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2007 and Beyond: A Case for Ex-soldier President By Tunde Adenodi NEW JERSEY, USA
Yes indeed, I am advocating for an ex-soldier as the next President of Nigeria in 2007 and beyond. But dear readers, before I tell you why, I hasten to exclude some former soldiers who should never be allowed to run for president, let alone, rule Nigeria again. They are General Ibrahim Babangida and the General he overthrew: Muhammadu Buhari. General Yakubu Gowon and of course, the incumbent President, Olusegun Obasanjo. They have come and gone. And they are part of history. As for Babangida in particular, he is not only part of history, he is history. His reckless annulment of Abiola’s election in 1992 qualifies him for this. He should be consigned to the archives of history.
Next to the above-named are former military men who once held political offices, any political office, and no matter how inconsequential. A General Officer Commanding is a political appointment. Any soldier: army, navy or air force officer, who had held any political postings cannot run for any executive position in Nigeria.
Nigeria has unique problems that require unique solutions. This is a unique solution to Nigeria’s ubiquitous problems. Democracy or not. Let this be our solution to military brigandage in Nigeria. From now on!
So, why is an ex-soldier desirable as Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces at least for the next 20 years?
In order to answer this question, it is necessary to look into the past especially at former Heads of State who were civilians, and compare them with those who were not.
The western region boycotted the 1964 federal elections. The east, did the same, to a large extent. There was election in the north. The results of the elections were, of course, inconclusive. Then there was a stalemate! As Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was the one to break the stalemate. He had 2 options: cancel the election results and order for a new election or accept the result and invite Balewa to form the government. Azikiwe’s party, the NCNC was in control in the East as well as the Mid-West. He had significant following in Joseph Tarka’s Tiv fiefdom. Even Aminu Kano’s Kano had sympathy for Zik’s NCNC. He was at that time the most powerful politician in Nigeria. Add to this his post as C-in-C, he was the man to watch! The catch is this: If he took the first option, he risked infuriating Balewa… Ahmadu Bello’s foot-soldier in Lagos and lose out in the power game as President of the republic. If he asked Balewa to form the government, he would keep his post as President but alienate the millions of his people in the East and the people in the West who did not vote. He would also threaten the coalition headed by Michael Okpara, his foot-soldier in the East.
But Zik, loved his job as the President and Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He also loved the Navy’s uniform with Rear Admiral’s epaulettes on his broad shoulders which he donned on ceremonial occasions as Commander in Chief. He was hardly aware of his enormous powers! He looked at Balewa eye-ball to eye-ball and blinked! He ran the path of least resistance and invited Balewa to form the government thus abandoning the formidable UPGA coalition comprising the West’s Action Group (AG) and his NCNC. Balewa rewarded him with the crumbs… The rest is now history.
It is worthy of note that a position carries with it the character of the individual occupying it. Governor Fadahunsi of the West decided to slug it out with Premier Akintola after the 1965 Western elections that were massively rigged by Akintola’s NNDP. The Governor sacked the premier and the premier sacked the governor in return! No! Fadahunsi was not an ex-soldier. But he brought into his office as governor the charisma necessary for his esteemed position! The governor’s position in a region was equivalent to the President’s position at the Federal level.
What would Zik do had he been an ex-soldier President who knew the army very well? The answer to this question is left for readers to conjecture.
A second example was Shehu Shagari. His army became restive just after the 1983 elections. He ordered Buhari, Commanding Officer in Jos who was in charge of security on the North-East border do something to secure the border or something (I cannot recall exactly what the order was). Buhari refused and complained against the Commander-in-Chief publicly. Shagari did nothing and paid dearly for this. He was removed about three weeks later and replaced by Buhari as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief.
What should Shagari have done if he were an ex-soldier who became president and Commander-in-Chief? Buhari should have been court-marshaled for insubordination and promptly relieved of his post and discharged from the army. He would never have got the opportunity to stage a coup that toppled his C-in-C. And the course of Nigeria’s history would have been different.
A third and final example is Ernest Shonekan. He was president who knew not how to be a Commander-in-Chief of his army. In fact, General Abacha was his boss!
Babangida deliberately left Abacha behind to
hold Shonekan to ransom. Shonekan left intact Babangida’s coup machinery!
When
Some people have rightly described Nigerian soldiers as politicians in military uniform. They have tasted power and are not about to abandon power. Whoever wants to be the C-in-C must understand the dynamics of that office and must be able to put them in check and keep them where they belong. Yakubu Gowon was able to control the army because he was part of them. He understood the politics of the army. Besides, the army had not been so politicized at that time. Ditto for Babangida. By the time Abacha became Head of State, control of the boys had become an art. And this was why, in spite of his tyrannical behavior there was not even a whimper of discontentment in the army.
General Obasanjo is now the grand master of all Cs-in-C. He has succeeded in putting the army where they belong. Had Falae been elected in 1999, he would have been removed by now. In fact, had Abiola been allowed to rule for only one year, he would have been removed for some concocted reasons which gullible Nigerians would have accepted without much protestation?
Those who are jostling for the post after Obasanjo must do a rethink. Let a former soldier run. A former professional soldier who has never held a political office in the land. A former soldier from the South/South of Nigeria. The task of finding such an individual rests with General Olusegun Obasanjo.
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