I read and re-read President Olusegun Obasanjo's speech to the nation of October 1, 2000 and wondered whether I was dreaming. I truly did! Here is why.
On MKO Abiola
The first thing that hit me was that President Obasanjo finally acknowledged his former high-school classmate and late lamented president-elect of Nigeria, Chief MKO Abiola among the pantheon of Nigeria heroes! This is what he said about MKO, inter alia:
"Fellow Nigerians, we have had leaders....younger heroic leaders like...Chief M.K.O. Abiola...who have gone to the great beyond. But, their memories remain fresh in our minds and their heroism evergreen in our hearts. Their memories remain an abiding source of inspiration and pride. They and their contemporaries, freed and built Nigeria. Their work, their vision and their sacrifice serve to illuminate our road map into the future as one country."
Well, he did not quite say it like that, but you will have to read the original speech to learn the context! It was a good beginning to a miserable lacunae for which he has been castigated all of this time.
In this regard, it is interesting that President Obasanjo borrowed a leaf from President Clinton by cataloguing so many names:
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Malam Aminu Kano; Chief Samuel Akintola and Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh;
General Murtala Muhammed and Chief M.K.O. Abiola and General Shehu Yar'Adua
General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi; Colonel Unegbe; Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi; Ademulegun, Maimalari, Sodeinde, Mohammed, Largema, James Pam and W.U. Bassey; Imam, Chinua Achebe and Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka; Alhassan Dantata, Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu and Ogbeni Oja, Adeola Odutola.
Unfortunately, not a single woman was mentioned - at least Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and Margaret Ekpo could have been mentioned. And having just returned from Ogoniland, it would not have been a bad idea to mention Ken Saro-Wiwa somewhere.
All in all, an A-minus for names mentioned.
STOP PRESS: Icing on the cake: Even President Mandela has finally broken his silence on MKO, courtesy our October 1 visitor President Thabo Mbeki.
In Lagos, Mandela dedicated his Pan African Heritage (PABHA) Best African Award to the memory of "the icon of Nigerian democracy", and recounted one of MKO's many wise "proverbs of cowardice," (to quote Femi Falana) during a diplomatic errand in 1992 on behalf of - who else? IBB! :-) Shoot! But Praise God!
On Ohaneze, Afenifere and Arewa Forum I remember a March 23, 2000 speech in New York by then Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Kanu Agabi, when, probably echoing his boss President Obasanjo, he said, inter alia:
"You may have heard of certain tribal unions that are beginning to take root in our country- Ohaneze for the Ibos. Afenifere for the Yorubas Arewa for the Hausas and Egbesu boys for the minorities of the Niger-Delta area. These tribal unions are a setback for the nation.
The trend has been for these tribal unions to plead the cause of the tribes they purport to represent. They often employ violence and intimidation to achieve their parochial and nefarious ends. Ibos are speaking for Ibos. Yorubas are speaking for Yorubas. Hausas are speaking for Hausas. Only the president is speaking for the nation.
This attitude represents a betrayal not only of the nation but of the black race as a whole. When we should be speaking for the African Continent, when we should be pleading the cause of the race we are instead championing the cause of our tribes And this in the 21st century! The nation shall come to nothing as long as the major tribes pulling it in different directions....You know, as well as I do, that nothing parochial can or shall last.
Tribal unions in our country are doomed to die and shall die. The nation shall outlive tern all. Their leaders shall never be remembered. Even now some of them have already been forgotten in their lifetime!"
Those of us who heard Agabi (now minister of Solid Minerals) speak live then just looked at him and shook our heads at his lack of realism. So it was refreshing to now hear what President Obasanjo said in his October 1 speech:
"I particularly wish to appeal to our leader in Ohaneze, Afenifere and Arewa Forum to genuinely dialogue with each other, rather than talk at - and against - one another from entrenched positions and postures.
There is absolutely no virtue in confrontation. Each of these groups, in spite of its apparent large following in the context of Nigeria, will be diminished as an independent nation by itself."
Aha! Apparently, it appears to be finally dawning on President Obasanjo the REALITY of Nigeria as being made up of distinct nationalities who are RE-ASSERTING themselves via these ethnic fora. His constant claim of detribalization must have been shaken by the fact that people like Gowon, Shagari, Buhari, IBB and even Abubakar, former heads of state all, are congregating under the Arewa Consultative Forum, while Ojukwu and Dr. Alex Ekwueme are leading lights of Ohaneze. Never mind that Obasanjo himself and Shonekan are staking their distance away from Afenifere!:-)
Having said the above, it would have been nice for President Obasanjo to mention the Union of Niger Delta and the Middle Belt Forum, and also express the hope that OPC, MASSOB and Egbesu and APC can be channelled into more official uses. It would have been nice for him to lift the "Wanted" sign over Ganiyu Adam's head. That is not asking too much, is it?
