2015 still on my mind

I cannot just explain why 2015 comes to my mind regularly. The feeling
I have is one of apprehension. And whenever I feel this way about
something, it always portends trouble. I recall with nostalgia the
feeling of fear and despair that enveloped me sometime in 1992,
particularly after the Social Democratic Party (SDP) national
convention in Jos, where the late Chief Moshood Abiola emerged the
party's presidential candidate. His victory was unprecedented and
defied all logic. He won votes from almost every section of the
country. There was little or no controversy about the outcome of the
primary elections, unlike what we have these days. I had, indeed,
feared for the worst, going by the prevailing circumstances at the
time.
While many people were basking in the euphoria of Abiola's emergence
as the SDP candidate for the 1993 elections, I was engrossed in deep
thoughts about the goings-on in Nigeria then. Those familiar with
things that occurred prior to the 1993 general elections would confirm
that all was not well with our dear nation. My major worry at that
time was whatwould become of the military brassesif eventually they
summoned enoughcourage to hand over power to a democratically elected
government. Iknew that it would be difficult for the military to
ordinarily abdicate the power they shoot their way – at their own
collateral peril – to acquire. I alsowondered how the contending
forceswould agree to cede power to a southerner when the north had
held power since 1979.
As I was ruminating over all this, my mind strayed quickly to what
happened to Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, who, though, won his party's
primaries, had the election in which he was to test his popularity put
on hold by the military. That particular incident made me become wary
of every other effort aimed at conducting any successful elections in
Nigeria.
For those who did not know: military in politics had almost become a
part of our national life, which was why the Great Zik advocated
diarchy – a form of arrangement in which political power could be
shared between the civilians and the military. That, indeed, was Zik's
panacea for incessant military putsches at that time. And so, it
became expedient that acceptable general elections be held in 1993, at
least to prove to the world that we had come of age. The arrangements
made for the smooth conduct of the elections convinced everybody,
probably, except me, that all was going to be well. And truly all went
well in the elections, because it stands today as the smoothest and
freest in the annals of Nigeria. It was even very clear that Chief
Abiola was going to win, despite the fact that it was a Muslim-Muslim
presidential ticket. In fact, Abiola garnered more votes in the
Christian areas than he did in core Muslim areas where his deputy,
Babagana Kingibe, comes from. It would have been improbable that any
person would ever think thatTofa-Abiola's rival in the elections – was
going to win. With due respect toTofa, he did not command the same
clout as Abiola to guarantee him victory and, therefore, could not
have beaten Abiola under any guise.
The umpire of the doomed election, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, was a man of
honour and integrity. He discharged his duties with utmost diligence
and professionalism. Therefore, the blame for the annulment of the
elections should not be heaped on him. He carried out the mandate
given him by the military leadership, but the military thought
otherwise about its outcome and cancelled the entire project, which
was indiscrete and tragic.
I have made the foregoing musings, because I am not comfortable with
what is happening in our polity. Politicians are exhibiting the same
penchant for which the 1993 electionsmet with tragedy. Look at what is
happening all over the country, and you will easily discern a very
curious pattern evolving. It is not in doubt that some dubious
elements are working against the system – either to torpedo it or make
it static. President Goodluck Jonathan assumed the presidency in 2011
with unparalleled enthusiasm as he hit theground running, moving me to
do a special piece commending his foresight and forthrightness. Though
he is doing his best currently, nevertheless he would have done better
if the enemies of progress had allowed him space.
Forget the boldface: President Jonathan governs under extreme
difficult conditions – much more than any past president had done. He
has faced more violence, more opposition, more fiscal downturns, more
controversies, more diatribes, more invectives, and endured more
pains, than any president that had ever ruled Nigeria. Despite all
these pitfalls, the man is still trudging on.Obasanjo carried almost
the same baggage of woes, but his could not equal Jonathan's.
Militancy was quite pronounced during Obasanjo's reign. Nonetheless,
what we have in Jonathan's time is beyond militancy: we have a
full-scale war at hand. What is going on in the North East of Nigeria
is nothing other than a full-blown war. What else is war when heavy
military ammunition is being used to rout a dare-devil sect that has
refused to be annihilated, with thousands of refugees created inits
wake? Though the state of emergency rule has made appreciable progress
it is yet to achieve the ultimate purpose for which it was declared.
Instead of being cowed the Boko Haram sect is still boasting of its
insufferable strength and indestructibility.
Wait a minute: what has happened to the case of the massacre of some
security agents in Eggon Local Government of Nasarawa State? It seems
the matter has, as usual, been swept under the carpet. When will we
learn to visit judgment on those that infringe the law of the land,
especially the heinous ones bordering on life and pose threat to our
national sovereignty? How could anybody sleep comfortably when the
bodies of 70 gallant security operatives lay stone dead in the bowels
of the earth? This country is a very interesting place!
I had expected by now that all the culprits would have been rounded
upand made to face the full weight of the law. The sacredness of life
is something this administration shouldendeavour to preserve. The life
of every Nigerian is entrusted to the care of the government. It is,
therefore, its duty to protect it. What happened in Eggon and what is
happening all over the country are signs of ominous times ahead!
