2007: Those who will not be President
by
Tunde Adenodi.
The Constitutional Conference hosted by the British Government in
London in 1954 was designed by Her Imperial Majesty to watch at close
range those whom the British would not hand over power to. Ostensibly,
it was established to fashion out a constitution for the nascent
independent country. Yes. But the real purpose was to get a close-up
view of all the political tendencies and work out the modalities of a
peaceful hand over to the weakest link.
The lesson from the Indian experience was too fresh
and too painful to forget. They were not about to make the same
mistake in Nigeria
Wherever the British ruled, they always planted the
seed of instability that almost always festered and germinated within
five years of their leaving. They failed in India because they handed
over to Mahatma Ghandi, a true Indian patriot, who selflessly conceded
power to Pandit Nehru; no less a patriot. These two nationalists,
although both Hindu, established an enduring legacy of secular
democracy that has blossomed until this day. Any wonder why there has
never been a military coup in the largest democracy and in perhaps the
most demographically complex society on earth? Even after the
assassinations of two Prime Ministers and elections that have always
been violent?
To the British, Pakistan was a master-stroke. In
their Pakistan, there was 1000 miles of Indian territory embedded in
between Western and Eastern regions of the old Pakistan. Any wonder
why East Pakistan fought to become today’s Bangladesh? And what turned
out to become Nigeria was a quilt of divergent nationalities, who
after 45 years are still groping in the dark to discover themselves.
What with two famous rivers - Niger and Benue, which commonsense
should make them natural boundaries between the northern and southern
parts of Nigeria. The British did not lack commonsense. No. They
decidedly created an incongruous north and made it almost twice the
size of the two southern regions combined! And to complement this,
they rigged the pre-independence census in favor of the north. Thus
planting the seed of today’s instability in Nigeria
But, the thesis of this essay is about those who
will not be president of Nigeria in 2007. Not about the British.
So, they handed power to the weakest link. Those
who were ill-prepared the most. Those who lacked the qualification the
most and those whose political tendency was fashioned after the
Wahabist Movement from which Saudi Arabia was created. Those who
believed that their religion was more important than the political and
economic development of the new nation. Those who would behave exactly
like the Saudi princes who, until recently, when al-Qaeda threatened
the very existence of the Saudi monarchy, behaved like they owned
Saudi Arabia where women cannot vote, cannot drive, can only be seen
not heard and where general elections are non-existent and human
rights are only a privilege. They handed over to those who marry out
10 year-olds to grand-fathers who immediately engage in sexual
activity with them and turn them into victims of vesico-vaginal
fistula. This disease characterized by ruptured tissues of the bladder
and anus causing a link between the two mostly as a result of
prolonged labor. The victims of this disease are condemned to the life
of wandering and begging. This disease is prevalent in Saudi Arabia
and of course in the Sharia states of northern Nigeria even as you are
reading this piece. This is the dream they dreamt up for Nigeria!
The British assisted the Saudi princes who had been
indoctrinated into Wahabism to consolidate power. And just like in
Nigeria, the petro-dollars helped Prince Faisal in no small measure to
finance the exportation of Wahabist doctrines to Pakistan through the
late president Zia-ul-Haq, Sudan, through Marshall Nimeri, Egypt and
Nigeria among others. Saudi Kingdom used its immense wealth to
establish madarassa schools of fundamentalist Islamic teachings far
and wide. Most Nigerian Islamic clerics especially those of them from
the north and particularly Sheikh Mohammed Gumi and some Nigerian
military officers underwent Wahabist training within Nigeria and in
Saudi Arabia. And the first test of the Wahabi type of activity came
up in Afghanistan when the Taliban were fighting off the Soviets. This
is where Saudi influence became more pronounced and Osama Bin Laden,
leader of the al-Qaeda, who is a Saudi citizen was an official
representative of Saudi Arabia in Afghanistan, just like he was in
Sudan. He was the adviser to the Sudanese Government on the proper
approach necessary to deal with the Col Garang’s rebellion in southern
Sudan. It is believed that Al-Qaeda has several officers in Nigeria
who are often called upon to cause mayhem in the north. It is rumored
that some international intelligence operations may have found a link
between the religious upheavals in the north and the al-Qaeda. These
officers are believed to be present in all walks of life in the civil
society and particularly in the military. In fact, there were reports
that some Nigerians were captured in Afghanistan fighting on the side
of the Taliban and are currently in detention in Guantanamo Bay in
Cuba
The greatest example of Wahabist thinking was
manifested in the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers who rammed a fully
loaded air plane into the World Trade Center in New York killing three
thousand people, eighty of them said to be Nigerians, were from Saudi
Arabia. Needless to mention the type of Islamic rule which the Taliban
unleashed on Afghanistan such as the following:
Men must NOT shave their beard
Women cannot work or go to school
No graphic representation of a human being, in
other words ... no photography.
