General Olusegun Obasanjo took one of his protégées, Dr Goodluck Jonathan to the cleaners in an 18- page missive last week.

The last time he did such a comprehensive white wash was 20 years ago when he attacked the person of General Babangida, another protégée. On both occasions, he took a moral high ground as he attacked not only the competence, but the integrity of two Nigeria number one citizens.

On both occasions, it was relatively easy to savour the message and ignore the messenger because the missives came at times of public –read elite – disaffection with the antics of the two people concerned.

The first was when Maradona was fiddling with the goal post and needed someone to tell him that Nigeria was not his soccer pitch. This recent one has come because the shoe-less one has started playing hide and seek with his political team mates.

That the two missives resonated well with the public –again, read elite-shows that General Obasanjo knows the values that make for good leadership. He knows the importance of probity, accountability, rule of law and the sanctity of the ballot box in a democracy. So if he knows these things, why was he so deficit in many of the things he pontificated upon?

That was why the message seemed tainted because the messenger is tainted. That was why many, and they are right, have questioned the credentials of Obasanjo in talking about corruption, rule of law, and keeping of faith. His moral capital has fallen so low since his Babangida missive that his recent weighty remarks on Jonathan are not as devastating as they should have been. Which is a pity because we do need people who can stand on a moral high ground and speak the truth to government. People who would have the courage to voice their conviction without  fear. It is also a pity because those allegations are very weighty and need to be addressed. A sweeping denial will not suffice; neither will a sweeping character assassination of the messenger The country deserves a factual, point by point rebuttal, or confirmation, of the allegations. The country deserves the assurance that the Oga at the top, is not leading us down the garden path.

But beyond all these are some fundamentals which must be addressed. Let me illustrate.

When a footballer enters the soccer field, he knows there are rules to be obeyed. He knows for example, that he can not deliberately touch the ball or his opponent’s face off the ball. One attracts a yellow card, and the other, a red card. He knows that a momentary loss of concentration that results in a rash challenge can lead to a red card if the referee deems it vicious enough. He knows he can not take an undue advantage of his opponent by staying offside so as to score. Ah the referee; although his word is law, he is also bound by rules that are known to all the participants. In other words, the rules of the game do not take cognisance of whether you are an inherently nice guy or bad guy. It recognises talent and flair, but within its rules. That is why the soccer game has become a game we love so much and not some do or die contest in the jungle.

This is what is lacking in Nigeria. The rules of engagement are so lax and elastic that they are often stretched, sometimes beyond limits. The lines are blurred, and the boundaries porous. So we are left with how far a leader wants to go; how far his principals and fellow co-travellers allow him. That is why we have had different personalities like Shagari, Babangida, Abacha and Obasanjo as leaders who have run the country along different sets of boundaries according to their personality traits.

This is the crux of my issue with General Obasanjo, an intelligent man who knows what is right from what is wrong but did very little to strengthen the institutions that lead to good governance and stem the abuses of people in power. He had the rare chance of a second coming to correct the ills of his first outing. And yet…..

Two of the major institutions that were destroyed under his watch in his first coming were the press when his government took over the Daily Times and New Nigerian. These were strong moral forces against the excesses of government that were emasculated. The second was the civil service which has never regained its pride of place since the government interference destroyed its values. Obasanjo’s second coming took on the judiciary, and with his do or die politics, the ballot box.

So the problem is not really with Jonathan or who ever might succeed him. The problem is with our weak system, and the unwillingness of our leaders— and we the people— to strengthen the institutions that will make for good governance.

Today, there is no institution that can control the excesses of governance— not the press, not the legislature and certainly not the judiciary or the rule of law. Yet the excesses in governance must be checked if we do not want a descent into chaos. Will these periodic missives do it? And how many will have to be written — to the presidency and all the way down to the local governments?

The answer is to strengthen the system and put in controls that will sieve our emerging leaders. Mean while, one solution might be what Mr Rotimi Amaechi of River State proffered which is stoning the leaders who have misgoverned or stolen the country blind. And they are many.

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