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Chief Emeka Anyaoku’s Excuse By Ibrahim Chonoko London
In one of my write-ups on corruption in Nigeria, I recalled the late Malam Aminu Kano’s advice on how to rid Nigeria of corruption and sanitize the country of its multi-faceted ills. This week, I have looked at Chief Emeka Anyaoku’s excuse for not getting involved in active (partisan) politics. The write up begins with an anecdote by Chief Anyaoku to an audience in London when he was Secretary-General of the Commonwealth:
“Once upon a time, people from other countries of the world got together and deliberated on the resources each country was endowed with. After exhaustive brainstorming and much cogitation, they concluded that God had been more favourable to Nigeria in the allocation of natural and other resources. Nigeria had all the resources a country needed to be great, they noted. They therefore resolved unanimously to petition God on the apparent lopsidedness in favour of Nigeria in His allocation of wealth to countries.
“At the presentation of their petition, they asked God why He was more generous to Nigeria, having bestowed on the country enormous resources and other numerous bounties. But in His response, God asked the petitioners just one question: “Can’t you see the type of people I have put in that country?” After reflecting on God’s answer to their petition, the petitioners, who were obviously blinded by jealousy, then realised the type of people that inhabit Nigeria and the prevailing situation in the country.
“They further noted that Nigeria was indeed richly endowed with huge resources but its people have consistently failed to put the resources for the good of all. Instead, its leaders and those who have access to the wealth steal it selfishly for themselves and their families. And what they loot, they take abroad to build the economies of other countries while the masses at home wallow in squalor and abject poverty. They reasoned that they needed not to be jealous or sad about Nigeria’s enormous resources or wealth.”
The above tale, perhaps, explains why “(people from) other countries” have overlooked Nigeria even on issues and/or events that the country should be in the forefront. The country’s omission in the G-20 meeting in London in April and President Obama’s undisguised contempt for the country by his decision to make Ghana his first port of call in sub-Saharan Africa are just two of the numerous cases in which Nigeria was relegated to the backseat. Because of the people that inhabit it and the leadership that makes the country stand out on the negative scale, “other countries of the world” find it convenient to shun or even ostracise Nigeria. And even those countries that should be looking up to Nigeria are not only turning their backs but also making jest of her. No one seems to be “sad” or “jealous” of Nigeria’s “enormous resources or wealth” any more.
When a country is faced with such a crisis of identity and purpose, the logical thing to do is to recognise the problems, evolve the best strategies to tackle them and plan how to move the country forward. To do this, everyone must play their part: the leadership and the followership, the elite and the masses, the rich and the not so rich, the elected and electors, the elders and the youth, those with unblemished integrity and those with tainted integrity, the clergy and the laity, men and women, all must put hands on deck to achieve the desired goals.
But when a section of the population, and a crucial section for that matter, decides to stand aloof and watch things degenerate, such a country, society or population must be heading towards chaos, catastrophe and hopelessness. By choosing not to participate proactively in the (political) affairs of the country, those elements of the society may have provided unfettered grounds for second rate citizens to unleash their mediocrity and all the negatives associated with such types of leadership.
A few months ago, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General said he would not get involved in the nation’s politics because Nigerian politics was neither issue-based nor policy-oriented. At a book launch in Lagos in March this year, Chief Anyaoku lamented that the ‘do-or-die’ politics in Nigeria have remained “politics of no issue”. "The nature of politics as it is played in this country is such that I could not be happily involved”, he said, adding: “I am concerned about issue-oriented politics; politics of service to the community and the electorate, and not seeking power for power sake.”
In the same breath, the former Commonwealth scribe, who said he had been approached several times to run for the Presidency, called for a change in our orientation and the way politics is practiced in Nigeria. “I think it is time for us to change our orientation and practice politics with its abiding principles of providing real service to the people."
This palpable contradictory stance by the incorruptible Anyaoku begs for a lot of questions. If every man and woman of integrity makes the same decision to keep out of politics, who will bring about the change(s) the chief is calling for? Who will stop the current politics of self-service and bring about the politics of issues and service to the people? Does the chief expect the current crop of ‘do-or-die’ politicians to bring about changes that would deny them the huge spoils therein that spur them into politics in the first place?
If one is really concerned and ready to offer his services to improve the lot of the people, would he have to wait until everything is right before he offers himself for the service? Would such service be needed when things are going about the right way? Former Sokoto state governor, Attahiru Bafarawa once remarked: “If we wait for the moment when everything is ready, we shall never begin”.
Chief Anyaoku’s excuse is an apt example of the age-old truism: ‘everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die’. Every decent citizen wants sanity not only in politics, but in all spheres of endeavour in Nigeria. But to insist that the situation must be right before one gets involved is akin to shirking one’s fundamental responsibilities, i.e. striving for a just and equitable society or environment. As stressed by former FCT Minister, Nasir el- Rufai, one must be ready to take risks, especially on issues bordering on service to humanity. “You cannot change a bad system without taking risks. If we all keep away from Nigeria, the country will not change and the criminals will continue to dominate”, he said in a recent interview.
Perhaps it is on this basis that former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari staked his integrity and ventured into partisan politics. Even though he has not yet succeeded in reclaiming the people’s mandate for governance from the usurpers, he remains not only a credible alternative, but also a beacon of hope for the downtrodden and all those who stand for justice and credibility. In the course of standing up for truth and “politics of service to the people,” he faced a lot of trials and tribulations. In fact, one may say he was ruffled in the process, but never soiled, and his integrity remains firmly intact.
The current political issues and events, which are dragging Nigeria into a dangerous precipice, make it more imperative for people of integrity to emulate General Buhari’s example and actively get involved in the country’s political affairs. If not, Chief Anyaoku and people of integrity like him who are wary of Nigeria’s rough political turf have a very long ‘siddon look’ to do, because the politicians in the field do not seem to be in a hurry to quit or change things for the better.
The choices for them is either to get involved, save the situation and make a positive difference, or sit on the fence and continue with their lamentations and watch things deteriorate by the day. If they chose the latter, they should remember the oft-quoted saying: “the only necessary thing for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. ibrobab@aol.com |