LEAVING WHEN THE OVATION IS LOUD! DR. CHRISTOPHER KOLADE, A SUBTLE WAY TO SAY ‘NO’

LEAVING WHEN THE OVATION IS LOUD! DR. CHRISTOPHER KOLADE, A SUBTLE WAY TO SAY ‘NO’

There is a popular adage in my tribal parlance that says “What an elder sees while seated, a youth can NEVER see such even if he climbs the tallest of trees”.  Few weeks ago, an elderstatesman in person of former Head of Service and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Yayale Ahmed tendered his resignation as the chairman of President Jonathan’s committee in charge of health care delivery. Eleven months into its inauguration, the committee with a 15-month mandate (or there about) to deliver was starved of funding. Only last week, the news filtered that the incumbent chairman of the Presidential Committee on Subsidy Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), the octogenarian former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Christopher Kolade had tendered his resignation letter to the president effective November ending. Not forgetting the fact the committee under the outgoing committee had decried paucity of fund to run the programme and its readiness to reduce its workforce by a whopping 111,000 workers.

I am sure somebody will tell me all is well with our dear Nigeria. The present quagmires of the country are overtly not orchestrated by the Goodluck administration. They are of unequivocal fact that they are concomitants of several years of systemic fiasco! But the fact remains we cannot also take away the fact that opportunity presented itself to re-write our history, and thus, the leadership of the country was, by kismet, left in the hands of a PhD holder, a man lettered enough to put his name on the sands of history. Three years down the line now, what are the pointers that we are having headway? In the words of that renowned publisher, a one-time presidential aspirant, Bashorun Dele Momodu, “Brazil was once declared bankrupt before our very eyes. The same Brazil has emerged from its seemingly fatal economic woes to become one of the most ambitious industrialised nations in the world. Even if the country has its own contractions and upheavals, it has certainly started its powerful journey towards recovery. It is not funny that we are not able to produce and provide the basic needs of our own people.”

One will naturally be glad to know the president is versatile in world history. The other day on screen (television), President Jonathan enthused over how Lee Kuan Yew was able to turn Singapore from a ‘Third world’ to a ‘First world’ country. And coincidentally, Lee’s background is very similar to president Jonathan’s. He was not born with a silver-spoon and had to struggle most of his life. This ostensibly toughened, prepared and propelled him for the role he later played in transforming the lives of his country. Nobody would remember him today if he used his power to acquire billions of dollars. He would have been just one of the billionaires. He’s remembered, and celebrated globally, for his epic struggle to make what seemed impossible possible. I would want you to actually read about this great leader rather than be presumed to be regurgitating a prepared script and see if you can borrow some tips from his personal character, vision and actions… (Dele Momodu)

In another example given by this astute Nigerian was the Rwanda story. The genocide which ravaged that country in 1994 when the Hutus massacred the Tutsis and the world was aghast with the horrific pictures of dead bodies that floated everywhere. The story is however different today. Rwanda is blessed with visionary leadership, just like Ghana was rescued from the brink by Jerry Rawlings. It should give you hope that if you play less politics and concentrate on things of substance you may still be able to wipe out the tears and hopelessness of Nigerians. You will never achieve anything tangible if you carry on with your psychedelic and feel-good approach to Nigeria. These were majorly the words of the erudite publisher and I could not agree less. My candid piece of mind to Mr. President is to have a re-think of this whole wishy-washy mode of doing things, he should be the man that he is and take the bull by the horn, enough of the dilly-dallying. 

Czar Wisdom Kokumó Omógbóláhàn, Cfr, VoM...Àse ñ t'Èdùmàrè