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“You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.” - Abraham Lincoln
If President Olusegun Obasanjo did not join the Army or become a multi-millionaire farmer, he would have been swayed to take to comedy as a career. Yes! Baba as a comedian in the likes of Baba Sala or the modern day Ali Baba who have made good success as humour merchants by rattling ribs of an ever distraught Nigerian populace.
As head of government and the defacto leader of the ruling party – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that has consistently amused us with Puppets Dummy Plays, the president’s role play in the PDP troupe often smacks a sense of humour that is grubby, ribald and repulsive. These are traits that can hardly attract patronage for a serious career-minded comedian.
Obasanjo without qualms exhibits these vile traits in his serial presidential comedies and gets away with it because he is a serving president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Nigerian citizenry has remained patient and almost docile despite numerous instances of induced “serial unconstitutionalities” for which Obasanjo’s PDP government enjoys a conceited pioneer status. Senator Arthur Nzeribe and the Umar Na’abba led Federal House of Representatives provide good sources of reference for the vain award. However, most Nigerians have chosen to keep faith in nurturing a worthy democratic culture to assuage a bruised national psyche consequent upon many years of military rule and the continuing interjection of garrison democracy by the ruling PDP cabal. For good reason the Nigerian people choose to set their gaze beyond an Obasanjo/PDP government and appreciate the necessity to create and preserve a future with increasing levels of freedom, creativity, credibility, productivity, peace, unity and progress.
The impeachment roulette being unleashed on the polity betrays an unmistakeable trademark of the PDP taskmaster spinning the wheel behind the scene. We have seen it before. It’s a familiar panorama with changing cast. Recall the gleeful opening of the official residence of the Senate president in Abuja when the robust Chuba Okagdibo of blessed memory hosted President Obasanjo at a time of a tumultuous relationship. They exchanged spouses, and danced away in a rare genial atmosphere only to be shoved aside as Senate president a few days after. The template for his impeachment could very well have been formatted while the executive ballet was going on. Then stepped in the supposedly inexperienced Pius Anyim as successor to Okagdibo and who surprisingly managed to serve out his tenure through unsuspecting deft maneuvers without tripping on the mythical banana pill. Adolphus Wabara was not that lucky. While still basking in the euphoria of a titled Egba chief, his tenure as the No.3 citizen that he so much cherished was cut short going down with ignominy with a corruption charge still hanging over his head.
Soon after the exchange of acrimonious letters, Audu Ogbeh and President Obasanjo had a jolly outing, riding in the same car to a PDP meeting in Abuja and relished a widely advertised pounded yam meal together in Ogbeh’s house. A peacemaker image made the headlines at daybreak only for Ogbeh to hand in his resignation letter as chairman of PDP at dusk under a reported atmosphere of military coercion. The list of friends turned foes by the PDP transmutation chamber is active and growing: ex-governors DSP Alaigemesiagha of Bayelsa State, Ladoja of Oyo State, Ngige of Anambra State, and Fayose of Ekiti State who chairs the Committee for the Selection of PDP presidential candidates and serves as a poster boy for all that is wrong with the so-called largest party in Africa, whatever that means. Never mind that party membership is restricted only to Nigerians by law. The impeachment bug is simmering over Plateau and Anambra States with predictable repellent consequences.
Another group of fallen stars through the garrison command include the elite club of pioneer and founding members of the PDP: Solomon Lar, Sunday Awoniyi, Abubakar Remi, returnee Don Etiebet, and sidelined Alex Ekwueme to mention some of the most prominent. The case of Atiku Abubakar, the serving vice president is an epic drama still running on prime time.
The pace, intensity and frequency of what appears like guided crises have potential to threaten the stability of the polity creating confusion and uncertainties that could very well paralyze the system if not checked. That cannot be the intention or desire of a responsible government. However, it is not entirely fair to see President Obasanjo as the ill-wind in every trouble in Nigeria or in the misfortunes of yesterday’s men of power. He is the man at the helm of affairs alright and he has his natural make-up, unique style, and idiosyncrasy for which he offers no apologies. In spite of Obasanjo’s trademark theatrics, it is reasonable to hope that Baba will not collapse the ‘House’ on us. We are encouraged to believe the president means well for Nigeria and by his own admission welcomes wise counsel even if contrary to his own view. Meaning as passionate as he may be about his ideas and beliefs he will not deny the passion and views of others, as long as they are presented “respectfully”. And so with due respect, I believe the president will appreciate the counsel of Barbara Tuchman in The March of Folly that “The overall responsibility of power is to govern as reasonably as possible in the interest of the state and its citizens…to keep mind and judgement open and to resist the insidious spell of wooden-headedness.”
The beauty of democracy among many is that public office is considered as public trusts, bestowed for the common good and not for the benefit and monopoly of an individual or a party. Democracy also stipulates for proven good reason term limits for the chief executive. Obasanjo and the third term promoters (the president in another classic comedy pretends he did not send them) may not like that. Being an unambiguous constitutional provision, non-compliance will ignite “serial unconstitutionalities” which the president vehemently abhors as demonstrated in the decreeing of a state of emergency in Ekiti State following serial abuse of the constitution there.
I doubt if the president who fought a war to preserve the unity of Nigeria and working hard to reform it for good will entertain anything remotely capable of reversing that noble ideal in the twilight of his life. Preventable events that could trigger “serial unconstitutionalities” at the national level and across the country through its different and many parts all at once have the potency to inflict such calamity. Troubles grow by nursing them. The president is in a vantage position by the authority of his office to stop the nurses that are out to feed a troubled Nigeria. Our country no doubt has problems for which the task of fixing them is on-going. Indeed current national glooms can be turned into positive opportunities that can blossom into desirable national aspirations. We have trusted President Obasanjo to lead the rest of us on the mission to fix our country and he has made great strides in the face of daunting challenges. In the affairs of men there are no absolute answers particularly so with the complexities of Nigeria. We need to adjust to the fact that problems and crises are the realities of life. Things will always go wrong but we don’t need to go wrong with them. We have a responsibility to act and prevent obvious and present dangers before crises become too severe and overcome us.
As Obasanjo ends his tenure in May 2007, he deserves our respect and appreciation for fighting a good fight. He did not conquer all and certainly no one can. He still has a duty to complete the final lapse by supervising the conduct of a free, fair and just election to culminate in a seamless transition come May 29, 2007. It will be the crowning glory for a dogged, patriotic and gallant soldier. His valedictory speech at the United Nations says volume to his life-long commitment to Nigeria and gives strong reasons to believe that Obasanjo will deliver on his promise to bequeath a legacy of a united and progressive Nigeria. Thankfully his notice to quit as president given to the international community at the hallowed chambers of the United Nations was no comedy. He has the good fortune yet solemn duty to determine his exit memorial. I am sure he appreciates perhaps more than anyone else the need to enhance the potentials that will promote and preserve our common survival as a nation. Our people must be encouraged to see beyond the confusion and despair of the times, and respond positively to opportunities and challenges. We must focus and direct our collective energy towards the future to make Nigeria truly great.
Anie Udoh
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