The Lessons of May 16th

By

Bala Yahaya

balayahaya@yahoo.com

Kaduna - Nigeria

 At last May 16th has succeeded in carving a niche for itself in Nigeria's political history.  To many Nigerians, it constitutes a milestone in the country's long, tortuous journey to real nationhood.   Thus history will place 5/16 in the same pedestal as other important dates like October 1st, May 29th and June 12th.  While for example, May 29th may be described as democracy day, May 16th will best be described as democracy consolidation day.  For it was the day in which the Nigerian political class demonstrated to the world that it has come of age; that its level of sophistication has sharpened; that at any epoch in our history there are people who will put national interest far above personal interest which is a requisite ingredient for the survival of any nation. Certainly, May 16th is replete with lessons not only for Nigeria but also for all emerging democracies.

One of such important lessons is that in a constitutional democracy, unlike fascism, it is the wish of the majority that ultimately prevails notwithstanding the financial clout or incumbency power of the minority.  Along this line, May 16th has vividly demonstrated that the wisest politicians of any nation are those who stand on the side of the majority.  Our most recent political history bears this assertion out as this was correct in 1993, 1998 and even dramatically so in 2006.  Thus this is a clear demonstration of the fact that there is a limit to the efficacy of the magic wand of sycophants, palace jesters, political godfathers and fixers who would always declare with godly authority that there is no vacancy in the nation's seat of power. Secondly, May 16th has demonstrated the soundness of the principle of check and balances as a mechanism for checking the excesses of one arm of government by the other.  Towards this end, the Nigerian legislature has exhibited an avid sense of duty and sincere commitment to the Nigerian project by diligently putting this principle to work in order to save the country from sliding into anarchy.  There is no gainsaying the fact that if the National Assembly would sustain this tempo, by continuously standing on the side of logical and reasonable public opinion, the country would experience unprecedented good governance which will bring with it unequalled economic growth, national development and human progress especially now that the country's national income is at an all- time high. May 16th has also thunderously pronounced the fact that constituency-solidarity is more prominent than party-solidarity in a representative democracy.  This should serve as a good lesson to party leaders who believe that they could always use their stranglehold on party machinery to force their personal agenda down the throats of their members.  On May 16th the Nigerian legislators, especially those of PDP extraction, had shown the world that they were more conscious of their accountability to their constituencies than they were to their party by vehemently kicking against their party's position and siding with the position of their constituencies.  To those who shunned the views of their people and followed the dictates of their minds or those of their political godfathers, they will now have to come to terms with the moral implications of their actions. One other lesson re-emphasised by May 16th is the role of the media as a veritable tool for safeguarding democratic traditions and institutions.  Towards this end, the Nigerian media deserves commendation for its significant role in the events that culminated in the victory of May 16th.  For example, the live coverage of the constitutional amendment debate on the floors of the assemblies by the African Independent Television (AIT), which brought to full public glare, the shaping of Nigeria's destiny by the legislators played a vital role in whipping into line some of the legislators who would rather have betrayed their people were the debates conducted in secrecy.  At this juncture the leadership of the National Assembly deserves our kudos for insisting on following transparent procedure throughout this business of constitutional amendment.  This has demonstrated not only their moral fibre but also their great commitment to the unity and progress of the country.

May 16th has also brought to light the fact that our regional socio-cultural and religious groupings are not after all, divisive agents amongst us.  This is because through their actions during the political drama, they have demonstrated their capacity to solidarise with one another to save the country from falling into an indiscernible depth of political turmoil.  It is therefore commendable, the shedding away of the toga of regionalism by regional organisations such as the ACF, Afenifere and Ohaneze Ndigbo to dispassionately stand against the monster of tenure elongation. Through their actions, they have shown that there could indeed, be unity in diversity.

Furthermore, May 16th has taught us something about the workings of the inner mind of President Obasanjo. Prior to this date, many are wont to believe that, blinded by the quest for realisation of the tenure elongation agenda; the President has discarded his well-known belief in the unity and progress of Nigeria just to satisfy a political ambition.  However, following from the events of May 16th, we have learnt that all things being unequal Obasanjo would rather play a reluctant Mandela than a willing Mobutu.  The ball is therefore in his court to now embark on fence mending mission by calming frayed nerves between and within the country's various political camps and put in motion realistic strategy for his exit from the corridors of power come 2007.  Having done this, the gains that will come his way in the form of reclaimed and enhanced international image and goodwill will be unquantifiable.  Domestically, he will go down in Nigeria's political history not just as the longest serving Nigerian President but also the only one to have been bestowed with the honour of successfully executing dual transitions i.e. military-civilian transition in 1979 and the first ever civilian-civilian transition in 2007.  This would be the best way any statesman would love to be remembered by the history of his country.