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damol66@yahoo.co.uk Berlin, Germany

NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY YET AN ILLUSION

he league of nations called Nigeria which came into being in 1914 with the amalgamation of the North and the South only had a taste of national consciousness during the period of colonial rule. That was the period when there was a common goal - attainment of independence. In that period, many Nigerians attained free education, some even up to university level. The Whiteman raked up our natural resources, developed and sold them. With the revenue received, they enriched their own country and also took care of their colony - Nigeria. Today, it is a bitter irony that those who enjoyed many privileges from the Whiteman are the propagators of the citizens` excruciating and endless suffering.

Nigeria has experienced one change of government to another without any positive change in the condition of its citizens. The first republic was spoiled by series of insidious struggles for ethnic superiority, which was later worsened by the diabolic quest of the Northern religious fundamentalists to colonize the South. Reacting to this repugnant derailment of the wheel of national progress, the first nationalist emerged, in the name of Kaduna Nzeogwu, with what was known in the Nigerian common parlance as the first military coup. However, the intention of Nzeogwu was to eliminate all those who had set up those inglorious wheels of ethnicism in his beloved country. Unfortunately, he was disappointed by his colleagues. With that the first quest for nation-building and national consciousness died.

In Aguiyi Ironsi, Nigeria experienced a man whose soul was willing but the body was weak. He had the utmost nationalistic desire mixed with profound fear of being attacked by the North, that he by mistake surrounded himself with his enemies. In fact one could say that Ironsi suffered from Caesar`s syndrome. And before he could realize it, it was already time to say: "Even you Brutus!"

In Gowon, Nigeria witnessed a man whose soul was willing, his body was strong, but his brain was too dull. A man who had economic growth thrust upon him, yet he did not know how to utilize the opportunity. However, one must give him credit for two things: Though he was not very intelligent, he had a bit of national consciousness. In one of his comments during the war he said: "there are more than 200 ethnic groups in Nigeria, if the major ethnic groups were allowed to secede, what about the smaller groups?...who will take care of them?" In my view this statement portrays national consciousness, though it is sometimes difficult to diffuse personal or selfish interest from nationalism. However the truth remains that he brought the country together again after three? - no!... ten years of Nigeria-Civil-War(s).

Secondly, though he was not really intelligent, he was not quantifiably, half a way corrupt and wicked as Babangida; Abacha; Abubakar or their loyalists, both military and civil. In fact, if these later rulers were in the helm of affairs as early as Gowon, Nigeria would have died long ago.

The second republic was the age of quest for personal aggrandizement, of looting, of brigandage and of thuggery. The age of moral decadence, that found expression in arson, vendetta and rancour. Furious of this scenario pervading the structures of the nation`s stability, Idiagbon struck in order to restore the dignity of the Nigerian citizens through collective discipline and willingness to work. That was the period when Nigeria first saw discipline and that was also the last. For an average Nigerian, it was a difficult period and at the same time a period of hope, a period of economic recovery, a period of decency and moral reconstruction.

In spite of its landmark, Idiagbon`s was the most strict of all the draconian laws Nigeria has ever experienced. His intolerance and lack of consultation lost glory among the democratic minds, resulting in the emergence of the true nationalists whose souls are willing, whose bodies are strong and whose brains are sharp. These true nationalists are those who have really suffered for Nigerian democracy. Many of them were imprisoned or detained several times during Idiagbon/Buhari regime as well as during the inglorious regimes of Babangida and Abacha. It is unfortunate that some of them are now in transition. Yet I thank God that many of them are still living. True Nigerians who combine nationalism with democracy and its attendant virtues like tolerance, consultation and selflessness. These are the portraits of Chief Gani Fawehimi, Prof Wole Soyinka, Olisa Agbakoba, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Chief Sam Mbakwe, Femi Falana and a few others.

Until this set of people is given the chance to develop what they fought for, Nigeria will continue to live in the illusion of true democracy. Furthermore, those military men who carry the flag of political parties-some vying for presidency- should know that the true democrats are only observing at the moment. Sooner or later we will resume fight for democracy. You military politicians think you have deceived us. But we only look and laugh, for we know you are still there. You have only changed names and dresses to enable you tour round the world. Very soon the whole world will get to know about your deceits.

The true democrats have a common goal- to promote democracy and achieve economic stability. But the people who operate on the pretext of democracy today in Nigeria are those who do not know what it means. For them it means "take as you can". How can one use the tool he does not know how to operate? Some of them have never known hunger since they were born. Some who knew hunger have long forgotten it after stealing from the government purse.

In fact some of those military politicians and their civilian loyalists they corrupt deserve to be indicted and imprisoned for various cases, ranging from treason to embezzlement and even murder. They have incensed moral decadence in the country and all of them are in illegal possession of guns. So what are they practising? Is it democracy or "GUNOCRAZY?"

They have failed the citizens. We are tired of hoping. And that is why the falcon can no longer hear the falconer. That is why there are so many crimes in the society, despite the efforts of the police, in the country where there are no substantial records about the individuals. That is why the whole society has been transformed into a house of horror. I learned that some of the armed robbers get their arms and ammunitions from the politicians who use them as their personal bodyguards. I can not believe this is the democracy we fought for and for which so many innocent citizens lost their lives. A democracy that murdered its Justice Minister and a regional chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association; a democracy that frowns at collective interests of the masses; a democracy born and energized by animal instinct can not win any praise from men of conscience.

May I use this opportunity to remind Dr. Ajayi Adewale and his like-minds that Nigeria of the 21st C. is tired of ethnicism in the national politics? In his article of Tuesday, 14 Jan. 2003, the well-read Prof. Adewale wrote that the government does not create jobs anywhere in the world, except in the communist countries, but only creates solid environments to stimulate investments. He went further to express his disappointment that the Southerners do not want to unite and support Obasanjo. In the first place, I wonder where he got the idea that governments do not create jobs. Nigeria is a great country endowed with natural resources. If part of the revenue from these resources is used to build factories, for example, is that not a way of creating jobs? If the government is able to establish an effective public transportation system in at least all the big cities in the country which will provide employment for many young school leavers and college-graduates, is that going to be strange to Dr Adewale?

Moreover, even if we submit to Adewale`s notion of solid environment, it is disgusting that someone would be singing praises for a government that has failed to secure the lives of its citizens and also nurtured corruption it had vowed to fight.

Furthermore, talking about supporting Obasanjo for a second term, in spite of his failure in the first term, just because he is a fellow Southerner simply lacks substance to convince a true democrat. It is disappointing that even now that more Northerners are beginning to buy the idea of national pride instead of ethnic one, people like Adewale still deceive people with inter-ethnic supremacy struggles. It was this same mistake that Nigeria`s first generation of politicians made, which resulted to the failure of the first republic. It was Awolowo`s adoption of Egbe Omo Oduduwa as his political party that introduced the struggle for ethnic superiority into the Nigerian polity. This situation continued up to the neo-colonial period and finally made the Northern religious fundamentalists to adopt the idea of dominating the South. I wish Dr Adewale could get better informed and correct his mistakes. Nigeria needs a better team of leaders and not bandits.