Even children cannot fly kites
No universal adult suffrage
Public execution of men and women for adultery. .
Women cannot laugh heartily in public and so on
and so forth
Establishment of a Ministry of Vice and Virtue
and a police force to enforce “virtues”. We have this type of
militia in the Sharia states of northern Nigeria.
No! Nigerian muslim Presidents or Heads of State or
governors have not enacted many of the above-listed laws in Nigeria.
But they have shot themselves in the foot when they surreptitiously
joined the OIC, established Sharia in in the northern states and
enacted many of the policies that are retrogressive in 21st century
Nigeria. Not that they had solved the water problems of the north. Nor
paved all major roads, nor established a High School in every major
town nor have they created jobs for millions of the almajeris roaming
the cities begging for alms to fund their training with the mallams.
No. Not that they have encouraged mechanized farming to produce food
for millions of their people. Not that they have encouraged, in any
meaningful way, the establishment of industries to produce the basic
necessities of life for their own people. And, try to get this: Not
that they have provided water in the mosques for simple ablution. No!
Sharia Law is the most important thing to them! That was their
priority. And by this, they have unwittingly agreed with Gideon
Orkar’s excision of those states from the nation by the single and
mindless action of re-drawing the geo-political map of Nigeria.
Therefore, no one should wait for them to ascend the presidency before
getting worried about what they will do when they get there. We have
seen Babangida, Buhari and Abacha. Their actions in office, and their
followers who in recent times plan to launch a jihad in the defense of
their faith, speak volumes. We have seen how Buhari tyrannized the
press almost to extinction in just 18 months in office. We have seen
his oppression of the academia. We saw the beginning of the
brain-drain as a result of his massive sack of University teachers
during his rule. We have seen his execution of the import license
regime of his regime. We saw his clamp down on basic human freedom.
And the further decline of the economy. And that was why Babangida
ousted him! And I dare say, rightly so!
Did we not see Babangida in action for close to 9
years as military president? He destroyed education, health, the
Nigerian economy and even the Army that made him. He started the
longest transition to democracy in the nation’s history and ended it
by annulling the freest and fairest presidential election in Nigeria’s
political history. He single-handedly plunged the nation into a
catastrophic upheaval that has lasted till this day! Then he scampered
to safety in his Minna mansion when the heat was too much for him. And
to say that this kind of man may come back as president of Nigeria
scares the wit out of all well-meaning Nigerians. He must NOT be
Nigeria’s president again!
Were he to be alive, some Nigerians would be
encouraging Abacha to run for president! Was Wada Nas not his campaign
manager after Abacha’s death? Abacha, by his policies turned Nigeria
into a pariah in the comity of nations. Nigeria was suspended from the
Common Wealth. Nigeria, the champion of democratic freedom for South
Africa under the Afrikaans became, itself, a pariah seen with disdain
and odium by nations of the world. No one associated with him or his
government should ever be allowed to be Nigeria’s president.
