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Constitution Reviews: Who Is Afraid Of 3rd Term? By Terkura Aku
In recent past, pages of Nigerian dailies were awash with the hue and cry about the Constitution Reviews and the alleged Third Term Agenda of Nigeria’s President – Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, which climaxed in threats of boycotts, allegations of bribery and cynic insinuations of process manipulations.
At the forefront and perhaps the most vocal opponents of the constitution review are politicians who used every opportunity and medium to push their arguments against the process. These politicians, mainly sycophants who live by politicking, be it with a military or civilian regime, developed this art in the wake of the violent student uprisings of the 60s, 70s and 80s, where leadership after leadership acceded to the demands of radicals who threatened major tantrums if “the establishment” would not begin to let them have their own way.
When democracy returned to the country, these same radicals discarded their idealism and entered the race for money and power, with an incurable desire for self gratification and brought lawless idealism into the mainstream of political thinking. These men ‘hail the king’ when things are rosy for them, but easily switch to a discordant tune when things are not working their own way, using newspapers, radio, or TV, wherever the opportunity offers itself. And their voices, which are usually so ‘loud’, easily drown out the reasoning in innocent feeble minds until it becomes a national outcry, just like we had. But they don’t fool the minds of the discerning!
The second and third categories of the opponents of Constitution Review are businessmen with unreliable sources of income and briefcase civil society organisations that pose as rights groups. These thrive on patronage and flourish by waving flamboyant looking, heaven-promising proposals at undiscerning and credulous appointees – Federal/state officials – whom they front for. These are the men who do not want Constitution Review, because when the Obasanjo Administration came with its sweeping “no longer business as usual” economic reforms, these men were caught with their pants down!
The last category and by far, the most ignored, are those who understand the need for Constitution Reviews. They are of the infamous course, yet of the discerning minds; the ones not fooled by the hue and cry of the former groups. They are not in the majority, their views are most unpopular but their voices too, cannot be shut down, because they are motivated by passion deeper than emotions, their conducts are guided by values deeper than self-gratification. These are the statesmen!
Being a statesman does not mean you are famous or even involved in government. The moral qualities that are required in the higher spheres of statesmanship are not necessarily those of a hero or a saint. Passionate earnestness to an unselfish aim, sagacity in dealing with issues, a character which lends to conciliation, diminishes friction and inspires confidence are the qualities of statesmen. Samuel Adams, one of the 52 founding fathers who wrote the constitution of the United States said, “it does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”
Most ardent democrats believe that democracy is not merely good in itself; it is also valuable in enhancing the process of development. Popular participation, which is a cardinal principle in democracy, and which refers to the ability of people who are affected by policies to participate in policy formation, implementation and evaluation, gives everyone the opportunity to participate in the democratic process. But our politicians want us to believe that the reason behind the Constitution reviews is the extension of Mr. President’s tenure. Are these men against three terms of four years for the executive or Obasanjo as a person? Supposing he was not running, and I’m not implying he is, would there have been these objections to the reviews?
It is common knowledge that the 1999 constitution has several flaws that require review; the tenure of office is just one out of 118 items! If the primary motive of these men is not the promotion of their interest at the expense of the nation, why should such a noble task become an objectionable issue?
Were these objections coming from people with track records of development achievements, either in their wards or constituencies, one could understand the genuineness of their case, but the sad news is that it is not. None of them could show what they have done in their local areas to improve the lives of their people. Have they empowered their people (either by enlightening and or empowering) to demand for better services and good governance from state and local government officials? On this basis, the cry of these men against Constitution Reviews cannot be said to be truly motivated by the knowledge that it will not contribute to national development.
Nigerians at the grassroots have never been given the chance to participate in the Constitution process except now. But these unpatriotic zealots wanted to deprive them of it. Must they impose their views on the rest of us? Must they have Nigerians believe that there’s nothing credible in the political process?
Insinuations were rife last week that only a select few would have the privilege to attend the public hearings, but that was not what we saw. Everyone who had something to say was given the chance to speak. No one was harassed or prevented from speaking by the government, even those with unpopular views. These insinuations were not only ridiculous but misleading and not healthy for our democracy.
This takes me to the critical question. Was the review about Obasanjo’s 3rd term or Nigeria’s future? What do we really want as a people? Who was afraid of the Constitution Review?
Is it the politicians, these men of no distinct loyalty or principles, who pose under the guise of ‘the North’, ‘the South-South’, ‘Governors’ Forum’, ‘the ACF’, ‘OPC’ etc to legitimise their position while in reality they are self-serving opportunist who flourish on executive influence? Are they the people afraid of 3rd term? Perhaps with the anticorruption drive of the Administration, most of them have cause to be.
Or could the Business Community be against the 3rd Term? But the Business Community has not shown so much displeasure at such. Would they? The government is creating the enabling environment that would fatten their profits. Bank capitalisation and other economic reforms are restoring confidence in the business environment, why then should such business people commit their fortunes, future and prospects to men who cannot be relied upon.
Finally, I would not subscribe to the thoughts that perhaps the last group – statesmen – would want to kick against Constitution Review. By nature, these are men who live by their principles, values and ideologies. Not driven by sentiments or the drift of society these men believe that we, as a nation, cannot reach the summit of our achievements by means of shortcuts or compromises that violet our deepest values. They have remained true to their principles, no matter the temptations, they encountered. They know that success at the expense of one’s integrity would be no success at all.
These men affect their generations, brought about changes and institute legacies that live long after they would have gone. They are achievers who find within themselves the mental and moral strength to pursue their dreams in the face of hardship, pain and mortal danger. They overcome their fear by firmness of mind and will. They know that courage is more than the absence of fear. These men are not afraid of Constitution Review, because they know that, it is not only necessary, but OBJ is a statesman like them.
Whether we acknowledgment it or not, some things are working! Presently, about 15 million Nigerians are on the GSM network across over 20 thousand towns, thanks to the Telecom-privatisation policy. This sector alone has provided employment to millions of citizens.
The anti corruption war, being spear-headed by the EFCC, is yielding result. A checklist will look like this: One State Governor, one Senate President, one Federal Minister each lost their jobs on charges of corruption; a former Inspector General of Police now in jail for financial crimes; countless others at one stage or other of judicial process on charges of corruption.
NAFDAC has cleaned the Nigerian market of over 90% of fake and adulterated drugs and confidence has returned to consumers on products in the open market. Nigerian ports now are beginning to compete favourably with their counterparts along the West African coast.
Nigeria’s image, both politically and economically has improved significantly. In less than 3 months, the country received ratings that could boost investments in the country significantly within the shortest time possible.
Now if these development efforts were achieved between 1999 and now, under a constitution flawed with many discrepancies, why then do we think the Constitution Review will benefit President Olusegun Obasanjo more than Nigeria? If these efforts are sustained, who stands to gain the most – OBJ or Nigeria?
Terkura Aku, Esq
Aku & Associates, 32, Busa Buji street, Jos
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