Nevertheless, all in all, Obasanjo gets an A for realizing the importance of Afenifere, Arewa and Ohaneze.
On Corruption "Gold Medal" I sincerely empathized with our president when I read the following:
"Earlier than that, I also unfolded my vision of a Nigeria aiming to succeed at building a just, disciplined and humane African Society. Instead, Nigeria is now perceived as the most corrupt nation in the world, and so listed by an organisation [TRANPARENCY INTERNATIONAL] that I co-founded because of my belief in fundamental moral values.
It appears that this dubious distinction of an Olympic-style gold medal for corruption must have shaken Obasanjo more than we know - unless of course he is a Hollywood actor! It must have now dawned on him that it is PERFORMANCE, not INTENT that is measured in international circles; performance is lauded if good and castigated if bad. When we understand that Obasanjo's international image matters to him a lot, probably far more than his national image, the dent on his self-esteem due to TI's rating of Nigeria can only be imagined.
His other "sober reflections" on Nigeria having "a kleptomaniac culture", being regarded as "born scammers", wallowing in "pervading depravity", a country experiencing" stagnation, retarding economic growth and unemployment", etc., ad nauseum must have been painful to talk about. Yet with optimism, he declared thrice that "we can right the wrongs...." - and we must agree with him.
An A for Obasanjo (hopefully) realizing the need to elevate performance over intent. Let us therefore sincerely go forth to begin to "right the wrongs."
Zonal Perceptions and National Dialogue Hear what Obasanjo has to say about zonal perceptions that he got from visits of certain leaders and dealers and elders to his Aso Rock villa:
"[THE SOUTH-WESTERN ZONE] expressed firm belief in ONE Nigeria, but with true Federalism based on equality, power-sharing and justice, where each tier of government i.e. Federal, State, and Local governments has its functions and performs its function adequately and efficiently.
[THE MIDDLE-BELT ZONE ] does not want only the unity and oneness of Nigeria, but wants it with equity, and is ready to fight for it.
[THE SOUTH-EASTERN ZONE] recognises its peoples as essentially itinerant all over Nigeria, they need the unity and progress of Nigeria as much as any other group, but it must be unity and progress with security.
[THE SOUTH-SOUTH ZONE] talked of indivisibility of unity and oneness but with greater involvement in the resources of their region.
[THE NORTH-WEST ZONE] simply cries for development."
If I have anywhere misrepresented President Obasanjo above, it is because, inscrutably, he did not identify specific zones with specific perceptions in his speech, and I have merely helped him (via educated guesses) to fill them in.
One thing is clear: although there are six zones with six priority concerns, no one of the zones indicated to him that SECESSION is uppermost in its mind. Consequently the fear of a NATIONAL DIALOGUE, a (Sovereign) NATIONAL CONFERENCE or CONFERENCE OF NATIONALITIES leading to a break-up of Nigeria must have receded from Obasanjo's mind, not so?
So when will the SNC begin? Only then will he get an A for his Aso Rock epiphany.
Presidential Advisory Councils PACs Here is where I have the most problem with this speech. Listen to Obasanjo:
"As part of our efforts to cast our net wide in seeking advice from relevant quarters, I have decided to establish honorary Presidential Advisory Councils - of not more than seven members per Council - on a number of subjects, such as foreign relations, investment, youth development, and so on. Such advice can only enhance the quality of decisions, policy formulation and execution on these issues.
Let us, for now, ignore the fact that this is a repudiation of his 100-man-and-woman-size cabinet and presidential advisers. Let the truth be told: It is not the quantity of advisers and councils that matters, but the QUALITY of the PAC members and Obasanjo's own WILLINGNESS to take advice.
A B-grade for this PAC idea.
A Question-and-Answer Session From the Speech President Obasanjo seemed to be answering some questions being posed from behind the curtain of his speech room - or flashed on his teleprompter? - including at least one from yours truly:
Q: Mr President, you keep saying that you are a Nigerian to the core, a detribalized Nigerian. But you are 60-something years old, and back when you were born, Nigeria was not yet even a country. What do you say?
A: "..We have even more reason to feel and act mature, because Nigeria is, as a matter of fact, much older than 40. Nigeria - the name - may have been stamped on our land by colonial design. But Nigeria the people and the society did not commence existence with political independence from Britain. Nigeria did not even begin in 1914, or even with the arrival of the White Man on the shores of West Africa.
Our people, the Nigerians of today, have been living together as neighbours and mixing our lives accordingly. We have been visiting each other, we have graded among ourselves, we have blended our cultures. And, yes, we have quarrelled, fought and reconciled with each other. We shared the joys of harvest and growth as well as the natural disasters of flood, drought or pestilence. The long distance trade in cattle and kolanuts has, for example, been going on for centuries.
