KINGSLEY MOGHALU ONE OF THE KINGS IN WAITING

KINGSLEY MOGHALU ONE OF THE KINGS
IN WAITING

His name is Kingsley Moghalu his credentials are not just towering, they are intimidating. He worked under Sanusi Lamido as Deputy Governor Financial Stability and was seen by many as the man to take over from Sanusi when the Central Bank Governor fell out of favour with the Jonathan government - but that phone call never came.

He obtained his Ph.D from the prestigious London School of Economics. He  is the author of several books, one of them is titled, ' Emerging Africa, How The Global Economy's Last Frontier Can Prosper And Matter  ( Penguin books 2014 ). His articles and publications have appeared in journals like the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. In 2014 he gave a Thomas Hugh lecture at Oxford University. And as if that was not  enough he has been interviewed on CNN, BBC and the New York Times. He worked 17 years with the United Nations and did a stint with the World Health Organisation ( by the way he's on facebook if you want to look him up).

This is without a shadow of doubt the sort of credentials and experience we want to see in Nigeria, in a nation caked with leaders and intellectuals. But already Moghalu is being dismissed.  I don't agree with those who say, his certificate is one thing, can he govern a complex nation like Nigeria? I think we deify our diversity and think only a special kind of individual can pull the strings of the different 250 tribes and tongues. Therefore my question to such people is, how did Gowon at 28 years do it? What special leadership abilities did he possess? All he had at the time was the support and the backing of the military establishment. Gowon was unprepared for leadership. But within a couple of months his brilliance became apparent as he 'guided' (rather than led) our nation through its  worst national  crises in history.  Gowon's genius is not  the fact that he won the war in such a short period but it was how he bound the anger and the wounds of the Victors and the Vanquished and returned Nigeria to a place of peace  where the bitter after taste of the civil war was almost erased from our system. Gowon ensured the narrative was not a Northern Southern conflict - but a collective rescue mission to keep Nigeria ONE. My point,  none of our past  leaders with an average age of 30 came prepared, from Gowon , Muritala and Obasanjo. Shagari did not come prepared all he had was a teachers cerficate , the list goes on. Situations, circumstances and the system threw these men up and they took up the gauntlet. It's important I point these  facts out  because for the first time we are seeing a couple of fresh faces from without the system and it's easy to be dismissive,  I have been guilty of that attitude but now I want to defend these chaps - they have as much right as all the others on the race course. Besides their resume gives us a yardstick to judge - who should not be President.

But Kingsley Moghalu has one problem in 2019 and it's not the fact that he's neither APC nor PDP because that can be sorted - one of the political parties can adopt him. The only impediment facing Moghalu is where he comes from. They say he is Igbo, he is not a Northerner; they insist 2019 is a strictly Northern contest. This perception is frustrating a clan within the intelligentsia who want to see men like Kingsley Moghalu lead the worlds’ biggest black democracy in the 21st century.

Federal character gave birth to zoning and zoning has kept the peace. And over a period of time we’ve  all come to accept and fallen behind the, ‘Turn By Turn’ indigenous axiom. But has this unique Nigerian concept become outdated,dangerous and a burden to us? Can we therefore risk dismembering our founding fathers vision of proportional representation and chart a new course for politicsl aspirants? Has zoning become the Ibibio Tobacco hedge to keep the Duke’s, the Kingsley’s, Utomi’s and Fela’s permanently out? How can we plug in that  President we’ve always dreamt of for Nigeria?

Kingsley Moghalu is impressive, definitely one to watch. My thoughts.

footnote:
A Tobacco Hedge - Among my tribe the Ibibos, it is believed if you have a tobacco hedge, snakes are not likely to pay you a visit. Something to do with the smell of fresh tobacco leaves.