Daily Independent Online.
*
Thursday, June 17, 2004.
Will Kontagora be among the chosen?
Godwin Adindu
Deputy Head,
Covers& Investigations
It is not a crime to dream. Mamman
Kontagora, a retired Major General and former minister of the Federal Capital
Territory, has suddenly woken up with a dream. In his sleep, he saw himself
occupying the awesome presidential mansion in Aso Rock, Abuja from May 2007. He
also saw himself chauffeur-driven in a convoy with a train of expert riders,
pilot cars, and security jeeps intimidating the people with ear-creaking siren.
He saw himself, in the manner of sleepwalking, living in the grandeur of power,
with sentries at the gate, and hordes of aides doting the path and playing the
power myth. And Americans say, “If you can dream it, you can live
it”
But, given the power equation on ground in
Nigeria today, will Kontagora live this dream come 2003? Or will it be another
paradise postponed? It might be too early in the day to speculate, but what is
important is that the Niger State born military engineer has thrown his hat
into the ring, and is warming up for the epic battle. And no one is in doubt as
to his capacity to confront missiles. Politics is about confrontations, and as
a General who has meddled with military power, and favourably played the
barrack power game, Kontagora cannot be said to be new to the vagaries of
power.
But, this is not the argument of Yusuf
Ahmed, the national co-ordinator of a new interest group christened,
Progressive Association of Nigeria (PAN). The group is playing the forerunner
to Kontagora, and saying that the man remains the best choice for now. Ahmed
talks of the man’s impeccable record of service to the nation and places
him on the same pedestal with such legends as Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo and Aminu Kano, the champion of the Talakawas (the downtrodden).
“Kontagora for now is the best candidate among the presidential
aspirants,” Ahmed says, quite emphatically, and with a tinge of pride. He
may be right.
But, the squash-loving General would
discover, to his utter bewilderment, that unlike in the indoor-game of squash where the racket
moves on a straight course, and the winner could be identified midway, the
political game is all about intrigues, back-stabbing, betrayals and Ghana
-Must- Go- bags. Kontagora would find himself in an open field of
falsehood stretching very long, and laying prostrate and void where one’s words are not his bonds,
and characters live the hypocritical life. As a soldier he must be used to
commands and orders, but it is a different ballgame for an aspirant in
politics. He would be pushed around and meant to prostrate even before
plebeians and mean men. In fact, the dynamics are different!
But, indeed, Kontagora has paid his dues
and has every right to his dream. Besides being a former Minister of Works, the
man also played a part in midwifing the new democracy. As the FCT minister, he
co-ordinated the May 29, 1999
handover to a democratically elected government. His office was saddled
with the responsibility of organising the activities for the ceremony and
ensuring a smooth transition to democracy. But, for a man who is known for his
stern looks and rigid principles, this is also the time to stand before the
public court. His life right from his days at Central Primary School,
Kontagora, Government College, Kaduna and even Nigerian Defence Academy would
be laid bare for public scrutiny. This
might also be a time for a pound of flesh by the Abuja landowners whom
Kontagora oppressed with his policy of demolition of illegal structures in
1998. If the soft-spoken General scales the early hurdles, he might find
himself fighting side by side and struggling for northern recognition with
fellow clansmen and Generals like Ibrahim Babangida, the man who lives in a
50-room hill-top mansion in Minna, and Buba Marwa, the man who floated an
airline few months after he was retired from service. But, unlike these people,
Kontagora, to a large extent, is without reproach. After serving as the sole
administrator of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the man has been living a
quiet life, sometimes spending time in Kaduna and in his hometown, Kontagora.
He is perceived as a very honest man with a strength of character.
But, sadly enough, this is not the
parameter for winning elections in Nigeria. Those who rule are selected and
ordained by the powers whose oracle are at Aso Rock. Will Kontagora, the man
from Kontagora be among the chosen? Will he be selected?
