Jerry Gana and the revelations that matter
By
The minister of information and orientation, Prof. Jerry Gana has been conducting a unique media exercise for several months. He has been leading a huge team of both independent and state sponsored journalists on a comprehensive tour of the nation ostensibly to show the press the wonderful gains which democracy has brought to Nigeria since 1999. However in a recent leg of the tour covering Abuja the capital city and the rest of the Federal Capital Territory it become quite clear that this tour may have much more to do with the minister’s "orientation" portfolio than with his "information" duties. At a People’s Forum in Abuja, Prof. Gana made a slight joke out of his party affiliation, pretending to have forgotten that he should not say that the PDP would be voted back into power because of the great strides being taken in development around the country. In the true context of this tour this joke is not a joke at all. Prof. Gana must be aware that while he has been showing the journalists the gains of democracy the press has been filled with reports of the negative aspects of the present order, e.g. Jos riots, and a steadily declining economy.
This tour is faced with some complex and confusing strategic obstacles. He is not leading the press on a tour of PDP states, but of the whole country. He cannot, or at least he should not, single out any state for particular criticism, especially among those states which are not ruled by PDP Governors. If he is perceived as doing this the bitterness and the acrimony that the tour might generate in such states would definitely distort the objectives for which it was originally undertaken, Jerry Gana is, without a doubt, the only member of the present crop of ministers who could carry off this task with some style. He is a consummate communicator. Reported to be something of a "holy man" he is also widely assumed to be harbouring presidential ambitious for the future. As a "Northern Christian" he is uniquely placed to emerge as the "civilian Gowon", a healing candidate, if, or when, the leadership of the nation is re-zoned to the North. He has not in any way directly alluded to this ambition during the tour, but in the nature of political events he must know that many serious political observers will bear this in mind as the tour progresses. He cannot stop them from thinking what they want for while democracy guarantees freedom of expression, human nature guarantees and installs freedom of thought in every person.
We are sure the Prof. Gana will deny that the tour has anything to do with his personal political agenda, and we would believe him, because he has a unique ability to sell himself as a purveyor of moral causes. When he served as the founding Director of General Babangida’s political orientation programme known as MAMSER, he was very successful because he proved to be an incredibly de-tribalised manager. Hardly anyone can doubt that Gana harbours a deep love for the Nigerian nation. He should. It has obviously been very good to him. He has managed to serve with distinction in so many different types of governments and situations in Nigeria’s recent history that one could be forgiven for labeling him "a man for all seasons". At the same time he has sought to develop an intra-party credibility and agenda based on his perception of his duty in office as being to promote the interests of the nation as a whole rather than of his party alone. This is not just a laudable objective but also one that can only serve to enhance his personal profile as a patriot rather than a partisan politician.
If this tour can achieve anything in this line beyond the development of his personal image then the revelations that enhance the patriotic awareness of the participants in the tour should serve as the keynote elements of the operation. This aspect of the exercise came to the forefront during one particular event on the Abuja leg of the tour. The permanent secretary of the ministry of Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, is a very humorous public speaker. At a gala dinner, which his ministry hosted, he continued the line of political jokes by alluding to Prof. Gana’s previous run at the presidency. Then in a display of extraordinary political dexterity, especially for a man who constantly denies that he is anything but a loyal public servant, he succeeded in linking this allusion to the fact that Nigerians are sometimes doubtful of government’s genuine achievements. He hoped that the tour would help to reverse this perception. When the Minister of Capital Territory, Alhaji Abba Gana took up the challenge he too played with the personal imagery, pointing out that Jerry Gana and himself have similar names even though they may have different religion. He felt that their commitment to national issues superceded all such differences and that this tour should focus on the enduring elements of national unity, rather than simply on matters of physical development.
With such an endorsement for the Information and Orientation Minister coming from a very important and senior colleague the Abuja leg of the tour certainly served as a fitting jump off point for the ext leg which was to take in the minister’s home state. He is from Niger State and the importance of the state capital Minna in the political mythology of modern day Nigeria is well known. Prof. Gana himself has been at pains to downplay any suggestion that this tour is tied to his personal political fortunes, but within the context of the tour his standard speech at every venue concerning Nigeria’s need for internal discipline, increased production, and self-reliance cannot be ignored as being just a politician’s diatribe. It is clear that this theme, which has been the keynote element of his contributions to any major speaking event on the tour, is not just a political speech for him. It has served as the foundation and justification for the exercise. In other words he is not running the tour only for the purpose of public enlightenment, but also for the purpose of promoting a genuine re-orientation of public priorities in the nation.
This is the major revelation to emerge from this exercise. Those who oppose it should at least give this a thought before they do so. Jerry Gana has always made it plan that he is a consummate politician. His communication skills are not in doubt, and his leadership ambitions have never been hidden. He cannot be accused of being a reticent character, so he should not be blamed for acting in office as his nature dictates. Democracy gives free rein to personal ambition in the guide of national service. If this tour reveals only how much this can extend to Nigeria’s true purpose of freeing its people from the bondage of history then it will have served a greater purpose than even the minister has claimed for it.
November 2001