In the last few days, outgoing President GoodluckJonathan has engaged in what many Nigerians refer to as mass sacking of all public officers, especially political appointees who were perceived as enemies of the regime at a critical time of election.
The enmity here, according to analysts, is defined in terms of the inability of those heads of agencies to collaborate in the rigging of the just concluded elections or their failure to deploy sufficient resources to fuel the campaign machineries of the government which according to their thought was partly responsible for the massive defeat suffered during the elections.
Beginning with the former Inspector General of Police Sulaiman Abba, who was alleged to have refused to deploy the force to rig the polls in most of Nigeria to the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), many theories are flying all over the place as factors responsible for this show of shame from the president and his government.
When people who were sympathetic to Jonathan and his partycame soon after the president saw defeat and owned up by congratulating General MuhammaduBuharidecided to dress him in borrowed robs as a nationalist for having submitted to a defeat that was eminent, many of us kept mute because given the nature the president and his patty conducted their campaigns of hate and desperation, the mere fact that defeat was seen palpably and concession made, in no way conferred any iota of heroism on Jonathan.
What else would he have done? Refuse to accept the result of an election that was watched and monitored by the entire globe both at home and abroad? Impossible! President Jonathan was merely clever by half and it was necessary for him to accept defeat when he did.
People speak about saving the nation from crisis;between who and who? An election where more than 70 percent of the country went one way was too obvious to be rejected by less than 30 percent. Out of the six contraptions making up the country, four had voted unanimously one way and even the two left had some patches of support in them. How could these partial two go astray and cause crisis?
The point in this piece is basically to show that there was no statesmanship in Jonathan’s conceding of loss in the elections and this is clearly shown in the manner he is firing any officer identified as having any role in his electoral defeat. Removal of officers and appointing new ones at the end of his tenure is certainly unacceptable in view of the fact that he lacks the moral authority to make fresh appointments for a new government just as his is about to depart.
Before Sulaiman Abba, who was initially overzealous and behaved crazy and unprofessional in the discharge of his duties, especially when the president and the PDP had issues with House of representatives Speaker, AminuTambuwal to General MartinsAgwai,whose sack from Sure-P was said to have emerged from his Abeokuta birthday bash of General OlusegunObasanjo. The actual case against General Agwai was after all said to be his refusal to open the purse of Sure-P to the presidential campaign thieves for plunder. The General was trailed until something little was found against him before the government came knocking. The reality as we understand wasn’t about the statement about change made but unwillingness to deploy resources to the PDP campaign funds.
Again, the president-elect must look into government departments that dipped their hands into their coffers and looted monies for the campaign. Another major casualty in this case was KabirMashi, the acting CEO of the Federal Internal Revenue Service (FIRS), whose tenure for more than three years was in acting capacity. An illegality orchestrated because Dr. NgoziOkonja-Iweala did not want him confirmed as substantive chairman. He too was accused of failure to give as much as the size of his empire to the presidential campaign organisation and in the end he got the booting just before the elections.
The executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, who was a little over a year in that position, was also a casualty. The reason for his sack was what I am not aware ofbutcoulditalsobeas a result of his inability to play ball as he ought to? The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a fine man I met just but once and who exhibited radiance of diplomacy and professionalism,wasalso suspended for reasons we are made to understand revolving around the South Africa Ambassador’s recall to the sack of the MD of NPA and his replacement with the PDP candidate for the Kanoemirship.
If the government were serious why would they want to embarrass someone they claim to love? To me the appointment of Mr.Bayero is a ridicule because I expect the new government would fire him as soon as it comes on board in the next few days. The APC government has told Nigerians severally that they would appoint highly skilled people to run the differentsegments of Nigeria. The prince is not in that category and does not possess the technical capability to remove the ports industry from the rot that it has degenerated into in the last few years. To me, the appointment is diversionary and wicked on the part of the government. It is a case of adding salt to injury.
Somebody there should call this outgoing president and his government to order. He shouldn’t rock the boat just because his time is up. Let him stop this brazen and arbitrarysack just because Nigerians have sacked him. He should take our honest decision in good faith and allow the incoming government take proper stock and assessment of the realities on ground so as to make Nigeria better.
A conspiracy theory going round suggests that the mass sacking of suspect political appointees is aimed at covering the massive looting that has taken place and that is going on as the old government disengages. In my view, it is unnecessary and uncalled for. President Jonathan should simply prepare his handing over notes and leave the incoming government take decision on its appointees. This sackings and replacements in my view is a diversion whose objective would not be realised in any case.
