Tora Bora of Our Democracy
By
Abubakar Jika
Perhaps by the time you are reading this, the
face off
between President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Federal
House of Representatives would have been resolved. I
deliberately abstain from any comment during the heat
of the contrived crisis because essentially to me it
is a none issue.
Olusegun Obasanjo, an Egba chief, a retired general of
the Nigerian Army, the official receiver of the
surrender of Biafra, a one time Head of State and a
pardoned ex - convict have been having running battles
with virtually every one since he returned to power.
In the view of many commentators, he is acting more of
a dictator than a democrat.
He believes and acts as if he is the only one who
knows anything around here. He acts as if Nigeria was
never governed either before 1975 or after 1979. He is
brash and insults any one he feels like insulting. He
used gutter language against us - University
lecturers. He threatens his party men who dare to
disagree with him. He is said to enthrone and remove
two of his party chairmen within two years.
He is also said to have dethroned and enthrone two
Senate Presidents. He was reputed to have attempted 10
times to remove the Speaker of the Federal House to no
avail. To most of us PDP is Obasanjo and Obasanjo is
PDP. I said it before and I will repeat myself: Rimi
and anyone who dreams of contesting against Obasanjo
in PDP are wasting their time.
The Federal House to borrow the analogy of the Afghan
situation during the era of the Taliban is the Tora
Bora of our democracy. It is the last final stand
before we are all overrun. As it happened in
Afghanistan the House will be overrun between now and
2003. The Tora Bora Mountains were where Osama Bin
Ladin and his Al - Qaeda network took their last stand
before they disappeared into God know where. But Osama
and his group make very telling statements at Tora
Bora and when they disappeared, they made a haunting
lasting impact, which may exceed into the next
century. Their oppressors cannot claim final victory
because they fail to parade Osama and Mullah Omar. So
where is the victory of the United States?
Olusegun Obasanjo as President in my view and the view
of many other Nigerians is impatient, insensitive and
arrogant to us. First his own vice, who is donated to
balance his ticket to ensure geo - ethnic and
religious equity publicly called himself a "hand bag".
This has gone into history as the first reading
statements of an emergent civilian dictatorship.
As if to confirm he is actually a "mere hand bag", his
vice always wears Yoruba caps even in inauspicious
occasions. There is this poster, hundreds of which are
displayed in our state: Adamawa, of the Vice
President. In that poster in a sitting position Atiku
wore Hausa dress and cap and his Boss wore Yoruba
dress and cap. In the same poster super impose on top
of that image is that of Atiku and Obasanjo, standing
and shaking hands both wearing Yoruba dress and caps.
The image and interpretation by observers is, while
they did not get to power Atiku was all northern, but
on getting to power, in his full height, he now
converts or change to "Yoruba figure". How could he
allow such posters, that are obviously insulting to
the north be conspicuously displayed all over Yola
even to the road that leads to our revered Lamido's
palace? His political opponents, and their number is
increasing by the day, are feasting on this.
Now to their PDP. The party is now virtually an errand
boy of the Executive. Whenever there are disputes
between the Executive and Legislature it throws its
full weight behind the Executive. When Anyim the
Senate President was fighting the Executive and vise -
versa. When Ghali was fighting the Executive PDP threw
its weight behind the Executive. Is that how to
instill discipline in a political party?
The Federal House of Representatives gave detailed
reasons why Obasanjo either resigns or get impeached.
First he does not respect budgets he himself signed:
1999, 2000, 2001 and even 2002. Secondly he
unilaterally incur extra budgetary expenses without
recourse to the National Assembly: National Stadium
contract, National Identity Card etc. Thirdly he
devalued our currency. Fourthly, inflation increased
from 9 percent to 19 percent. Fifthly, he denies the
Judiciary of its funds. Sixthly he unilaterally alters
revenue allocation formula. And finally the Central
Bank is used for fraudulent purposes.
I have read Obasanjo's 17-page response. I am afraid
he did not answer the charges. Over half of these
pages were devoted to abuse and castigation. The
issues raised were specific but the responses were
generalized. Instances of attempt at specific
responses were diverted into abuse and sloganeering.
But the feeling most Nigerians and I have is that
nothing will come out of all these circuit shows. The
President may be humbled for a couple of days, but
would soon relapse. He may soon jet out of the country
if he hasn't done so already.
Nobody expects him to change and nobody expect the
House to impeach him. We also do not take the bogey of
a military coup serious. I believe it is all part of
the political blackmails and shows otherwise they
should name the culprits.
I think all these are part of the tragedies of the
times. More and more of us are blaming not Obasanjo
but those who conspired to inflict him on us. We are
also angry that either they do not learn their
lessons, are too selfish and greedy or out rightly
mischievous to want to re - impose him on us again. I
have confidence that the people, who depend solely on
God now, will daze them.
Now on the north and Obasanjo impeachment. From what I
gathered, the north did not sponsor these moves. It is
also not interested whether he is impeached or stays.
It has not formed part of our agenda now. The position
of the north, except its Governors, Ministers,
Presidential aides and Abuja contractors is that this
"government of eaters" "should not exceed its first
mandate. Let them "eat" now but they should be ready
to leave after the first show.
JIKA wrote this from Abuja