Agenda of Aso Rock’s kitchen cabinet

BEFORE the body of the discussion of this article, it is good to make a few positively cautionary observations about politics and the people who play them, namely: i. That politics is the science and art of personal and group development as well as group organisation, in order to be able to influence power or indeed to actually capture it for ones selves, so as to use it to pursue the common good of the greatest services to the greatest number of the polity, evenly; ii. That this proper politics indeed means putting to service all the talents that God (or nature, if you would prefer!) has endowed one with; and so, is the very service of God per excellence! True politics comes from the kingdom of God; and those who fail to do so – in their families and homes, in their various religious communities, in the work places, in the market, in the village and everywhere else that any one finds oneself – will not be likely to enter the kingdom of God; iii. That partisan politics on the other hand may be compared with excreta from the devil’s toilet; and those who do so (i. e., play politicspartisanly), will be very unlikely to see (not to talk of enter into) the kingdom of God. They must only do so where needed,from the state or regional to the national levels and beyond; but not at the local government level! Even at those higher levels, they may do so correctly only bi-partisanly or multi-partisanly. In other words, they must be ready to vote for the truth or the better of two and best of three or more options, in every political matter requiring such vote; even when their party is not the originator of that superior option.

Like the excreta that partisan politics surely is, it’s good is only as for making manure for other better purposes; and those who necessarily have to enter into it must use it only as such!; iv. Every government, civil or military/autocratic, needs a healthy opposition or at least regular positive criticism, even in its own interest; and those who provide that positive criticism or necessary opposition are neither enemies of those politicians nor bad people. Indeed, those are the ones who love those political leaders, their country and its people the most – all put together! They are the healthy politicians of the original type defined above; true seekers of the common good, of greatest service to the greatest number of the polity, kingdom of God!

Having said all the above, one will now say a few things about the so-called kitchen cabinet at Aso Rock at Abuja in the little space left for this discussion. God sparing us, we will return and perhaps complete the discussion at another time. As has consistently and repeatedly been claimed and in most cases backed with confirmable evidences in a large number of Nigeria’s public media in this regard, for any literate or “educated” Nigerian to say that s/he is not aware of the so-called kitchen cabinet at Aso Rock at Abuja would qualify for what the inter-personally sensitive politicians would describe as “being economical with the truth”. As a matter of fact, this kitchen cabinet is now and again discussed in all the (“neutral or opposition”) mass media in Nigeria that I know; i.e., except those with the same sectional interests as that said cabin cabinet themselves. Thus, the Radio Nigeria 7 am national newscast of Monday the 28th of August 2017 discussed and presented some facts about it and some of their members.

Many of the national newspapers of Tuesday the 29th of August carried the Presidency denial of the fact that the in-house captain of that cabinet, as named in the Monday newscast, namely Malam Abba Kyari, was no such kitchen cabinet leader; nor was there any such thing as a kitchen cabinet at Aso Rock. According to the presidency statement, the gentleman is merely someone that our most dear president trusts most deeply and so relates with him as such! Even in some ministries and parastatals, similar kitchen cabinets are being claimed, including the military and the NNPC; and indeed, entire petroleum money house of Nigeria. What that statement from the presidency has obviously failed to realiwse is that in saying what it said, they are implying that there is a crisis of confidence and of faith in the Aso Rock. It is exactly the fact of such crisis of faith that necessitates a kitchen cabinet!

By saying so, the presidency is by default admitting that there is indeed a kitchen cabinet at Aso Rock – as these many people have been saying – to protect the very reason for the crisis of faith! When will the presidency, and indeed the rest of us, so-called honest Nigerians, agree to put on the table the reasons for all these crisis of faith and begin to address them? Why do we think that we will continue to deny that crisis of faith and for some reason achieve any true progress as any nation at all? Would those opposing these needed dialogue for true progress continue to fail to realize that they are not working for the kingdom of God, for a good life after here; but for the very opposite that all their Nigerian religions inform them properly is not good at all? Might these reasons for the Nigerian crisis of faith be found in (at least part of) the reason that Goodluck Jonathan was unable to do much in the place in his time? Might these reasons for the crisis of faith be the reason that the people most affected negatively by it/them are calling for a restructuring of the country, for the true devolution of power “away from the defrauding federal government as currently being run”, for a true federalism and for resource control? Could these causes of crisis of faith be the reason for all the past woes of this country? Finally, we must answer the last crucial question of the title of this article. What is, or may be, the agenda of the kitchen cabinet of the trusted inner circle of the government at Aso Rock? Why would that agenda not be made national? Why can it not be widely shared and serve as the fulcrum for the new Nigeria of everybody’s dreams?

It will surely be of interest to this author, and I believe, most Nigerians, for anybody to articulate what this agenda may be; or indeed, for those inner circle of “the trusted of Aso Rock” themselves to let us know those. If they will be unable to make it the national dream, then it must be something evil or at least not good enough for PROPER politics; and in which case, all of us must do well to unearth and to eradicate, corporately and discursively, in every way – in a win-win matter? I will therefore like all the readers of this article, and any similar ones they can find, to discuss these issues more, for our common good. Before then, may the good Lord bless Nigeria; and bless us, all, as well!

• Asuzu is Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of Ibadan