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The Pitfalls In President Olusegun Obansanjo’s Concept Of Loyalty By Eze Chukwuemeka Eze
The object of this discourse is to take a critical look at President Olusegun Obasanjo’s concept of loyalty and the pitfalls inherent in such a fallacy. A critical analysis of the past acts and actions of Mr. President, of which the climax is the on-going feud between him and Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, brings into question the President’s perception of loyalty.
Before delving into facts and records, it has become necessary at this juncture to define loyalty. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defined loyalty as “the quality of being true, faithful and supportive to one’s boss or principal”. It also means the act of one being respectful to one’s principles.
Loyalty interpreted from the past acts and actions of President Olusegun Obasanjo since the inception of his administration in 1999 is no longer based on one being principled or respectful to one’s principles or carrying out one’s functions according to the tenets of such office or assignment, but one’s ability to be a high-class sycophant ever ready to carry out acts or assignment to boost the boss’ egoistic nature. Some of the qualities that make up President Olusegun Obasanjo’s concept of loyalty are that one should not be self opinionated and should be a high class sycophant. The President’s perceived concept of loyalty is that a subordinate should not hold a divergent opinion or raise any superior argument contrary to the opinion or position of the boss. Recent events have shown that Mr. President doe s not tolerate or want anybody to challenge him.
In line with the above mind set of President Olusegun Obasanjo, he has systematically seen to the humiliation, intimidation, destruction, frustration or desecration of individuals or institutions that dare raise any contrary opinion or make any attempt to exhibit an act of independence.
The following acts and actions of Mr. President attest to the points of this discourse:
1. THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY Under the administration of President Obasanjo, the stability of the leadership of the Nat ional Assembly depends on its ability to pass laws and behave in such a way that the wrath of Mr. President is not incurred and if incurred such leadership automatically ceases to exist. In order not to dwell much on this, the circumstances that brought up Senator Evans Ewerem and his replacement with Late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo and the eventual dropping of Dr. Chuba Okadigbo for Senator Anyim Pius Anyim are well known to all observers of political activities in Nigeria – all this imposition and replacements are all leaked to Mr. President whenever any of these officers refuse to act his scripts properly and loyally as outlined by the President. And in order to carry out his long ti me hatred against Ndigbo and to portray them as a people incapable of handling any sensitive position, Mr. President has continued to have his way in hiring and firing of the Senate leadership which has been zoned to the South-East geo-political zone. He has forgotten that in other systems where people like him do not operate, Ndigbo have always made success in any goal or assignment given to them.
What was obtainable in the Senate considering the afore stated was also obtainable in the House of Representatives. Nigerians could recall vividly what happened to former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim and the form er Speaker House of Representatives Hon. Umar Na’abba. For these two great Nigerians who stepped on the sore toes of Mr. President by contemplating his impeachment, they could only be allowed to finish their tenure but never to come back to the National Assembly in the 2003 general election.
By 2003 the political wizardry of Mr. President was over stretched when he imported into Nigeria’s democracy a system where a Senator whose election was being contested, could become the Senate President as was the case of Senator Adolp hus Wabara in 2003. Hon. Aminu Bello Masiri was in the same manner imposed on the House of Representatives to the detriment of a more popular and accepted personality in the person of Hon. Bugaji. By the time Senator Wabara seemed not to be acting his script properly and loyally, coupled with the effort of the President to dent the image of Ndigbo, he was summarily humiliated and disgraced out of his exalted position. Senator Ken Nnamani was brought in thereby making sure that the office of the Senate President rotated amongst all the five states of Ndigbo. We are praying that Mr. President will allow Senator Nnamani to complete his tenure.
Hon. Masiri pushed his luck so much to have the guts to state in the presence of “His Royal Majesty” that he has a time frame to rule a country he has been ordained to rule as long as he wants. By the time the ovation of this wonderful statement could come down, Hon. Masiri’s file was dusted up and it was then that Nigerians were told that he has only a primary school certificate to be a Speaker of the House of Representatives; just because he opened his mouth wide. Thank God that majority of the members of the House of Representatives understood the strategies of the Emperor when they hurriedly passed a vote of confidence on their Speaker, temporarily relieving him of the impending threat because the Emperor can only retreat to accomplish his purpose later.
