Nigeria In Trouble

Nigeria In Trouble, If Obasanjo's "Modus Operandi" Becomes The Standard For Next President

Dr. Wunmi Akintide

The principle of rotation of the presidency between the North and South would now appear to be firmly established in the psyche of Nigerians, and I would argue it is the right thing to do, given the dangers inherent in the other conceivable solutions. The conventional wisdom now is that since a southerner is currently holding the job, and has done so, for eight years, the next President must, of necessity, come from the North and hold the office for the same number of years regardless of performance..

The North and South divide has therefore become a basis for selecting our President. Even though there are no less than 36 states in Nigeria minus the Federal Capital territory, we all instinctively know to which geographical zone that each state belongs.

Obasanjo in his crude ways of doing things has kept the nation guessing till the last minute about whether or not he was going to embrace the rotational principle, even though the Constitution was clear on that from the "get go". Obasanjo, as the self appointed father of the nation, sometimes gives the impression that he as President has the power to ignore or set the Constitution aside if, for any reason, the Constitution runs counter to his own motive or agenda. If those who will occupy the office after him share the same mind set, we are all in trouble. If George Washington had operated from the same wave length, America the greatest nation on Earth, would not have been what it is today more than 200 hundred years later. I am deeply troubled about this notion as a Nigerian, and so should all of us.

Obasanjo has done so by nudging the South/South and their leading contenders for the Presidency like Governors Peter Odili and Duke, to believe he was actually siding with them, and indirectly telling the North to forget the Presidency in 2007. I would hate for any future President to lead our nation down the same slippery road again. It was just not helpful at all. The impression has, nevertheless, gained a lot of traction as the two candidates started parading themselves as candidates and going on familiarization tours to the Sultan of Sokoto, the Alake of Egba Land and taking honorary chieftaincy titles from no less a royal father than the Ooni Risa, Sijuade Olubuse the Second and the Alake..

Why that jamboree was allowed and encouraged by this President was a jigsaw puzzle to me. If he knew his candidate was going to be Ya'Ardua, why mislead the nation to start thinking he was going the other way? What kind of gimmick is that? Does this President ever reflect on how his successors, once in office, might want to try some of these silly tactics of his. Since the presidency would never again come down to the South West until the other zones have had their turn, the big loser in all of this unfolding drama is going to be the South West. The rest of the country would then keep reminding us it is their turn to teach us some lessons, and they would be right to do so.

Obasanjo who was close to both Governors Odili and Duke never stopped them from flying such a kite, but in his own mind, he knew what he was going to do. I knew all along he did not have the spine to snub the North like that, and could never have done so, because he had ridden to power and prominence in Nigerian power game as arguably the only Southerner of consequence the North could trust. Not even M.K.O. Abiola with his Muslim identity and gravitas was trusted as much as Obasanjo. We all knew that Obasanjo had signed an unwritten pact with the North in 1976 when he was allowed by the power brokers in the North to succeed Murtala Mohammed.

He had promised he would never to let down the North, no matter what. He, sure delivered on that promise when he skillfully masterminded and supervised an election that ensured that the best man did not win the election, a vague reference to his determination to frustrate the ambitions of Awolowo to lead Nigeria. Shehu Shagari had won that election and the controversy that trailed the election in the Law courts was only an aberration or distraction, as far as Obasanjo was concerned.

It is dangerous for any of our presidents to view himself the same way Obasanjo views himself as President. Obasanjo believes he is the alfa and omega in our country. He is the decider-in-chief who must dictate who should run and who should be disqualified or run out of town. He decides who is corrupt and who is not, and what kind of offenses should be forgiven and who should be punished or spared. He is using an otherwise dignified body like the EFCC as his attack dog to hunt and attack his political enemies. What if his successors decide to continue the same practice? What impact or consequence does that create for our country? I agonize about that, all the time, and I am deeply concerned about it, and so should al of us..

The whole scenario was replayed again for the same reason of trust in 1999 when Obasanjo was by consensus released from jail, pardoned, and crowned the President of the Republic on a platter of gold, without spending a penny of his own money from his Ota farm investments which we are now told, only had 20,000.00 Naira in its account at the time. That election had cost more than 300 million Naira which were all raised, in a quid pro quo basis, to put Obasanjo in Aso Rock by some of his multi millionaire Generals like IBB, Theophilus Danjuma and others which include his current Vice President, Atiku Abubakar who is now at daggers drawn with Obasanjo as we speak.

