Two weeks ago I visited my home country Nigeria, where I had not been for nearly eight months. Although I was not expecting much change I had hoped that a few improvements would have been recorded. But I found Nigeria as I left it in November last year. To say the least so much has gone wrong that I thought my country must be one of the worst on this planet. Come to think of it what's so good about a country that the leadership openly and shamelessly robs the people of their God-given right to determine who governs them, and nothing happens? With all the resources that God has endowed us, why are we suffering, and why is the leadership totally unconcerned as millions wallow in abject poverty? That's Nigeria for you, a bloody rat race.
Anyway, I only wish things get better. But with the way President Umaru Musa Yar'adua started does one need to expect any miracle? It's quite unlikely. After all even Baba Iyabo, who rode on the goodwill of the majority of Nigerians that defied late Gen Abacha's tyranny to the exalted position of Nigeria's president, ended up defiling the throne before leaving. Imagine his legacies: acute and uninterrupted power outage; individual and state-sponsored killings and assassinations and general insecurity; mass looting of public fund even when the Economic and Financial Commission is supposed to act as a check and bring culprits to book; shameless protection of sacred lambs, even when, clearly, they are indicted; the criminal sale of public property in the dubious name of privatisation; and finally the charade the was callously unleashed, to the bewilderment of all, on Nigerians as elections. That was, in fact, the height of disrespect, corruption and utter nonchalance from any leadership to its followers. But Nigerians accepted it in good faith and chose to move on.
As if that was not enough, just a couple of days before he left office, Baba Iyabo threw a tough challenge to everyone by hiking fuel pump price and shooting VAT off-limits. This is criminal. Whoever advised him? This a serious sacrilege; provoking someone and spiting him? Anyway the rest is history. President Yar’adua couldn’t even manage the mess properly and for several days the economy was practically shut down. How much loss did we incur? Only God knows. But it will surely take its toll, sooner than we expect. Remember the June 12 debacle when there were endless strikes and Gen Abacha simply turned a blind eye and went mute? That’s what later took its toll on the economy and laid the path, hugely, to our current travail; dead refineries; a prostrate economy whose survival is dependent on a single resource; absence of forward and backward linkages in the polity and much else. One of the biggest legacies of that reign of tyranny is that political sycophancy, and lip service via crowd renting became an acceptable way of life, a norm, and not an exception to the rule. Today even major opposition parties have finally nipped in the bud the quest for justice as they jostle over ministerial and other positions in President Yar’adua hitherto discredited government. In this bid they have systematically forgotten or chose to pretend to forget the entire anomaly, as unprecedented as it were, seen in the April elections. Even the ANPP, which claimed to have suffered most, is in the fore front in joining the government, therefore giving it a big stamp of credence and putting a big question mark on its presidential flag bearer, Gen Muhammadu Buhari’s attempt to fight the alleged malpractices in court. If they no longer believe in seeking recourse in courts how would they support him to get justice done? If they now think all that matters is what they, as individuals, would gain by being part of the government why are they clinging to any national interest as the motive for their action?
The trouble with the Nigerian politician is that he is a big time opportunist, always out to make personal gains at the expense of the country’s interest. Was it not a one time American president, John F Kennedy that said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”? For Nigerians, especially our politicians it’s always the other way round. Americans made America the ‘God’s own country’ it is because they have selflessly and patriotically worked hard toward that. Nigerians would rather loot public funds and take flight to places like America to stash them away. Our politicians are the biggest culprits in this case.
Has Yar’adua ever challenged himself along this premise raised by JFK? If yes then as his wealth astronomically grew from 1999 to date can he boast of any solid thing he did to move his country forward, or even to improve the lives of his Katsina kinsmen that he governed for eight? What are, by the way, his legacies in Katsina State as a politician and a leader? I think it’s too early to commend him for making his asset declaration public. It makes no difference anyway. It will make any sense if it’s discovered that he never stole any money from public treasury and even if he did, it will only make him a hero if he honourably returns it. Someone said it was the first time any Nigerian leader honestly made such declaration. The big issue here is that we tend allow our memories, sometimes, to be too short to remember some very vital, heroic positions taken at some point in our history. We even forget people’s negative, very negative pasts, and try to rewrite history. Otherwise, what has become of late Gen Murtala Rahmat Muhammed’s contribution to making Nigeria an honest, just and progressive society? Recall that he did not only fight corruption but led by example by forfeiting his loot from the former Mid West State treasury. During his reign, it was for the first time in Nigeria’s history, the economy made progress without any hiccups, bureaucracy was sanitised and public offices became Nigerians friendly; files that had got stuck on greedy officers’ desks began to flow swiftly and corruption almost became a thing of the past. But his regime was short-lived, no thanks to international conspiracy especially given the face-off with the mighty US over Angola and his historic speech Africa Has Come of Age at the OAU summit. Also, what about the Generals Buhari and Idiagbon regime? Needless as it is to keep reminding us of these missed opportunities, it still helps if we joggle our memories back to all the selfless and even selfish feats that have either helped us moved on or dragged us several steps backward.
As a way of conclusion, even though I had chosen to be mute on this, I expect nothing spectacular from a Yar’adua that is a beneficiary of a widely faulted election, a man that found it too hard to reverse a very, very inhuman policy that tightens that noose on millions of Nigerians that can neither decide who governs them or what policies make or mar their very existence. He is certainly not my man, unless he proves otherwise.
Finally, our politicians have always been predictable; selfish, predatory, crafty and opportunistic. They’re joining Yar’adua’s government to participate in milking the economy dry. Simple. If am wrong let them prove it by changing a bit, for once.
