Uzokwe's Searchlight

The president must realize that before him, Nigeria had bright men and women who would have taken the nation to greater heights had he and his military men left the issue of governance to civilians.
Tuesday, March 7, 2006



Alfred Obiora Uzokwe

ANNOUNCE THIS ARTICLE TO YOUR FRIENDS
DYING FOR NIGERIA:
OBASANJO'S WORRISOME MESSIANIC DISPOSITION
advertisement



igeria's president, General Olusegun Obasanjo, has once again reiterated his willingness to "die for Nigeria". Although seemingly benign and patriotic on the surface, this statement should be a source of concern to all Nigerians. Fortunately, vocal Nigerians like Gani Fawehinmi, have asked him not to die for Nigeria but to leave office at the end of his term. Gani is right on the money because judging from the innuendoes about a third term bid and Obasanjo's stone silence about the issue, there may be more to the statement than meets the eye.


advertisement
It is unclear when the retired General experienced the epiphany that brought about this major metamorphosis in his disposition towards the nation. In 1976, after the assassination of General Murtala Muhammed, Obasanjo accepted the position of Nigeria's head of state with a lot of trepidation. Infact, one could tell from his countenance, during that nation-wide broadcast, that he did not want to be in that position. It is therefore a wonder that the same man has now gone from accepting the helmsmanship with trepidation to wanting to needlessly die for the country. It is one thing to want to die for the country if the need arose. In this case, however, the president is in no immediate danger. Infact, Nigerians are unaware of any threat to the president that would warrant such a statement. All they want him to do is to leave office at the end of his term.

The big question, therefore, is: What is the real reason why the president made the statement? How genuine is the statement? Should Nigerians see the president as a man who is genuinely in love with his country or is the statement a mere euphemism for clinging onto power until disgraced or carried out of office?

As I stated earlier, on the surface of it, this statement sounds very benign. Infact, if the statement came from a leader in a country like Britain or United States, where democracy has become so ingrained that it could never be truncated, it would most probably be seen as genuine. In those countries, most people answer the call to public service to establish a legacy for perpetual remembrance. They answer the call to public office not for personal enrichment but to make indelible marks on the sands of times through their contributions. They willingly and gladly lay down their lives in the service of their countries if need be. They ask for what they can do for their countries rather than what they can extort from them for onward transmission to Swiss banks. When such people say that they are willing and ready to lay down their lives for their countries, it could hardly be interpreted differently. It is seen for what it is, a genuine love for country. In the case of Nigeria and Africa as a whole, such statements are regarded with utmost suspicion. The reason is simple, most leaders who have come and gone in Africa, with the exception of Nelson Mandela, end up taking their countries to the cleaners and subjugating their perceived enemies to perpetual misery and sometimes death.

There is no doubt that the quest for leadership, in African countries, sometimes start with a genuine love of country and the urge to better the lot of the masses. As soon they get the chance, either by the barrel of the gun or through some form of democratic plebiscite, the trappings and accoutrements of power go to their heads so they change course. When Master Sergeant Samuel Doe of Liberia took office, he seemed ready to roll up his sleeves and do the work of the people. I remember flying through Robertsfield airport in Liberia, en route to Nigeria from the United States on a Pan American airline, shortly after the coup that swept Sergeant Doe into office. On our brief stop over in the airport, I saw a picture of the young man on the wall of the airport. He looked very trim and unassuming. I remember thinking to myself that he may just be what Liberia needed to end decades of subjugation. Many hailed him in Liberia and thought he was to be the messiah, a savior that would extricate the country from economic bondage and social subjugation. Not long after he assumed office in the one time colony of the United States, the trappings of power went to his head. He methodically quashed voices of dissent and was hell bent on staying in power perpetually. He died for Liberia, alright, but not in an honorable way. He was matcheted by his foes and left on the streets of Liberia, an object of caricature. Unfortunately, those who took power from him did not do any better. Charles Taylor was exiled from Liberia, a disgraced man, for human rights abuses and other crimes. That is Africa for you.

Of course one cannot forget the stories of Mobutu Sese Seko of Congo, Idi Amin of Uganda and many more. They all took up power, initially, as saviors but later resolved to cling onto it whether the people liked it or not. Again, history did not treat them kindly.

