There is no doubt that some persons have devalued Nigeria and reduced our country to a laughing stalk in the comity of Nations. By virtue of the flight of intellectualism at the highest level of leadership, Nigeria is no longer recognized as an English speaking country. We are today a society that has lost its sense of reasoning. We are a community without conscience. Leadership and Governance are now mere comedy of errors. The Law is truly an ass in Nigeria. Nothing is sacrosanct. Religious bigot and ethnic jingoists have taken over the political stage. Charlatans, sycophants and jesters have taken over the corridors of power. Voices of reason have diminished to permanent deafness. Elders have chosen to dance naked in the market place while the youth indulge in idleness as uninvited spectators.
It is within such an ugly scenario that a man known as Edwin Kiagbodo Clark emerged as a tribal leader and sectional champion. These chosen appellations are not derogatory at all. They are just a mere interpretation of his preferred tittles of “Ijaw Leader and “South-South Leader”. On the 4th of June, 2014, Clark addressed the press over a letter he wrote to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. He claimed the Minister had failed Jonathan (By what criteria?) and Nigerians (From Niger Delta I believe) in all ramifications. That the man was described as a former Minister of the Federal Republic makes me cringe. If this were the men that laid the foundation for Nigeria, then it is little wonder that the building has been shaky all these while. I am not bothered about his claim to knowledge because, knowledge and wisdom are never claimed, they shine and glow. He accused the Minister of two things. The first is that the Minister did not advice the President to declare what he calls “Total State of Emergency” in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. He alluded to an illegality committed in 2004 as his only reason. In justifying it he said the President should invoke “Inherent” powers based on a so called “Doctrine of necessity” to dismantle all democratic structures in the affected States. His disdain for Constitutional order is so vehement that he could quite easily advice the President to appoint Asari Dokubo, Doyin Okupe or even Reno Omokri as replacement for Mohammed Bello Adoke. I honestly believe that the likes of Edwin Clark will not accept the Constitutional requirement for appointing only Lawyers of certain level of experience to that revered position. Going by the warped wisdom exhibited by Edwin Clark in his letter to the Attorney-General, I don’t think he believes a word of the Constitution. The sanctity of the Constitution means nothing to him. His self-interest is all that matters. And because an Ijaw man’s Presidency has exhumed him from his obscurity to National limelight, anything outside that arrangement is totally unacceptable.
I wish Edwin Clark had the courage and honesty to tell Nigerians that the 1966 political crisis which pushed Nigeria to a 30 month civil war was precipitated by the State of Emergency declared in the Western Region. Evil advices from self serving politicians led us to crisis. Now they are bent on leading us to the same path again. In any case, why will a sane person who was privileged to be educated and to hold high public office make the following statement? “This Constitution equally gives the President of the country undefined spectrum of inherent powers which he can exercise if and when such action is in public interest”. Any leader who believes a word of this statement is indeed in trouble. There are no undefined powers in Law or in practice anywhere in a civilized society. All the powers of the president are explicitly defined and none is inherent. Those who tell the President that he has powers without responsibilities are the biggest enemies of the President and the Nation. In what appears a contradiction, Edwin Clark asserted that “a State of Emergency allows the suspension of and/or change to some functions of the executive, legislative and or judiciary during this period of time”.
Mark the key words of “Suspension” and “Change” of some FUNCTIONS. The issue here is in the functions and not structures. So how come the man calls for the suspension of the structures when he stated functions? Is it that the thinking is warped or the reasoning is jaundiced? Section 305 that spoke on the State of Emergency make provision for two fundamental possibilities. One, the whole country could be under a State of Emergency. In that case, who declares the State of Emergency? Who replaces the structures if they are removed? Secondly, a Governor can write and request the President to declare a State of Emergency in his State when he is overwhelmed even by a natural disaster. Will any sane Governor request for his own removal? When a society faces doom as we do today in Nigeria, reason departs from elders as a prelude. Unless the grace of God comes to our rescue, we are facing doom with elders like Edwin Clark caging our leadership and proposing illegalities. When the Constitution means nothing to persons close to Leadership, leaders tend to become Lawless and clueless. The resultant effect is a leadership without focus, power without compassion and authority without responsibility. These are glaring in our Nigeria of today.
For the likes of Edwin Clark, the mandate given to all appointees of the President is fight his political opponents. They should be offensive or be deemed to have neglected their duties. He said “It is sad to note that some Public Officers appointed by Mr. President have negated their duties and are not interested in replying or confronting the insults and abuses poured on Mr. President because most of them regard themselves as technocrats and not ready to offend any of his political opponents” Oh my God! So the duties assigned to Public Officers under the current leadership are to “Confront” and “Offend” the political opponents of the President. Are we therefore surprised that our Polytechnics have been closed for over one full session? Are we surprised that Colleges of Education have been closed for over six months? Are we surprised that we have no Electricity, no roads, and no jobs for our youth? Are we surprised that workers in Federal Hospitals are on strike? Those who are responsible for superintending the provision of these services are busy “Confronting” and “Offending” both real and imagined political opponents of the President.
Edwin Clark betrayed the real reason for his illegal postulations when he said; “The foul and seditious language used by the Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Nyako are most unfortunate, perfidious and as such ought to be addressed appropriately” I guess if he had the inherent powers he believes the President has, he will have ordered for the execution of Governor Nyako. And because his motives for embarking on the verbal tourism are bitterness, hatred, ethnicity and religion, he spelt them out very clearly in his writing. One area I find very interesting is Edwin Clark’s sense of desperation with regards to Jonathan’s right to seek for a second term in 2015. For the first time I could read fear and uncertainty in the Manner Edwin Clark approached the issue. It seems the inner circle is beginning to come to terms with the unpopularity of their Candidate and hence they are advocating for some doctrine of necessity and extra-ordinary measures to anchor him well. 2015 is not too far off from today and even if you use extra-ordinary measures to excise the three States from the coming elections, it will require more than just extra-ordinary measures to stop the wind of change from sweeping away the current leadership from power and hence returning the likes of Edwin Clark to their deserved obscurity.
Ahmad Sajoh Wrote from Dougirei Jimeta – Yola
