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Prof Alkali:
Spokesman or alarmist?
EVEN if the National
Chairman of
Conference of Nigerian Political
Parties, CNPP, which is the umbrella body of opposition parties in
the country, Dr. Olapade Agoro, had not swiftly reacted to the alarm
raised by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over an alleged
attempt by some sections of the political class to destabilize the
country, public reaction in this regard would not have been any less
sharp. Therefore, the CNPP leader simply spoke the minds of many
Nigerians when he described the action of the PDP as a strategy “to
silence the opposition in its quest for one party state.’’
Perhaps, it was not the whole of PDP that designed the ploy as it
was only its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Rufa’i Ahmed
Alkali, who particularly raised the alarm at a press conference last
Wednesday. He specifically accused the CNPP, Action Congress (AC)
and All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) which, he said, are working
under the auspices of Nigeria United for Democracy (NUD) and
collaborating with some foreign entities to destabilize the country.
In his clear desperation to make a point with regards to the
accusation, Professor Alkali stated at the press conference that
“from all available facts before us, some of the conveners of the
NUD are working in concert with some foreign entities who are
hell-bent on creating instability in Nigeria in order to play down
the growing influence of Nigeria in regional and international
affairs.’’ He categorically described the seeming agitation for the
establishment of interim government as a manifestation of the
alleged intention of some opposition elements to cause serious
disruption in the governance of the country.
Alkali in particular and PDP in general, of course, have the right
to worry about any action that seeks to cause irritation to the
present administration of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua. And in this
case, a call for the establishment of interim government on whatever
ground is, as far as the party in power is concerned, a very
condemnable act.
But the reaction of Alkali to the alleged agitation was much more
than what was expected from a spokesman of a ruling a party. It is
only an alarmist who can take a simple act of opposition to be a
grand design to pull down the government and the country.
By his action, the PDP spokesman only exhibited over-zealousness
which is an element of inexperience. His failure to even produce any
convincing evidence in whatever form further showed that the man was
only in a hurry to attract attention to himself.
In fact, the utterances of Alkali only showed that the man is either
unaware of the history and characteristics of opposition politics in
Nigeria and other parts of the world or is simply intolerant of the
opposition. Either way, he has failed to measure up to the
expectation of his own party and by extension, Nigerians.
Even a little recollection of political events in the country will
reveal that shortly after the conduct of 2003 general elections and
the subsequent declaration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the winner
of the presidential election, the opposition parties under the
auspices of the CNPP organized a mass action in which such leading
opposition politicians like General Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji
Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa participated. And neither the government
nor the PDP labeled the action as an attempt to cause
destabilization of the country.
It is even impossible for any keen observer of political happenings
in Nigeria to swallow Alkali’s theory in view of particularly the
existing relationship between the PDP and ANPP. Almost all Nigerians
are aware that the ANPP which is the biggest opposition party in the
country is a key player in the governance of the country having
agreed to participate in the Government of National Unity currently
in place. It therefore sounds quite unbelievable that the ANPP will
seek to undermine the government of which it is a part even if it,
sometimes, disagrees with the ruling party. What is even believable
is the fact that the ANPP is doing much less than it is expected to
do in terms of checking the excesses of the PDP-controlled
government at different levels.
In another sense, it can even be said that the PDP spokesman
overstepped his bounds by coming up with allegations that are not
only baseless but also strictly border on the security of the
country. Most Nigerians have continued to wonder how a party
spokesman was able to obtain a security report that even security
agencies could not get.
It is even further argued that such a report would have been more
useful to the security agencies than to the general public which
means that the PDP spokesman should have, most appropriately,
deposited whatever such information he might have gathered with the
relevant organs of government rather than just indulge in an act
that clearly amounted to grandstanding. The information would have
been more credible and therefore acceptable if had come from either
the State Security Service, National Intelligence Agency, Nigeria
police or military.
What all this mess shows are the inadequacies of Professor Alkali in
handling the publicity matters of the PDP. By virtue of his potion
he is expected to be more thorough and meticulous as well as less
controversial and reckless in the interest of the PDP and the
country.
Making North brighter
THE current resolve of the governors of the 19
northern states to evolve a master plan for the enhancement of power
generation and distribution is a testimony to the fact that they are
gradually coming to terms with the reality in the country. When the
Kaduna State Governor, Architect Mohammed Namadi Sambo, who is also
the chairman of the technical committee on power generation set up
by the Northern Governors’ Forum said recently that the master plan
is underway, he must have raised the hope of the people for a much
brighter North.
This is quite a resolve that can make northerners to begin to have a
positive impression of their leaders especially when most
development indicators presently show that most sections of the
north are avoidably backward in most critical areas. Was it not just
very recently that even the Central Bank Governor, Dr. Charles
Soludo, gave a graphic picture of the development level of the north
which shows that it is actually in the rear?
It is not only the resolve of the governors to change the situation
for a better one that is pleasing but also their readiness to work
together for the attainment of a common goal. They must have
realized that as components of a single entity, the northern states
have a lot of commonality in terms of economic potentials and
interest and it is therefore only desirable for them to harmonize
their resources and strategies for the benefit of all.
Energy in this period is the in-thing in any kind of development,
which means that it is only when it is made available that any
region or country can make progress in any of its chosen endeavours.
In the present circumstance, the North should not continue to wait
until things get better at the higher level because apart from the
fact that the competition is stiff, there is also a little evidence
to show that supply of power at the national level will ever get
better. Moreover, some other states or groups of them in other parts
of the country are already devising means of improving their
fortunes in the area of power supply. Independent power plants which
will go a long way in boosting supply thereby facilitating economic
growth are springing up in several places.
Of course, those who believe that the time of celebration, as far as
this issue is concerned, is not yet here may be right. Overtime, the
governments in the North failed to address even the most common and
disturbing socio-economic problems which is why begging, joblessness
and, to some extent, youth restiveness have been around.
But just like the immediate past Director of Centre of Energy
Research and Training, Zaria and now Deputy Vice Chancellor in
charge of Administration of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,
Professor Idris Isa Funtua, once told me, energy is the facilitator
of development and it is only when it is there that more potentials
of growth than can be imagined will come out. It therefore can be
taken that by the time the northerners, most of whom are now in
darkness, get an improved power supply, that is when they will be
able to bring out their best towards improving their own lot in the
process of which all such negative tendencies as idleness and the
resultant moral and economic bankruptcy will go.
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