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Shadow
Government
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Chinedu
Akuta
Damn our “leaders” if they like it, damn
them if they don’t, the people have spoken. Enough
of power vacuum, near constitutional crisis, and over
heating of the polity all due to the fact that the ruling
party (PDP) does not trust the Vice President (Jonathan
Goodluck) to formally act as President until President
Yar’Adua recovers from his illness. There is no
choice other than to respect the wishes of the Nigerian
people, power belongs to the people. Cracks have clearly
emerged with the Executive Council of the Federation and
the National Assembly due to the pressure from the people.
Shadow government will be such that should coordinate
massive public pressure (people’s power) to counter
bad governance.
This was an idea I recommended in my Christmas message
to Nigerians. It simply means forming a government in
waiting by the opposition parties. But in the Nigerian
case, the shadow government should be formed by opposition
parties and representatives from the following; Political
Groups, Non Governmental Organization, Civil Groups, Community
Groups, Faith Organizations (churches, mosques, etc),
Retired Civil Servants, Opinion Leaders, Academic Staff
Union of Universities, Labour Unions/Leaders, Students
Union Leaders, Non Academic Staff Union of Universities,
National Association of Academic Technologists, Nigerian
Medical Association, Bankers, Nigerian Bar Association,
Members of the Nigerian Press, Nigerian Union of Journalists,
Cultural Groups and any other groups, corporate groups
or individuals that might wish to join.
Shadow government/cabinet is in operation in the United
Kingdom where opposition parties have shadow cabinet members
in all the existing ministries, For example Secretary
of Defense (Minister of Defense) by the ruling party (Labour
Party) has a shadow Secretary of Defense by the opposition
parties (Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats etc). The
British opposition parties are alive and strong, they
provide tough checks and balances on the ruling party
(Labour Party).
There will be nothing wrong to domesticate this method
(shadow government) and apply it to the presidential system
of government that we are practicing in Nigeria. It can
be our own home grown democratic system. I have heard
past Nigerian leaders talk about home grown democracy.
This can be one of it. However, political theories of
previous centuries (presidential system, unitary system,
federal system, feudal system, theocratic system etc)
can be adjusted, amended or combined together to fit in
the Nigeria of 21st century, so long as it enhances good
governance.
The essence of shadow government in Nigeria is to create
a formidable opposition to the government in power. Opposition
parties/groups are an important part of every democracy.
In nearby Ghana, the opposition party (National Democratic
Congress of Ghana) won the ruling party. In both Zimbabwe
and Kenya, power is being shared between the opposition
parties and the ruling parties. During the Babangida and
Abacha era, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) formed
a credible opposition to the military. They fought gallantly
till the country was returned to civil rule. Presently
our opposition parties/groups need a shadow government/cabinet
structure hence my suggestion.
My other reason for recommending
so many groups to join the shadow government is because,
I agree totally with
what former French President Charles de Gaulle said, “Politics
is too serious a business to be left for politicians alone”.
Shadow government will be able to critically examine every
government policy and come up a better alternative for
the Nigerian people. Where money is to be spent on projects,
the shadow government should be able highlight how and
who can do such projects better and at a lesser cost to
the Nigerian tax payers. Shadow government will provide
a training ground for future leaders. The benefits will
be enormous to the Nigerian public.
My suggestion of a shadow system of government is such
that, we will have shadow president, shadow vice president,
shadow cabinet members, comprising of shadow minister
of education, shadow minister of health, shadow external
affairs minister, shadow minister of agriculture, shadow
minister of finance etc. The same method (shadow government/cabinet)
should be created or formed in 36 states of the federation
and the 774 local government areas in Nigeria. In the
case of states, there should be shadow governors, shadow
deputy governors, shadow commissioners. Whereas, in the
case of local government councils, there should be shadow
supervisory councilors in all departments.
Since we have a bi-cameral legislature (The Senate and
House of Representatives) at the federal level, it will
be in order, to have one shadow senator from each senatorial
zone and a shadow House of Representative member from
each federal constituency of the federation. Same should
apply to the states and local government areas.
Appointment or Selection Processes:
Appointments or selection methods should be strictly
by merit and through transparent
processes. There will be no issue of putting round pegs
in square holes, like what the past and present governments
have been doing. I will suggest Option A4 system for selection
process. I will also suggest that professional groups
should be allocated to relevant shadow ministries, for
example if medical personnel’s decides to join the
shadow government, they should be assigned to the shadow
ministry of health under a shadow minister of health.
Shadow government can commence now and terminate by May
2011 when the tenure of this present government will end.
However there should be a transition plan for the shadow
government that will start from May 2011. Politicians
and people interested in this project can start working
out the remaining modalities. Campaigning for different
positions should also start. Nigerians in Diaspora can
participate actively in the appointment, selection, and
the shadow government itself. They can take part from
wherever they might be. I will also use this medium to
urge the various pro Nigerian groups in Diaspora to come
together irrespective of their organizational differences.
There are a lot they can achieve by coming together. Joining
or co-starting a shadow government will be a good starting
point.
The shadow government can start
online or partially base online. President Obama, Hillary
Clinton, John McCain
relied heavily in online strategies during their campaign.
During the last French presidential election, the two
top contenders (Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal) generated
the highest level of net activism. In Australia, their
Prime Minister (Kevin Rudd) has continued to use online
presence to keep electorates aware of his government’s
activities.
Finally, I wish also to appeal to Nigerians to participate
and join the fight against global warming. Turn off your
electrical appliances/lights when not in use. Plant a
tree or sponsor one to plant on your behalf. Government
and companies should send less paper work and do more
email, telephone, and sms. May God bless Nigeria.
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