Labour’s Betrayal And Jonathan’s Transformation From Would-Be Democrat To Autocrat

Labour’s Betrayal And Jonathan’s Transformation From Would-Be Democrat To Autocrat

Posted: January 17, 2012 

Ogaga Ifowodo

Columnist: 

 Ogaga Ifowodo

We saw it coming—the Great Compromise by organized labor! Only that they denied it to the last minute, thereby stirring a false hope in the hearts of the millions who were and remain ready to stand up to their corrupt, irresponsible and callous government. With the people in the streets and the government quaking, the leadership of NLC/TUC decided to shoot the Nigerian masses in the foot and tell them to hobble home to lick their wounds!

Then they issued a pathetic apology listing the achievements of the two-week struggle to demand accountability and respect for the popular will. But even while stating “categorically” that the decision to reduce the hitherto non-negotiable new price of petrol by a token N44—that is from N141 to N97 per litre—“was a unilateral one by the Government,” the leadership of organized labour still found it possible to give an embattled and weakened Jonathan the benefit of the doubt, believing all of a sudden that he can fulfill promises that cannot and will never be fulfilled—at least, not to any significant extent. For instead of Jonathan's magical sum of N1.134 trillion naira transformation fund, he will be getting just about N800 billion at the new pump price of petrol. How many roads, bridges, railways, refineries, dams, power plants, etc., etc., can he build with the federal government's share of that sum? And how will he ensure that food and shelter and other basic necessities will defy the resultant hyperinflation to be affordable by the ordinary people?

There will, naturally, be a few token gestures: one or two high-profile scapegoats, some recovered billions that will immediately sink into the maw of corruption, partial acceptance and implementation of audit reports on NNPC and the oil sector, a new game of musical chairs which will see to new-old faces at the helm of affairs in the oil regulatory agencies, etc. But nothing substantial: you can bet your life on it. As long as Jonathan does not IMMEDIATELY DECLARE HIS ASSETS AND LAUNCH A ZERO-TOLERANCE, NO-SACRED-COW, WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION AND TERROR or REDUCE THE COST OF GOVERNMENT, STARTING WITH SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES, BY AT LEAST 50%.

So now it is back to the Nigerian people who must learn the lessons of this setback and re- organize for a decisive offensive to reclaim Nigeria. It is always down to the people, anyway.

Meanwhile, one thing is clear: Jonathan has proved himself of the same pedigree as his predecessors, military or civilian; the equal of any dictator in khaki or agbada, and we can now add to the sartorial emblems of power a bowler hat. By choosing to bleed the people some more rather than recover the stolen loot that would fund his so-called transformation programme, he has given concrete proof of the only transformation that has occurred so far: that of the metamorphosis of his lucky self from a would-be democrat to a full-blown autocrat.

When an “elected”—let us assume that he was elected—president deploys the army to the streets to stop peaceful protests, and that after seeing to the death of an estimated 20 citizens exercising their right to freedom of assembly, speech and protest, he announces his tyrannical disposition to the whole world. Oh, and he chose the perfect means to announce this transformation: by sending his henchmen to harass CNN and BBC so they do not report the story or relay the images of soldiers and tanks occupying the streets of his country’s commercial capital. All of which will further endear the country to investors!

But no leader turns the military on the people over whose affairs he presides without paying a price—in the long or short run. None. And worse for that leader if he or she was “elected” by the people. It is the ultimate betrayal, and history records it as the beginning of the end for such a leader. Thus, as Jonathan begins his tightrope walk to tyranny, perhaps this then is the true victory of the last two weeks. And for that reason, “We the people” must remain resolute and return to the streets under direct civil society leadership as soon as the necessary reassessment and remobilization has been done. The struggle definitely continues. And victory is around the corner. If we persist.