February 9, 2009
THE Nigerian presidency, ever known to bubble, almost all day round, with engaging activities is increasingly becoming a shadow of itself as emerging realities continue to point towards the helplessness of key government officials on the running of government policies and programmes. Although, President Umaru Musa YarÁdua is currently on a two-week break, investigations have revealed that even when he was fully in charge, government officials mostly ministers, were always at a loss on who to turn to for direction on crucial governmental matters, since most of them more often than not, would not get the president’s immediate attention.
At the moment, however, an uneasy calm envelops the Nigerian seat of government as officials who do not belong to the inner caucus of the president are left to cope with the turn of events with a philosophical calmness, while hoping for activities to pick up again in the Presidential Villa.
According to investigations, the situation is so bad in the Villa that the Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has been schemed out of the main events in the government and his responsibilities virtually entrusted to some of his sub- ordinates.
The Vice President whom investigations revealed had by his role been having only a little direct personal contact with his boss is now completely alienated and his aides often have to scamper for every fresh memo from the office of the President just to see if there is anything for their boss.
From indication, President Yar’Ádua has redesigned the structure of his government which now allows the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, to supervise the activities of the Ministers and Heads of government agencies, just as he has reportedly conceded the political activities around his office to some governors, led by the governor of Kwara State, Dr. Bukola Saraki, supported by the former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori , and Alhaji Rilwan Lukman now completely in charge of the oil industry.
Indication that Jonathan is now estranged became glaring more than a week ago with the resolve by President YarÁdua to proceed on a two-week leave without conceding any major governmental duty to him, contrary to an earlier impression given to Nigerians by the SGF through a statement that he was to take charge of matters that required the President’s attention.
The statement by Yayale had hardly hit the airwaves when the President’s spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, gave a different view of the workings in the Villa with the exit of his boss, stating that the Vice President was not to be in charge of any government affair.
Adeniyi told State House correspondents “It is not handover per se. I mean the SGF was just stating the obvious: when the President is away, whatever issues arises, the VP will deal with it. I think the background to it was what happened in council on Wednesday (penultimate week). There was a debate at the Federal Executive Council about some of the principal ministers who when they travelled out nothing happened in their ministry because the minister of state cannot act. And the President said as far as he was concerned, if there were issues he should deal with and if he was not available, the rule there is that the Vice President will deal with such situations.
“So, if the President is on vacation, it goes without saying that the Vice President will take charge of issues to attend to. That is just a normal thing. It is not handover per se, the President is still the president and is still in charge, there is no big deal about it.”
As a strong proof that he has not been in charge, the Vice President last week, went to Addis-Ababa as the head of Nigeria’s delegation to the 12th summit of Africa’s heads of state and government to represent the president, not as Nigeria’s acting president.
Another proof was that while still on leave, the president has been issuing statements directing the affairs of the country, passing such through his spokesman and not his deputy. The idea is that Jonathan should have been mandated to issue such statements at least on behalf of the president since he was supposed to be acting.
Investigations have revealed that the Vice President does not just begin to suffer alienation within the government now. The process, according to findings, began a long time ago when the president’s strategist started giving him a close watch to see if he was nursing an ambition.
A survey conducted by Saturday Tribune in the presidential villa revealed that Jonathan would not encourage any of his political associates or friends to visit him in the office from any part of the federation for fear of being suspected as being politically ambitious.
In spite of the visible desertion of the vice president’s office, the present political reality in the Villa as observed has discouraged Jonathan from making input in the running of government as he has been divested of the privilege to nominate candidates into the cabinet, an opportunity his predecessor, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar enjoyed quite well while in power.
Reports also has it that the Vice President has limited access to funds to run his office, having been told in clear terms that the constitution of Nigeria does not specify specific financial allocation for the office of the Vice President.
Some aides to the vice president told Saturday Tribune in confidence of how they had always wondered why their boss was being subjected to such alienations in spite of the political power that his office should naturally enjoy. They lamented that their boss would have been better off as a political kingpin back in Bayelsa.
They spoke of a particular case when the Vice President was prevented from travelling to Katsina to celebrate the sallah with the President on excuse that the presidency should not be left bare after the exit of the President.
Those who prevented him from leaving Abuja for such a social activity were said to have noted a controversy between Jonathan and some traditional rulers generated within the Presidential Villa. A local newspaper was said to have been the cause of the controversy with reports that the vice president was building for himself a political base by networking with political interests across the country.
Essentially, the Vice President may have been a victim of the string of his amazing lucks which are said to have been a source of worry to the YarÁdua strategists. Twice had Jonathan come from behind to cling to power by sheer luck, the first being when his former governor, Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha was impeached and he was sworn in as the governor just as he was surprisingly nominated as vice presidential candidate in 2007, leading to his emergence in the substantive position.
Notwithstanding, those who are familiar with the Vice President are of the view that he has been highly understanding, instantly friendly, obedient, cautious and eager to avoid drawing any form of suspicion to himself and has proved a good team player.
However, the relationship betweenPresident YarÁdua and Jonathan has been a far departure from that between ex-President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, where Atiku enjoyed almost a limitless latitude to operate, at one time being in charge of political and economic matters unti an irreconcilable difference broke out between them.