Now, bringng it back nearer home to Nigeria, one would again say that most of her leaders started with seemingly genuine quests to make a difference. They promised to rescue the nation from economic doldrums and eventually put power into the hands of the people. But as soon as they tasted that power, the drumbeat changed. They jettisoned civil liberties, incarcerated their critics and went to town with the nation's money.

One cannot forget how, in 1975, General Gowon decided to extend the date, which he had previously set for handing over to a civilian government. That singular incident, amongst a myriad of other things, including government profligacy, brought about the very first post war coup in Nigeria. When Babangida overthrew Buhari/Idiagbon, there was so much hope that Nigeria was about to be rescued. Many touted his courage in thwarting the Dimka coup as a reason to believe that he was a real patriot that had the interest of the nation at heart. For a while, he was able to entrap government critics, like Wole Soyinka, into serving under his administration. This, to some degree, legitimized his government. Before long, the cankerworm that had destroyed the leaders before him, overcame him. He turned into a maximum dictator, quashing opposition in every way he could. When Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, his onetime second in command, disagreed with him, the man was promptly removed. It was under Babangida's watch that Nigeria's celebrated journalist, Dele Giwa, was assassinated and nothing came out of it. Not long after that, IBB's promise to conduct elections became shaky; he had started nursing the ambition of succeeding himself. He changed the name of the position he occupied from the customary "head of state", for military men, to "president" in preparation for self-succession. He was presenting a benign front to gullible Nigerians but was slowly and secretly making himself one of the richest men in the country. Simultaneously, the economy was going south because of several economic misadventures like SFEM and SAP, which he instituted in his "infinite" wisdom. In the end, his game plan became clear, he did not want to relinquish power; he was really a maximum dictator! He annulled the June 12 election, hoping to continue in office but was eventually hounded out of office in disgrace. He handed over to a stooge called Ernest Shonekan. That one's lack-luster and short-lived performance is nothing to remember and so I will treat it accordingly.

As if Nigeria had not had enough of disappointing "Messiahs" that turned into vampires, sucking up every ounce of the nations lifeline, the manically depressed one, General Abacha, took office. Even though he cordoned himself off in Aso Rock, because he feared for his life all the time, his lieutenants ran roughshod over the nation and her 120 million citizens. Abacha's perceived enemies were either eliminated or incarcerated on trumped up charges. It was during this time that Nigeria's current leader, General Obasanjo became a prison inmate on charges he still disputes today as trumped up. Eventually, the yearnings and cries of Nigerians, who were suffering under the yoke of Abacha's regime, reached high heavens. Hail and brimstone came thundering towards earth. In the twinkle of an eye, the man whose spoken word was enough to send any Nigerian to the gallows was devoured. General Abacha was dead. His reign ended in ultimate disgrace. The man who took over from him may not have tortured anyone, but he stole from Nigeria so much money, in a few months, showing that greed was the motivation for power not the need to establish a worthwhile legacy.

Then entered General Obasanjo. At the time he assumed the helmsmanship, his resume portrayed him as a probable savior. Nigerians always remembered that he willingly handed over power to a civilian administration in 1979. Many felt that he would do it again. Also, as someone who had become a vocal critic of military regimes in Nigeria, it was believed that he would do his best to stamp out coup d'etat in the country. Of course, his military background and insight placed him on a better footing than other civilian presidential candidates to stamp out coup d'etat. Furthermore, having spent some time in jail, thanks to Abacha, it was believed that Obasanjo would be a foremost advocate of human rights if elected. Infact, before then, he had worked with international bodies on human rights issues. It did not take along, after ascending the position of president, for Obasanjo to start seeing himself as a "Messiah". He felt pre-ordained by God to take Nigeria to the promised land and was always quick to profess his faith and link it with his meteoric rise to the pinnacle of his career as well as his election to lead Nigeria's 120 million citizens. The danger in feeling pre-ordained as a national leader lies in the fact that the individual soon becomes somewhat delusional. Critics suddenly begin to be perceived as evil people that are standing in the way of the wishes of the Supreme Being. This leads to attempts to crush and obliterate these critics, even when they might have good points. A quick study of dictators that have come and gone, all over the world, will lend credence to the point that this writer is trying to make. Some of them even became so delusional about their "supreme" call to duty, that they no longer had qualms about the destruction of lives, as long as it was for the "just" cause of fulfilling the wishes of the Supreme Being. Certainly, General Obasanjo has not reached that level, but the current trend of things, where the EFCC goes after his critics to silence them, where the presidential spokesman, Fani Kayode, labels the president's critics as unpatriotic, where there is an eerie air of a third term agenda hanging over the nation like the sword of Damocles, where the president makes unwarranted statements about wanting to die for Nigeria, the president must watch out before he crosses the threshold of normal into the bizarre world of delusional. On the other hand, Nigerians must watch him like a hawk and make sure that they are not sucked into the idea that he is the only Nigerian that could save the country.

