Last week, WikiLeaks released cables about Nigeria. The information focussed on discussions between President Goodluck Jonathan and former U.S ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders.
Since the publication of the alleged conversations, many political opponents have tried to profit from the revelations, distorting and misinforming the public in order to score cheap political points.
Some would want us to believe the cables have portrayed the president as not being equipped for the job. According to a statement credited to Garba Shehu, spokesperson for presidential candidate and former vice president Atiku Abubakar, "this expose has once again continued what we have always said, Jonathan is not a man to be trusted". photo: the Sheep and the Leak
But away with political opponents and let us face the real contents of the leaks and look at them intelligently.
The leaked cables quoted Sanders quoting Jonathan as saying after her meeting with him on February 26, 2010, "I was not chosen to be vice president because I had good political experience... I did not. There were a lot more qualified people around to be vice president, but that does not mean I am not my own man."
Some people would want us to believe this means President Jonathan cannot be trusted: what an irony. It is uncommon, for a Nigerian politician to admit that he is not the almighty and the omnipotent. In a society where people who are trusted with public office immediately turn themselves into deities to be worshipped, never to be questioned, it is rare that a Nigerian could admit that he is not the only qualified person to occupy a public position.
Public office is not necessarily given to the most experienced, or the most educated, but to the man who is best able to bring about development, a man who embodies the two fundamentals of leadership as postulated by Steven R. Covey, the personal effectiveness guru: they are sense of service and knowledge.
President Obama had little public administration experience when he decided to run for the highest office in the country. But the American people followed him because they saw in him a man willing to admit his limitations and thus willing to learn. They also saw he had the passion and the will to serve. Leadership is not self-centred behaviour, but others centred behaviour. How many Nigerians can resist the temptation to trumpet their own credentials and exaggerate their achievements in order to impress?
According to the revelations Jonathan allegedly, also said he had intended to dissolve the Cabinet early in the week of February 22, and had planned to make that announcement at the February 24 FEC meeting but found out that Yar'Adua was returning and this dissuaded him from acting. He said the last Cabinet meeting was disastrous, included yelling and screaming, and was totally dysfunctional. Sanders reported that Jonathan said he is ‘not a politician' and had very limited experience as an administrator, but concluded, "I will not tolerate a brawl."
Is President Jonathan your usual Nigerian politician? The obvious answer is no. The president is not a desperate power monger, as some of his opponents would want the public to believe. In the heady days of the Yar'Adua debacle when the nation tottered on the brink, had Jonathan been your usual politician, our circumstances as a nation may have been different today. He would have dissolved the Cabinet, instead he was loyal to his boss when he learnt that he was arriving even though nobody told him formally or put him in the picture. But he remained calm, not desperate to prove a point, but willing and ready to step up to the plate at the appointed time. And he did.
Nigerians should be optimistic about the prospects of President Jonathan. He has the right frame of mind to determine that electoral reforms are germane to Nigeria's development. Sanders said: "His sole focus is to leave a legacy of both electoral reforms and credible elections, including changing the entire Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)."
The question we should ask is what can be revealed in leaked cables regarding other politicians in Nigeria especially the ones aspiring to become President in 2011? There is no need to wait for WikiLeaks to do that for us. A number of such names are synonymous with corruption. That is not the case with President Jonathan..
The leaks have shown him to be humble, truthful, sincere and patriotic. These may not be the best attributes for a politician in these climes but they are the attributes Nigeria needs at this time. Jonathan is a transforming leader not a transactional leader like those who have paraded the corridors of power for too long.
Read the final verdict from Sanders: "We believe the US government is firmly placed to advance our bilateral agenda, including the creation of enabling environment conducive to free, fair and credible elections with the approval and assistance of Nigeria's de facto head of state. Even if he decides to contest for the presidency, Jonathan seems sincere in wanting to leave a lasting legacy of electoral reform for Africa's most populous nation."
Afam is a public commentator and a pro democracy activist, he lives in Lagos
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