THE Nigerian presidency, ever known to bubble, almost all day round, with engaging activities is increasingly becoming a shadow of itself as emerging realities continue to point towards the helplessness of key government officials on the running of government policies and programmes. Although, President Umaru Musa YarÁdua is currently on a two-week break, investigations have revealed that even when he was fully in charge, government officials mostly ministers, were always at a loss on who to turn to for direction on crucial governmental matters, since most of them more often than not, would not get the president’s immediate attention.
At the moment, however, an uneasy calm envelops the Nigerian seat of government as officials who do not belong to the inner caucus of the president are left to cope with the turn of events with a philosophical calmness, while hoping for activities to pick up again in the Presidential Villa.
According to investigations, the situation is so bad in the Villa that the Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has been schemed out of the main events in the government and his responsibilities virtually entrusted to some of his sub- ordinates.
The Vice President whom investigations revealed had by his role been having only a little direct personal contact with his boss is now completely alienated and his aides often have to scamper for every fresh memo from the office of the President just to see if there is anything for their boss.
From indication, President Yar’Ádua has redesigned the structure of his government which now allows the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, to supervise the activities of the Ministers and Heads of government agencies, just as he has reportedly conceded the political activities around his office to some governors, led by the governor of Kwara State, Dr. Bukola Saraki, supported by the former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori , and Alhaji Rilwan Lukman now completely in charge of the oil industry.
Indication that Jonathan is now estranged became glaring more than a week ago with the resolve by President YarÁdua to proceed on a two-week leave without conceding any major governmental duty to him, contrary to an earlier impression given to Nigerians by the SGF through a statement that he was to take charge of matters that required the President’s attention.
The statement by Yayale had hardly hit the airwaves when the President’s spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, gave a different view of the workings in the Villa with the exit of his boss, stating that the Vice President was not to be in charge of any government affair.
Adeniyi told State House correspondents “It is not handover per se. I mean the SGF was just stating the obvious: when the President is away, whatever issues arises, the VP will deal with it. I think the background to it was what happened in council on Wednesday (penultimate week). There was a debate at the Federal Executive Council about some of the principal ministers who when they travelled out nothing happened in their ministry because the minister of state cannot act. And the President said as far as he was concerned, if there were issues he should deal with and if he was not available, the rule there is that the Vice President will deal with such situations.
“So, if the President is on vacation, it goes without saying that the Vice President will take charge of issues to attend to. That is just a normal thing. It is not handover per se, the President is still the president and is still in charge, there is no big deal about it.”
As a strong proof that he has not been in charge, the Vice President last week, went to Addis-Ababa as the head of Nigeria’s delegation to the 12th summit of Africa’s heads of state and government to represent the president, not as Nigeria’s acting president.
Another proof was that while still on leave, the president has been issuing statements directing the affairs of the country, passing such through his spokesman and not his deputy. The idea is that Jonathan should have been mandated to issue such statements at least on behalf of the president since he was supposed to be acting.
Investigations have revealed that the Vice President does not just begin to suffer alienation within the government now. The process, according to findings, began a long time ago when the president’s strategist started giving him a close watch to see if he was nursing an ambition.
A survey conducted by Saturday Tribune in the presidential villa revealed that Jonathan would not encourage any of his political associates or friends to visit him in the office from any part of the federation for fear of being suspected as being politically ambitious.
In spite of the visible desertion of the vice president’s office, the present political reality in the Villa as observed has discouraged Jonathan from making input in the running of government as he has been divested of the privilege to nominate candidates into the cabinet, an opportunity his predecessor, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar enjoyed quite well while in power.
Reports also has it that the Vice President has limited access to funds to run his office, having been told in clear terms that the constitution of Nigeria does not specify specific financial allocation for the office of the Vice President.
Some aides to the vice president told Saturday Tribune in confidence of how they had always wondered why their boss was being subjected to such alienations in spite of the political power that his office should naturally enjoy. They lamented that their boss would have been better off as a political kingpin back in Bayelsa.
They spoke of a particular case when the Vice President was prevented from travelling to Katsina to celebrate the sallah with the President on excuse that the presidency should not be left bare after the exit of the President.
Those who prevented him from leaving Abuja for such a social activity were said to have noted a controversy between Jonathan and some traditional rulers generated within the Presidential Villa. A local newspaper was said to have been the cause of the controversy with reports that the vice president was building for himself a political base by networking with political interests across the country.
Essentially, the Vice President may have been a victim of the string of his amazing lucks which are said to have been a source of worry to the YarÁdua strategists. Twice had Jonathan come from behind to cling to power by sheer luck, the first being when his former governor, Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha was impeached and he was sworn in as the governor just as he was surprisingly nominated as vice presidential candidate in 2007, leading to his emergence in the substantive position.
Notwithstanding, those who are familiar with the Vice President are of the view that he has been highly understanding, instantly friendly, obedient, cautious and eager to avoid drawing any form of suspicion to himself and has proved a good team player.
However, the relationship betweenPresident YarÁdua and Jonathan has been a far departure from that between ex-President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, where Atiku enjoyed almost a limitless latitude to operate, at one time being in charge of political and economic matters unti an irreconcilable difference broke out between them.