President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
In this piece, JOHN ALECHENU and ENIOLA AKINKUOTU look at the events that have dominated the political landscape in Nigeria as the country marks another Independence Day
Today is another Independence Day
anniversary. It marks the 54th year after the Union Jack gave way to the
green-white-green flag which symbolises Nigeria’s sovereignty as the
world’s largest black nation on the face of the earth.
The British colonial masters who ruled
the nation for about one century recognised the unique multi-ethnic and
cultural diversity which is part of the nation’s DNA; this is largely
responsible for the decision to bequeath a federal structure of
government, with three regions to the country.
Back then, each of the three regions had a
luxury of enjoying its own constitution, a measure of autonomy with a
fairly weak Federal Government at the centre.
The three regions namely: the Northern
Region, the Western Region and the Eastern Region were encouraged to
develop at their own pace while engaging in healthy competition in terms
of development.
Northerners had the penal code which
derived principally from Islamic law- Sharia; the south had its criminal
code and customary laws.
It took less than six years after the
British left for the different ethnic nationalities to realise that the
fight against the common enemy which colonial rule represented somewhat
served as a unifying factor.
The fear of domination led to the
formation of political parties which soon degenerated into platforms for
strengthening ethic or regional identities.
Soon, these snowballed into an all out
struggle for political power with dire consequences for politicians and
the nation in general.
The 1963 national population census
provided an avenue for ethnic nationalities especially the three
dominant ones: Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo exercise to complete.
Because of allegations of the
politicisation of the exercise, ethnic and religious sentiments were
introduced into it to gain leverage. The entire process became the
subject of a bitter dispute. Because of the mistrust which greeted this
and other matters, the Eastern Region boycotted the 1964 Federal
Government elections.
It may be recalled that a year earlier,
the Mid-western Region was created to take care of agitations by
southern minority groups.
The electoral logjam was resolved and the East was allowed to hold it, version of the federal election in 1965.
That same year, the Western Regional
Government was in turmoil following a political crisis which was to
consume the First Republic because the military took power in January
1966 thus beginning a circle of coups and counter-coups.
January 15, 1966 marked the beginning of
almost four decades of military rule which left Nigeria bleeding morally
and economically. Nigeria fought a civil war which lasted for almost
three years with over one million lives lost on both sides.
When the military left the scene on
October 1, 1979 with the successful handover of the reins of power from
General Olusegun Obasanjo to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, most Nigerians
expected a new beginning.
However, the mismanagement of the economy and other infractions gave the military another excuse to intervene.
With the return to democratic rule in
1999 and the successful civil to civil rule transition, there is a
renewed hope that Nigeria is on the path of growth.
On Nigeria’s 54th anniversary
celebration, we are again on the threshold of another election expected
to usher in another set of elected representatives.
Sadly, the nation has been left to
grapple with most of the problems of ethnicity, nepotism, ethnic
rivalries and a power struggle among the elite to the detrainment of the
populace.
This prompted Senator Oluremi Tinubu who
shares the same birth year with Nigeria to declare that at 54, “the
country sadly remains a shadow of the dreams of its founders. The
occasion offers yet another opportunity for us as a people to re-examine
our ways and re-commit to being part of birthing a new Nigeria.”
Speaking in a similar vein, Executive
Director of the Civil Societies Legislative and Advocacy Centre, Auwual
Musa Rafsanjani said all hope is not yet lost. According to him, some
progress has been made but there is still a lot of room for improvement.
He expressed the opinion that if our political leaders were allowed to
learn from the mistakes made in the 1960’s Nigeria would probably have
been better than it is today.
British literary icon, George Orwell, who
authored the evergreen novel, Animal Farm, said the most effective way
to destroy a people is to deny and obliterate their understanding of
their history.
It is for this reason that as Nigeria
holds another Independence Day, it is imperative to sit back and look at
the political issues that have dominated the country in the past one
year with a view to putting them in proper perspectives.
The year 2014 is peculiar in that it
marked 100 years since the creation of Nigeria as a geopolitical entity.
In addition, it will usher in 2015, the year that could steer the
country in a different direction as millions of Nigerians will go to the
polls to choose new leaderships or retain the status quo as the case
may be.
This year, Nigeria was declared the
biggest economy in Africa, reclaiming its place as the Giant of Africa.
However, there have been several events that have threatened the very
existence of the country and must not be glossed over.
