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Mar. 4, 2007 While In Nigeria I had told my brother that I would like to go back to base by road to compare and contrast Nigeria and Ghana in terms of developmental realities on the ground. He expressed some concern over the long harrowing distance between Nigeria and Cote D'Ivoire and the security of both myself and the roads but my curiousity of discovering Cotonou, Lome, Accra and other sandwished inner cities took better part of me. So I made up my mind to embark on the journey basking in the euphoria of traversing three foreign countries before arriving Abidjan. As I set out on the journey that fateful Friday morning my brother dropped me off at Seme border control post between Nigeria and Benin Republic and wished me a safe journey from his heart asking me to give him a call the very moment I step my foot on Ivorian soil to which I expressly obliged. Before the Seme border post the line of checkpoints were uncountable. Many control posts with some duplicating the functions of others could be observed with irritation. From the police to immigration to health to NDLEA drug agency to customs to SSS and others the security and control arrangement is simply cumbersome and boring to say the least. As I found my way to the other side of Seme border in Benin Republic I heaved a sigh of relief that one was safely out of the mad falling house that is Nigeria. As I arrived Cotonou I thought about Mathew Kerekou and Nicephore Soglo both former Presidents of this small West African nation with a giant neighbour. President Yayi Boni I was told as I settled in a maquis to have a cold bottle of beer is a good man whom God raised to his present position. President Boni was a former muslim and when he converted to Christianity he had a running battle with both his parents and the system. This is the same Benin that voodooism has it's headquarters in the world; the same Benin that saw a titanic battle of power between former marxist president Kerekou and Nicephore Soglo in late 90's. Kerekou was dreaded by all Beninoise for his voodoo prowess and when Soglo, fresh from France, demystified him and defeated him in a presidential election hell was let loose. Kerekou used the diabolical power of voodooism to cripple Soglo hitting the man with a strange sickness that defied every conventional explanation. In the end Soglo was flown abroad and he came back later to claim his mandate. Today while Kerekou later defeated Soglo in another round of presidential election both men have since reached their constitutional age limit; while Soglo is now the mayor of Cotonou with his children contesting the last presidential election Kerekou has retired from active politics. As I arrived Lome, the Togolese capital city I was asking those I met in a restaurant what late Gnassingbe Eyadema did while in power in terms of development of this tiny country other than establishing a flourishing free-duty foreign goods bazzar economy. And hosting five star hotels overlooking the atlantic ocean on the way to Aflao frontier. Lome is known the world over for cheap cars and other merchandise. And merchants from every country in sub-saharan Africa goes there to buy one thing or the other. I was disappointed with what I saw on the ground: untarred streets, primitive lifestyle and some Togolese (especially women) who do not speak French language but only their local dialects. While Eyadema had succeeded in cornering the resources of his people in a desperate long-running search for power longevity placing his children and kindred in strategic positions in both the army and police Togo is a victim of a barbaric regime whose evil machinations were legendary. Today Faure Gnassingbe rules over Togo after the death of his father and one wonders when this dynasty of succession will come to an end especially when credible renowned politicians of repute like Gilchrist Olympio and Edem Kodjo are waiting in the wings to take power. Olympio's father was eliminated in a bloody coup d'etat by the late Eyadema and ever since many attemps had been made on the life of Gilchrist forcing him to flee and live in exile. As I arrived Accra the Ghanaian capital city almost 'shocked' me with it's rapid transformation. The good road networks in and around the city is worthy of mention here. Accra has become a modern city with good urban planning. As I settled down in the city I was thinking about late 'Osagiefor' Kwame Nkrumah and 'Junior Jesus' Jerry Rawlings. Koffi Annan, the immediate past UN Secretary General has come back home after gruelling years at the UN top job where only first-class diplomacy and wisdom are pre-requisites for glowing success. I see him succeeding John Kuffour in Osu Castle come next year if he so desires. While late Nkrumah was a pan-Africanist whose vision of one Africa was truncated Rawlings took the politics of Ghana by storm dominating it for more than two decades as both tyrant and democrat. I remember seven years ago when Kuffour defeated Rawlings in a presidential contest the Scottish-father-born enfant terrible reportedly opened up the Ghanaian constitution and pierced his finger allowing blood to pour on the constitution and muttering inaudible things as the blood flowed and drenched the national law document. Rawlings was a highly occultic figure and that's why Kuffour refused to sleep in Osu Castle after his swearing-in prefering his modest villa. What Rawlings did as he mounted the saddle is what Nigeria needs at this point in time. Rawlings who was imprisoned by late General Achampeong (having had his finger nails removed forcefully) accused of plotting a coup assembled all the top generals in the Ghanaian Army who had at one time or the other tasted power and summarily executed them through firing squad. Today coup d'etat is no longer existent in Ghana giving room for the flowering and blossoming of democracy. The fundamental difference between Nigeria and Ghana could be found in discipline, patriotism and organization. While the average Ghanaian is disciplined, patriotic and law-abiding his Nigerian counterpart is arrogant, indisciplined, corrupt, greedy, selfish and unpatriotic. The leadership in Ghana at it's apex confronts challenges of governance with every maturity and professionalism quite unlike those in Aso Rock in Abuja. Kuffour, the gentle giant, is a quiet easy-going unassuming President who does little talking leaving his efforts in power to speak for him. Corruption is given a zero tolerance as I learnt that a minister of sports who misappropriated just some thousand dollars was paraded before the National Assembly and relieved of his position. In Nigeria we have seen even some local government chairmen embezzling billions of naira at their disposal to take care of rural needs of the people. Not to talk of those big men above the law in Abuja who could buy cars for their mistresses with millions of tax payers money. While Ghanaians love their country having accepted without coercion to live under one national flag Nigerians are not happy with the fraudulent federal system that seeks to favour or disfavour certain component units that make up the federation. That is why you see Niger Delta boiling now and then and MASSOB still laying claim to their Biafran nation. If the resources at the disposal of Nigeria since independence in 1960 were to be given to Ghana or were Ghanaian leaders to have been Nigerians then one imagines what would have become of the bastardized greatness back home. I hazard a guess that by now Nigeria would have become an el-dorado. The zenith in general growth ratio would have been attained ever since. The only thing that really diminishes Ghanaian pride is the national currency: the Cedis. I refused to change my money to cedis prefering to spend my dollars and CFA. Fortunately the people even prefer these foreign currencies to their worthless cedis. While the average Ghanaian loves working hard the Nigerian does the wrong thing at the right time and vice versa. While Ghana has used the little resources gold and diamond could muster to distribute development evenly to every sector of the social economy Nigeria still wallows in confusion over how best to squander the billions of dollars of crude oil windfalls. As I boarded the STC executive air-conditioned bus that brought me back to Abidjan I could not help but think in a moment why I was not born in Ghana a Ghanaian. In as much as I am proud to be a Nigerian I believe the collapsing federal edifice can only be re-built after April by those who believe in justice, fairness, rule of law, and the Nigerian dream. Obasanjo and the PDP ruling party cannot produce men and women who can deliver these goals having been compromised by high-wire corruption and political pettiness. The Yar'Adua-Goodluck presidential ticket therefore is more of a burden to the nation in the event of the duo clinching the April polls without rigging. And that's highly unlikely if the mood of the nation is anything to go by. This's wishing Ghanaians more prosperous happy future as they celebrate their country's 50th independence anniversary early next week. Ghana is of course a case study on how to use what one has as a poor nation to better the lot of millions; African rare political excellence could be found and appreciated in Ghana and that alone calls for some round of applause! ------------ About the author: Sunny Chris Okenwa is a new U-K contributor based in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire. Email: soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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