The National Assembly according to the country's typ e of Presidential system dare not perform its supervisory role creditably or else funds relevant for running the Senate shall not be approved. Laws be it appropriation law or whatever can only be implemented depending on the desirability of Mr. President.
2. THE JUDICIARY The judiciary is another organ or institution in a Presidential system of Government and is expected to interpret the laws passed by the Legislature, but in a polity where a President sees to the interpretation and passage of any judgment, what then do Nigerians expect other than political witch-hunting and humiliation. Instance abound where Mr. President felt he could interpret judgment and not by mere ordinary learned mortals. Be it judgment of the Supreme Court on the Lagos Local Government Council Fund or Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra or whatever judgment the proper interpretation lays solely in the hands of the Emperor and the hawks surrounding him. President Obasanjo by his actions has institutionalize anarchy in the country that today, the Federal Government and the PDP Leadership have no regard for any judicial judgement except if such judgement favours the President
3. THE EXECUTIVE The executive in the presidential system of Government is the organ that executes; implement the laws, policies and programmes as passed by the Legislature. In the case of Nigeria, the implementation and execution of any programme is to be determined by Mr. President and to be rubber stamped by the National Executive Council. Most of these programmes and policies are purely targeted at annihilating, impoverishing, and down-grading of Nigerians to beastly level where they are expected to eat from dustbin if there is anything available, or targeted against the Ndigbo in order to sustain the war against them by the destruction of their goods and property and making sure that most of the Federal roads in their areas are death traps so that those that refused to die out of heart attack can be killed by these traps called roads.
4. THE NIGERIAN LABOUR CONGRESS With the caging of the National Assembly and the crippling of the Judiciary and the silencing of the Executive organ, the NLC became the only saving platform through which Nigerians can at least voice out their feelings against a calculated and systematic policy geared towards sending them to early graves or perpetual enslavement for electing leaders that do not listen or feel their plights. Such an ideal NLC expected to perform this onerous role can not only be possible in a system where an Emperor resides as a President and for NLC to have continued to disturb the peace of the Emperor, a proper law had to be instituted to create an ideal NLC that can only bark but not bite, and the NLC that can embark upon rallies to risk the lives of their members or if possible get them killed as was the case of my good friends and brothers Chima Ubanni and Tunji Oyeleru of Van guard Newspaper (may their gentle souls rest in peace) in an effort that we all know is an exercise in futility knowing very well that our own type of Emperor does not have time to listen or read the speeches of disgruntled ordinary mortals.
5. THE RELIGIOUS AND TRADITIONAL BODIES In the absence of a vibrant NLC, a caged National Assembly, a crippled Judiciary and a silenced Executive Council ideally the religious and traditional leaders should fill in the gap to speak and protect our people. This again in our situation is not possible – the experience of some Emirs from the North in their encounter with our Emperor can come into play or one may ask for the experience of Prof. Yusuf Ogbaje the Chaplain of the Aso Rock Chapel who failed in one of his sermons to praise Mr. President before preaching got himself an immediate sack. In other words the religious or a traditional leader before our Emperor does not have a place.
6. THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY The PDP was founded by patriotic Nigerians at the risk of their lives. They battled a maximum dictator, Late Gen. Sani Abacha to earn for Nigerians, the current democracy, which is being threatened by actors that have hijacked the party, who formerly favoured General Abacha to perpetuate himself as a life President of Nigeria. In an effort to destroy all known institutions in Nigeria, the PDP under President Obasanjo has continued to suffer one severe set back or the other by making sure that a party founded under democratic principles should become a mockery of democratic principles – what an irony? I need not worry Nigerians about the factors behind the ousters of eld er statesman Solomon Lar and Barnabas Gemade as Chairmen of PDP but that of gentleman Audu Ogbeh, the immediate past national Chairman of PDP whose sin for his removal was the guts of bringing to the notice of our all knowing Mr. President of the plights and suffering of Nigerians through a harmless and well intended letter to our dear Emperor. Today his life is been threaten by hawks in charge of PDP. Today, systematically all the founding members of PDP are gradually humiliated out of PDP while those who were yesterdays enemies of democracy are at the helm of affairs in the party. Elder statesmen like Solomon Lar, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Barnabas Gemade, no longer have a voice in a party they risked thei r lives to form those they fought like Chief Ojo Madukwe an authority in Abacha for life President and others are those that are saddled with the responsibility of running the PDP
7. VICE PRESIDENT ATIKU ABUBAKAR In a bid to completely destroy all democratic institutions in Nigeria so as to achieve a selfish ambition, particularly, after silencing permanently General Babangida and other retired Military Officers who were hitherto desirous of “ruining” this country again through the CONFAB and justice Oputa Panel, the next democratic institution that needs to be destroyed political is Atiku; considering the fact that Atiku Abubakar today has become the rallying point of genuine democratic and icon of hope for the hopeless Nigerians. This seems to be the joke of the century. Today to achieve this aim all strategies have been mapped out to drag Atiku’s good name to the mud and throwing all his commitment and contributions to the dust bin. Today, Atiku the chief contributor of our today democracy is seen by Obasanjo and his cohorts as a tyrant, a disloyal Vee Pee and a stubborn personality. I will like Nigerians to consider the following points and see whether these qualities actual suit the person of Atiku Abubakar or are we just trying to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
By the time the National Assembly was about to impeach President Obasanjo in 2003, Vice President Atiku Abubakar further demonstrated his loyalty and commitment to the President as he used his political sagacity and maturity to lobby the National Assembly, which eventually led to the dropping of the impeachment move.
Prepa ratory to the 2003 Presidential election, Atiku Abubakar surprised everybody, including his political enemies when about 18 Governors and the G3 comprising of Generals Babangida, Abdusalam Abubakar and Gusau urged him to take the Presidential ticket of the PDP. He turned down the call and pitched his camp with President Obasanjo just as he mobilized his political and business associates to raise funds for the campaign of 2003 general elections.
Furthermore, it was Atiku that blew the lid over the coup plot in which President Obasanjo's helicopter was to be hit by a missile on his way to Otta farm thereby saving the life of President Obasanjo and Nigerian's nascent democracy. What other way can on e demonstrate loyalty to one’s boss and nation?
When President Obasanjo decided to sack some of Atiku's cherished aides on three occasions without his consent he accepted the verdict and kept his cool as a mark of loyalty to his boss.
When Presi dent Obasanjo contrary to democratic norms stopped Atiku from answering the wishes of majority of Nigerians to declare interest for the 2007 Presidential election, Atiku accepted the directives and complied accordingly with humility and directed all the organizations already in the field to stop their campaign.
Again when the issue of dropping Chief Audu Ogbe the immediate past National Chairman of PDP came up, Atiku told his supporters to stop further write-ups or challenge to the decision of the President as he Atiku can not challenge the President over the leadership of the party.
President Olusegun Obasanjo in a foreword he wrote in the book Atiku Abubakar: A Veritable Star of our Time stated as follows “since I met Alhaji Atiku Abubakar I have found in him a worthy personality, a detribalized Nigerian, a faithful and loyal Vice President, a hero as shown by the various chieftaincy titles from all sections of the country. I have particularly been highly impressed about his political astuteness. He is a great mobilizer, motivator, visionary and above all a friend who could be relied upon any day”
It is t he same person above that is today being portrayed as a disloyal Vee Pee and must be crucified and sacrificed to please the unpleasable Emperor just because of his refusal to bootlick and to be a party plotting to tamper with our constitution to achieve the third term bid of a person whose administration has brought woes, miseries and sufferings to 100 million families in Nigeria.
