You need Java to see this applet.
Copyrights © 2007  All Rights Reserved African Examiner Online is owned by RD Frontline LLC, a state of Maryland registered company
P. O. Box 11582 Baltimore, MD, 21229, USA Tel: 443-904-1239. Editor-In-Chief: Oludare Sunday Fase
News, Politics, Sports
about Nigeria and all Africa
Custom Search
Get our News Update fast, download  
AE Toolbar!
Click here to download Now!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Online media
Newspapers
On January 8, 2012, I watched live as Prophet TB Joshua warned
President Jonathan to allow Nigerians to talk some more about fuel
subsidy rather than go ahead with removal of the subsidy, for which
organized labor and  civil society had called out Nigerians for mass action
that was to commence the following day Monday, January 9, 2012. The
obstinate president obviously ignored the “opinion of God” (as the prophet
had put it), even as Nigerians demonstrated across the land their
commitment to not only force Jonathan to reverse the pump price of PMS
to N 65 a liter, but also to make clear demands for transparency, justice,
reduction of waste in the political system, and true nationhood.

I saw my brothers and sisters across Nigeria—Southerners and
Northerners, Muslims and Christians, rich and poor—go hand-in-hand
demanding for a better Nigeria that benefits all Nigerians regardless and
not just a few. I was moved from deep within; I became prouder as a
Nigerian. I saw what was possible. The lies of the oppressive Nigerian
political class were exposed—Nigerians are all united against oppression,
deceit, and corruption. There is no war between Christians and Muslims in
Nigeria. I saw Muslims and Christians preach against injustice at the
rallies. Nigerian Christians protected their Muslim brethren as they took
time off the rallies to observe the mandatory Islamic prayers!

But I also saw the unfortunate and troubling. I saw a stolid president who
clearly either did not read the situation well or put his confidence in the
wrong places. He watched silently as ethnicity was steadily injected into
the crisis. He was silent as some Niger Delta people, led by Niger Delta
opinion leaders such as Asari Dokubo, Ms Anniko Briggs made
statements such as “If Nigerians don’t want Jonathan to lead then it
means Nigerians don’t want our oil,” and “If PENGASSAN shuts down oil
wells, Niger Deltans would take them over and PENGASSAN would never
return.” I have written quite a lot about the (past) neglect of the Niger
Delta; I have published a book that places their plight in clear public
domain. I have, in my expositions on re-engineering or re-structuring of
Nigeria, advocated resource control as an important element that would
drive national growth and development; resource control is a singsong of
the Niger Delta people.  Jonathan obviously delights in threat by ex-
militants in the Nigeria Delta to swim and sink with their brother president.

A true leader would never encourage degeneration into ethic sentiments.
Among the three rapid society destroyers— Ethnic and religious
sentiments, and economic deprivation—the first two are the most
damning. And President Jonathan clearly encourages one of them. We
Nigerians must choose between President Jonathan and Nigeria. On the
morning of January 14, 2012, I was curious to hear what Prophet TB
Joshua would say about the obduracy of President Jonathan. As a
Christian preacher and teacher of the Word myself, and a believer in the
fact that God is interested in nations and usually reveals the path that
should be trodden in each situation, I am curious to listen to fellow
servants whom I believe have a passion for the nation. I believe that God
shows His servants important things about their society and family. The
prophet preached about sacrifice of love. He alluded to the biblical story of
the direct encounter between Jesus Christ and Peter. Jesus asked Peter
three times if he loved Him; He also thrice asked Peter to demonstrate
that love by “feeding” His sheep and lambs. A leader must sacrifice for
those he leads. In fact, Prophet Joshua asked that sacrifice should come
from the leadership of Nigeria, even as he told the nation that “Nigerians
should not seek to embarrass the president.” The prophet claimed that he
had sent a message to the “authorities.” He went on to call for “shifting of
grounds” and “compromise”. To buttress his point, the prophet read a
biblical passage in which Jesus Christ, in response to a question about
the propriety of paying taxes to Caesar, said, “Give what is to Caesar to
Caesar, and what belongs to God to God.” Prophet Joshua concluded by
assuring Nigerians that “God is on top of the situation.” Besides, he
advised that President Jonathan should listen to “politicians” and not to
“technocrats” on the matter of fuel subsidy crisis.

