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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Retrieving Nigeria from extinction
IF Nigeria were an enclave of yahoos, it would not amount to an oddity if a leviathan like Gen. Abacha reigned over them. The more I cogitate over Nigeria and her queer and retrogressive vicissitudes, the more it rankles that fate and accident of birth had lumped together a multitude of sheep and goats in the jungle of beasts.
The more I apply my heart to this, the more it confounds that a nation that produced in abundance men of letters and extraordinary brains, professionals of distinction, world-renowned scholars and clairvoyant managers that have distinguished themselves at home and abroad has never had a fine, fecund and visionary gentleman to steer her ship in the age of civilisation and unprecedented knowledge advancement.
What we have had so far are emergency rulers thrown up either by electoral fraud or force of arms. Why is it that Nigeria had had no leader in the mould of Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Mahthir Mohammed of Malaysia and ebullient Bill Clinton of the United States? Has the nation ever had a man imbued with gifts of statescraft in the presidency?
No nation has ever gone beyond the ingenuity and dexterity of her leader. A council of sages where a josser reigns is no better than the habitat of yahoos where arbitrariness, avarice, perfidy and tyranny defined existence. We should cast reflection on the so-called kingdom of the wise, if they are not merely half-imbeciles who are only a little ahead of their king in demonstration of ignorance, which they mistake for knowledge.
Are there no paradigms on management of state affairs? Must any Tom Dick and Harry aspire to hold the reins of government? A constitution even in the 21st century allows a School Certificate holder to direct the ship of a country like Nigeria! State affairs have become such a nugatory enterprise that a man with F9 parallel in WAEC can run. Rather than raise the standard so that the weak can gain strength, we elected to incapacitate the strong so that they can both be at par at the very costly expense of standard. Little wonder Nigeria is today a mediocre state in the comity of nations.
The art of governance is about honesty, sagacity, clairvoyance, knowledge, exposure, preparation and consuming passion for the welfare of the citizens. These are seven cardinal principles that must be in possession of any aspirant to the leadership of any state. Governance is not a free-for-all affair. No, it is serious business because the destinies of millions of the present and generations to come are tied to the direction of the leader. It is not about short-termism, tribe, brawn, money or job-for-the-boys. You cannot toy with the lives and future of the people.
Given these paradigms, should Tafawa Balewa have become the Prime Minister of an independent Nigeria? Should Shehu Shagari have been pushed into the race? Should Olusegun Obansanjo have been begged to come and lead Nigeria today? If Nnamdi Azikwe or Obafemi Awolowo had become the Prime Minister at independence or if one had succeeded the other afterwards would Nigeria not have become a member of the G8, a super power and one of the leading lights of democracy and good governance?
But we are not yet bereft of men and women who can turn things around for the nation. The Balarabe Musas are there. There are those who are not yet politicians but who can come into the race to save Nigeria from extinction. The Okonjo-Iwealas, the Soludos abound here and there in Nigeria. But will they ever get Aso Rock without a shift in paradigm? Or else why should Ibrahim Babangida possess the effrontery to rule Nigeria again after his eight locust years in government? What are the qualities possessed by Atiku Abubakar to nurture the ambition to become the head of state?
Ours is a jungle community where a few beasts call the shot. So, someone who never dreamt of becoming a senator could one day be woken up from sleep by an hegemony to come an assume the leadership of the state tomorrow. Because the clique is in control of prodigious resources stolen during the locust years of their surrogates in government, they could easily buy the votes of the electorate. Even this stratagem is fast becoming archaic. INEC could simply be made by the incumbent government to declare results even where elections did not take place. What happened in 2003 polls is a foretaste of what to expect in 2007. And since election petitions will not be disposed of before the next elections, the likes of Balarabe Musa won't get to Aso Rock while high-fliers like Okonjo-Iweala won't be interested in politics. Are we then victims of ineluctable fate in Nigeria?
Observed William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar: 'Men at some time are masters of their fates, The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.' One, we must raise the standard of (qualifications for) governance in Nigeria. Those aspiring to Aso Rock must face public enquiry conducted by the electoral commission which shall have powers to disqualify any one on the ground of overwhelming public evidence. The nation should be saved of certificate, ex-convict and idiot palavers, among others.
Two, the Independent National Electoral Commission must be dissolved and new members appointed by the National Judicial Council. Three electoral suits must be concluded within three months before which no elected officials shall be sworn in. Four, since Nigeria was brought to her knees essentially by the military, no former military rulers or administrators must hold elective office for at least half a century. Five, there must be room for independent candidates during elections. Six, Nigeria should revert to parliamentary democracy to, among others, reduce the cost of governance. Seven, the police should no longer be a federal exclusive; each state or geographical zone should have its own police. The imminent and inevitable national dialogue must take all these up.
Finally, we urge the human rights groups to unite and criss-cross the nation to educate the masses on the power of their votes and why they should no longer permit electoral fraud under whatever guise in their domains. Political education is the word. Sitting in Lagos to address the press will be a feckless exercise. Those who have passion for a better Nigeria will be willing to contribute to such laudable project. We may perhaps retrieve the country from extinction.
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