by Atom Lim

For all you know, Jonathan might be a First Class brain who just lacks the street wisdom of Donald Duke or Rotimi Amaechi and therefore appears clueless.

During the 2007 Presidential campaign, a popular selling point of the PDP candidate, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was his university degree. Political jobbers were quick to point out that he would be the first Nigerian leader to be a university graduate. An intellectual, some even went as far as calling him.

Upon his death and President Goodluck Jonathan’s assumption of office, attention shifted to Jonathan’s doctorate degree. Had he not proven so early in his presidency that he was an indecisive leader, Jonathan too would have been widely called an intellectual. Instead, his obvious display of naivety, lack of charisma and even ignorance earned him the title “Clueless” and caused many to joke about the genuineness of his PhD.

The Yar’Adua and Jonathan examples show that, increasingly, our nation’s obsession with educational qualifications, or certificates as we call it, is taking its place in presidential elections.

As we prepare for 2015, there will be much talk about candidates’ educational and professional qualifications. We will again hear things like: She is a Harvard-trained economist; he will be Nigeria’s first president to be a Professor, bla bla.

I am all for a well-educated president with numerous accomplishments, awards and titles to his name, but I fear we have come to believe these qualifications automatically translate to efficient leadership.

With regards to a president’s education, our experience with Jonathan should be an eye-opener. Like Yar’Adua before him, this PhD holder has proven that one might possess the highest educational certificates in our nation and yet be incapable of delivering effective leadership in public service or contributing to national development.

And it’s not just Jonathan. It seems there is a virus in government that specifically targets new entrants and consumes whatever they have learnt in schools or in their careers.

Take, for example, Reuben Abati. He graduated with a First Class from the University of Calabar and was the overall best graduating student that year. He went on to get a Doctorate Degree from the prestigious University of Ibadan in Dramatic Literature, Theory and Criticism (a field I am sure Wole Soyinka would reckon with). Then Abati built such a sterling career in journalism before joining the Jonathan government. Today, that man who was once a genius to many, has a badly wounded and infected image that oozes of mediocrity.

Consider Abati’s colleague, and local rival, Dr. Doyin Okupe. This is a qualified medical doctor who unwittingly discourages parents from educating their wards with the poor quality of his logic and reasoning.

Remember Michael Aondoakaa who was a brilliant lawyer with an enviable track record before he became justice minister. Look how he turned out in government!

Look at Arunma Oteh who graduated with a First Class in Computer Science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka before bagging a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard. See how she ended up once she joined our public service.

Something is wrong with working for our government or holding public office in this country. And it has little or nothing to do with one’s educational or professional readiness for the job. My theory is that beyond education, anyone willing to hold office in this country must have street wisdom. Yes, it is important to have the educational qualifications but it is just as important to be streetwise to survive the murky waters of our politics and public service.

For all you know, Jonathan might be a First Class brain who just lacks the street wisdom of Donald Duke or Rotimi Amaechi and therefore appears clueless.

This is where I have a problem with someone like Odein Ajumogobia who I would badly love to have as president. Yes, Odein might have the intelligence and finesse  but I wonder if he has the street wisdom to rule this country as it is. And let’s face it, Nigerian politics and public service will not dramatically change to accommodate “intellectuals” and “technocrats” before 2015.

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Atom Lim is a Nigerian media and communications practitioner. He worked at NEXT publications as a sub-editor before joining the Africa Leadership Forum as web and publications editor. Lim is a regular social commentator, and a registered member of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and he tweets from @atomlim

 

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