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The “New Political Reality” By Babayola M. Toungo
Critics of the Goodluck Jonathan administration are dismissed as those who fail to appreciate the “new political reality” unfolding in the country. Every Jonathan apologists now uses this line of condemnation on anyone who disagrees with the way and manner the president is running the country. It is an easy way out for them, or so they think. No one has the right to hold contrary opinion to the all-knowing president and his team. I think I have seen the “new political reality” as espoused by these modern day “progressives” whose concept of progressivism is the total exclusion of certain parts of the country even if the heavens will fall. If you don’t see it their way, then you need to be re-educated for you to fit-in into a “transformed Nigeria”. If those promoting this line of thinking, can have the courage of their conviction, then they could have dubbed it the “total exclusion of northern Nigeria’” from political power. Let’s call a spade a spade and stop pretending all is well.
A subtle but dangerous scenario is emerging within the governmental setup with the way appointments are being made, manifestly favouring a section of the country over and above the rest. This was started during the Obasanjo locust years when he ensured the pauperisation of the north with the active connivance of northerners in his government. The consolidation of banks by Charles Soludo weeded out northerners from the financial sector and the systematic dismantling of manufacturing concerns in the region, particularly the textile industries that used to provide over 50% employment to the people of the region either directly or indirectly, followed this. Since time the balance of power in the country was distributed in such a way that the southwest controlled the financial sector, the southeast was in control of commerce while the North’s forte was political power. With the election of Obasanjo in 1999, the banks consolidation of 2005, the north completely lost out. Orosanye ensured that the few remaining northerners in the civil service were shown the door. This was the state of affairs when Azikiwe Jonathan took over.
To guarantee no part of the country feels marginalised from governance, the principle of Federal Character was enshrined in the country’s constitution and anagency, the Federal Character Commission, was established to specifically ensure compliance with the constitutional provision. Whatever the deficiencies of the Federal Character principle, it has served its purpose, before now. At the risk of being insulted as someone who hasn’t yet grasped the “new political reality”, I will still say my piece. Much as it may sound unpalatable to the ears of some I will say it as I see it. I quiet understand the “new political reality” – that is some people are not wanted in Nigeria as presently constituted.
A cursory look into public and civil service appointments by the Azikiwe Goodluck government will give one goose pimples and a window into the mind-set of those who run our country today. The emerging pattern is of a cabal bent on making sure that the Nigeria of the future will be cleansed of a large segment of its population. Few of such appointments include the Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), who celebrated his birthday on the same day that over thirty souls lost their lives in an avoidable accident in Abuja, the Chief Executive of Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Immigration, Prisons, Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Revenue Mobilisation & Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC), Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Directorate of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian Civil Aviation College, Zaria, National Air safety Management Agency (NAMA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and all agencies under the Ministry of Aviation are headed by people from one part of the country. If such a situation should favour the north, the whole media will be awash with cries of the violation of the Federal Character principle, and therefore a violation of the constitution.
It is still fresh in our memory when Earnest Ndukwe retired as head of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) earlier in the year and a certain Dr. Bashir Gwandu, an eminently qualified Electrical/ Electronics engineer and the most senior director in the Commission was acting, the Igbos raised hell that since an Igbo man retired from the place, an Igbo man must be appointed to replace him, merit, seniority and decorum be damned. The government granted the demand of the Igbos. In the life of this administration, I am yet to see where a northerner left office by whatever means and is replaced by someone else from the region or that a northern leader – traditional, religious or political - ever came out with guns blazing demanding that a northerner be appointed or hell will freeze.
When offices were “zoned” after the “no zoning” submission served its purpose, the Igbos got Secretary to the Federal Government, the Deputy Senate President and the Deputy Speaker while the entire three zones in the north got the Vice Presidency, the Senate President and grudgingly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The last one was achieved through the stubbornness of the House members, though Obasanjo called for the resignation of the Speaker because he failed to see the “new political reality”. No one as yet has complained of marginalisation in the north, though I suspect such complaints will be dismissed with a wave of the hand.
It is more and more becoming clear to me that we are living in Orwellian times in Nigeria of today. How then does one explain or justify a situation where the Rector, Registrar, Chief Legal Adviser and the Chief Medical Officer of the College of Aviation Zaria all come from the South Eastern part of Nigeria while the College is located in the north west. New political reality indeed.
Since the 2011 elections, several southern commentators, especially on the Internet, have become bolder in calling for the separation of the Nigerian state between the two poles. Are the brazen actions of this government against one section of the country a prelude to such endeavour? And is the north really preparing for such eventuality? The writing is clear on the wall for those with the eyes to see. |