The re-emergence of General Olusegun Obasanjo as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a good testimony to the Qur’anic injunction that Allah gives power to whom He pleases. No one in his wildest dream thought that Obasanjo, then a prisoner, having been found guilty of coup plotting, would march from prison straight to Aso Rock, the seat of the political power of the nation. But Allah in His wisdom planned it so, through the instrumentality of Nigerian voters who gave him (Mr. Obasanjo) their goodwill, except for his own brothers and sisters in the South-West, who roundly disgraced him at the polls.
In the electoral history of Nigeria, none before him ever received such massive votes in any presidential election. Even the votes of his defeated rival, Chief Olu Falae, were no less massive, but nothing near what he got. This was a demonstration of his popular acceptability by the people. With some records to his credit, Nigerians, except again his own kiths and kin, have some trust in him, such that even with his military background, he defeated a core and a thorough-breed politician in the person of Chief Alex Ekwueme. Such was the popular goodwill.
On the occasion of his inauguration on 29/5/99, he made some valid promises of a new deal for Nigerians, promising better life with the determination to fight corruption. To his credit, he has been preaching and stressing the need for one Nigeria. Sure, he has been vocal on this. And even as he was who first took a one billion dollar loan during his years as head-of-state, and accepted some standby facilities recently, of again one billion dollar (another loan in disguise), he has been up in arms fighting for the cancellation of the country’s debts, which he has been describing as immoral. According to him, the total loan taken by Nigeria was thirteen billion dollars, out of which seventeen billion was paid and the loan now is worth thirty two billion outstanding! A very immoral thing indeed.
Believing that Nigeria’s image needs panel-beating, he has been all over the globe, more than any other Nigerian leader before him, of course to no mean cost to the nation. If as some say that he has been abroad thirty times at an estimated average cost of N40 million, this translates into about N12 billion spent on foreign travels alone in just about two years. For a poor country with decaying structures, this is quite a huge sum. So as true as he has been globe-trotting patching up Nigeria’s image, he has at the same time been spending quite a lot in the process.
There is also the issue of his so-called “loot recovery” efforts but badly crippled by the selective attitude towards it. A good intention has been badly marred by some parochial vendetta and vengeance so much so that every reasonable person has now come to see it as such.
To his latter day supporters, his turning back on Northerners, “who thought that they will pocket him” is a remarkable achievement enough to return him to Aso Rock for a second term. At least this is the position of the Obasanjo Solidarity Front in one of the South Western states. What such people do not know is that they are calling Obasanjo a betrayer and a leader who cannot be trusted. Election is about expression of interest. Voters queue for those they believe would advance their general cause while in office. The North rightly felt that Obasanjo could be trusted to protect the general interest of all Nigerians with equity. What his supporters are now saying is that he betrayed Northerners and that it was good he did so, and yet they want those betrayed to still vote for him! In promoting Mr. President for a second term, they have already embarked on his destruction through unrefined political actions.
The outline of his achievements is that he has been preaching the importance of Nigerian unity, panel-beating the country’s image, attempts at fighting corruption and recovery of public funds and in the opinion of his core campaign managers, a success in betraying the North by their own admission.
All are, however, doubtful achievements. If his campaign managers have been openly admitting, as a campaign slogan, that he has achieved enough by betraying a portion of his constituency, what remains of preachment of national unity is but a mirage. In the fund recovery effort, selectivity, vendetta and vengeance have been the core hallmarks. No one can doubt this. On the image issue, nothing much would be accessed unless he deals with cocaine chieftains. For as corruption, where financial transactions are being done without due regard to rules and procedures, no worse foundation could be built for corrupt practices. We do not need to repeat the several anticipatory approvals of this administration as they are well-known. As a reminder, however, we have N38 billion Abuja Stadium, N12 billion to Berger, N2.9 billion for ministers’ quarters, N600 million hotel bills, etc. Going by reports, the World Bank and the IMF were said to have insisted that the Stadium could be built at a cost of N6 billion. And according to the chairman House Committee on Finance, Representative Daggash, the cost has jumped from N38 billion to N100 billion in just a year! To date, Nigerians are not aware of the actual amount collected as recovered funds. And when the Senate Committee on Public Accounts told them the bit of it, a lot of money has been spent without appropriation. Then there was another report by the National Economic Intelligence Committee that the Nigerian Customs Service lost about N8 billion last year or so through waivers forged by some Presidency officials in collaboration with officials of the Ministry of Finance. That a letter was sent out from the office of the Vice-President that contracts for the construction of UBE classrooms, worth about N7 billion, would only be awarded to PDP members, sidelining, therefore, the open tender policy. We all know the attempts to bribe the House in order to remove its speaker. Media reports are awash with the allegation that N30 billion of the recovered money cannot be accounted for. We cannot speak realistically about fighting corruption in the face of their serious allegations and happenings, more so that government never came out to state its own version. So corruption is rampant as much as what we have been crying about or crucifying the Abachas for. In any case, how can we talk of fighting corruption when retired and serving public officers have various properties worth several million times over their earnings. Where did they get the money to buy the latest cars around, build costly houses and own large farmlands? The so-called war against corruption lacks the true ingredients of honesty of purpose. Rarely speaking, even those busy investigating the Abachas cannot come out clean if a proper search is conducted. It has been more rhetoric than trustfulness of purpose. So these “achievements” are defective in most respects.