The middle-belt has produced Yakubu Gowon (9
years), IBB (9 years) and and Abdusalami’s 2 years. In other words,
the middle-belt region has had power for 20 years out of Nigeria’s 45
years of independence. This is enough for now and even in the
immediate future.
The Sharia states have produced Tafawa Balewa,
Shehu Shagari, Murtala Muhammed, Buhari and Sanni Abacha. They have
had a combined period of about 20 years in the leadership position.
Verdict: No one in the Orkar excised states,
otherwise known as the Sharia states can be president in 2007.
Although, General Obasanjo was NOT a Yoruba choice
in 1999 when he ran for president, he has since been confirmed as one
by his victory in Yoruba states in 2003. Moreover, the Yoruba has now
ruled for about 10 years. By the end of his term in office in 2007,
the Yoruba would have ruled for about 12 years. Therefore, no one, in
the Yoruba states can be president in 2007.
We are now left with the south-south and the Igbo
states in the east.
General Johnson Thomas Umunakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was
Head of State for six months. His ascension to the leadership role was
purely by accident of fate. He therefore has NOT used Igbo position in
the scramble for president in 2007. Therefore, the Igbo must be in
contention for the post in 2007. Let me repeat: Igbo must be in
contention for the post of president of Nigeria in 2007. This has been
my position in the last five years, and I am not about to change this
position in spite of threats to my person by those who would like to
keep Yoruba land as their satellite territory even while fighting for
Biafra! But, and this is a big but, the Igbo MUST do the following if
they are to claim what I believe is rightly theirs:
They must stop the anti-Yoruba rhetoric of recent
years and make friend with the Yoruba, the minorities of the east
and north and indeed all other Nigerians.
They must stop fighting Yoruba for the ownership
of Lagos. They are the only ethnic group who are doing this. All
others live peacefully in Lagos, Ibadan Oyo and etc without
molestation whatsoever.
They MUST STOP their agitation for Biafra. They
cannot continue to rankle over Biafra and at the same time jostle
for the post of president of Nigeria. No Nigerian will trust them
with that post. It is that simple.
Ojukwu CANNOT be Nigeria’s president for reasons
so obvious to other Nigerians except the Igbo, that they don’t have
to be mentioned.
They must stop talking about “Igbo President” but
president of Nigeria who happens to be Igbo.
They must never accept the post of Vice-President
from any one and
They must start running for the post from today!
I have articulated all the above points many times
before. So they are not new. And I do not mind sounding like a broken
grammar-phone record because of the importance I attach to these
points. So, for the umpteenth time, the Igbo cannot be president of
Nigeria, in her present form, unless they observe all those points
listed above.
We are now left with the south-south.
Indications are that the Igbo are not going to
observe those conditions, and consequently, cannot produce the
president in 2007. I will turn my attention to the south-south. This
group encompasses the whole delta region of Rivers, Cross River. Akwa
Ibom, Bayelsa, Edo and Delta. The region produces 80 per cent of oil
revenue which is used to develop other parts of Nigeria while the
goose that lays the golden egg is allowed to rot away.
I traveled out of my state for the first time to
Oloibiri in an excursion in 1963. I went back there in 1977. Nothing
changed. The gas was still being flared. The roads were just as bad,
and the villagers became even poorer. Hundreds of millions of
petroleum dollars derived from Oloibiri and its environment meant
nothing to the people of Oloibiri in Rivers State. This is not right.
It must be redressed. And only one of them can do it effectively. The
next president must therefore come from the South-South.
General Babangida, it was, who used to say that he
knew those to whom he would not hand over. General Obasanjo must have
tremendous interest in who takes over from him in 2007. He must not
hand over to any of those groups I have listed above after his
presidency. He must strive to know who will take over from him.
Because, whoever it is, must continue the slow but steady structural
panel-beating of the last six years. The situation that allows one
section of the country to dominate the nation for almost 40 years is
not acceptable. It must never be allowed to happen again. He must
carry out the necessary reforms that will redress the situation. It is
a daunting task that he must accomplish
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