Nigeria: The Millionaires Versus The Generals

 

It is 24 years now since Africa’s big player, Nigeria dived into democratic culture amidst uncertainties.

It took the bitter pill with unpredictable outcomes. The question then was, will Nigeria be resilient to the intrusions or succumb to them? Events shaping the first ballot of the country’s third republic with constitutional rule were chaotic and mysterious.

Many believe the political crisis that had defined Nigeria in the 1990s was caused by the then military leader, Gen Ibrahim Babangida over his cancellation of the electoral victory of Abiola. This launched Nigeria into another phase of the struggle.

The political combatants at the time died within a space of one month in mid-1998, the ensuing being an uneasy calm, and a political haze.

General Sani Abacha, the no-nonsense military leader, and businessman-turned-politician, Chief Moshood Abiola, had entangled their political traditions to a deadlock, the bad blood often becoming personal.

The civilian contender bore the brunt as a star political prisoner but the increasingly isolated military leader shared his fate with the entire citizenry who squirmed under blanket sanctions imposed by the international community.

Suddenly, from nowhere was this illumination that succeeded in chasing the murk away. Many explained these to be assassinations than coincidences.

Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar filled the vacuum and became the de facto Head of State. He steered Nigeria speedily through a short transitional process, handing over to a former military leader who won the 1999 polls as a civilian.

Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo’s first taste of power was in 1976-79, and consequently returned the country to democratic governance. That was Nigeria’s second shot at this experiment. Obasanjo’s second kiss of the staff of office as President of Nigeria was not without drama.

Preceding the resurgence was his continual incarceration during Gen. Abacha rule. From a president to prison to president again, the oscillations of Obasanjo partly explained the political zigzagging Nigeria underwent in the political hailstorms of controversy.

US Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell was the Special Guest of Honour when Nigeria, overwhelmed by the positive turn of events, marked the 10th anniversary of the constitutional rule which has now been extended by 14 years.

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan had become Nigeria’s president by 2009 and joined by a former military leader Gen. Yakubu Gowon, and friends of Nigeria, the green and white flagged country gave the optics to engender confidence in her anxiety-filled new political romance.

Other political actors who had not lived down the horrific experience under military tyranny complained about its scars which were anything between death claims and missing victims.

How these grave sentiments were handled in Nigeria’s march forward is unknown but it is in the order of high merit when it comes to the assessment of working democratic systems. The continent’s
stability is woven around Nigeria, and the credit goes to her unwavering attachment to the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Nigeria was a proponent of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism in which countries opened up to the external assessment.

Some observers consider these labels as meretricious. They say, they are attractive but hold no real value for the masses for Nigeria continues to smart under poverty, terrorist attacks, violent crime, and financial scandals, among others, not different from happenings in pseudo-democratic régimes.

Those who have ruled Nigeria under the present dispensation include Umaru Musa Yar’adua, and the outgoing Mohammed Buhari (also a two-time leader).

The Independent National Électoral Commission bears the onus of ensuring that Nigeria’s 2023 elections produce a fair outcome that satisfies all parties.

The present phase of this political culture must be a sequel to the new tradition, and not slide into the tainted prequels.

This will prevent distractions from the single, overriding quest of dealing decisively with corruption to free resources for critically ailing sectors of the economy, and ultimately place the country where she properly belongs–a juggernaut.