Ex-President  Obasanjo’s leaked “Letter Of Appeal” to President Goodluck Jonathan has made huge waves and will surely go down in our history as one of the most controversial high-level communications Nigeria has ever witnessed.

Ominously sub-titled “Before It Is Too Late”, the letter accuses Jonathan of disrespectful conduct, serious lapses of judgment and various other sins.

OBJ’s complaints include (but are not restricted to) the following allegations:

That Jonathan has ignored previous correspondence from him, avoids straightforwardness, displays no real interest in tackling corruption and isn’t managing the economy, PDP, the oil industry or security crises adeptly…

…and has allowed himself to be hijacked by self-serving aides and dangerously tribalistic Ijaws…and has enthroned a criminal who is Wanted abroad as their Party’s Zonal Leader in the South-West…and looks set to renege on a promise he made to his PDP comrades before the last election…ie, that he would only serve one term after he had completed his late predecessor’s term.

Whew! Pretty explosive by any standards.

OBJ insists that Jonathan has the ability to do much better, but clearly believes that the chances of Jonathan fulfilling his potential are receding.

I have been wondering how I’d have reacted to these immensely damaging comments if I had been in Jonathan’s shoes; and I would like to think that if I’d received such a stinging public rebuke from a former boss who happened to be much older than me and had made me Head of State, I’d have resisted the temptation to respond angrily, either personally or via a spokesperson.

I would like to think that I would have summoned up a) the humility to sit down and objectively analyse the points that my onetime Benefactor had made and

b) the intellectual honesty to admit that at least some of them were valid.

I would like to think that I’d have then quietly sloped off to beg my onetime Mentor to calm down, tell him that I felt that he had been very unfair to me on certain levels and assure him that I would nevertheless strive to drastically improve my overall performance and justify the tremendous trust he had placed in me and the enormous privileges he had bestowed upon me and my family.

I would like to think that I would have then rolled up my sleeves, embarked on a nationwide tour and hosted a series of town hall meetings during which I’d have REALLY listened to the concerns of regular folks, professional groups, etc.

I would like to think that I would hit the ground running as soon as I returned to base. I would like to think that I would immediately begin to address the above concerns and rapidly transform myself into an Action President.

I would like to think that I’d quit regarding every criticism as unconstructive and every detractor as evil…and that I would cease to depend heavily on

a) sychophantic subordinates who specialise in shielding their Ogas from necessary home truths, b) misguided ministers who are spoiling my name and c) amateurish cronies who don’t have a clue how a complex country should be run.

Sure, some of Jonathan’s advisers, ministers, etc, are smart and as efficient and ethical as anyone can be in a profoundly flawed environment like Nigeria. And those who are doing OK should not be humiliated. But Jonathan desperately  needs to sack anyone who is ruining his reputation or simply not adding value.

It’s possible that I am indulging in wishful thinking because I’m a Niger Deltan, but I share OBJ’s view that Jonathan has what it takes to save Nigeria….and reckon that if Jonathan gives Nigerians the progress they yearn for, many of those who are bitterly opposing him at the moment will suddenly change their tune, start to hail him as a hero and plead with him to stay put beyond 2015.

Jonathan’s supporters sometimes say that he is making steady progress in a lot of areas and is not getting the credit he deserves. If this is the case, he needs to change his communication strategy and form a stronger relationship with the media. It is nobody’s fault but your own if your achievements go unrecognised at a time when you are in such a powerful position and can influence your image.

Jonathan should stop being so hesitant for his own sake as well as ours! He has a PhD. He has access to a large pool of talent. He has enough brain cells to cope with tough realities and dynamically confront daunting challenges!

Time is running out and I wish that Jonathan would Just Get On With It…and wake up and man up and pull his socks up and heal toxic political rifts and solve pressing problems…and silence detractors who are convinced that he lacks capacity and make fans and brethren who are disappointed in him proud.

 

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Read this article in the Vanguard Newspapers