Abuja — Proclaiming Dr. Goodluck Jonathan Acting President after a prolonged power vacuum is one thing; his ability and readiness to tackle the daunting challenges ahead is another, writes Constance Ikokwu

For the second time in his political life, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan has been thrust into power in a way and manner he did not envisage.

As Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, he watched as the Governor, Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha, was hounded by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for money laundering and later impeached by the state House of Assembly, paving the way for him to take over.

In the past two months, the Vice-President has been a passive character in the politicking that engulfed the presidency following President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's refusal to transmit a medical vacation letter to the National Assembly.

Jonathan sat still as pro and anti-Yar'Adua politicians lashed out at one another, fighting to gain the upper hand. In the end, the National Assembly yesterday passed a resolution empowering him as acting president.

But why did President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua fail, refuse or neglect to send a vacation letter to the National Assembly as he made his way to King Faisal Hospital, Saudi Arabia (something like the Aso Rock clinic) for medical care? And why has the President ignored the calls and cries of 150 million Nigerians for such a letter as he lies on his hospital bed but was able to sign the supplementary budget and grant an interview to the BBC in the wake of rumours of his death? Is it really true that it is the President's wife Turai, or his aides often called the kitchen cabinet that conspired to stop the letter? Finding answers and managing these three political questions within the geo-politics of Nigeria is the rightful beginning for Goodluck Jonathan in his journey as Acting President.

An Acting President that is faced with daunting political and economic challenges. Since Jonathan has not been politically defined, he must now step out of the shadows to define himself: he must rise and fight for the Nigerian people; confronting with vigour and decisiveness, the numerous challenges that threaten to sink the ship of state.

The challenges are many but below are some of the key issues begging for attention.

Not a few are of the view that the Vice-President needs to unite the country once more. Some Nigerians retreated to their ethnic enclaves while the constitutional crisis arising from the president's absence lasted.

The unconstitutional method applied by the ruling Peoples Democratic Power (PDP) to rotate power between the North and South formed the nucleus of arguments and actions by pro-Yar'Adua supporters, which feared being shortchanged in the event of a Jonathan ascendancy.

Jonathan would be expected to assure Nigerians that he would act in the interest of all, irrespective of tribe, religious and political leaning.

The power situation in the country has degenerated so much that the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) currently generates a meagre 2,7000 megawatts of electricity.

The government failed in its bid to reach the 6,000 megawatts target promised Nigerians in December 2009. Jonathan acknowledged this much in his New Year address to the nation last month.

In fact, he expressed regrets thus: "I regret to mention that for a number of unforeseen and unavoidable reasons, this target could not be met."

He continued: "Millions of Nigerians are therefore still without power. For this, I render on behalf of government very sincere regrets."

He went ahead to make a promise: "As we enter this New Year, spirited efforts and resources will be mobilised to address the challenge of power supply and ensure higher generation as well as more effective transmission and distribution."

The Vice-President would now be held by his words.

Nigeria cannot reach its full potential without the basic requirement of a modern economy - electricity. Indeed, the cost of doing business in the country has led to a flight of industries to neigbouring Ghana.

Manufacturers cannot operate at optimal value without power.

These are monies that should have been plugged into the productive sectors of the economy, thereby creating jobs. The amount spent on fuelling generators is alarming.

Late last year, the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)â-àrevealed that Nigerians spend about N796.4 billion to generate electricity every year. The report noted that about the same amount of N796.7 billion was budgeted for federal capital expenditure in the same year.

The financial cost of running generators aside, there are serious health implications that the managers of state are yet to dwell on.

There is yet the burning issue of the Niger Delta. Yar'Adua was praised for initiating the amnesty programme that saw many militants dump their arms in exchange for dialogue and a monthly pay.

Over 15,000 fighters were reported to have embraced the programme including dreaded militants such as Ateke Tom and Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo.

Before the amnesty, battle raged for many years in the region, crippling Nigeria's main source of revenue. Pipelines were destroyed and kidnapping became a lucrative business.

Militants have protested in the streets claiming unpaid salaries and delayed negotiations. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) also called off its ceasefire recently.

It behoves the acting president to get the amnesty progamme back on course and implement speedily and decisively the Yar'Adua Masterplan for the Niger Delta.

The next critical issue is the endless fuel queues in an oil-producing nation and the massive corruption in NNPC. Can Goodluck Jonathan tame the tiger and bring about deregulation in petroleum products? On electoral reforms, Jonathan has said the right things matching his words with action. In the bye-election in Edo State and the Anambra gubernatorial election in which his party lost, he failed to abuse his office to return the PDP at all costs. Now he must go the full hog of electoral reform and ensure that every votes counts in Nigeria.

There are several other issues that need attention: the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), debate over the deregulation of the downstream oil sector, the swearing-in of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) national commissioners, security, the fuel scarcity that has only eased in the last two days, the 2010 budget, agriculture, Nigeria's image in the aftermath of aborted plot by underwear bomber, Farouk AbdulMutallab, to destroy an American airliner infrastructure among others.

Jonathan has his plate full from day one. All eyes are on him. He needs more than goodluck.