The poor Nigerian has no more sacrifice to make. The Nigerian has no
ground to shift. It is in the hands of President Jonathan. Furthermore,
Nigerians are not embarrassing the president; it is the president who is
embarrassing himself. As I wrote, President Jonathan was meeting with
governors and ministers over the fuel subsidy palaver after the collapse of
talks between labor and government the previous day. It was reported that
he would address the nation later in the night. Whatever he said after the
essay you are reading, he has created a huge task for himself.

At this time in our history as a people, we must choose between pleasing
President Jonathan and his cabal and rescuing Nigeria. The continued
impoverishing of Nigerians while Nigerian public officials live lavishly at our
expense is not the will of God. Nigerian crude oil does not belong to
Jonathan, so Nigerians cannot cede to some oppressive hike in the pump
price of PMS. Rather, President Jonathan must give to Nigerians what is
ours—subsidized pricing of petroleum products, prosperous society,
transparent and corruption-free nation, and a just society.

The Nigerian Summit Group’s hasty meeting announced for Monday
January 16 and Tuesday, January 17, 2012 in the midst of the nation-wide
mass protest is to me a red herring. It is a joke, especially when it is
being pushed by President Jonathan’s man, Mr. Tony Uranta, who
confessed publicly that President Jonathan was in knowledge and
approval of it. Let us be serious in this country. The group has unilaterally
chosen participants at the summit to discuss deregulation of the
downstream oil sector, the constitution, and security! What became of the
phantom constitution committee that Jonathan inaugurated last year,
which I lampooned? To the summit, people like Adamu Ciroma, Solomon
Lar, Audu Ogbe, Maitama Sule, Asari Dokubo, Pat Utomi, Ben
Nwabueze, etc., were invited. When asked to tell what informed the
choice of participants at the out-of-the blues summit, the secretary of the
summit and Jonathan’s friend, Mr. Uranta, simply said that they could not
invite all Nigerians, and that those invited had “influence” in their domains.
Well, it is a joke. The point I want to make is that President Jonathan has
demonstrated that he would rather play the comedian with serious
national issues than solve our problems that he was elected to tackle.
Just consider the president’s announcement of the purchase of 1,600
buses for all of Nigeria and calling these “palliatives” for fuel subsidy
removal!

Irrespective of how the fuel subsidy issue is resolved, Nigeria cannot be
the same. Nigerians have discovered themselves this year. We must use
our new-found strength to negotiate our union. Ignoring the shenanigans of
the Nigeria summit group, we must initiate the process of just
remuneration of Nigerians and their servants (the public officials), resource
control, a people-oriented constitution, restructuring of system of
governance and federating units, prosecution of corrupt public officials,
business men, and companies, and demand for just restitution.

As I was about concluding this article, I saw on television an
announcement that the Nigerian Summit Group had “postponed
indefinitely” their earlier hastily announced summit. The comedy couldn’t
be more obvious. The choice between Jonathan and his cabal and Nigeria
can’t be more urgent. President Jonathan lacks both the moral strength
and intellectual capacity to lead Nigeria.

Leonard Karshima Shilgba is an Associate Professor of Mathematics with
the American University of Nigeria and President of the Nigeria Rally
Movement (www.nigeriarally.org ). He is also the Chairman of the Middle
Belt Alliance (MBA).TEL: +234 (0) 8055024356;
EMAIL: shilgba@yahoo.com
Nigeria Or President Jonathan’s Cabal?
| More
________________________________________________________________________
HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: Comments posted on this site do not reflect the views of African
Examiner.com.  Please avoid abusive, vulgar, racist or rude words. Our
editors regulate these comments. Any comment that violates this term
of use will be deleted and may be banned. Send report of any misuse to
editor@africanexaminer.com. Thanks
__________________________________
By Leonard Karshima Shilgba, PhD
Monday,  January 16, 2012
3rd Millionaire Emerges In
UBA Lion King Savings
Reward Promo
African Examiner
Tuesday,  January 10 , 2012
Subsidy crisis will be
over soon – VP Sambo
African Examiner
Saturday,  January 14, 2012