Their first hundred days

By Debo Abdulai

Like many others, I have always wondered at the proprietary of public officers celebrating their first hundred days in office but, I have come to accept the fad; more so that the celebration is used as a benchmark to gauge performances. I have also discovered that this period affords some the opportunity to discover some things which are a bit different from the norm, especially when the government is new and is finding its way through the intricate web of governance. It falters, falls, and rises. That is when the real person is known; thereafter the officialdom, the perks and nuances of office hide his persona.

I will however start by going back in time to refresh our minds with one of the somewhat irritating habits of former President Olusegun Obasanjo (a person who, I believe, meant well for this country). OBJ, as he is fondly called, has a signature tune and it was Ali Baba, the famous and successful comedian who announced the ex-president’s famous cough to the world. And truly this cough, or should we call it his throat-clearing device, was always annoying, especially when he was to answer questions.

At a time, I thought the Otta farmer was just displaying his famous disdainful attitude towards the press but, funny enough, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, his successor, known worldwide as a creation of Obasanjo and who has been trying to create his own identity, gained this somewhat fundamental trait from his predecessor. We have to thank this famous hundred-day celebration for such exposition. He was on The President Explains to dissect his policy direction in his first 100 days. It was befuddling because try as much as Yar’Adua did in carving an identity for himself, he could not detatch himself from Obasanjo and I think that is why he contracted that peculiar OBJ-cough.

Why must they cough and do so without finesse? Obasanjo’s cough, even though irritating, was also funny; that of Yar’Adua lacked form and character. Perhaps, with time, he will cough with modulation. Another interesting aspect of these past days is the ability of the former and current presidents to draw into their cabinets women who are actually babes; spectacular stunners. I can understand OBJ’s ability to do that (we just have to dig into his background to understand why) but the Yar’Adua that I see everyday seems contented with his very beautiful and brilliant Turai. So if OBJ brought Aisha, Nenadi Usman and Tayo Alao into his cabinet one should understand but how did Diezani Allison-Madueke enter Yar’Adua’s consciousness? Diezani is a model, no argument and I would pardon every editor who splashed her picture on their front pages when, in orange overalls and jackboot, she stood arms akimbo on the Lagos-Benin expressway where she apologized to Nigerians over the deplorable condition of the road which is a gateway to the Niger Delta. She is from Bayelsa State.

I had thought she would immediately find her way to the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the busiest and deadliest road in the country. She hasn’t and I wonder why. Perhaps she does not believe that this road, which has failed totally and which consumes blood everyday (last week 20 people died within seconds in a motor accident) needs total rehabilitation. While it is true that the Benin express road makes motoring almost impossible, it is truer that the Lagos-Ibadan road is the number one killer in the country. So who says those who lost loved ones on this road and those who have spent fortunes in repairing their vehicles need no apology even if it would be agreed that they need not the calming beauty of Diezani, at this time .

These past days, we’ve seen an Attorney-General who is usually late in reading his law books. And it is actually very funny because he came with very high credentials. Some have said he is worse than his predecessor in office, Bayo Ojo. I will just say he is the sorethumb in the Yar’adua cabinet. First, he came with an agenda on how to muzzle the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which was exposed by better egg-heads and eagle-eyed presidency officials. Again, Nigerians have been asking why it took Aondoakaa almost two weeks to discover that the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Chukwuma Soludo, did not comply absolutely with the CBN Act on the now suspended new monetary policy. Wasn’t Aondoakaa a part of the Federal Executive Council meeting which Soludo addressed on August 14? Where were his law books then? He is actually a curious addition to the Yar’Adua cabinet and he gave many Nigerians much to ruminate over these past days.

It would be unfair not to talk about Patricia Foluke Etteh, the first female to attain a very high political position in the country. As Speaker of the House of Representatives, Etteh took a position of high responsibility and much, so much, was expected from her. But, nobody was expecting that she would soon be enmeshed in a N628 million contract scam that had to do with the renovation of hers and her deputy’s official quarters. That scam has been so muddled up that it is becoming increasingly difficult to decipher who is telling the truth and who is fighting for a juicier committee chairmanship post.

I however believe that Etteh, a very quiet and strong politician, will survive this. Of course, the people who voted her and her colleagues to office would continue to be stupefied at how money means little to those at the top. While one would not call what is going on as an act of corruption, one can safely say that those at the top are feeding fat on the sweat of the people. I pity Etteh because even the defence of the National Assembly, through its Clerk, Alhaji Nasir Arab, on the details of the contract is mindboggling.

Just imagine this: “… on the scope of work at the Speaker’s residence which included (1) house No.1 (main mansion) main complex of 10 bedrooms and seven sitting rooms, (b) Private office, Study House No.2, 3 bedroom Guest House, House No.3, ADC’s 3 bedroom House, House No4 Domestic Staff House, House No. 5, Reception block, House no.6, radio room, house no.7, Power house, House No.8 lock up garages.

“Also included are the construction of new security house, relocation of the mosque into the compound, construction of chapel and furnishing, fittings and communication gadgets…” According to him, part of the total sum included, “one Toyota VX V8 Land cruiser jeep and two Peugeot 406 salon cars” which he said was less than the full complement of eight vehicles approved statutorily for the official convoy of the Speaker. The Deputy Speaker, Babangida Nguroje, according to him, is entitled to similar things which he also enumerated. The principal officers, he said, will get one land- cruiser Vxv8 Toyota jeeps. All these are included in the over N600 million contract.

Fellow Nigerians, these are your representatives, people you made through your votes and, of course, they are living this big, constitutionally. Arab told us that the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC) recommended this comfort, this extravagance. Therefore, don’t be shocked, don’t lose hope. As you pound the road on your tired feet while looking for your daily bread and a Toyota jeep, a Mercedes Benz splashes dirty water on you, just believe, console yourself that your representative, a principal officer of the house, is passing by and he is riding in your car (as long as you are a taxpayer) or, better still, that he is riding the car on your behalf.

He is your representative, remember. Happy anniversary.