Obasanjo had become President in 1999, telling his sponsors, he was only going to serve one term, only to change his mind again. He had wanted 2007 to be moved again to 2011 and because his Vice President had refused to go along, Obasanjo had suddenly discovered Atiku was corrupt and was no longer fit for public office. Come on, give me a break. What if the next President decides to play the same game. Where is that going to leave Nigeria? Help me somebody. This question has to be answered.

I am recalling all of these stories as a prelude to my main hypothesis in this article that Nigeria is in trouble, big trouble if by any chance, the Obasanjo model of leadership is ever accepted as the play book or the gold standard of the rotational presidency in our country. I thought Obasanjo, if he truly loves Nigeria as he often professes, should have thought long and hard before doing some of the silly things he does as President. Just look at the mess the whole nation is in today, as we move closer and closer to the next election.

What if the next President be he Buhari or Yar'adua, as I am sure that Atiku has been too much damaged politically, to make it to the presidency in 2007, decides to follow the Obasanjo model of governance. What does that portend for Nigeria is my question? The short answer is total Disaster. Here are my reasons for saying so.

Obasanjo as President has always behaved as if he is really above the Law by some of his actions in Government. He only obeys the Law courts and the Constitution only when both precepts appear to legitimize his preferred option. What if the next President decides to do the same? What is going to be the fate of our country, because protection by the Law and the Constitution is about the greatest safety net we all get from embracing Democracy. What if the next President defines Corruption, and fights it the one-sided and hyocritical way that Obasanjo has been fighting it today?

Minister Fani Kayode has just been indicted for not following established procedures in disbursing 11 billion Naira in the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. All the President could do, is treat the matter with some kid gloves and let it go. Why? Because Fani Kayode is his boy and most loyal attack dog who can get away with murder. Here is a President who is going to unleash the EFCC to go after Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State for having the audacity of hope to dare challenge Governor Olusegun Agagu who was recently indicted by a board of Enquiry for some corrupt practices in the same Ministry of Civil Aviation while he was Minister and errand boy of the same Obasanjo.

The amount Agagu has misappropriated ran to 3.2 billion Naira, and the President thought that was nothing to worry about. Governor Daniel is going to be allowed to serve a second term because, by Obasanjo's logic, the devil you know is better that the angel you don't know. Here is a President who wants to be seen as a bulwark against Corruption in our country. I don't know about you, I just don't get it. What id his successors in office now decide to follow his terrible examples in office? Where does that lead our nation? Six Ballot-making machines had been traced to the private home of Adedibu at Ibadan. The President had nothing to say about that and would not the Police go after him. if you are for this president, you go scot free, but you are against him, you are a goner. What if Buhari or Ya'ardua get into office, and they start borrowing a script from their predecessor?

The President has decided to float a personal library, before leaving office and has raised 7.2 billion Naira from contractors having business dealings with his Government. What do you call that? Because he is doing that and getting away from it, some of his Governors like Agagu in Ondo State has recently appointed his own son as Revenue Collector of his State. No questions asked, After all, the President has done worse things without anyone raising a finger. What is the big deal?

Here was a President who has boasted that late Minister Afolabi of Osun State, his former senior at the Abeokuta Baptist Boys High School, by the way, was flushed out of his Cabinet for corruption but eventually had to die or commit suicide due to the heat emanating from Obasanjo's war on Corruption. Can you believe that? How was Afolabi's family and Nigerians like you and me supposed to take such a foolish and self-serving analysis from a President? We all must thank God for the work of a new generation of fearless reporters who go by the name Saharareporters led by one Omoyele Sowore who have been doing one heck of a job, blowing the whistle on many of Obasanjo's indiscretions and those of his Ministers and aides. Those boys are doing a fabulous job, and the whole nation owes them a debt of gratitude.

The examples are legion. this President is setting a very bad example for his successors in office. What the President from the South does today becomes a bad precedent tomorrow for his successor from the North and vice versa. if we do not complain now or fight back, it will be viewed as nepotism or racism if we choose to wait till his successors start repeating the same scenario and getting the same result. Somebody once defined insanity as doing the same thing, time and again, but expecting a different result. Are Nigerians not insane to believe that another carbon copy of Obasanjo in office would do our nation any good in our march towards progress?

I rest my case.

Dr. Wunmi Akintide