Who Is After President Jonathan’s Job?

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has, in his usual subtle manner, accused the president-elect Muhammasu Buhari of taking the shine off his last, apparently endless, days in office. With the orbiting ruling party, PDP’s spokesman, crafting the announcement as ‘warning not to form a parallel government this accusation would easily pass as one of the glaring attempts by the PDP to maintain relevance, but beyond that, is the clear picture of a president who has not really conceded defeat as his earlier now famed phone call to his opponent, General Buhari during collation of results by INEC  portended.
While the incumbent President is busy doing the right things at the wrong time, firing and hiring people who do not have the honour to speak out against injustice or decline these unholy appointments, the president-elect is on his part, busy attending to important state matters and deliberating on how to redress the maladies of his soon-to-ensure the wheel of changed is promised to lead his people from the front and that is the first pointer to a man who has his priorities set on the ‘go’ button, a man who has already hit the ground running, a man with a specific mission and one which cannot be derailed by the beaureucracy of time. For him, May 29 is mere formality, and the incumbent himself has buttressed that point, when he and his party dilly-dallied on the appropriate date, between May 28 and 29, on which to hand over.
It now bemuses right thinking Nigerians that the president and the president PDP leadership are feverish with concerns over Buhari’s pace, expressing their angst, some Nigerians called it envy, at his inability to wait for that date before he began to unveil his lofty ideals?
No doubt, the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan hardly understands the magnitude of workload that he is bequeathing to his successor, from corruption to the least malady in administration, which the president-elect already has starring him in the face.
Again, to maintain his new status of a stateman, the President and his handlers may not wish to remind the people of how they so ‘wrote a beautiful autopsy report’ on General Buhari during the campaigns that many Nigerians took the General for dead and campaigned to their neighbours not to vote for ‘a dead man’. If that ‘dead man’ now lives and his shadow a moving faster than those who had interred him, it would not angur well for the reputation of statesman! It is good for the ‘moving corpse’ to be stopped till May 29!
There is no arguing the point that Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan remains President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria until May 29 (though the date is not constitutional) but there is no arguing the fact also that General Muhammadu Buhari because the people’s president-elect on March 28 when they chose him as their leader. It is on record, in one of his finest speeches that the president-elect stated that he would lead his people from the front, and, a fine soldier in his time, people should understand the bold and fearless airs about this man. It is in his DNA! His mandate has a fast-paced edge about his, and he is not the kind to lead from the rear, hiring and firing people at zero hour and taking policy decisions which Nigerians have waited for in baited breaths for a long time, i.e his order for the release of the audit report on the NNPC, missing fund, etc.
S.B of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, is clear on the position  of the President. It read, “Subject to the provisions of this constitutions, a person shall hold the office od President until-
(a)    When his successor in office takes the oath of that office;
(b)    He dies whilst holding such office; or
(c)    The date when his resignation from office takes effect; or
(d)    He otherwise ceases to hold office in accordance with the provisions of this constitution.
This provision of the incumbent, President Jonathan, and although the constitution of Nigerian does not ascribe any roles to the office of the president Jonathan, and although constitution of Nigeria does not ascribe any roles to the office of the president-elect in Nigeria, conflict of interests may arise as it has, on party borderlines and other  extenuating circumstances regarding defeat and victory. If not, what the president-elected does should necessarily not give the outgoing any cause for alarm, for by all intents and purposes, the one whose job is on the line is the one who has a fresh mandate.
For America as a union, there is a role, an understanding that is unwritten but is practiced by its leaders. In the western society, the President-elect collaborates with the President to learn the role of the office, to become familiar with the programs of the state and its governance, and to develop and facilitate officer transition. The president-elect assists and supports the president as needed and plans/facilitates a peaceful transition. Is the president-elect, General Buhari doing more than this? Certainly no!
Section 140 (1) of the 1999 constitution is also on the side of President Goodluck Jonathan. It reads, “A person elected to the office of president shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in this constitution and he has taken and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance and the oath office prescribed in the Seventh schedule to this constitution.
However, the President-elect, even before his victory at the polls has made it clear that he is willing to declare his a asset, he had done it before and he is ready to do it again. But this is not all what avails him to the duties of the president. It is the oath-taking and it is on May 29, thankfully president Jonathan has succumbed to the agitation for May 29  rather than 28, thankfully, too, on that date, Nigerians would know whose job is on the line.
For the now, would the president-elect stay back, arms folded while Nigeria sleeps? No; he has functions to attend, invitations to make appearances and people whose imprint may be needed in his shot at governance. It is important that if these functions do not affect or threaten the position of the position of the incumbent or appear as the elect working ultra vires, the Jonathan-led administration should please overlook them. If everything behind his persona. Philosophies are for the interest of Nigerians, then he should let it be. The Nigerian, then he should let it be. The interest of Nigerian is that the new government should be up and about with the March 28 mandate running with the vision! Anyone should tolerate this-whether it comes as speeches made by the elect, commendations to the transition committee and refuge in the Defense Headquarters, even the appearance as Special Guest of Honour during   the induction of the 8th Assembly let everyone be tolerant, for Nigeria, and Nigerians, are in a hurry to CHANGE!
Gender issues
Behold, Madam Vice-President!
“ Diplomacy Will Bridge The Gender Gap”
–    Uche Aisha Kanabe
The election on April 15 of the Students’ Union Government of the University of Benin may have come and gone, but surely  not the thrills and, of course, the delicate masterpieces of equivocation  which characterized the campaigns like it is anywhere else. Then the gender factor.
