Urhobo Historical Society
As power brokers in
Nigeria
dilly-dally as to whether or not to let Vice President Goodluck
Jonathan step into the shoes of his ailing boss, even if as Acting
President,
the land and people of Bayelsa remember
their son and
benefactor who stood in the gap at a critical point in the political
calendar
when the state floundered in the wild storm following Chief Diepreye
Alamieyeseigha�s arrest in London. Nengi Josef Ilagha,
speech writer
to both men in times past, captures the high points of the good luck
tenure in Bayelsa.
Goodluck to Bayelsa
By His Majesty Nengi
Josef Ilagha
Mingi XII, Amanyanabo
of Nembe
Bayelsa State, Nigeria
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HE SUPERLATIVES WERE bound to roll in over
time. The
encomiums were sure to come, delayed though they may be. For, in the
course of
the eighteen months during which he served as Governor of Bayelsa
State, Nigeria, he cut a distinctive image for himself as a performer
bent on
making a difference to the growth and development of his home state. He
set his
eyes on a clear agenda, and would not be distracted from it. He saw his
new
role as a special assignment from God, and he meant to leave an
enduring legacy
for one and all to see.
And so, when he came into office, he did not
care for
praise singers. He had very little time to listen to hypocrites and
charlatans
and rumour mongers. But that did not stop
the
political cocks from taking to the streets, strutting around with
selfish ideas
for sale, and their colourful feathers
were to be
seen all around Yenagoa, the state
capital. Virtually
everywhere you turned, there was something to crow about. In the end,
the
passion he brought to bear on his policies and programmes
recommended only Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan to higher quarters.
At the beginning, in point of fact, he was
not
altogether sure of himself. Greatness was suddenly thrust onto his lap,
and he
was understandably flustered. He couldn�t believe his good luck. His
confidence
only grew from day to day but, in all, his humility showed from day
one. Dr Goodluck Jonathan was simply
uncomfortable when anyone
addressed him as Executive Governor of Bayelsa
State.
He seemed to wonder what was executive about being a governor. He
simply did
not care for extra appellations when there was work waiting to be done.
I suppose that goes to demonstrate the
urgency with
which he faced his assignment, and the message did not fail to sink in.
Titles
may sound well and good, but Goodluck
would rather
keep it short and terse: Governor of Bayelsa
State.
Don�t rule by fiat, he said often. Lead by consultation and personal
example
instead. No room for ceremonies. Get to
the heart of the matter, and be done with it. That may explain why,
like a
short distance runner, he went about the business of governance with a
great
burst of energy and fervour.
And when you come to think of it, he had
every reason
to be in haste. Eighteen months was certainly not long enough to
accomplish the
grand dreams he harboured for the hapless
young
state, which wasn�t getting any younger by the day, and the agile new
governor
was all too aware of this. Bayelsa was
fast
approaching its tenth anniversary as a state at the time. In itself,
that was
enough cause for celebration. But what was there to celebrate when the
noble
aspirations of the founding fathers were still far from being realized?
In
quick time, he situated himself in the minds of the electorate as a
governor
who meant well, one who was out to expand the horizons of growth, and
extend
the frontiers for progress.
Before long, the
Isaac Boro Expressway was no longer the
bushy axis of the state
capital that it used to be. The forest rapidly gave way under the grind
of
earth-moving machines and that vast expanse of land was soon dotted
with
housing estates for civil servants, their bright new roofs gleaming in
the
noon-day sun. In like manner, the majestic structure of the first
five-star
hotel was soon growing out of the marshy ground, sited at the head of
the
Julius Berger intersection on Boro Way,
the very
first of its kind to grace the humble Yenagoa
skyline.
From day one, he
told the
electorate that government would open up the state with four new roads,
three
of them leading to the interior of the three senatorial districts,
while the
fourth would create the much-needed gateway into Yenagoa
from the East-West Road. The idea was to make the Mbiama-Igbogene
access into the state capital unfamiliar before long, and eliminate the
scandal
of trespassing into the state through another.
What�s more, the Goodluck Governor decided to make life less
miserable for
commuters. Residents of Yenagoa woke up
one morning
and saw a fleet of taxis in the open grounds of the Armed Forces
Remembrance
Arcade opposite Creek Haven, painted in royal blue colours
with a yellow strip, just waiting for their owners to pick them up. The
owners
claimed them, in a very final sense, and the taxis were no longer to be
seen on
the roads forever.
Like a concerned
father, Goodluck Jonathan equally turned
attention to civil
servants in the state, seeking to ameliorate their sorry circumstances.
In one
bound, the government released all of one-and-half-year arrears to
civil
servants. The governor was determined not to owe any worker in the
state, in
keeping with the wealth creation programme
of the
government, and the workers couldn�t believe their good luck. All this
he did
within a five-month space, from the day he was sworn-in to take charge
of Bayelsa, to the next Democracy Day. It
was the kind of
sparkling record that readily made hypocrites chant a love song:
We Are Loyal, Sir!
But, then, Goodluck Jonathan promptly shut them up with a
ready
retort. Don�t tell me that. Show me how much you love Bayelsa!
Indeed the
emergence of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as
Governor of Bayelsa State may well be
described as an
act of fate. As Deputy Governor, he showed himself to be an exemplary
lieutenant, and a pillar of support to his boss. Providence played the
impartial umpire when, on December 12, 2005, he mounted the lofty
saddle of
office, following the arrest in London and subsequent impeachment of
Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha,
sixteen
months to the expiration of their joint tenure.
From
the onset, Jonathan did not leave anyone in doubt that he had to be
taken
seriously. His vision was to lift the land and people of Bayelsa
State from the doldrums of poverty and underdevelopment, and place them
on a
higher pedestal of growth and progress. The policy thrust of his
government was
grounded on the solid resolve to create wealth and accelerate the pace
of
infrastructural development around the state, district by senatorial
district.
A
modest leader, not given to flambouyance
or idle
promises, he believed simply in work as a daily code of conduct. His
resolve to
be the yeoman at work showed in his readiness to appear in casual work
clothes,
rather than ceremonial wear. To be at the helm of affairs, for him, is
to be
entrusted with a sacred duty to lead his people into a new season of
industry,
with tangible results to show for it. As he put it, �the people of Bayelsa have come a long way from a past of pain
and
misery. It will be self defeatist on our part to return to those
turbulent and
unholy years, while the door of hope is still open to us.�
Only recently, governors
of the various states rose from a common
forum, having
considered the fate of Nigeria in the absence of the incumbent
President, Umar Musa Yar�Adua,
and
approached the Vice President with a word of encouragement and
commendation.
They did not express anything new. On March 2, 2002, at a public forum
in Bayelsa, former Governor Alamieyeseigha
had summed up the character of his deputy in the following words:
�Sometimes, I wonder what
life inside Creek Haven would have been if Dr Jonathan were not by my
side.
Stories abound of repeated conflicts and crises of confidence erupting
between
some chief executives and their deputies in this nation. But I am glad
to
report that I never lost sleep over Goodluck
Jonathan. He proved himself to be a level-headed deputy. He not only
stood by
me, but repeatedly stood in for me on several critical occasions. In
trying
moments, Dr Jonathan remained calm and consistent, performing his
official
duties with unflagging dedication and commitment to the compound
interest of
the government and people of Bayelsa
State.�
That is a testimony worth
giving deeper consideration.