RIDING ROUGHSHOD ON THE BACK OF NIGERIANS –

By JIDE AYOBOLU Sept 14, 2006

 jideayobolu@yahoo.co.uk

The greatest bane of the Nigerian society is that they easily forget whatever happens to them. They have very short memory, the lack any deep sense of history. It is therefore imperative to underscore the fact that, before the advent of the present democratic order, Nigerians of different shades and persuasions paid the supreme price. People were brutally assassinated, wantonly murdered, mercilessly hounded by security goons, maimed for life, others disappeared without any trace, publishing houses were shut, and Nigeria became more or less an organized police state. And, unprecedented reign of terror and rule of the jungle was foisted on the people. The needs of the people were disregarded and the aspirations of the people became a pawn of the militaristic chessboard of the despotic era. To this end, the people fought with their sweet and blood to put an end to 15 years of uninterrupted military rule, during which the country was thoroughly mismanaged, corruption was firmly institutionalized and almost became the official policy of the state this was more so because, the military was not accountable to anybody, but themselves. They did what they liked without recourse to the people, the rule of law, due process and democratic practice. Nigeria, which year’s back was the cynosure of the eyes of the world because a pariah nation, during which negative tendencies were elated to the level of statecraft. The result was massive poverty, wanton unemployment, low GDP, low per capita in come and low GNP, inflation was very high, the national currency over- devalued, the bank interest rates were unusually high and the economy floundered. Nigeria became a debtor and a beggar nation. Nigeria became a country of any thing is possible. The country lacked any clear- out direction, mission and vision. Hence, the country groped in darkness, not knowing exactly what to do and how to go about doing what it was supposed to do. It was this process that brought the coalition of interests amongst democratic and progressive forces, namely human right activists pro-democracy agitators, progressive politicians, labour unions, leaders, student groups, non- government organizations to fight the military to a stand still for them to vacate the scene and handover power to civilian politicians. What the people wanted was a government of the people, for the people and by the people. A government that was accountable to the people, sensitive to the plight and needs of the people. Even, when the June 12, 1993 election was annulled by President Ibrahim Babaginda. The coalition of progressive forces never lost hope, they fought like Trojan horses and in the end, came a new dawn, a new beginning of democratic ethos. However, it is important to note that, politicians who are supposed to work assiduously to move the country forward are busy over heating the polity. It shows very clear that they have not learnt any thing from the history of the past. The recklessness of political gladiators on political soap box in Nigeria is exemplified by desperate, arm –twisting and manipulative scheme of tenure elongation. This was an agenda that was sponsored, sustained, promoted and aided by President Olusegun Obasanjo. This is a person that would have been in power for 11 years by 2007, so, what else does he wants in the whole wide world. The man is simply obsessed with power, but Nigerians are totally fed-up with his government, policies and leadership. It also goes to show that many of the beneficiaries of this present democratic order are not those who actually fought for democracy; they are mostly opportunists and military apologists, whose political ambition is at cross purposes with the desire of the people. And, that is the bane of the Obasanjo’s government. He always feels that he knows what is best for the people, without, first asking the people what they actually need or desire. His own interest can never be the same as that of the people. Hence the people do not share in his vision for the country; the people are so disillusioned as a result of hopelessness occasioned by his misanthropic economic policies. But they desperately want to hold on to power against the wishes of the generality of the people of Nigeria. And, the Obasanjo led government is not helped because he runs a-one-man-show. He does not take advice and he’s very highly opinionated on trivialities, which have not progressively helped the country in any way. If President Nelson Mandela of South Africa had been very selfish he would have remained in power till death. This was a man that spent the most productive years of his life in prison, so that, his beloved country could have independence and when he was released, he was democratically elected as the president of South Africa. After one term in office, he stepped down after he had groomed Thambo Mbeki the present president of South Africa. Now after two terms, Mbeki has pledged to step down, so that, someone else with fresh ideas and initiatives can carry on the business of government. Is it therefore not a disgrace that Nigeria that provided to much resources for South Africa to be independent and to democratized is being taught how to effectively practice democracy without bitterness and personal greed? Yet, Obasanjo is not listening, he wants to be a king and a king maker at the same time. An impossible task! It is important to note therefore that, the voice of the people is always the voice God, and God has seen the agonizing moment that Nigerians are passing through, God in his infinite mercy and wisdom has seen how Nigerians have been agonizing because of the third term agenda and he has also seen the apprehension in which Nigerians are livings. So, because majority of Nigerians have also been praying for his intervention. He decided to intervene. God came in directly and intervened, and this should serve as a warning to President Olusegun Obasanjo that unless he changes his ways, God is watching and willing to intervene on the side of the people. Again, there is a sense in which it might be correct to say that the most mementos events in the country since the annulled June 12, 1993 election, was the display, by the senate of a high moral standard and integrity on May 16, 2006, that day, the tenure elongation scheme was finally buried. The tenure elongation project united Nigeria’s, almost with absolute lack of discrimination, against the highly unpopular decision of a handful selfish politicians to manipulate the constitution. Both the president and the PDP were insensitive to the wishes of Nigerians and history. It ’ s my prayer that God will give us leaders that are humble and can empathize with the plight of the masses, leaders that will not look down on the people or even talk down on them. What we need are leaders that have the fear of God and are always willing to listen to the people. I pray that president Obasanjo will be humble to hand over power and allow the people of Nigeria legitimately choose the kind of leader they want without any kind of manipulation. A leader with a sense of history and a mission to better the lots of the presently despondent and disillusioned Nigerians.