Jonathan’s National Day broadcast

If we were to talk of fluidity of delivery, there was not much to commend in the presidential broadcast to commemorate the country’s 53^rd independence anniversary on Tuesday.  But in terms of content and ability to meet the needs and yearnings of the hour, President Goodluck Jonathan gets high score.
No, you wouldn’t compare the delivery with the timeless suavity of Martin Luther King Jnr, the velvet smoothness of Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, or even the arresting awe of an Adolf Hitler.  Those are men with gift of the gab, something you can’t say our president has.  But in terms of content, Jonathan on Tuesday was like one of the sons of Isaachar.  The Good Book says the sons of Isaachar “were men that had understanding of the times.”  (1 Chronicles 12:32).
Yes, President Jonathan showed a good understanding of the times, and he read a speech that contained the appropriate things for the times.  On such a contemplative day as the anniversary of our independence from colonial rule, and with the perilous state of the country, you didn’t need any grandstanding about inflation being reduced by many digits, about Gross Domestic Product hitting a certain nebulous figure, or Foreign Direct Investment reaching an all-time high.  Nigerians were dying hourly by the dozens, blood covered the land as the waters cover the sea, despair and despondency suffused the landscape, and it was no time for hollow boasts.  The President understood perfectly, and responded in proper fashion.
He confessed that the National Day broadcast should have been used “to comment on our stewardship to the nation and make political capital out of a state occasion.  But this year, I will not. Because, today of all days we should not be scoring political points… we should be addressing our future as a nation and a people.”  And I say kudos to the president.  In fact, I call him a son of Isaachar, for understanding the times, and responding appropriately.
Hear the president again: “I admit that these may not be the best of times for our nation.  Our people are divided in many ways – ethnically, religiously, politically, and materially.  I cannot hide from this reality.  I cannot hide from my own responsibilities.” So, the President knows!  Truly, these truths were not revealed to him by flesh and blood, but directly from heaven. Are these not the things I write about from week to week, and which many other commentators write about, and rabid pro-Jonathan people call for our heads?  At perhaps more than any other time in the history of this country, the polarizations are quite virulent along ethnic and religious lines.  It has never been as bad as this, and the auguries are not good.  But some misguided Jonathan loyalists abuse us when we write. Happily, the president himself has admitted it.  Kudos to this son of Isaachar, and shame to the blind loyalists who can’t think beyond ethnic jingoism and the small mindedness of religion! Hope our president will continue to understand the times, even after the flash of inspiration he got on October 1.
“We have a duty as Nigerians, whatever may be our differences or prejudices, to always put Nigeria first.  Those who are elected to govern at all levels must focus on improving the lives of our people, not selfish ambition.”  Good talk! But the sad part of it is that those elected to govern, including the president, rather than focus on governance and improving the lives of our people, are now consumed with the politics of re-election in 2015.  That is why there is so much heat in the polity now.  So, Mr President, please do what you say, and let your foot soldiers keep their gun powders dry till the appropriate time.
Can the National Day broadcast have been worth the paper on which it was written, without ample space given to the parlous state of security in the country?  No.  And President Jonathan did not disappoint.
“Just two days ago, terrorist elements attacked the College of Agriculture in Gubja, Yobe State, killing a number of innocent students of the institution and other residents in cold blood, most of them in their sleep.  This act of barbarism is a demonstration of the extent to which evil forces will go to destabilize our nation.  But I assure you, they will not succeed!
“My heart goes out to the families of all those who have fallen victim of these dastardly acts.  Our Administration will not rest until every Nigerian is free from the oppression of terrorism.”
If you recall, at the Presidential Media chat on Sunday, the president did not commiserate with the families of the deceased when he responded to a question on the Yobe killings.  About 48 hours later, he corrected the mistake.  That is some progress, even if quite slow.  But a broadcast without a mention of the College of Agriculture killings would have been an egregious blunder.  Thank God for the other sons of Isaachar who wrote the speech.
Then, the clincher:
“Our Administration has taken cognizance of suggestions over the years by well-meaning Nigerians on the need for a National Dialogue on the future of our beloved country.  I am an advocate of dialogue.  When there are issues that stoke tension and bring about friction, it makes perfect sense for the interested parties to come together to discuss.
“In demonstration of my avowed belief in the positive power of dialogue in charting the way forward, I have decided to set up an Advisory Committee whose mandate is to establish the modalities for a National Dialogue or Conference…”
Holy Moses!  Our President is getting gradually born again.  Was this not the man, who just last year, said we did not need a national conference since the National Assembly was in place to play that role?  It shows that a man can always change his mind for good.  You can have a rethink, if it will lead to the good of the greater number, and not for your own selfish, self-serving interest.  A national conference or dialogue will help us chart a course out of the minefield in which we are consigned as a country, and it is good the president has had a change of mind.
This, surely, will not be my last word on the national conference, as God gives life and grace.  I intend to look at the committee that has been set up, the terms of reference, and the position of protagonists and antagonists.  The Dr Femi Okurounmu committee would do well to look at all sides of the coin.  I like a national conference, but a man whose opinion I respect so much, former Oil Minister, Prof Tam David-West, believes it won’t solve our problems. His words:  “My solution is this.  Let us go into the archives of Nigeria; there are so many reports and recommendations on how we can exist together.  We don’t need any new conference.  We need a body of tested Nigerians that are objective to go into the records.  There are volumes of records in our archives.”
That surely, is another position for the Okurounmu committee to consider.
There are yet those who say President Jonathan has come with the national dialogue option at this time, just to ingratiate himself to people in certain parts of the country where his popularity has dwindled almost to zero.  In fact, lawyer and activist, Femi Falana, went back to his Latin class to recall timeo danaos et donna ferentes, which means beware of the Greeks, even when they bring gifts.  Falana and those who are wary of Jonathan’s intention may be correct.  But my position is the same as that of Rabbi Gamaliel in Acts of Apostles 5:38.  “If this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.”  A national dialogue that is a political gimmick will fail, but one that is actuated by genuine concern for the future of the country will succeed. Finito.