And a word of advice for Gen Buhari? Go home and rest, enjoy your retirement. You don’t need all this stress. You may never become a president in a country that’s mainly an assembly of sycophants leading a pathetically ignorant and helpless majority. That’s my stand.
Anyway, I only wish things get better. But with the way President Umaru Musa Yar'adua started does one need to expect any miracle? It's quite unlikely. After all even Baba Iyabo, who rode on the goodwill of the majority of Nigerians that defied late Gen Abacha's tyranny to the exalted position of Nigeria's president, ended up defiling the throne before leaving. Imagine his legacies: acute and uninterrupted power outage; individual and state-sponsored killings and assassinations and general insecurity; mass looting of public fund even when the Economic and Financial Commission is supposed to act as a check and bring culprits to book; shameless protection of sacred lambs, even when, clearly, they are indicted; the criminal sale of public property in the dubious name of privatisation; and finally the charade the was callously unleashed, to the bewilderment of all, on Nigerians as elections. That was, in fact, the height of disrespect, corruption and utter nonchalance from any leadership to its followers. But Nigerians accepted it in good faith and chose to move on.
As if that was not enough, just a couple of days before he left office, Baba Iyabo threw a tough challenge to everyone by hiking fuel pump price and shooting VAT off-limits. This is criminal. Whoever advised him? This a serious sacrilege; provoking someone and spiting him? Anyway the rest is history. President Yar’adua couldn’t even manage the mess properly and for several days the economy was practically shut down. How much loss did we incur? Only God knows. But it will surely take its toll, sooner than we expect. Remember the June 12 debacle when there were endless strikes and Gen Abacha simply turned a blind eye and went mute? That’s what later took its toll on the economy and laid the path, hugely, to our current travail; dead refineries; a prostrate economy whose survival is dependent on a single resource; absence of forward and backward linkages in the polity and much else. One of the biggest legacies of that reign of tyranny is that political sycophancy, and lip service via crowd renting became an acceptable way of life, a norm, and not an exception to the rule. Today even major opposition parties have finally nipped in the bud the quest for justice as they jostle over ministerial and other positions in President Yar’adua hitherto discredited government. In this bid they have systematically forgotten or chose to pretend to forget the entire anomaly, as unprecedented as it were, seen in the April elections. Even the ANPP, which claimed to have suffered most, is in the fore front in joining the government, therefore giving it a big stamp of credence and putting a big question mark on its presidential flag bearer, Gen Muhammadu Buhari’s attempt to fight the alleged malpractices in court. If they no longer believe in seeking recourse in courts how would they support him to get justice done? If they now think all that matters is what they, as individuals, would gain by being part of the government why are they clinging to any national interest as the motive for their action?
The trouble with the Nigerian politician is that he is a big time opportunist, always out to make personal gains at the expense of the country’s interest. Was it not a one time American president, John F Kennedy that said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”? For Nigerians, especially our politicians it’s always the other way round. Americans made America the ‘God’s own country’ it is because they have selflessly and patriotically worked hard toward that. Nigerians would rather loot public funds and take flight to places like America to stash them away. Our politicians are the biggest culprits in this case.
Has Yar’adua ever challenged himself along this premise raised by JFK? If yes then as his wealth astronomically grew from 1999 to date can he boast of any solid thing he did to move his country forward, or even to improve the lives of his Katsina kinsmen that he governed for eight? What are, by the way, his legacies in Katsina State as a politician and a leader? I think it’s too early to commend him for making his asset declaration public. It makes no difference anyway. It will make any sense if it’s discovered that he never stole any money from public treasury and even if he did, it will only make him a hero if he honourably returns it. Someone said it was the first time any Nigerian leader honestly made such declaration. The big issue here is that we tend allow our memories, sometimes, to be too short to remember some very vital, heroic positions taken at some point in our history. We even forget people’s negative, very negative pasts, and try to rewrite history. Otherwise, what has become of late Gen Murtala Rahmat Muhammed’s contribution to making Nigeria an honest, just and progressive society? Recall that he did not only fight corruption but led by example by forfeiting his loot from the former Mid West State treasury. During his reign, it was for the first time in Nigeria’s history, the economy made progress without any hiccups, bureaucracy was sanitised and public offices became Nigerians friendly; files that had got stuck on greedy officers’ desks began to flow swiftly and corruption almost became a thing of the past. But his regime was short-lived, no thanks to international conspiracy especially given the face-off with the mighty US over Angola and his historic speech Africa Has Come of Age at the OAU summit. Also, what about the Generals Buhari and Idiagbon regime? Needless as it is to keep reminding us of these missed opportunities, it still helps if we joggle our memories back to all the selfless and even selfish feats that have either helped us moved on or dragged us several steps backward.
As a way of conclusion, even though I had chosen to be mute on this, I expect nothing spectacular from a Yar’adua that is a beneficiary of a widely faulted election, a man that found it too hard to reverse a very, very inhuman policy that tightens that noose on millions of Nigerians that can neither decide who governs them or what policies make or mar their very existence. He is certainly not my man, unless he proves otherwise.
Finally, our politicians have always been predictable; selfish, predatory, crafty and opportunistic. They’re joining Yar’adua’s government to participate in milking the economy dry. Simple. If am wrong let them prove it by changing a bit, for once.
And a word of advice for Gen Buhari? Go home and rest, enjoy your retirement. You don’t need all this stress. You may never become a president in a country that’s mainly an assembly of sycophants leading a pathetically ignorant and helpless majority. That’s my stand.
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