Chibok girls
The abduction of over 200 girls from
Chibok, a hitherto unknown village in Borno State, put Nigeria in world
news for the wrong reasons. The girls, who were abducted from their
schools on April 14, this year, were seized by the members of the Boko
Haram sect and have remained in captivity for over five months. While a
few of the girls have escaped, reports have it that many of the girls
have been impregnated by the terrorists. President Goodluck Jonathan and
the military came under intense criticism from the international media
for failing to protect Nigerians and for not showing enough dedication
to the task of rescuing the girls.
Attempts by Jonathan’s wife, Patience, to
intervene became a source of negative news for the administration and a
derisive phrase, “Dia ris God o” found its way into the Nigerian
lexicon. The kidnapping spurred a series of protests across the world as
well as on the Internet with a slogan, Bring Back Our Girls, becoming
an instant hit. Several world renowned personalities took part in the
protests. Sadly, as Nigerians celebrate “freedom” from British rule,
over 200 girls will mark it in captivity.
Osun and Ekiti elections
The governorship elections in Ekiti on
June 21 and in Osun on August 9 are two events that can make or mar
Nigeria’s future. While Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party
trounced the incumbent Governor, Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives
Congress, the APC was able to hold unto Osun State as Governor Rauf
Aregbesola was able to thrash Iyiola Omisore of the PDP. The two
elections were, of course, a preview of what to expect in the 2015
general elections. The elections were marked by heavy military presence
and allegations of rigging by both parties. The elections were also
largely a contest between Nigeria’s two biggest political parties ahead
of the bigger battle for the presidency next year. The consequences of
the Ekiti election are still being felt as moves are being made to
ensure that Fayose is not inaugurated on October 16, 2014.
This has,
however, been met with violent opposition. A former state Chairman of
the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Omolafe Aderiye, was
killed last week in what is suspected to be connected to the political
crisis in the state. Presently, there is dusk till dawn curfew in the
state while all courts have been shut following the beating up of a
judge by alleged PDP thugs in the state.
Immigration recruitment tragedy
The death of about 20 youths during a
recruitment exercise organised by the Nigeria Immigration Service which
held simultaneously across the country on March 15 cannot easily be
forgotten. Millions of job seekers had thronged the venues of the
exercise, mostly stadia, for the recruitment. It was later revealed that
each of the job seekers was made to pay N1, 000 before participating in
the exercise. The issue evoked anger and protests among civil groups.
The Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro; and the Comptroller General of
Immigration, Mr. David Parradang, both absolved themselves of blame
while both the President and the Senate summoned Moro and the incident
was probed. There has been no definitive report on the probe even as the
President’s directive for the refund of the N1, 000 to each applicant
has been flagrantly disregarded.
Poultry impeachment
In 2006, Governor Rashidi Ladoja of Oyo;
Governor Peter Obi of Anambra; and Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti were
removed from office. However, none could compare to that of Mr. Sunday
Onyebuchi, the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, who was impeached in
August for running a poultry at his official residence. This was a first
in the history of Nigeria. However, it is believed that the real reason
Onyebuchi was impeached was because he was disloyal to Governor
Sullivan Chime.
Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State
was also kicked out of office for financial impropriety. However, his
impeachment could be attributed to his defection from the PDP to the
APC. Presently, Governor Tanko Al-Makura ofNassarawa is fighting the
political battle of his life to remain in office.
Boko Haram declares independence
The outlawed Islamist sect, Boko Haram,
began an expansionist drive between August and September by overrunning
13 communities in the North-East. The towns were Michika, Uba, Gwoza,
Buni Yadi, Gamboru Ngala, Damboa, Marte, Bama, Bara, Banki, Gulak, Dikwa
and Madagal. The sect declared Gwoza a caliphate, boasting complete
independence from Nigeria. This was the first of such since the Civil
War of 1967. However, the military has been able to recover some of the
towns and claims to have killed the leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau.
Soldiers have also arrested hundreds of insurgents since then.
$9.3m arms scandal
Like a thriller movie with a complex and
intriguing plot, the $9.3m recovered from two Nigerians and an Israeli
in South Africa has continued to amaze Nigerians. The story took a twist
the following day when the Federal Government claimed the money was
meant for the procurement of arms. While Nigerians were still trying to
digest the news, it was discovered that the jet belonged to the
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo
Oritsejafor. The pastor immediately became the object of attack by the
APC and many others who accused him of being ‘too close’ to the
President. Although Oritsejafor has denied complicity in the deal, South
Africa is still holding unto the money on the grounds of money
laundering.
The refusal of the House of Representatives to debate the matter also raises questions.