In a way, though, Obasanjo has helped move Nigeria along in a few areas. He used his knowledge of the military to checkmate them and so muzzled military takeovers, which happened to be the vogue before he took over. These days, the prospect of coup plots seem to be further receding to vanishing points. Also, his alliance with some of the advanced and powerful countries like the United States, has somewhat tacitly taken Nigeria's name out of the list of Pariah nations. One should remember that during the reign of Abacha, Nigeria was essentially blacklisted by many of these nations. That has changed. In financial circles, the economic strategies instituted by his lieutenants like Okonjo Iweala and Charles Soludo, are slowly helping to restore Nigeria to the path of normalcy. Obasanjo, in that respect, should get the credit for that.

Having said the above, one must point out that in many other very important areas, he has woefully failed. Under him, corruption, which he seems to talk about all the time, still continues to thrive in several different forms. The instrument of anti-corruption, EFCC, which he instituted, would have had a lot of success had it not been turned into a monstrous greyhound that is promptly sent after any one that disagrees with the president. Amongst Nigeria's ruling class, a clear line has been drawn between those that support General Obasanjo and those that do not support him. The EFCC seems to steer clear of men and women that support him but ferociously goes after those that do not. Even when his own men are put in the cross hairs of the EFCC, they get a slap on the wrist and are released. The case of Police Commissioner Balogun makes my point.

The other problem is that General Obasanjo has managed to blur the line between the different arms of government. There is no real separation of powers. The legislature and judicial arms do his bidding. When court rulings are handed down, his government obeys the ones that are favorable to them and ignores the ones that are not. This is a dangerous trend that has essentially watered down Nigeria's democracy. One could describe Nigeria's current system of government as benevolent dictatorship!

One of the most painful developments, in the country, is Obasanjo's use of the principle of divide and conquer to checkmate his enemies in the states. In Anambra state, for example, he tacitly ordained renegades, who do not have the interest of the state as his point men. The result is that the state will never see real progress. The governor is always looking over his shoulder because of Obasanjo's men and so has not been able to perform at full capacity. The situation in the state is like having two captains in a ship and the catastrophic result is very apparent.

Poverty in the nation is deepening. The chasm between the haves and have-nots, continues to widen to endless points. When I was growing up in Nigeria, civil servants, teachers and others were at least able to afford small homes and cars. In Nigeria, today, a graduate teacher, who has given more than 26 years of her/his life in the service of Nigeria, is unable to afford a small car nor a home. This is a source of continued anger to this writer and one would never fail to highlight it.

Obasanjo has become carried away by the trappings of power and his "pre-ordination" as Nigeria's only savior. He seems to be supporting the amendment of the constitution to make provision for a third term for him because, without him, he feels, the country could not move forward. His critics are seen as blocking the way of the "chosen one". Infact, his antics show that if the third term agenda does not materialize, he would at least personally want to hand pick his successor. This is unhealthy. What may have started as patriotism has now degenerated into a messianic disposition.

The president must realize that before him, Nigeria had bright men and women who would have taken the nation to greater heights had he and his military men left the issue of governance to civilians. He should also realize that after him, many bright and capable men and women would step in and do better than he has ever done. He should respect the constitution and plan to leave office at the end of his tenure. He should look back at history and see that it has not been kind to those who tried in the past to succeed themselves. They have all been disgraced out of office in one way or the other.

The true meaning of the president's statement about dying for Nigeria remains murky. If he means being carried out of office, then it is a shame. He should borrow a leaf from the South African president and categorically rule out the issue of third term, instruct his errand boys at the national assembly to stop preparing the ground for him and stop trying to influence the choice of a successor. He yet has a few things that posterity could remember him kindly for if he willingly leaves in 2007.

HERE I STAND