of mourners and wailers day after the Ikeja Cantonment disaster, ‘Shut up, am I supposed to be here’. It is not beneath him to berate people even in times of crisis.
President Jonathan, increasingly, is turning out to be a man who seems not to know what to say and how to say things during delicate moments. He seems not to know how to choose his words. He doesn’t speak, he talks. And he "talks anyhow." This is not good for his image or for his presidency. Moments after the Christmas Day bombing, a group of Christian leaders visited him. According to a newspaper report, the President reportedly said: "We have challenges as a nation; even this morning, a very ugly incident happened in a Catholic Church…The issue of bombing is one of the burdens we must live with. It will not last forever; I believe that it will surely be over." Ooopps!
This was a careless and thoughtless comment by the President. This is not the kind of statement you make at a time when the nation is in shock. Frankly, this is not a comment this or any president should make. He was not sympathetic. He did not take the nation’s mood into consideration. He did not sound like a man who was bothered by the calamity that had just taken place. Oh no! This is not a burden we have to live with. This is a man-made problem that needs to be solved. And solved now!
Nigerians are getting impatient with this President and his administration. The man on the street is wondering if this President is capable and up to the task of governing the country. Almost half way into his presidency, hope is fading fast. Almost half way into his presidency, one can hardly point to a sector where things have improved – or are improving. What is this? And is this what the electorate bargained for? Is this what this President and his team are capable of? Yes, most of the problems he has to deal with were inherited from previous administrations. Nigerians understand that.
What they cannot understand is why, under his leadership, things are going from bad to worse. Why is it that under his watch the nation’s problems are compounding at a higher rate and getting more complex? But what has he done for the country and for the people? The people in the corridors of power, who should know what is going on, do not know. It is as if the country is in a limbo. We are all worried, and so also are his friends and supporters abroad.
The President should address the nation on a periodic basis. He must be honest with the people. We have no time to waste, and no resources should be wasted. The time is now. If the President thinks he is incapable of presidential leadership, he should consider resigning. The bombings are one too many and too many lives have been lost. We have too many burdens, and too many crosses to bear. Bombing peoples’ homes and places of worship cannot be one of them. We are getting very impatient!
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