We read how over 100 innocent villagers were killed in cold-blood by
invading marauders in Zamfara last week. I was also told of the
internal war of attrition going on in Ogbunike,in which five youths
were dispatched to their early graves, with over 52 houses torched in
a reprisal attack. The same ogre spectacle has been the lot of some
areas of Ebonyi, Benue, Anambra and Plateau states inrecent times. Yet
we are told all is well with Nigeria. There has also been an upsurge
in the number of kidnapping and murder cases across the country. All
this has compelled me to dub life in Nigeria a very cheap commodity.
Not only that: the political elite seem to be in endless drift. They
carry themselves brashly as if they 'own the land'. They fight among
themselves publicly and display other behavioural patterns alien to
our culture and morass. Could anybody have believed some 15 years ago
that governors would be calling themselves names in public? The recent
Nigeria Governors' Forum's (NGF) imbroglio has brought all of that to
the fore. I must confess that I never knew that some of our governors
lacked decorum until the recent unsavoury incidents took place. Some
of them behave uncomely and conduct themselves untowardly. What a
pity!
Every one of us has his shortcomings, no doubt. But as elected leaders
we should carry ourselves with some dignity and candour, not allowing
greed and selfishness to becloud our sense of reasoning. What is it
that we should mortgage our conscience – throwing caution to the dogs?
Is it material wealth or fame? Tell me! Vanity!
What some of our leaders tend to forget is that life is transient. It
is not something worth dying for. The positions they occupy today are
terminal: they must come to an end someday. There were even some
pastleaders who did not serve out their tenures due to circumstances
beyondtheir control. So, when we govern, weshould do so with the fear
of God and love for the people placed under our aegis. It does not
really matter on which political divide you may stand. What is
important is that we all work toward the same goal of making life
better for our people.
I must not fail to exhort our governors to shun parochialism and
egocentricity and work for the enthronement of peace and good
conscience in their forum. The currentcrisis rocking the forum has the
capacity to imperil our delicate democracy and dislocate the polity.
Already, the crises have caused serious disaffection among its members
and, by extension, those connected to them one way or another. The
truth is that the crises in the forum have been exported to their
states where they have since been localized, thereby fueling tension
in the polity.
Nobody need be told that no electioncan hold successfully under the
present security situation in the country. Attempting to do so will
amount to deliberate suicide. We need to first of all restore law and
order, reconcile all warring parties, curtail restiveness among
communities, promote civil rights and dignity of human life, reduce
unemployment and general backwardness among the people, create an
agreeable environment for meaningful, economic planning and growth,
and banish corrupt practices. Any effort to organize general elections
without addressing thesefundamental problems objectively will be
futile.
In less than six months, Anambra governorship election will hold. How
prepared are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and
the political gladiators for the election? I know that up till date no
serious preparations have been madefor the election. As usual, INEC
will apply fire-brigade tactics to deal with the challenge. Why not
commence immediate preparations – ahead of time – to avoid tardiness?
The Anambra State governorship election will be a foretaste of what is
to come in 2015. I am certain it will produce shocks and unpalatable
consequences. I hold this view because of the precedents already set
in the state. The situation becomes more precarious now that
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu isno more. The state had witnessed
peaceful elections in the past, in deference to the gigantic presence
ofthe Ikemba. Take, for instance, the crisis in the All Progressives
Grand Alliance (APGA). It has persisted because Ojukwu is no longer
there to broker peace and mutuality. Those hebequeathed the party to
have placed their personal interests high and above the good of the
party and their following. I would not like to make particular
references to some of the demeaning allusions some south eastgovernors
make against one another. The other day one called the other a
dictator in public.
It is high time we allowed good neighbourliness and love to rule our
lives. Squabbling among ourselves will not serve us any good. Rather
it will estrange us and endanger our democracy.
Politics should be seen as the game itis and not for unnecessary
vendetta, bad blood or wickedness. There is no way we can achieve the
goals of democratisation without peace, progress and love. We must
emulate the way politics is played in the United States – from where
we copied our current style of democracy. It is completely against the
norms of democracy for politicians to apply extremism in their
electioneering as obtains today in our country.
Agreed, we may belong to different political parties, but we share the
same vision of making Nigeria better than we met it. It is, therefore,
preposterous that instead of working towards this goal some
politicians work against it to the detriment of our collective
patrimony.
The whole world is watching, God is watching us, as we walk steadily
toward the 2015 elections, which some commentators fear would makeor
mar Nigeria. As I have always opined, there is no amount of
divisiveantics by anybody or group will truncate the destiny of
Nigeria. The times may be very rough Nigeria will always ride the
storms and emerge unscathed. Those working against Nigeria should know
we have no other country to call ours. If they succeeded in destroying
Nigeria, which country then would they control or govern? Commonsense
should have told them that no matterhow much they try to destroy
Nigeria,it will keep growing stronger and stronger. It is an exercise
in futility forone man to think he can convenientlytake on the
majority in a contest and win.
Nigerians should turn their hearts back to God and follow the
teachings of Jesus Christ and other prophets of God. We must shun
clannishness, envy, greed, ethnicity, hegemony, and violence as we get
ready for 2015.Following this path of honour will afford us the rare
opportunity to write our name in gold as a generation of patriots who
worked selflessly for the peace, growth and unity of our fatherland.