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The Dishonourable Marks Of David By Jide Ayobolu It is a fact that Senator David Mark is a very controversial figure. He does things without very deep thought; he talks extemporaneously and in the process cause un-necessary anxiety in the process. It will be recalled that, his election as a Senator of the federal republic of Nigeria was a very polemical one, as he was accused of using unbridled violence as well as wantonly manipulating the electoral process. The controversies that dogged his election are still on-going. But far more disturbing and worrisome about David Mark is his scant regard for the Nigerian people. He is of the firm opinion that the military is a special breed that should be emulated all the time by the Nigerian civilian. So, the question is, how can a person who has no democratic credentials and who has not thoroughly imbibed the basic tenets of democracy emerged as Senate President? What does this kind of garrison politics portends for the future of the legislature now and in the future? Has the Nigerian circulating elite learnt anything tangible from the events of the previous republics in the country? It will be recalled that David Mark as the minister of communication said rather flippantly that, phones were not meant for the poor and the downtrodden in the society. To him phones should only be used by affluent and influential in the society. Therefore, if he has his way the poor will be poor and the rich will be richer. Hence, he would have pauperized and impoverished the generality of Nigerians. So, if this is the case how can a person with the mindset like that of David Mark serve the collective interest of the Nigerian people? There is no doubt that David is way of the Mark. Again, in the not too distant past, David Mark shamelessly said the worst sergeant in the army is better than the most accomplished university professor. The question that follows is that, does David Mark put on his thinking cap when he speaks, or does he just speak illogically. At least, he should have people who advise him and serve as his kitchen cabinet, or maybe he does not take advice. It is also on record that, he was one of the very prominent military men that kicked against the June 12, 1993 presidential, which has been adjudged the freest and fairest election in the history of the country. So, he helped in no small measure to scuttle the democratic process in the country. There is no doubt that he is not a convinced democrat, he merely participated in the electoral process to get to power, as getting to power is more or less a short-cut to making cheap money. The June 12 election would have in no small measure to correct most of the political and structural problems bedevilling the country presently, this was when Nigeria set aside religious considerations, ethnicity, political affiliations and what have you, but the likes of David Mark have dragged back the hands of the clock for the country. To now add salt top injury, in apparent disregard for the Nigerian people, shortly after he was selected as the senate president, he led a group of lawmakers to Ota to pay homage and obeisance to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for helping him achieve the feat. As if the gratuitous insult is not enough, he only recently said that the civil society should emulate the military, that the military is very well trained and there is very high level of discipline in the force, hence, the best thing that would happen to Nigerians is to follow the military and it will be well with them. However, the point that should be made here is that, since Nigerians have a short sense of history, so leaders are wont to tell them old wife tales by standing logic and commonsense on its head. The history of military participation in Nigeria is one that people do not like to remember very often, they wrought unprecedented havoc on Nigeria’s political economy. The looted the national treasury to no ends, as they are not responsible to anybody, the grossly mismanaged the national economy, they violently violated the fundamental human rights of the Nigerian People, scuttle the democratic cum electoral process in Nigeria, professionalism in the military was relegated to the background, staging political coups, as a means of getting to power to make cheap money became the order of the day, foisted the iron law of oligarchy and reign of terror on the country, during the period in question Nigeria was even a pariah nation and was even suspended from the Commonwealth, even the advanced capitalist countries of the West placed economic and financial sanctions on the country, and the period represent the darkest era in Nigeria’s history. Hence, one may ask what is responsible for this frequent flip-flop from the David Mark. It was William Shakespeare who said silence is golden; David Mark should learn to keep quite if he has no reasonable thing to say. If he has verbal diarrhea, then he should go hospital for medical treatment, instead of offending our collective sensibility. David Mark should learn from the solid foundation laid by the former senate president, Senator Ken Nnamani about legislative conduct and decorum, instead of his area boy approach to legislative matters. Certainly, he is not the best material for the job, not even from the Middle Belt; hence, in the absence of the best, the worst can go for the better. When a person like David Mark head the senate, one just wonders the kind of tangible things that will come out of the hallow chambers. Nothing meaningful will come out the place expect by divine intervention and until David Mark changes his mind-set. But obviously, the leopard cannot change its spot, David cannot change his mark, but the Nigerian people can do without him.
Jide Ayobolu Abuja-Nigeria
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