Instead of being praised and commended for surviving President Obasanjo’s wind of destruction, unlike all other principal officers i n the National Assembly, PDP, the National Executive Council and other democratic institutions in Nigeria, people like Mr. Paul Unongo- who is expected to know more than many Nigerians that if not the part played by Atiku Abubakar both in 1999 and 2003, there would not have been President Olusegun Obasanjo- is asking for the resignation of the Vee Pee with hope of being reabsorbed in a dying administration.
If Atiku Abubakar had adhered to my suggestions and advise in 1999 when I paid him a solidarity visit in the presence of Senator Silas J. Zwingina, Chief Joel Madaki PDP State Chairman and some other PDP big wigs where I counseled him on the implication and danger inherent in supporting C hief Olusegun Obasanjo to becoming the President of Nigeria, all these scenarios would not have arisen; considering the fact that the Obasanjo Nigerians knew has died in Yola Prison and that the person they are seeing will vent on Nigerians the agony, humiliation, and suffering the old Obasanjo has suffered in the hands of some few trusted friends of his. That is why I always laugh whenever I see the NLC or Civil society making unwarranted noise or rhetoric by Prof. Soyinka and others thinking that they are talking to somebody operating within their plane.
The damage has been done, it is now left for Atiku and true lovers of democracy to come together and adopt a strategy to tackle this new monster that is bound to consume all of us if not handled carefully.
Atiku Abubakar is so obsessed with the personality of President Olusegun Obasanjo that he still thinks that one of these days the President Obasanjo will remember all his sacrifices and commitments and assist him to actualize his Presidential aspiration in a party he (the Vee Pee) has given all he has to build. As much as it is our fervent prayer and that of all other well meaning Nigerians that he succeeds President Obasanjo in 2007, the fact remains that our emperor can only retreat to accomplish his purpose in a very dastardly style not minding how long it takes him to achieve that purpose or the consequences such action will have on the poor masses of Nigeria. If he doubts me, he may ask the Igbos if President Obasanjo still remembers that the Nigeria/Biafra war ended about thirty five (35) years ago or he can ask some of the former Senate Presidents or former Chairmen of PDP or any body perceived by our Emperor as an enemy what befell them.
The only consolation for Atiku Abubakar in the on-going feud between him and President Obasanjo is the unjust way he is being treated a nd the maxim that says that a General noted for winning every war at times embarks upon a special war he is bound to lose. I think this war with Atiku Abubakar is a war Gen. Obasanjo is not only bound to lose but will live to regret throughout the remaining part of his life for betraying a bosom friend, a brother and a benefactor who did everything possible in making him whatever he thinks he is today.
What I admire about the personality of Atiku Abubakar is that he does not succumb to blackmail or abandon any programme or project he set up his mind to accomplish, 2007 Presidential Election inclusive. The character and the position of the Emperor and the character and vision of Vice President Atiku Abubakar is what will make the 2007 not only interesting but historical for all Nigerians.
In conclusion, the legacies President Obasanjo is bequeathing to Nigerians is constant conflicts in all parts of the country, lack of security on our roads and homes, bad roads, lack of future for our teeming unemployed graduates, poor power generation and death warrant for our pensioners, by his actions President Obasanjo has indicted his fellow retired military officers as poor imitators of democrats thereby making nonsense of the issue of any retired soldier ruling this country again. – these are unfortunate legacies from a man that thinks he is the messiah of Nigeria.
The above scenario notwithstanding Nigerians needs a lot of prayers and God’s intervention to wrangle themselves out from this dilemma. But no matter how ugly or gloomy the situation may look like I am convinced that the God that saved us from the hands of Gen. Babangida, Gen. Sani Abacha in their plots to perpetuate themselves in office will deliver us from the hands of those who have concluded that without them, Nigeria will not survive.
May God bless our country.
Editor’s Note: Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze is the Initiator National Director, Directorate of Media Affairs and Public Communications, Turaki Vanguard.
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