Why North Must Regain Power in 2003
By
Paul Mamza
When fate caught-up with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo prior to the May, 29, 1999 as a likely consensus candidate for the Presidency by the predominant force of the military top brass and seasoned politicians there was an initial stiff resistance of a reluctant leader. “How many presidents do you want to make of me?” Queried Obasanjo “I have been Head of State before and that is okay for me”. When he later succumbed to the pressures mounted on him, the election results favoured him against his rival presidential hopefuls. This can be explained due to the trust many Nigerians-North and East had in him as a detribalised and Nationalistic leader. But three years after the inauguration of the President, it seems the chickens are coming home to roost and the President’s earlier reluctance has metamorphosed into sit-tight disposition, the grandeur failures in leadership and insurmountable misery of biblical dimension is enough a reason to quantify the state of national damnation and ruins enabling a negative public rating of the functionalities in a democratic setting.
SECURITY.
There’s never a time that the security of the nations has degenerated to its lowest ebb as it is today. Nigeria is now a besieged nation where human lives can be randomly dispatched at will. The three years of democracy had witnessed volumes of ethnic and religious crises unparalleled in the history of the nation. The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) perpetual massacre of innocent individuals revealed an epochal bloodshed of self-monumentalisation to preserve a tribal sustenance. These monumental chaos and anarchy occurred virtually in all cities including the earlier ‘most peaceful’. The Kaduna Mayhem, Nassarawa crisis, Zamfara crisis, Jos crisis to mention a few had claimed hundreds of lives and property. Even those in government were not spared from this hydra-headed monster as depicted in the killing of the Chief law officer of the country under some undefined circumstances.
ECONOMY
The economy of the nation is in its comatose state with all the indices depreciating. The value of the Naira was 82 to a dollar when Obasanjo’s government took over but today it is about 3140 to a dollar.
This is very sad development considering the importance of a buoyant economy in installing a virile and viable political/social system. The total neglect of the Agricultural sector of the economy has compounded the poor state of the economy. In this year’s budget only a meagre
33.87 billion was voted for Agriculture.
UNITY
The greatest threat to peace and unity is injustice. The selectivity in handling similar cases like the high-handedness on the so-called ‘Abacha men’ i.e. Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, former chief of army staff, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha former chief security officer to the late Head of State, Alhaji Mohammed Abacha (General Sani Abacha’s son) and others for almost three years without trial as against the cases of Mr. Ganiyu Adams and Dr. Frederick Fasheun tends to prove that the former were held and persecuted due to their ethnic origin. Also, the Zaki-biam episode that resulted in the massive destruction of lives and property in the Tiv-land and the wiping-off the face of the earth of the Odi Community in the Niger-Delta region as against the soft-glove handling of the OPC militiamen has tendered a belief that brutalisation during Obasanjo’s second coming has an ethnic face.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability (both political and economic) are essential ingredient in the sustenance of the true democratic ideals. The strained relationship between the executive and the legislative arm emanated due to an attempt by the executive to scuttle the principle of ‘checks and balances’. The forcible removal of the former Senate President, Chief Chuba Okadigbo is a clear demonstration of dictatorial traits under democracy. Politically, the President has favoured his Kinsmen than all the other Nigerians put together. Most of the major projects embarked by the Federal Government are concentrated in the Southwest. Because the leadership refused to take accountability as its premium, corruption has reached the highest heights with Nigeria rated as one of the most corrupt countries in the whole world. This shows that Nigeria is inflicted with an apocalyptic malaise which needs urgent overhaul through political emancipation.
With these assessment, Obasanjo’s government had performed woefully and below expectations of Nigerians that have hope in the ability of the president.
POLITICAL QUANDARY
The primary objective of participatory democracy is the enthronement of liberty “Politics’ according to M. Stewart “starts with the fact of community life; it discusses the problems which that life creates; it also examines and compares the different kinds of community. The central problem is liberty. Community life, therefore, means giving up certain liberties, which are liberties in name only, in order to get more liberty in fact”. “Government” said Stewart “has not only the negative task of preventing disorder, but the positive task of creating the conditions of a good life; this is what the people expect from it in return for the powers they have given to it”. It is in this regard that the eighteen-century writer, Rousseau, speaks of a ‘social contract’ – an agreement, not formally made, but understood between rulers and ruled- the latter to obey, the former to do justice.
