3T Agenda in Overdrive

By

Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo

razbell73@hotmail.com

 

 

The rift between President Olusegun Obasanjo and Nigerians cannot be wider than it is at the moment. Before the terminal sickness that afflicted his Third Term Agenda (3T Agenda), the depth of the crack depended on where, on the argument’s divide, any particular Nigerian stood. But Obasanjo accentuated this rift with his insincere denial of wanting the project, or even buying the idea.

 

Since then sides have emerged so clearly that no one is left sitting on the fence anymore. When he referred to himself as leading a liberation struggle, Nigerians responded by saying instead that their country ought to be liberated from Obasanjo. The president claims to be fighting corruption while Nigerians insist that no one is more corrupt than the president. The General claims to be reforming the economy. Majority say it is all rhetoric – that his reforms are merely redefining cronyism in government; that he has, in fact, reformed his economy beyond imagination. When Obasanjo calls himself a visionary leader, his own kinsmen cast him away, saying he is nothing but a disgrace to their race.

 

In 1999 Obasanjo the candidate pitched his campaign on the slogan of the leader Nigerians could trust, but the public insist that they now know better – that trust is acquiring a new meaning in the country. Even in the area of self-image the president and the people do not seem to agree. Obasanjo calls himself a messiah. The people agree - only that they also add that he is a fake messiah. And these are Obasanjo’s strong points.

 

Many Nigerians hold the view that Obasanjo is a precursor of the deep national fission that Nigeria needs to address. After the defeat of his sit tight attempt, Obasanjo’s continued refusal to own up to the fact that he, in fact, desperately wanted it, continues to legitimize the people’s grievances and to make them believe that it is not over until it is all over. His shifty position is pushing those who sat on the fence to adjust to a position farther away from the president’s chicanery.

 

Many who admired his uncompromising attitude are now having a change of heart. The general belief among informed Nigerians is that the 3T plan is now in overdrive. Three prominent Nigerians hold Nigerians by the ear on the matter. Cautioning the nation in a Sun Newspaper report of June 2, Professor Wole Soyinka admonished the nation to watch Obasanjo closely as, according to the Nobel Laureate, Obasanjo was not a man who gives up easily. In his own remark, Balarabe Musa, whose pains in Nigeria’s democratic struggle cannot be quantified arrived at the same conclusion. He said the defeat of the 3T agenda on the floor of the NASS should not make anyone go to sleep until the last nail is driven into the sarcophagus of the agenda.

 

Unconvinced of the adequacy of their admonition, Dr Umaru Dikko, former NPN bigwig, whose political savvy needs no preamble, warned further that the agenda is now in “Plan C.” That is the overdrive - and Nigerians can only ignore these admonitions at their own peril.

 

Since Obasanjo’s denial that he indeed fathered a 3T agenda, he has not only shifted gear but also changed tactics. Some of his tricks are familiar, having come from the once beaten paths that the nation took with Babangida and Abacha, while others are not too familiar. 

Take the cabinet reshuffle for example. Obasanjo is trying deliberately to stymie the nation with the new postings. Square pegs are driven, with sweat and blood, into round holes and vice-versa. In a country of Nigeria’s size, the president’s kitchen cabinet is shrinking. Ngozi, Nasir and Oby are gaining in influence. This alone is instructive, given their antecedents, since coming to lime light. It is like repositioning a war chest. As they oversee more ministries than one each, they will also serve as Obasanjo’s eyes and ears all over the place. It is “Big Brother” at work.

 

Obviously those who mid-wived the agenda have not impressed the president, especially with the wide-spread allegation of penny-pinching that took place in the compensation of legislators, which the president might suspect resulted in the failure of the project.

 

To assume that the time has come for Mantu and Obasanjo to part ways is one damn good guess. But that is just by the way. How does anyone explain the promotion of uncouth Fani Kayode to the Culture Ministry? That posting only reminds one of Iraq – and the role “chemical Ali” played there.

 

And more foot-soldiers are being deployed. The EFCC will now participate in screening politicians - “carrot-and-stick”. This can only serve one purpose. It can accelerate the disqualification of candidates as IBB did and force the hands of the parties leading to the emergence of a sphinx who would be adopted by all the political parties, as Abacha would do.

 

This is the time to heed the advice of the trio of Musa, Soyinka and Dikko to, if need be, force Obasanjo to “step-aside.” By the arrest of Aruleba and Durojaiye at this point in time Obasanjo is already exerting revenge on the press for driving his dream to the ditch. It is not a coincidence. Even Buhari describes it as the return of the obnoxious Decree No 4. The features of the son never elude the father.

 

The synergy in all that is happening is that Nigerians are right to distance themselves from this president who is determined to ride rough-shod on a Trojan horse over their toes. But while they use nimble ninja steps to avoid the hoofs of his horse, they should not go to sleep until it is all over. This is the time to aggregate all resources, in fact, more resources than was deployed in killing the greed of the legislators in the NASS which eventually whipped them into line to confront and defeat the 3T agenda.