Daily Independent Online.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2004.
N600m image project: Another movement without motion
By Cornelius Segun Ojo
Reminiscent of the Abacha years, when the
state engaged in open deceit, calling a spade a hoe when everyone else knew
otherwise, the Obasanjo Government in the past five years has
shown that recklessness and irresponsibility are not traits exclusive to
tyrannical military regimes. Indeed, we have been convinced that democracy is
not a bed of roses. Were it possible for the dead to act when things go wrong,
certainly, those Greek inventors of DEMOCRACY would not hesitate to summarily
take care of the charlatans who all over the world desecrate the meaning of
this sacred institution, turning democracy into a "demonstration of
craze". (Apology to Fela Anikulapo)
During the Abacha years, Nigeria became a pariah in
the comity of nations. Partial sanctions were placed on it and noose tightened
against Nigerian immigrants throughout the world. Though, a toddler could tell
that Abacha was Nigeria's biggest liability then, the man and indeed government
discountenanced this fact, spending millions of dollars to launder the image of
his regime.
First, he set up a National Reconciliation Committee
(NARECOM) headed by the flamboyant Ondo Chief Alex Akinyele. With funds put at
his disposal, Akinyele toured all the states of the federation, preaching peace
and forgiveness. He also took time to visit victims of state repression, to
insult them more. Though, Akinyele knew the problem was his boss, Abacha, he
still chose to help to deceive the people the more. As Akinyele was busy with
his job, so also was Abacha, with his goons such as Al-Mustapha, busy killing
and maiming both real and imagined enemies of the regime.
Also to create a better image situation for the
country were the duo of chief Tom Ikimi and Dr Walter Ofonagoro, Foreign
Affairs and Information Ministers respectively. While Ofonagoro was busy on the
home front, defending the terror being unleashed on the people and fighting
journalists for not supporting the regime, Ikimi on the foreign scene, was less
than diplomatically busy reading riot acts to foreign envoys who dared to
caution Abacha, his boss. Infact, the situation then was worse than sorry.
When Akinyele's NARECOM could not do much to improve
the battered image of the regime, the idea of hiring foreign PR firms to do the
job was muted. Millions of dollars were paid to these firms to launder the
image of Abacha regime. Despite all these however, Nigeria became more
vilified. Infact, at the point
when Saro-Wiwa and the other 'Ogoni 8' were hanged despite appeals from across
the world, his regime came to be seen as more of a threat to humanity so much
that the highly respected Nelson Mandela spearheaded a campaign to isolate
Nigeria. While all these were happening, Abacha chose not to remember the next
day. And of course when the hour of reckoning came, his self-importance
collapsed and the entire world celebrated the end of a monster.
However, my pain is that, since that nasty
experience, and in the last five years of 'democratic'? experience, most of the
traits of that era are still being experienced. When OBJ came on board in 1999,
he painted a picture of a reformed man, promising Nigerians that all wounds of
the military era, ranging from corruption, inept leadership, terrorism etc
would be healed. Today, rather than erasing all those legacies, they are being
institutionalised. And on a fast track too.
Professor Jerry Gana, Obasanjo's Information Minister
during the first term, organised a Media Tour to showcase their "dividends
of democracy". The Tour, which gulped about N2 billion, was widely
condemned as another wasteful endeavour. The Minister, accompanied by an array
of print and electronic journalists, toured all the states of the federation
except the southwestern states. "Dividends of democracy" rather than
being felt by the people, were celebrated on the TV screens and on the pages of
newspapers. Parties were held at the various Government Houses across the
country to celebrate these dividends of democracy. At the end of the jamboree,
awards were given to the governors, and Jerry Gana declared that democracy,
going by his tour, had taken root in the country.
As at the time Jerry Gana was celebrating democracy,
there were however conflicting signals across the country on the pass mark
awarded the regime. Critics argued that ingredients of development, as
enumerated by Everette Rogers, such as health, education, shelter and basic
infrastructures were lacking. Despite this however, President Obasanjo
continues to lash at critics of his regime saying he has achieved more than any
other leader in the nation's history.
It was therefore shocking to hear that a government,
which claims to be performing and popular, is planning to spend a whooping N600
million to launder its image. An indictment indeed that something is wrong with
the regime, because, a good government does not need to spend a kobo on its
image, since its performance and popularity would readily speak for its image.
Tagged 'Nigeria Image Project', Chukwuemeka Chikelu,
the Information Minister said the amount would be spent to put the country in
good perspective and redeem its image. Already, Chikelu has asked journalists
to stop exposing the inadequacies of the government but rather concentrate on
only the good deeds of the government. A subtle way of gagging the press if you
ask me.
The pertinent question here is that, why must a
government engage in an image laundering exercise, spending huge sums of money
when basic issues that affect the common people are left unattended to?
Wouldn't it have been better to spend this huge sum on those areas where the
shoes pinch the people? Can there be a better image of a government other than
the one painted by the governed? This exercise like others before it smacks of
profligacy and lack of focus by the government. Infact, the action of the
government is to give vent to General Gowon's famous statement in the 70's that
the problem of Nigeria was not really money but how to spend the money.
The reason for the incessant increases in the pump
price of petroleum products, according to the government, was that it could no
longer subsidise it for the people, but would rather spend the money to provide
services for the people.
Again, the government claimed recently that it could
no longer subsidise accommodation for students in the universities and as such,
students are to pay N10,000 per bed space. In another letter to the Senate some
weeks ago, OBJ sought the backing of the senate for a $45million loan to Ghana
and Sao Tome & Principe and now, N600 million for image laundering. No
doubt, all these go to show that Nigeria is rich indeed, but the problem is
that our leaders are so wicked that they would rather spend money on
unproductive ventures than to reduce the poverty ravaging the land.
If the N600 million in question is given to the
National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to shore up its activities, certainly,
thousands of youths who daily roam the streets would be rescued from the jaws
of poverty. It is this type of profligacy and lack of direction that led to the
World Bank's authored technical paper titled: Nigeria: Poverty in the Midst of
Plenty as far back as 1996. So, when and who will rescue Nigerians from this
internal enslavement and second colonisation by our leaders turned dealers?
Perhaps Nigerians.
Though, nobody can stop Chikelu from spending the
N600 million in question, the fact remains that the Government must look inward
and cures itself of its destructive activities. No amount of effort can improve
the image of a government whose siting Attorney General was assassinated and
the killers could not be brought to justice. Other similar high profile
killings have also not been resolved. The government must also come to terms
with the realities of democracy by tolerating opposing views rather than
repressing the opposition. The ongoing vindictive effort to balkanise the
Labour Movement is enough to portray the Government in bad light. Issues, such as
corruption, political intolerance, the Niger Delta crisis etc are enough to
keep Nigeria's image on the down side if not addressed. The President must also
come down from his high horse and be sensitive to the plight of the people.
Otherwise, at the end of the N600 million jamboree, the government would have
exposed its failings more than improve its image.
• Ojo, a Journalist, wrote in from Lagos.
