The Yar’adua administration has elevated political diversion into an art of statecraft and a strategy of political survival. Now, with the sacking of five banks’ chief executives and hounding of their debtors by the EFCC, President Yar’adua is excited that he has at last changed the colour and reputation of his largely unpopular government.
Umaru Yar’adua; another Distraction! By Daniel Elombah
The Yar’adua administration has elevated political diversion into an art of statecraft and a strategy of political survival. The broad outline would seem to run somewhat thus: spend the first year pretending to be learning and planning. Second year: probes and counter probes of the past administration and renegade factions of the present one. Third year: start early rehearsals on the 2011 elections and the prospect of a second term. Fourth year: the politics of succession. Throughout this period, ensure that public discourse focuses on these diversionary projects with little attention on governance and the implementation of projects to address the general condition of the majority”.
Now, with the sacking of five banks’ chief executives over their granting of huge, seemingly non-performing and margin loans, made worse by unattractive and depreciating stock market due to the global economic crisis, President Umaru Yar’adua is reportedly excited that he has at last changed the colour and reputation of his largely unpopular government.
However, while many are hailing Lamido Sanusi’s action and see him as another anti-corruption crusader in the like of former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, in a country riddled with and bugged down by corrupt tendencies and practices, especially in public office, not a few are sceptical about his moves. Discerning observers have identified the sacking of the five banks’ chief as another distraction, a perfected art of the Yar’adua government?
The Presidents’ men reckoned that this development has made Nigerians to forget some pressing issues, especially the recent critical remarks of U.S. Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton
Stories like these in Nigeria are often used to keep the citizens busy with arguments, just like the one about the arrest of Ibrahim Aliyu, purportedly in the course of investigating the Halliburton scandal, while the main culprits junkets around the world on official duties to the Federal Government; or the prosecution and hounding of Nuhu Ribadu and Nasir el Rufai for corruption while the main corrupt ex-governors are appointed ministers and power brokers in his administration.
“In a glaringly class society with very dangerous interest groups, cleverly masquerading as patriots, most of us did not expect less”.
Nigerian’s should not lose focus of the issues that really matters to them. Under the current political climate, I would like all Nigerians to situate the following factors I list below against the background of the recent brazen murder of Yusuf of Haram Boko and tell me what you see:
— Recent upsurge in the ‘potentials’ of a massive revolutionary uprising amongst Nigerians at ‘home and abroad’ given the ‘increased ONLINE’ interaction between the Older/younger generation and our Intellectual elites.
— Recent Nigerian military incursion in the Niger Delta and reprisal agitations from MEND leading to the announcement of a Joint Revolutionary Coalition (JRC).
— recent visit by President Obama to Ghana while side-swiping Nigeria in his damning remarks on the ‘state of union’ of a crumbled ‘giant of Africa’
— Recent party- jumping, mass-deflection frenzy of elected officials in to the PDP machinery against an upcoming 2011 elections.
— recent upsurge in kidnapping and armed robbery activities in south east Nigeria coupled with a nationwide increase in mass- unemployment from it’s former despicable levels
— A recent brazen consolidation of Corruption and Lawlessness among the ‘Nigerian Financial and Military Oligarchy’ with the ousting of Nuhu Ribadu and the ‘privatization’ of the EFCC and strategic placement of government agents in Key government positions (reference the recent addition of Aliko Dangote as the president of the Nigeria Stock Exchange)
— A recent mass migration of industries and manufacturing into Ghana due to Nigeria‘s political instability and lack of power supply.
— add all of the above to an ongoing global financial meltdown affecting Nigerians drastically and a fairly recent report from the National Intelligence Agency listing Nigeria as a failed state and a hot-bed for potential internal religious warfare all by the year 2015.
when the above is viewed instinctively, one can within ‘safe reasons’ adduce that the ‘Nigerian State apparatus’ have no ‘intentions’ in contributing to the resolution of our crisis but rather are beginning to reorganize their interest with the taunted ‘northern super-structure’ to finally bring about the feudalistic dissolution of any ‘legitimate uprising’ by inciting a ‘clash of civilization’ between the Muslim North and a Christian South.
Already Sanusi is being portrayed as playing the script of some Northern power brokers who want to discredit Southerners and then pave the way for the take-over of some of the banks by Northern interests.
The same sentiment is being expressed by some bankers who was angered at the fact that only Southerners – mostly from the same area were deposed (with the exception of the Union Bank MD): a clever move to justify a future Northern take-over especially now that the North is in charge of all the strategic sectors of the economy: the latest being the appointment of a Northerner also as Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs?
This orchestrated ‘Clash of Civilization’ must be seen as a favourable tool in the hands of the government in ‘seeking legitimate’ fracas to consolidate a federated police-state hold over the people. Such a situation would diminish and provide a distraction to the ‘natural agitation’ of the people for ‘REAL CHANGE’.
My analysis as proffered should be the ‘eyes’ through which any concerned citizen ‘might’ be wish to view the recent ‘political assassination’ of Yusuf of Haram Boko, the sacking of five banks’ chief executives, and the recent hyperactivity from the offices of Mrs Farida Waziri and her EFCC.
elsdaniel@yahoo.com