Emerging the winner and unscathed in a highly competitive terrain and in a keenly contested election – an election that had all the trappings of elections anywhere in the world –from propaganda to blackmail and on-the-edge alliances, endorsements, stepping on toes, etc, Uche Aisha Kanabe of the Vocational and Technical Educational Department, faculty of Education who won the coveted office of the Vice-President, SUG, University of Benin, sure has some memory lanes to explore! The soft-spoken articulate VP shared some thoughts with the Principal Features Writer, Ijeoma Umeh on her emergence and the passion that has so far driven her resoluteness to be in the frontline.  Excerpts:
Tell Us How This Whole Thing Began – This knack for Unionism?
Personally, I see unionism as an opportunity to render service to a particular constituent and to humanity as a whole.  It is a platform open to anyone who has the leadership potentials to serve and to positively effect change in the scheme of things.  I see it as an outreach to touch lives and positively too.
From the way you sound, you know the terrains too well … When did it all start?
I always had this interest, I would say it is ingrained in me, to do something that would change the status quo for the better.  I was in 100 level, it was in November 2012 and barely a month after my admission I entered the students parliament in the Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) Department referred to as VOTESA that is the Vocational And Technical Students Association.  I became the Deputy Clerk of the Parliament.  At a point we organised a refreshers’ welcome party and while the event heated up, a comrade I knew from Etsako Students Union, he was a former President of that union and now a councilor in my local government Area of Etsako, encouraged me and stated that he saw the potentials in me.  He was the first person to suggest in form of an advice that I should run for the Vp-ship.  At that time it sounded funny, but I kept it in my mind subsequently, I finished my tenure in VOTESA and went out to the Faculty Parliament to become the Secretary to the Editorial/Privileges Committee, a position I later resigned because I had the intention to aspire higher.  I had this passion for the SUG Parliament and in 2014 I contested for the position of Deputy Clerk and lost.
Prior to all that, I was the Treasurer, National Association of Edo State Students (NAESS) and served as Vice Chairman Hostel Matters, a committee under the SUG Parliament.
So, you learn the ropes . . . .
Yes! I learnt a lot about plenaries, procedures, Budgeting and all other legislative matters, including the language of legislation. While in that committee we hosted the Senior Special Assistant to President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on Youth Matters, Jude Imagwe, who attended one our plenaries to advice us on our conduct and other social matters.
How would you describe your emergence?  How has the elections shaped your perspective of life?
In so many ways! For the past two sessions the office of the VP SUG had been unopposed and zoned to the female folk just for the basis of gender equity.  It has not been contested since then until now.  So, personally, and that is the same opinion  expressed like a new awakening and a change to work harder and we took the bull by the horns, hit the read running.  Out of the five persons who started the race for the VP-ship, two persons were successfully cleared, and that is I and one other lady from the Arts. The screening process was tough, from angles of it. The clearance was equally tough, from the dean, security and so forth. It was not easy, but I scaled and so forth. It was not God and the support of my fellow students to emerge victorious.
How is your relationship with the SUG President, Efosamwan Omorogbe and other members of the Executive?
I thank God for that because I am part of an executive headed by a youth who shares a common ideology with me. In our separate manifestoes we highlighted improvement on the sanitary condition of the hostels, including overall of decayed infrastructure. We understand ourselves and there is hope for a good working relationship.
And The School Authority …
It’s all about Diplomacy and understanding. We are all diplomats here. Radicalism will only come after   we have explored and exhausted all other diplomatic avenues to resolving issues between students school authority. Diplomacy would help every other thing, including the gender gap and differentials.
How for you juggle academics and unionism? How brilliant or scholarly are you?
(Laughs)
I try my best not to let one affect the other, but I remember I am first a student before  a unionist in the SUG. So try  to ensure my academics don’t suffer much. I also would always remember that I represent my constituents so that their own academic do not  suffer.  So in a way, everything we do here is woven around our academics  and the need to graduate in flying colours. As for academics brilliance…I am a 2:1 student!
Now, let’s hear about that passion that drives your resolve and what you intend to achieve for students with your office?
Yes, I have mapped out a support strategy for all students, but I have a specific  target for young female students. My pet project is tagged young female Leadership Initiative (YOFLI)and its mission is to help young females encourage them to aspire to leadership roles. It also extends to children and youths, to support them to attain the heights they aspire to in life. I have come to realize that most women do not know their rights and privileges in life, in the society, so it is our duty to inform and enlighten then. This platform will be an opportunity for women to market their potentials.
So, what are the modalities
It’s all about  self-sufficiency-webdesign, Corelldraw. We will be sensitizing students on World Days in the UN-calendar and their relevance so that we can take advantage of each day to create awareness. For instance breast/ cervical cancer is ravaging women, so there will be awareness creation on dangers, prevention and the cervical cancer vaccine.
How do you intend to achieve all this?
There will be partnerships and collaborative efforts with other organizations. There will be fund-raising too to help the indigent students. Like I have the target to pay scholarships for a 100 indigent students during my tenure. The number would certainly be reviewed upwards. So we need to collaborate with support groups.
Yours Passing Shot
First of all, I would have to say a big thank you to the students of the University of Benin  for voting for me, for the confidence they reposed in me. I promises to do all I can not to betray that trust, to affect live positively using my good offices.