Northern Members Forum and the Future of Democracy in Nigeria

Sadiq Mahmud

Rijiyar Zaki Kano

On Monday November 21 2005 this forum was inaugurated in the presence of many important dignitaries from northern Nigeria such as General Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Honorable Aminu Bello Masari, Chief Solomon Lar, Dr. Olusola Saraki and Chief Sunday Awoniyi. Many are hazarding guesses as to the motive of this rainbow alliance largely because of the strange bedfellows Buhari and Atiku. It shows that the northern elites are united in their commitment to ensure a power shift to the north in their interest. There is no doubt President Obasanjo has squandered the goodwill of the people of the north because of his nepotism. But can the northern elites that earlier failed the nation now rescue it? First of all let us look at President Obasanjo as a national failure.

President Obasanjo's misrule has not only affected the north but the whole of Nigeria. He has remained surrendered by pseudo-modernists. They are called reform team that have presided over the sale of national assets in order to make the Nigerian state persistently subservient to the global capitalist network and impoverishing the Nigerian workers and peasants. The team has failed in the last six years to make the Nigerian economy more productive hence Nigeria has remained one of the poorest countries in the world. The administration of Chief Obasanjo has not been able to meet any of Nigeria's needs. It has remained intoxicated with rhetoric the latest of which is the discredited assessment of the governors in which those condemned by the National Economic Intelligence Council for not being able to pay salaries were elevated to higher level because the exercise was aimed at promoting the pseudo-modernists with FCT clinching the second position. The FCT minister is one of President Obasanjo's minions being thwarted as a possible successor.

In the area of war against corruption the president has also failed because of his selective justice. All the people prosecuted or arraigned are not in the good books of the President or their use has finished hence they are now dumped for example Tafa Balogun who supervised the rigging of the 2003 elections and had to be sacrificed to rope in Senate President Wabara and former Minister of Education Professor Fabian Osuji. This was done to destabilize the Ibo elite and deny them any cohesion so that they would be unable to aspire for national leadership. The EFCC has spared Dr. Juluis Makonjola the President's cousin and Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso the Minister of Defense who has been indicated for embezzling over N800 million by a Judicial Commission of Inquiry and the EFCC has turned a blind eye because he is one of the president's minions. A senior member of the Presidency is also alleged to have given Julius Berger N350 million to build a house for him. The EFCC cannot say they are unaware. Their duty now is to chase governors who are not in the good books of President Obasanjo.

As a result of these failures and the fact that President Obasanjo has been persistently biased against the north by denying northerners the slightest advantage possible, northern politicians who are against are becoming increasingly popular. His administration has done so many deliberate actions against the north. For example it deliberately killed Aminu Kano International Airport by conspiring to stop some airlines from coming to Kano. The city has also been denied the supply of petroleum products in order to kill its industries. He has also used the statement of his Defense Minister against the Hisbah Guides to harass the state government the unpatriotic minister has also spread lies that these Guides are terrorist in order to tarnish the image of his home state.

Now back to our earlier question, with this catalogue of woes once again can the Northern elites save Nigeria? Apart from General Muhammadu Buhari none of the politicians who gathered at that Northern Members Forum has any resounding credibility. One of them who pretends to be a northern hero shall be exposed for what he is because he connived in passing the bill that increased the revenue of some states which was to the detriment of the north just to get at President Obasanjo and it was also during his tenure that the child rights act was passed. Vice President Atiku is in fact the worst representative of the north but now he pretends by quoting Sardauna. All the evil acts of the President against the north were done under his very eyes he is just realizing after President Obasanjo has decided never to hand over power to him. It is surprising that today Atiku has remembered the Shari'ah. He abused and maligned Buhari for supporting the legitimate aspirations of the people for Shari'ah. It was reported in the NTA Network News that he received the members of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah on the same day of the inauguration of the Northern Members Forum. This is an irony and it is hoped that the Ulama would be wise enough not allow themselves to be used by this opportunist who was hitherto anti-Shari'ah and is now seeking for sympathy. Although their visit is not surprising because one of them who, was visible during the visit has already declared for the PDP in Kano, he was amongst the three preachers who resigned from Shari'ah Commission and Hisbah Board. They later connived with some morally bankrupt politicians and placed newspaper reports that the Ulama were against Kano State Government because three out of sixty have resigned their part time appointment. Such people would obviously at anytime go to Atiku.

Even though General Buhari is credible he is surrounded by people who are not. The Director General of his organization does not even believe in him because he publicly told some people who visited the organization during the campaigns that Buhari is nothing. It should be recalled that the fellow had earlier betrayed Rimi his political mentor who elevated from common principal assistant secretary to the highest position he could imagine. It is even surprising how Buhari chose such a morally bankrupt person as his director general. The arm chair politicians of Buhari Organization are only interested creating enemies for him because they intend to switch over anytime Babangida declares. There is no explanation why Buhari has not been able to even carry on an intellectual opposition which is the minimum his organization can do. This is largely because of the indolent director general and the incompetent people in the organization.

The vultures in the north are now salivating for power to return to them so that they can return to their indolent past. But this is not possible because kan mage ya waye (nobody can deceive anyone). President Obasanjo is against the north. Similarly Atiku and Babangida are no better options. Buhari could be an option but with a condition. He must disband his organization and look for fresh young technocrats between the ages of 35 and 55 years. The remnants of the discredited Abacha regime cannot do anything. Alternatively the north should search for a fresh candidate. The cards are now on the table. Buhari has the upper hand if he can play well because of his moral integrity. The greatest obstacle is Obasanjo who has declared that he shall not hand over, power to either of the three. In another version he has declared never to hand over power to a Muslim. Another advantage of the Northern Members Forum is that they have overcome religious and ethnic polarization just as the Northern Delegates Forum of the National Political Reform Conference that helped in stopping Obasanjo's agenda at the conference.

Despite the gloomy nature of the rainbow alliance the only solace is that at least the forum shall contribute to the genuine pressure against the self succession bid of President Obasanjo. After that the contradictions would be exposed as the vultures cannot go along with credible people. Babangida would surface and might take over. Atiku would come out with all his crudeness and Buhari's TBO would finish him! These are the contradictions of the northern political class that has no model yet of anything apart from hunger for power. Anywhere there is progressive light they try to extinguish it, they removed Balarabe from power, frustrated Rimi and now they are frustrating Shekarau? Northern Progressives must look for Southern Progressive as was spearheaded by Rimi during the second republic they should not allow Atiku, a semi-illiterate to dictate for them it is only through such a coalition that they can contribute to the nourishing of democracy.