No one has assessed the two years administration of Obasanjo than Chief Olu Falae, who recently has been telling the media that except in the area of freedom, it is worse than the worst administration the country has ever had. Even the Afeniferes have come finally to admit that failure has been the lot of the administration since inception. According to Ayo Adebanjo, Nigerians should never think of re-electing Obasanjo because he has nothing to show for his two years in office. Falae has been repeating these themes. It is now for everyone to know that it is not the North that has been complaining of this failure but the entire federation. As one writer put it recently, if Obasanjo would be honest in assessing his administration, he cannot but realistically score it very low. And according to one of the Tribune writer, only the members of the administration could point at one single achievement. We must pity Professor Gana who once said that Obasanjo is going to deal with Nigeria with great achievements. So far, failure is dealing with him.
This is a statement of fact, NEPA today is worse than what it was two years ago, specialising in producing more black-out and less light. As for the NNPC, it has never been worse. Of the economy, it is terrible. And poverty is being matched by high-flying inflation. Five months ago, a 100kg of maize was selling for N1,200. Today it is N3,100. So have all prices gone up including gari and other food items. If the truth must be told, Nigerians have never had it so bad. What about the naira. When the administration came in, it was N92 to the dollar as against N81 during Abacha. Today it is N140!
Even the freedom Falae is talking about is not an all-round affair. The Police are doing their own disrespecting court orders. Where such take place, with brazen reoccurrence, such freedom is qualified.
Enjoying very good earnings, the administration has been rewarding us with very hopeless economy. It has been recording a robust and steady inflow of earnings as it has been spreading poverty all over the landscape. What a contradiction!
With dwindling economy, rising unemployment, growing poverty and decaying infrastructure, the system cannot but breed social havoc in the nature of increased armed robbery, communal violence, high rate prostitution and other social deviations. As if these were not bad enough, there has been the intention to increase the price of fuel, a clearly anti-people policy.
In the past two years we remember more of strikes by university teachers than conduct class work and no one seems to be bothered to arrest the situation. Pray not to get sick in Nigeria, for the facilities to cure are not there. And for dedicated and patriotic scientists like Dr. Abalaka, official frustration has been their lot. In some instances, they have been visited with threats for the offence of founding a cure to save humanity from the scourge of AIDS.
As Senator Owie recently remarked, since PTF, Nigerians have never seen smooth federal roads again.
Ethnic hatred has been so institutionalized that it has become a state policy. The summary of it is that two years of the Obasanjo administration has dwindled the economy, created more decayed structure, increased fuel shortage, worsened the state of NEPA, NITEL, health and other social services with insecurity – food shortage and rounds of vendetta dominating the scene. It has been two years of betrayal, lost hope, dotted with failure as the highest score card backed up by insensitivity to the general welfare of the people. It has been two years of talking of wars against corruption with corruption increasing in volume through some back-door actions covered up by certain unwholesome practices.
This of course has not been the case at the state level. We cannot but appreciate the modest achievements of some states such as Kaduna and several others. In their own case, we have visible evidence of democracy. It is on record that while Mr. President and his deputy have been to places commissioning projects executed by states and local governments, they have never commissioned such projects belonging to the federal government. But for the modest achievements of the two lower tiers, therefore, we could have concluded that democracy has been a curse in the last two years.
Even sports has not been saved from this curse at the federal level. It has been nose diving especially with the handshakes policy. The point must be consistently made that in the same way we pay hired professionals such as lawyers, architects, etc. for their services, so must we also pay professional footballers for their own services. The handshake policy should not blind us to this reality.
While gloom has been the lot of us in the last two years, we should look up to the future with greater hope and perseverance. For sustainable national development, there must be huge investments in other sectors of the economy. Dr. Agabi, the Minister for Solid Minerals, has lately been drawing attention that with proper development, solid minerals could earn us by far more than what we are getting from oil. The same applies to agriculture. These two vital sectors must be the pivot of our development strategy in the years ahead. What is more, it is in the greater interest of the polity and our future that we cease our long-standing dependence on only one commodity. Government should ignore those advising it not to subsidize agriculture. There is no country in the world that does not subsidize agriculture and Nigeria cannot be an exception. Nigeria can produce in abundance all the agricultural products we have been importing such as rice, beans, wheat etc. A properly developed agricultural sector would open up more agro-based industries, leading to employment opportunity and the benefits that go with it.
The best way to minimize poverty and unemployment is to encourage the various sectors to produce at maximum level. It is a better option than earmarking certain sums for cosmetic poverty eradication programme, funds which readily end up in private pockets.
For an enduring democracy, the Obasanjo administration has no option to laying a solid foundation for sustainable economic growth, improved social infrastructure and healthy social policies, all geared towards meeting the general yearnings of the vast majority of the people. Since it cannot achieve all in the remaining two years, having squandered the past, at least it can focus on selected priority areas for the remaining period.
Let history have something to show for the four years of this administration at the end of 2003. Chief Anenih, the Works Minister who has been campaigning for Obasanjo has a lot to do here. It is not enough to keep on telling us that “the Obasanjo team must be returned” when failure has been the greatest achievement. Unless concrete difference is made, such campaign managers may end up with heartbreak in 2003. I cannot foresee Nigerians voting for failure in 2003, no matter the sentiments.
You can read more about my views at from my webpage http://www.gamji.com/wada.htm