Conscience, Wound So Deep That Akunyili’s Therapy

Truth comes in various moulds; As suppressed human gas or pollutant in public, even during a church service;  a potent advance team for true reconciliation between two and among peoples; a symbol of repentance and preparedness for lowly restitution; an essential healing balm for wounds inflicted on the mind or simply a guilty conscience and sometimes just as the truth. In all its forms however, it is usually, a priceless commodity that attracts scorn or praise, enmity or friendship, love or hatred, honour or horror.

In most of its raw forms, it tastes sour in the mouths of those without integrity but to the honourable, a tasty cake of courage.

Being a rare commodity, especially among people of deep moral depravity, it requires a little more than raw courage to voice it during conflicts, particularly, when, individuals’ ambition, needs and fears are at play, but even moreso, when one is in minority, . At such times, to speak the truth is to endanger one’s socio-political status, juicy accruements to such high public office and or even risk ones own life.

This is why in matters of pressing national concerns, the truth is often elusive among those, society normally depends upon to voice it. Have Nigerians not simply forgotten ‘June 12’ and Abiola, the metaphor of our electoral success, which this country gladly jettisoned?

Uptill this day, the real reasons for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections, largely believed to have been won by Late Chief Moshood Abiola still remain a guided secret among people who apparently required more of the kind of integrity needed to force out the truth.

And now, for more that 80 days today, Nigerians have witnessed another impasse, of mainly constitutional enactment of squinting meanings and expressions, which mainly integrity, honour and indeed the truth could very easily address. In my last treatise titled 2 Winners Same Silver Coin published Monday, February 1, 2010, (same back page) I laid bare the constitutional conflict and detailed claims of and quarrels between the competiting parties and would not wish to bore you with a repeat of those luried details. Suffice it to say that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, according to section 145 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution ought to have exercised the discretion of transmitting to the National Assembly a letter to cover his long absence, a move which alone could have empowered a Vice to serve as Acting President. That, the ailing president did not do before traveling to Saudi Arabia in November, last year due to serious health concerns, and has been there, ever since.

Ironically, the same constitution also spells out how a president and his vice can cease to function in office on health grounds. Section 144 puts a key part of that process in the hands of the  office holder , in Yar’Adua’s case, the Executive Council of the Federation ,a body of ministers appointed by him, otherwise also known as the Federal Executive Council (FEC). That body was largely trusted to unveil the truth of the President’s health condition and save the nation all the suspense, political heat, conflicts, litigations and even disruption of key national needs and expectations.

But the ministers met, brain-stormed awhile and emerged with the assurance that the president was hail and hearty. But sadly, that was not the whole truth because none of them at the time had seen the ailing Commander-in-Chief, at least not within the period of the conflict. Yet they told an agitated public that the President was well and would return to his presidential duties last week. The president never did. Yet their resolve remained, to keep hanging on, if for nothing else, prevent the displacement of the status quo. Simply, keep their jobs.

But the unwanted truth still remained that the president ought to have transmitted to the National Assembly reasons for his long absence and not hold the federation to ransom, as most ministers willed it .

In the midst of these mistimed betrayal of trust, one minister gave Nigerians a reason to hope and believe in their own country, using the truth as a potent healing balm to mend whatever damage that might have been done to the minds of many.

Among the lot, Prof Dora Akunyili, the Minister of Information and Communications, it was who stood out to whisper, as it were, that much as she treasures the relationship between her boss and herself, she still thinks that it will amount to loving her country less if she chose to  hide the truth, simply to save her job. That the president should transmit  a letter of his health condition to the National Assembly, to enable his Vice to act, pending his return, a view which many of her ministerial ilk considered sacrilegious and shouted her, down. Of course, the body of ministers has repeatedly argued that such a step was not necessary, since the vice president was already performing the duties of the president. But how true?

Could VP Jonathan order the long awaited reconstitution of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)? Could VP Jonathan swear-in the substantive Chief Justice of the Federation? Can VP Jonathan sign the 2010 appropriation bill, if and when passed into law by the National Assembly? Or can Vice President Jonathan sack the present Federal Executive Council on grounds of poor service delivery and appoint another set of ministers?

More importantly, can VP Jonathan declare war on an aggressive neigbour- nation in protection of our territory without some lawyer dragging him to one of the many high courts?

Many, if not all of the ministers had  answers to these and many more worrisome questions but none wished to shift grounds for many reasons, none of which could be tied to love for one’s country, but key of which, Methinks, is to maintain the status quo: I hope am wrong.

It is in this perspective that Dora Akunyili’s rare display of statesmanship, honour, integrity and patriotism can be appreciated.

But lets ponder a while. Were Yar’Adua a vindictive leader, and miraculously returns today from Saudi Arabia, Can Akunyili be sure of her ministerial job? Will Nigerians, particularly her ministerial colleagues not label her courage, a betrayal and she a villain? Will she not be seen as a political ingrate who abandoned her political benefactor in times of trials and tribulations?

But such is the nature and complexity which truth conjures, love or hatred, friendship or enmity, honour or horror.

That indeed is the nature of the bold steps Akunyili has taken for love of country but at great risk to her political career. Happily, some are gradually gearing-up to share of her praise and be decorated as co-patriots.

This is how role models are made; great characters who, at all times necessary, are willing to risk their personal needs for societal good, those not scared of shunning phoney successes and instead risk failure for integrity sake and above all, help teach others what honesty means.

Dora reminds me of a charming brilliant youngman during my primary school days, who denied my school, Ogoloma Town School, Ogoloma in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State the honour of lifting the golden trophy of an annual busy-bee competition, very early, in the 70’s.

As leader of our school’s spelling team of three, the young woman had correctly spelt all words put  to her in the contest to defeat the opposing side, at least so we all thought, because after each spelling attempt, the moderator would scream either ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. So, all spectators and participants alike, knew the count.

But something strange happened. In the end, after our school had won the finals by a single point against our opponents  just when we thought our lead representative was going to lift the trophy, she instead approached the moderator and made a confession. That she had misspelt the word,’COMPETITIVENESS’ as COMPETETIVENESS, a slip which no judge noticed  and in tears told the judges that she did not deserve the victory. And so, rather than slave under the heavy weight of a guilty conscience, she chose to speak the truth, even if that singular action denied our school the trophy, and she, the cash prize of 20 pounds.

Such is the nature of some truths, and Dora Akunyili’s, no less so. But My Agony is that Nigeria’s long corridor of power has never been in short supply of sycophants, professional praise-singers and talented mischief makers who would insist and succeed in painting the former NAFDAC Heroine in dull colours of a betrayer, bureaucratic thorn-coat and political harlot. And to that, would many  scream, ‘yes’, only to be relevant.

But like one who tries to suppress excess gas, after consuming a large pot of beans porage, softened by Akanwu (calcium carbonate), the truth of her patriotism shall someday, reverberate and set free, a morally depraved lot in our polity. When? That I can’t tell.