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May 27, 2007 As May 29 announces refreshingly its imminent arrival in the human calendar Nigeria and Nigerians are bound to heave a big sigh of relief as the 'King Kong', the Nigerian black 'God' goes forth to Ota or Abeokuta to begin life outside Aso Rock, a forced retirement because if the third term agenda had succeeded Nigeria would have continued in this destructive path till eternity or whenever the real God in His Kingdom decides that its time to call home President Olusegun Obasanjo like civilian dictators and statesmen before him in Africa: Ivorian Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Togolese Gnassingbe Eyadema, potentially Zimbabwean Robert Mugabe and others in other climes. Before the 'God' goes therefore with its new heralding fresh air in our body polity it's necessary to quickly remind us all of how Obasanjo fared while presiding over our affairs in long uninterrupted eight 'democratic' years; his stewardship is worth chronicling here even if it awaits a harsh judgement by both history and posterity. Until May 29 comes and the 'father of modern Nigeria' goes we may not fully be wholly able to grasp the damage done and the destruction wrought to the system whose resilience is legendary. But that the bull is being taking away out of the China shop is enough reason for merriment. Rtd Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo started off well in 1999 giving us all hope of a better Nigeria under his supervision; his speeches were patriotic and statesmanly. Before long his long denied travelling hobby (no thanks to the Locust incarceration) became an issue; he set out junketing from one capital city to another in the West. It reached a time Nigerians began questioning this globetrotting that became more of merriment/holiday/weekend trips outside his shore of jurisdiction. But OBJ defended the presidential voyages saying Nigeria as a pariah state needed them to draw investors and restore our respectability in the comity of nations. To be fair to Obasanjo he will be remembered as a strong leader with a thick skin. He's indeed courageous and 'dey Kampe' in spite of mountain of criticisms and other personal atttacks hauled at him bothering in the main on his maladministration and anti-democratic tendencies. Perhaps his mechanic ambitions must have re-inforced his ability to withstand every assault. Ruling Nigeria, almost 200-million strong with heavy intellectual communities back home and in the Diaspora cannot by any stretch of imagination be considered as a job for the weak or chicken-heated. Though he's a chicken farmer but he's lion-hearted. It takes a strong leader to administer a strong country like ours where human and material capitals are more than enough to assure her greatness. The good things he did while in power are many, that is the positive strides. One of those is the decentralisation of the military institution. The Nigerian Army that produced evil men in power like Ibrahim Babangida and late Sani Abacha was then seen generally as an enemy of democracy and an occupation force. Their bases were decentralised with Lagos hosting the Navy and elsewhere other than the north hosting the Air force command headquarters. And retiring and purging the army of top-brass political generals, those whose appetite for coup plotting cannot be quenched. He appointed progressive young professionals, men and women, into his cabinet; people like former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Oby Ezekwesili, Rufai el-Nasir, Charles Soludo. And appointed radicals like the EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu whose battles with corruption and other economic criminals has paid off greatly enhancing our international image and standing. Though Mallam Ribadu has variously been accused of being selective in his 'war' chasing after those not in Obasanjo's good books and leaving out the 'sacred cows' in the corridors of power he has performed above average in a climate fouled up by odious corruption. Ditto Dora Akinyuli of NAFDAC. A strong woman with strong character she has used her office to deal a mortal blow to people importing and distributing fake and counterfeit drugs that hithertho killed Nigerians instead of healing their diseases. That's about the positive news of Obasanjo years. The OBJ general attitude to power remains in conflict with civilised democracy and democratic ethos. Profligacy was the order of the day and the presidency became embroiled in many scandals which PDTF was just one. Obasanjo used the Babangida-style settlement syndrome to whip some opposition elements into line while those incorruptible ones were given to Ribadu's EFCC to rubbish their hard-earned reputations. It is as a result of this kind of wrong attitude to public expenditure and spending that a foreign tabloid in one of its commentaries remarked that: “Nigeria’s old problems remain, and have even worsened under Mr. Obasanjo. For a start, much of the macro-economic success is due to the high price of oil; it has made little visible difference to Nigerians' daily lives. Over 70 per cent still live on the equivalent of less than $1 a day; decaying hospitals, schools and roads tell their own stories. Bashir Borodo, the president of Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria, reckons that in the poorer North of the country, over 60 per cent of university graduates are unemployed. And with so many people doing causal jobs, under-employment is massive too. Besides all these, the deeply corrupt political system has remained intact and, if anything, entrenched itself under Mr. Obasanjo. In Nigeria, politics is money, and money is politics. With economic activity almost totally dependent on the oil revenues that flow in through the central government coffers (over $50 billion in 2006), the surest way to enrich one's self is through political office or through