By Stewart’s position about government, Nigerian experience during the Fourth Republic has presented a government that lack the commitment to initiate a negative task of preventing disorder and positive task of creating the conditions of a good life. The three years of democracy has ultimately proved the incapabilities of its leadership. The court jesters that gathered at the Otta farm to persuade the President to succeed himself under a non-performance platform were not only self-centred and deceitful but are enemies of the progress and posterity of the nation. What is more intriguing is the ‘34 wise men’ led by Chief Soloman Lar that persuades the Late General Sani Abacha not to heed the call by court jesters to perpetuate himself in power have themselves transformed into court jesters (probably with the exception of Alhaji Abubakar Rimi) to propagate what they have earlier denounced. It becomes apparent from the Otta under happenings that even their initial ‘wisdom’ was motivated by selfishness and deceit. Actually, it is a legitimate aspiration for any Presidential candidate (including the incumbent President) to indicate interest in contest but past experiences revealed that misguided agitations similar to the Otta declaration is normally tailored to subvert due democratic process and pollute the polity. The message by Chief Solomon Lar, the self-appointed leader of the North-Central is nothing short of a deceitful declaration. “We have” said Lar “given you our 100 per cent support, we will support you a hundred times because we did that before”. The North-central by current Geopolitical groupings is made up of Kaduna, Niger, Nassarawa, Plateau, Benue, Kogi and Kwara. I doubt very much if Chief Lar consulted ‘his constituency’ before making this declaration on their behalf. The reaction by prominent politicians from the region revealed otherwise. Senator Joseph Kennedy Waku, Chairman Senate Committee on insurance a prominent politician from. Benue state described the Otta visit as “an April fool gimmick and the biggest act of sycophancy”. He described the Governors and Ministers that assembled at Otta as electoral liabilities whom he said lost touch with their local communities at their various constituencies “Why should they go to Otta” queried Waku “the same Abachanism has re-surfaced. Why did you accuse YEAA (Youths Earnestly Asked for Abacha): They are the same. This is even more criminal and more sycophantic”. In the same view the Executive Governor of Niger state Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure has earlier denounced the visit as an act of sycophancy and demanded for a drop of his name amongst the list of the court jesters. I am sure that other prominent politicians like Alhaji Olusola Saraki (Kwara), Chief Sunday Awomiyi (Kogi) Rtd Lt-General Jerry Useni (Plateau), Senator Haruna Abubakar (Nassarawa) and Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa (Kaduna) will not be desirable to join this show of same. The true picture of the general feelings of Northerners under this present dispensation is contained in the Governor Attahiru Bafarawa’s declaration on the occasion of the Second Anniversary Celebration of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) held in Kaduna on 28th March, 2002 – “Majority of the Northerners”, said Bafarawa “irrespective of religious or party differences, unanimously supported the candidature of Chief Obasanjo, in the firm belief that the interest of the North would be adequately taken care of should the PDP be elected. When the elections were over and Chief Obasanjo declared Winner, the hearts of millions of Nigerians were trembling with deafening joy and happiness because most of us saw him as the messiah who could take Nigeria to the promised-land. This was in consideration of his wealth of experienced as a former Head of State, and judging from his past record as a detribalized leader who firmly stood for one Nigeria, without regard to ethnicity, creed or geo-political considerations. Today, it is 34 months that the President has been in office. Unfortunately, however, instead of helping the North to prosper, the foundation for sustainable development laid by our past leaders are regrettably being systematically destroyed with brazen recklessness. It is really a matter of great concern that since May, 1999 our people are made to suffer unjustifiably. Officers of Northern extraction in the Federal service are thrown out of job at the slightest opportunity. In terms of development, there is virtually nothing to show federal presence in the North, as most of the development-oriented projects profits are executed largely in the West”. Governor Bafarawa offered that “As the 2003 elections are drawing closer, we must put our heads together and set aside our political, social, religious, and economic and other differences, speak and act together and mutually present a consensus candidate that has the genuine interest of the North at heart, irrespective of faith or party affiliations. We should be under no illusion; nor should we allow the mistake of the past to repeat itself. We must never mortgage the North again for the pleasure of a few individuals who do not have our interest at heart. We must strive to live by the examples of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Region”. The major thrust of the Bafarawa’s paper concluded by saying “Let us be prepared to sacrifice our today for our children’s tomorrow. We should endeavour to translate our vision into concrete deeds and conduct. The unity and progress of the North must never be compromised. We must steadfastly hold on to our motto-One North, One people, One Agenda. History is the final judge of our deeds”.
Actually what Governor Bafarawa narrated especially the ordeals of the North- which has been caged during the present dispensation has been alarmed several times by some of us, what is new is that it is becoming a popular agitation even amongst our leaders in the North. Unless a Northerner who would not like to agree that he is a human being with liberty, the gross injustices vested on the North during the Obasanjo’s era is enough to disqualify him in the North.
We pray that God will touch the heart of the President to follow the path of honour by allowing a free and fair election to take place come 2003, so that the activities of court jesters in politics will be subdued once and for all. What this portrays is that sycophants may hijack the thinking and aspirations of the generality of Nigerians in 2003.
DIPLOMATIC QUIETUDE
Despite of claims by the President that Nigeria has transformed from Pariah state into a prominent member of the country of nations. The security situation in the nations has not allowed foreign investments in the last three years rather it is only huge amount being expended on the multiple foreign trips by the President that turned up to be the only profit (?) of this diplomatic persuasions. This development only help in propagating of the spectre of continuing under development and social deprivation.
Obviously, the three years of democracy is three years of misfortune due to ailing state of infrastructures and fading state of sustainable political, social and economic structures.
Mamza wrote in from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.