What about the great Empires that once existed in Benin, Oyo, Songhai, Sokoto and Borno? The name and the political boundary may be relatively recent. But, our people have been together from time immemorial. We have been around for a very long time and, by the Grace of God, we will be here in perpetual succession!"
Q: Mr. President, you have been accused of not really being a democrat. That your instincts are that of a military dictator, who sounds democratic only when reading from text. For example, this translates into how you talk to people, or deal with the National Assembly, as if you don't want them to question you at all. Also, that you are not a team player. Any comments?
A: "I have always believed in democracy. And I will always do. I have a track record for that. I shall, therefore never knowingly subvert the spirit, let alone the letter of the constitution that I have, not for the first time sworn to defend. People will naturally always try to find ways by which they can do their jobs more easily. But, I shall never forget that we all came through democratic elections and have a constitution to operate and defend in our respective assignments. I have always believed in fundamental human and freedom, because I know that these values represent the best expression of democracy.
I also know what it is to be deprived of human rights because I was once deprived of my own. I have always believed in working as part of a team. Military training and my military experience demand no less. Even where I have been given the leverage to determine the composition of a team, I have endeavoured to maintain the team spirit."
Q: There is this charge that you are carrying out AD's programme, that you have abandoned PDP's election platform?
A: AD ke? AD wo? ".....Belonging to a political party means being part of a team. And I concede full loyalty to our Party. Our victorious party, the People's Democratic Party, is a phenomenon in Nigeria, being the first to win a very large absolute majority at all levels of Government in a country where coalition governments had been the traditional means of making the centre hold.
We have to purge and strengthen the Party by manifesting a democratic instinct at every turn, by successfully managing our impressive majority and above all, by making a difference for the better, for all Nigerians, everyone, everywhere, and irrespective of party affiliation or other group identity......This government and this president will faithfully pursue our party manifesto and our other programmes in the spirit of patriotism and discipline, justice and fairplay, due diligence and efficiency, transparency and accountability."
Q: Pretty partisan talk, for a National Independence Day celebration. Anyway, finally, Mr. President, your cabinet and advisers are filled with recycled old men. Do you despise the youth? Don't you think there is wisdom in the youth too, many of who are rearing to taking over completely from the older generation?
A: "I have always believed in the great potential of our people. Every man, woman or child has, or will have, much to offer, given a fighting chance. I entertain great hope in, and have much respect for our youth. I do not disdain the youth or youthfulness. Like everyone else, I also grew up and do have my own children.
Furthermore, I know that the young must have a voice and that the young shall grow, which is what keeps the world going. We are currently in the process of formulating a Youth Policy which I believe will provide a suitable formula for looking after our youth."
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. But the youth may not wait that long...
A: We know. But you are very welcome anyway. And "I still dey kampe!"
An A-grade for his answers.
What Obasanjo did not say
He did not mention any of his 45 travels abroad since becoming president - that is remarkable, bearing in mind the stakes he had put on those.
The word "debt" was only mentioned in passing ["We have done so regardless of our own difficulties internally, and our imposed burden of foreign debt."] That may signal a new realization that debt relief/forgiveness may not be coming any time soon, and a more quiet approach to it.
He did not mention the commencement of Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC), despite the fact that his earlier veto delaying NDDC commencement had been overwhelmingly overturned by the National Assembly. He had promised earlier that it would take off by October 1.
My Concluding Remarks
I will be watching to see whether this remarkable speech signals a "new President Obasanjo." To this effect, we should be watching for eight things from President Obasanjo:
His PACs to be filled with good, young, forward-looking technocrats, not recycled old-timers.
greater humility to know that he alone does not have all the answers. Thus he must listen to good advice.
reduction in his own tendency to DO everything himself - that is, he must DELEGATE, and then build on the TRUST of those to whom he delegates and who perform well.
genuine cooperation with the Legislature (to make and execute laws) and Law Enforcement and Judiciary (to catch and punish crime, including corruption in high places.)
concentration on security and infrastructure development at the Federal level, for only then will Nigerians be at peace in the homes, on the highways, and at their places of work, and jobs will be created and the foreign investment that Nigeria needs be a reality.
reduction in the size of the central government and devolution of power to the states and local governments to the maximum extent allowed by this unitary 1999 constitution.
work with civil society and the National Assembly to convene a Sovereign Conference of Nationalities to effect a change in the constitution to address the National Question and evolve True Federalism for a united and stable Nigeria. Finally,
he must stay at home in Nigeria more to do all the above.
Best wishes all, as we look forward to the presidential speech of January 1, 2001; May 29, 2001; June 12, 2001 and October 1, 2001.
"God Bless Nigeria!"
Appendix:
Read the excellent, great and good October 1 speeches of National House of Assembly Speaker Ghali Na'Abba, Deputy Speaker Chibudom Nwuche and Senate President Anyim Anyim respectively.
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