Uzokwe's Searchlight

It is unclear the reason why the president has not ceded authority to his deputy but whatever the reason, he must understand that Nigeria's name is on the verge of total stigmatization. The president's actions or inactions will determine whether the damage to Nigeria's image will be absolute or partial. Since he has refused to grant the vice president the powers to act, he must, by all means, get up from his hospital bed and act.

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Thursday, December 31, 2009



Alfred Obiora Uzokwe

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RUDDERLESS AT A CRITICAL MOMENT IN TIME

t was only a few years ago that I wrote an article about the embarrassment that a few criminal-minded Nigerians, engaging in advanced fee fraud, were causing other law-abiding citizens. In that article, I lamented the fact that the actions of a few miscreants was soiling Nigeria's name and etching a stigma on honest Nigerians across the globe. This stigma is still very potent and bothersome. The reader would therefore understand the overwhelming feeling of sadness that this commentator felt on Christmas morning, when the news of the attempted bombing of the Northwest airline was attributed to a Nigerian. It was like a devastating punch on the solar plexus!


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Nigerians understand the implications of what the man has done. By his actions, he has soiled Nigeria's name and created a situation where the country could erroneously be seen as sympathetic to terrorism. He has essentially stigmatized every Nigerian and created the enabling condition for Nigerians, in some quarters, to be seen as guilty unless proven innocent. Foreign investors would now think long and hard before they look to Nigeria for investment and those traveling out of the country, on genuine business trips or holiday, will probably be subjected to advanced scrutiny and may be denied visas for any reason. This singular act has placed a sordid and indelible mark on the foreheads of all Nigerians.

As news of the dastardly act unfolded, many Nigerians went into denial. "This guy cannot be a Nigerian because Nigerians do not have this type of tendency", some one wrote. "The world will understand that southern Nigerians are predominantly Christians that do not believe in terrorism", another quipped. I could tell that majority of Nigerians were so repulsed by the action of this man that they hoped that he was not a Nigerian. The news that the man's father was a retired banker, in the country, finally put paid to the argument about his nationality

So far, the minister for information, Dr Dora Akunyili, has condemned the terrorist act and distanced Nigeria from the man. We also understand that security agencies have swung into action to uncover how this happened and what led to the security breach. It was even reported that the father of the man was so concerned by his radicalization that he reported the issue to the American Embassy and security agents in Nigeria. Those were good steps but something was missing and is still missing.

This is a very critical issue and how it is handled will determine whether Nigerians will be stigmatized and hence scarred for life. Even though the minister of information has issued press statements in condemnation, this issue is beyond the cabinet level and requires personal action from the president of Nigeria. The sensitivity of the issue demands that the president make a nationwide broadcast. In the broadcast, he should distance Nigeria from the sordid act and pledge to work with other world leaders on the issue. He must emphasize that the man's action was an aberration and that Nigeria has no safe havens for terrorists. It is important to let other world leaders know that security measures are being taken at Nigeria's airports to prevent a repeat. He must then extract a promise from them that this should not cause the stigmatization of Nigerians anywhere in the world.

Unfortunately, Nigeria is currently rudderless. The president of the country, the man that was sworn in and charged with the responsibility of piloting the affairs of the nation, is sick and has been out of commission for many weeks. In normal democracies, he would have formally handed the reins of power to his deputy but he did not do that. The result is that the vice president, whose position is mostly ceremonial in nature, cannot really make bold decisions. At this critical moment when the nation needs the president to step up and lead, he is missing in action.

It is unclear the reason why the president has not ceded authority to his deputy but whatever the reason, he must understand that Nigeria's name is on the verge of total stigmatization. The president's actions or inactions will determine whether the damage to Nigeria's image will be absolute or partial. Since he has refused to grant the vice president the powers to act, he must, by all means, get up from his hospital bed and act. If the president does not take the right course of action and do it immediately, the nation may never escape the looming stigma.

Half-baked action or inaction, on the part of the president, is not in the interest of Nigerians who will suffer the consequences of stigmatization. Nigeria cannot afford for extremism to take root in the north just because of poor handling of this matter. Someone must tell the president that the window of opportunity to make bold statements and take bold actions is small and dwindling to vanishing points. As December 25 recedes, anything he does thereafter will be seen as an afterthought and of no consequence by the international community.

While one wishes the president a speedy recovery, he should know that asking Dora Akunyili to keep churning out press releases creates the impression that Nigeria does not understand the enormity and seriousness of the problem. He needs to personally be on top of this issue right, left and center. The international community is watching and the way they perceive Nigeria, from this moment on, will depend on what the president does and what he says.

HERE I STAND


Also, here is a link of the audio of the commentary