Third Term and the kalo-kalo Republic

By

Muhammad Al-Ghazali
tempthist@yahoo.com

 

It is no longer secret that central to the plan by proponents of a third term for the president was the distribution of mouth-watering bribes to members of the National Assembly. At a time most of the nation remains in perpetual darkness due to the pathetic state of the PHCN, despite the billions expended to resuscitate it; at a point millions were without potable drinking water; and, as Nigerians wherever they lived wallowed in unprecedented insecurity and unemployment in an era of zero subsidies on healthcare and education, bribes of a hundred million naira apiece were being contemplated to assuage the greed of our supposed representatives, and placate the ego of our supreme potentate. The first tranches, and we are not talking about monies remitted to the Paris Club recently for our debt relief here, were reportedly distributed to those enlisted to actualise the plot last Friday.


But the tragedy is not so much the bribe itself, but the realisation that for most of the beneficiaries, the only qualification, or claim to societal relevance, was the 4-19 elections of 2003, which, to our chagrin, saw the NASS flooded with retired pimps, drug barons and even 419 kingpins. That they were elected on the platform of the PDP, unquestionably the most corrupt political party ever to emerge from Africa, is beyond dispute. These same characters, tainted as they were, are now either being blackmailed or manipulated to elongate the tenure of the president, and all the garbage that accompanies him. Even so, bribery, like adultery, is supposed to be difficult to prove, because they are seldom done in the open. But these breed of representatives are obviously unconcerned about what we think of their perfidy.


Last Friday, visitors to a recently-merged bank, near-most to a popular bakery in the Wuse District of Abuja, were mesmerised and overwhelmed by the sight of gleaming four-wheelers, bearing uncommon number plates, which disgorged burly, well-fed men with little in common with the physically less endowed staff and regular customers of the bank. The scene was like a modern-day Ali Baba cave, complete with imbedded treasures. Perhaps, the only thing missing to complete the picture were the repeated chants of ‘Open Sesame!’ as they stormed the bank for their loot, which, in this instance, was the part payment of fifty million naira.


Even without being told, bewildered onlookers knew instantly that they were in uncommon company. But only the bravest or perhaps the more shameless of the lawmakers actually showed up to pick up their booty. Some, the Judas Iscariots among them, that is, only sent their proxies. And, to me, the latter group is the most dangerous of the entire lot.


They are likely to be among those undecided voters and fence-sitters when the debates to amend the constitution commenced in the NASS last week. Nigerians need to be more circumspect of their hypocritical show of prudence or decency, because for all the dangers this third term business portends for the nation, there is little room for guesswork. Without a shred of a doubt, they also belong to Franz Fanon’s infamous group of ‘onlookers’ for their deceit and obvious treachery. They would no doubt vote against us at the decisive moment without batting an eyelid. Besides, while there could at times be honour even among thieves, conventional wisdom teaches us that the devil you know all too well is far better that an angel that is strange to you.


Yet it wasn’t as if things have always been this bad, or that our lawmakers had no previous role models. Unless my memory fails me, the late Sardauna and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa were perfect examples of how to render public service with honour and integrity. When both men died, there were hardly enough funds in their bank accounts to bury them. In the Second Republic, we had the shining examples of Alhaji Shehu Shagari and the late Aminu Kano, not to mention Chief Sunday Awoniyi, who is still alive and well. Unfortunately, the insatiable greed and selfishness of today’s public office-holders have exposed us all to the dictates of a sadistic executive arm led by an incompetent despot with a messianic delusion.


Since 1999, the government and the ‘opposition’ – the official opposition, that is, have become one and the same; and when you ponder the antecedents of Don Etiebet, and short-sighted neophytes like Ali Modu Sheriff, we don’t need a genius to explain the status quo. In a government devoid of morality and bedevilled by seamless intrigues, it is perhaps not surprising that the most potent opposition to absolute rule or even life presidency, which the prospects of a third term in truth portends came from the inner recesses of the Villa itself in the person of Vice President Atiku Abubakar.


Under Obasanjo, statecraft has become a lottery of some sorts in which stakeholders not only gambled, but also expected rich and immediate proceeds from their investments. Highly-placed government officials openly and without shame negotiate bribes for the passage of legislation in pathetic breach of public trust. Their disdainful arrogance is predicated on their inside knowledge that the anti-corruption crusade of the administration they serve is not only a slur on the intelligence of Nigerians, but ultimately a total waste of time and resources. Corporate bodies and shadowy figures have benefited from waivers and all sorts of concessions in return for their unqualified support for the president. Not surprisingly, they now want us to believe that without Obasanjo, the nation is doomed. But the good thing like I earlier hinted is that their efforts at best remain a lottery, or better still, a gamble at least going by the groundswell of opposition against it across the nation.


In the final analysis, historians would regard OBJ’s second coming as the Fourth Republic; but in my opinion, a more apt description would be the kalo-kalo republic. When the history of this administration is recounted for posterity, it would recall the story of the pathetic tribe of our representatives who contrived to make Obasanjo such an intrepid transducer of not only our civil liberties, but much of our honour, decency and self-respect. These, sadly, are values which Nigerians had for long taken for granted.


CBN and Islam phobia…
If all goes according to the script, the Central Bank of Nigeria will in the next few weeks or months effect some changes to the good old naira. Part of the anticipated changes would see to the disappearance of the ‘Ajimi’ (Arabic alphabets) in Hausa from the face of the currency, and that in my opinion would be a most ridiculous thing to do. Both Arabic and English are imported languages and may it go on record that the fact that the Muslim population have accepted without a whimper the Gregorian calendar, as well as the official English Language does not make them foreigners in their own country. The move clearly shows the ridiculous level to which the art of governance has been reduced under the Obasanjo presidency all in the name of reforms. Never in our history has the polity become so hopelessly polarised or fragmented. Old wounds are not only being deepened, healed ones are being reopened as well.


I would not know the genesis behind the attempt to discard the ‘Ajimi’ from the face of the naira, but everything suggests it could be the brainwork of religious chauvinists, ignorant fools or even CIA agents intent on plunging the nation into sectarian violence. Whatever, such people need to be educated that Arabic, just like English, is merely a language of communication as there are indeed many Arab Christians, the more famous of which were the former Egyptian UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and Iraqi Foreign Minister under Saddam Hussein - Tarik Aziz. The fact that they were Christians in pre-dominantly Muslim countries did not disenfranchise them or make them lesser human beings. The ‘Ajimi,’ I must not fail to add, has been a medium of communication in Northern Nigeria and most of the Sahel since the beginning of the 14th century. It remains the effective mode of writing for most, and doing away with it would not only alienate such people, it would be tantamount to their excision from the country, at least economically!


Over the past few months, I had cause to write in defence of the revered Reverend Mathew Hassan Kukah on some criticisms he attracted for his involvement and comments on some national issues. My interventions were purely based on my innate convictions and desire for justice and fair play. This is the time for people like him to step up and be counted on the side of truth and equity. As a respected clergyman from the North, the significance and relevance of the Ijimi alphabets cannot be lost on him. People like him need to talk to Obasanjo before he plunges the nation into anarchy. Have the eggheads in the Soludo-led CBN even paused to ponder the likely effects of a boycott of the new currency by people likely to be affected by ill-conceived changes?