contracts from your best mates in those offices. Incumbency has become almost the norm here; to lose office is to lose almost the only means of survival, as well as immunity from prosecution. The extra cash flowing through the system from a higher oil price has merely raised the political stakes, making politicians more brazen than ever in their attempts to cling to office. Or, as Mr Obasanjo said himself, the elections were “do or die” time for his ruling PDP”. Yet in those days preceding his ‘second coming’, he had surprisingly penned the following immortal lines as he addressed the subject of dictatorship in his book "This Animal Called Man": "Let us attempt a profile typical of dictators. Dictators who rule by the force of power, oppression and intimidation seldom relinquish power and control voluntarily to others. Out of fear, when they are apparently not pursued, they prefer to be the late rather than to be the former. And of course, every person’s sin will seek him out. Throughout history, oppressive and ruthless dictators behave similarly and their end is invariable predictable. They carry out oppressive and heinous atrocities and inflict great injustices. They fear for their lives and they are haunted by the fear that nemesis may catch up with them. Therefore, they become stubborn, intransigent, unyielding and more oppressive. They harden their hearts, listening only to sycophants and insincere praise-singers. The less gifted they are, the harder they try to make up for their deficiency in intellect and intelligence. They withdraw more and more into their cocoons, wrecking untold hardship on their people and their country. In the end, they flee their country or die disgracefully or are thoroughly discredited after death with the sycophants who may as soon disclaim them. Sadly, one of the greatest tragedies of man is that he never learns from history. Dictators show nothing but contempt for human race and for God and His laws. They behave like animals of the most violent nature in the wild." The metamorphosis encountered between then when OBJ wrote 'This Animal Called Man' and now could well be beyond one's comprehension because the lines quoted above and the reality on the ground could not be reconciled. Sheer hypocrisy is at play somewhere! President Obasanjo massacred Nigerians in Odi and Zaki-Biam and continues to kill others through his surrogates and security agents in Anambra State and Niger Delta regions. During his eight years in power assassinations of prominent figures assumed a worrisome national concern: Bola Ige, Godwin Agbroko, Funsho Williams and many others. At the twilight of his departure from Aso Rock Baba has revealed that a 'drug baron' must have organized Ige's murder. But for what reason? Prof Wole Soyinka provided perhaps the deepest insight yet on why NEPA or is it PHCN has failed to generate electricity. According to Kongi Obasanjo sabotaged the late Cicero's efforts to cleanse NEPA and bring back hope of steady power supply. He refused to do the right thing. During the last turbulent eight years OBJ and his handlers are quick to point out 'reforms' undertaken by the president, reforms as it were which must include invasion of Lagos by dare-devil armed robbers that operated in broad daylight, struggles with ASUU and NLC over academic decline and incessant increment in petrol pump prices. Obasanjo was happy paying off our foreign debts when homefront is reeking in poverty. His mischiefs in Niger Delta, Yar'Adua anointing, Lagos council funds withholding, confiscation of Petroleum Ministry on assumption of office, disobedience of court judgements, Senate meddlesomeness by sponsoring changes in its leadership, Atiku conundrum, emergency rules declarations in Plateau/Ekiti states, SSS excesses will remain long after his departure from power. The Adedibu myth and Anambra embarrasment are some of OBJ's legacies. The worst is the institution of a culture of impunity in the land! Godfathers and godsons engaging themeslves in obscene power tussles and breaking the law at will without any consequencies. When the head is rotten the other parts cannot be any better! I watched on Channels 10 pm news last Friday night a frail-looking Adedibu (who caughed intermittently) declare to the astonishment of millions of viewers that he did send his thugs to go attack the BCOS in Ibadan breaking heads and destroying transmitter equipments. He claimed that the state broadcasting station 'belonged to them who have the people's mandate'. All hail Lamidi Adedibu, the Amala and Gbegiri 'thugfather' of Oyo politics; the only consolation for politically subdued Oyo elite is that Adedibu may not live to see another decade, he may not even witness the next general elections if his physical physiology I saw from that TV image is anything to go by. Obasanjo will forever be remembered as a leader who had the rare privilege to change the course of history in his country but squandered the great opportunity because of vindictiveness, pettiness and misguided sense of infallibility. Long live my beloved country Nigeria post-May 29; may your sons and daughters live to see you come of age and may it never be said in the streets of Benin City, Lagos, Kano, Ihiala, Ibadan, Jos or Port Harcourt that we are burying you so soon. Rather our wish is that you should be the one 'burying' us shedding tears and protesting naked; cursing those taking away violently and unjustly your offsprings like a hen does whenever the kite comes visiting. As Obasanjo's army of looters and liars retreat in the next rwenty four intervening hours I see a clearer political horizon, a political horizon pregnant with uncertainties and the unknown. May God save Nigeria and Nigerians in these perillous times. Together we shall overcome! ------------ About the author: Sunny Chris Okenwa is a 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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