Every outgoing human organization’s head is often interested in who comes after him. So are political heads who are vacating their positions for a successor. Because of the love they have for their organisations or institutions, they are vacating, they desire that the next person that is coming after them would be one who would improve on what they have done to take that organistaion or institution a notch higher than the way they are leaving it.
A good leader is one who has a successor that surpasses him or her in achievements, and not one who comes to hide under his shadow.
But we know in the Nigerian political setting that some political leaders, especially, as we have seen in some states, often seek to foist their minnows, errand boys on the seat of political power, not for the good of the people they have governed, but because they want someone who would cover up for their sleaze and ignoble acts; someone through whom they could still pull the strings.
This is often the fears of many of our political leaders, such that they throw caution to the wind and go all out, not minding the consequences, to impose one whom they believe has unalloyed loyalty. Unfortunately this has not always being the case. We have seen in history, where hitherto trusted allies turn against their supposed masters of predecessors when power gets into their hands, and become their benefactors’ opponents.
So when country boy governor of Bayelsa state said he wants his successor to be one who has:
- The consciousness and capacity to play opposition politics in the country, and should not be left in the hands of “lilly-livered politicians who only play establishment politics and shy away from the realities on the ground.”
- Courage, commitment, vision and grits, adding that these qualities were needed for his successor to protect the interest of the state and the Ijaw nation, all Bayelsans and friends of the state took note.
Bayelsans understood him to mean just what he says, and no one doubted his intentions. To show he meant what he said, he had to take the matter to God in special prayers, because he recognises that it is only God that knows the hearts of men and able to give Bayelsan the right leader. His request was simple: God give Bayelsa my successor, one who would take the state to greater heights and advance the well-being of its people and those of the Ijaw nation. One with the requisite qualities of courage, commitment, vision and zeal.
Dickson has done a lot for Bayelsans and the Ijaw nation. It would be unacceptable if Bayelsans and their outgoing governor do not get it right in the matter of who comes after him. The state needs to move forward and improve on the Dickson’s sterling achievements.
We at eWorldnews, stakeholders in the Bayelsa project, have looked at all the contestants and have found in Jonah a man that the state needs at this moment and one who fits, unquestionably the Dickson’s heartbeat.
We are not alone in this our assessment and endorsement. The Niger-delta Self Determination Movement identifies with our position.
The Movement, which had a rally last week in Yenagoa said Jonah enters the race with a pedigree and administrative quality, with an uncommon humility and attributes. “When you have him you can go to sleep”, they noted. They described him as one with sterling military career and a grass root politician. They were confident that Jonah would be that leader that would yield to the yearnings of the masses of Bayelsa.
Dickson has tested Jonah; his loyalty, stabilizing force, a man with a stable mind, not given to prevarications, focused and visionary. He has known Jonah’s ability to manage men and resources. For the eight years he has been with him, Dickson has found him loyal to the party, the Restoration dream, the Ijaw nation and above all a man who is able to stand his own among his peers, at the national level.
Bayelsans cannot afford to give their state to one who is seeing the job of a governor as an investment; one who is spending so much money in adverts (on national television), in wooing delegates and influencers, with the hope that when he gets there he would hemorrhage the state of its financial resources in a bid to recoup the huge amount he has spent to buy the position. Bayelsa should not be for the highest bidder. Neither should the Ijaw nation and indeed, Bayelsans allow an errand boy to any person nor group of persons to be foist on them.
“I clearly understand the challenges of governance and (I’m) better placed to continue and consolidate on the achievements of Dickson, especially in the education and health sectors,’’ John-Jonah has said.
The president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Eric Omare, statement to eWorldnews, though not mentioning his name, seems to have pointed to Jonah when he said the Ijaw nation needs another governor-general that can puts on his shoulder the interests of the Ijaw nation and one who could build the human capital of the Bayelsa, among others.
We believe that Dickson would align himself with the noble words of Segio Marchionne who said: “Who my successor is will be up to the board”, in this case to an unfettered Bayelsa delegates, who vote freely.
It is the delegates call to make when they gather on September 3, 2019 to elect the person that would carry the flag of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to victory in the November 16 governorship election.
Because the delegates cannot be asked not to take money from any of the aspirants, nevertheless, we enjoin them to vote their consciences. But as Othman Dan Fodio once said, a saying that the Guardian adapted as its motto statement, “Let your conscience be nurtured by truth”, and not by coins.
