Yar’Adua’s scorecard six months after - Nigeria Daily News

Thursday, November 29, 2007 - By Tunde Abatan, Associate Editor
When he took over the reigns of government on May 29, he enunciated the seven-point programme of his government, which centred on improving the quality of life through increased power generation, creation of employment and above all, his resolve to respect and uphold the rule of law. But with the benefit of hindsight, six months into the regime, President Umaru Yar’Adua, the fourth civilian President of Nigeria, has been faced with the twin problem of maintaining his legitimacy and fighting the scourge of corruption that was left by his predecessors and which to all intent and purposes, has been a dark spot on the performance of his six months old government.

The Unenviable Task

He is also saddled with the task of lifting up the economy and combating the evil of unemployment which has made the country and its citizens poorer in spite of picking up huge amount of dollars from the increasing pump price of fuel which at the last count has spiralled to $99 dollar per barrel. This figure undeniably made him the President with the highest revenue from oil with a production of 2.45 million barrels per day. There is no doubt that only a sustained war on corruption could prevent the money from getting into wrongs hands as it did under his predecessor, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It is an irony of sort that given the level of various exposures of large scale graft in the last eight years involving top government officials and political appointees, locally and internationally, the former government could pass for the most corrupt in the history of the country. This is in spite of Obasanjo’s promise on May 29, 1999 that his government won’t be ‘business as usual’. Indication has since proved otherwise.

Reversals And Policy Changes

However, since he assumed the mantle of leadership an indication that Yar’Adua may probably be his own man if he is able to overcome the legitimacy problem, has manifested in the various reversals of major policy thrusts of former President Obasanjo. Among these reversals are the sale of Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries and the decision of the Senate to take a second look at the privatisation programme especially as it affects the Ajaokuta Steel Company, Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), Delta Steel Mill and the recent threat to reconsider the liquidation of the national carrier; Nigeria Airways. Also in the pipeline is the possible break of the monopoly given to Dangote Industries as the sole importer of bagged cement and sugar in the country. Among policy issues to be affected in the policy reversal is the planned sale of unity schools all over the country by the former government.

On the side of the rule of law, Yar’Adua has ordered the immediate recognition of judgement of the election petition tribunals in Rivers, Kogi and Yobe States, in which his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost after the election tribunals up held the complaints of the defeated candidates.

Not giving to too much timidity contrary to the claims of those not close to him, Yar’Adua surprisingly have in the last two weeks, had to intimidate and urge the judiciary not to be swayed by sentiments as they dispense with election petitions; a statement that was referred to as a veiled attempt to cow the judiciary.

It is also instructive that the various landmark judgements and their compliance has been the saving grace of his government, as he now has to contend with the possible reversal of victories of his party in many states.

Mouthing War Against Corruption

With a budget of $1.4trillion naira for the 2008 fiscal year and the investigation of former corrupt leaders now being made to occupy the centre stage of his government and with his continuous pledges before the international community to continue with the war on corruption, how long will he continue to shield his benefactors and the previous government from the moral crisis and lack of focus which he inherited? Full Story