To the extent that there are those who think Obasanjo is the best thing that has ever happened to Nigeria, there will be hundreds of the rest us who think otherwise.

Due to the furor generated by my last article, I will like to be more specific herein. However, I must warn that if you are not receptive to critical reasoning you may want to reconsider reading this, because in my estimation this is not only an indictment of Obasanjo’s leadership, it is also a poignant look at the rot that has become this republic (sic) charade that is called Nigeria.

When I said Obasanjo and others like him act out of irritation and not through thorough scrutiny what I am referring to is the kind of debacle going on right now in London between the British government and DSP Alameiyesigha on one hand and the Nigerian government and Alameiyesigha on the other hand. The judicial precedent that will be set here is going to be of significance and I believe strongly that we are setting a bad precedent in this case.

The issue here is not whether to dispute Alameiyesigha’s fraudulent tendencies, at least in my mind I believe he is fraudulent, what is circumspect in the whole scenario is the role President Obasanjo is seen to be playing in this case. Yours truly has offered what I considered to be a fool proof way of combating this kind of crime in my July 2004 piece, “where are the President’s men� July 2004, daily trust newspapers, Abuja, Nigeria. In it I stated quite clearly that what needs to be done is for President Obasanjo to lead the campaign to remove the immunity clause from the Nigerian constitution and that having done that, he can go ahead and prosecute Joshua Dariye to the full extent of the law. Till date President Obasanjo has not moved any motion before the national assembly to repudiate this clause. It is my opinion that he is probably afraid of the consequence of his own situation.

Now having failed to do what a responsible leader should, he is now relying on the British to fight his battles for him. The irony in this case is that unlike in Nigeria where court cases are sometimes pre-determined, in Britain, the foundation of their legal system is based on their moral beliefs and principles, hence it cannot be manipulated by their government. The outcome of the Alameiyesigha saga in Britain is not clear and in the unfortunate event where superior defense argument out weighs that of the prosecution, it will be a sad day in Nigeria. All this could have been prevented if Baba Iyabo will only act like a democrat for once and fight to remove the immunity clause and strengthen the Nigerian judicial system. I bet you, it will not be far fetched to see serving governors jump ship and run away to neighboring African countries if the immunity clause is removed. These folks know too well the enormity of the crimes they have committed.

Besides the Alameiyesigha debacle, lets move on to Obasanjo’s management of the federation account otherwise known as the crude oil account (Nigeria does not generate any significant revenue from any other source). We have a situation whereby the federation account is being shared regularly every month between all tiers of government but no one takes any responsibility for its judicious use. Hence we have situations where these executives rob the treasury blind because in the absence of accountability, you have chaos. Why would anyone of them execute meaningful projects when they know very well that no one will hold them accountable? Forget about the electorate questioning her elected “leaders�, our folks are too poor to care, you would think that in a democracy there ought to be in built mechanisms to for check and balances, it does exist on paper in Nigeria, in reality however it is non existent.

Now lets move on to the issue of state and local police departments. This government like others before it has continued to strengthen colonial structures that it inherited from the British to no gain. That the Nigerian police force as presently constituted can not combat crime effectively is not news any more, this department like almost every other department of the Nigerian state is highly centralized and very ineffective. It is characterized by low pay, low morale and in most cases by barely literate officers.

What we have in Nigeria today is a unitary form of government like the one in Cuba, North Korea and other totalitarian governments around the world. Even local party politics have been centralized such that if you are deemed to be a recalcitrant local member of a party like PDP, ever before the state chapter move against you, the national headquarter would! What is this? In the end, the only thing they have been successful in doing is stifling creative thinking and independent reasoning.

Once I queried a friend of mine about the role of council chairmen in Nigeria, he admitted in all honesty that he couldn’t provide me with an answer and this is coming from someone that ought to know. He is a high ranking council official. The point am driving at here is that what we have right now is not a democracy but a charade. The collection of refuse primarily a council responsibility has been taken over by the state. Infact there is what is called the local government service commission (an arm of the state government apparatus) that hires and retrench employees for local councils that are supposedly autonomous. Hence we have on our hands, a bunch of guys that are at best barely competent and now rendered useless by the Nigerian system. They cannot even come up with measures to reduce traffic congestion in their councils because if you ask them, they wouldn’t think that falls under their jurisdiction. It’s very sad indeed.

Now to the issue of due process in Nigerian government as advocated by Dr. Ezekwesili, yours truly just narrated my experience at the Nigerian Immigration Service Minna recently, due process is non existent in Nigeria, unless, may be Minna is a separate country far removed form Nigeria!

Regardless of what the die hard Obasanjoists want to believe, the situation in Nigeria is dire. Six plus years into the life of this administration, most basic facilities are still at pre 1999 status, some even worse.

In one of my submissions sometime in 2003 in the daily trust newspaper, I implore Mr. President not to expend all his political capital on frequent foreign trips, the panacea for investment growth has to be not only investing heavily on social infrastructure but also managing these infrastructures effectively I opined. My pleas fell on deaf ears, he continued to travel form Helsinki to Mexico, Mr. President traveled the entire globe, finally when he returned, he came back with nothing tangible! What a waste of time and resources. Why can’t these grown-ups get it? Sit at home, build good roads, fix energy supply, fix communication, work on health care delivery and most importantly provide reasonable security for both lives and properties. Do your own home work, the international investor is a smart animal, you don’t have to run around looking for them, you first get your house in order and they will scramble to be at your dinner table.

But here is my take on this issue, its not that President Obasanjo can’t understand this, its because he doesn’t want to. It’s a lot merrier to travel around the world in a private jet and act like you are busy, busy doing nothing.

Without mincing words, the cost of the foreign trips of President Obasanjo and entourage probably would have paid for a nice stretch of road from Kaduna to Lagos and may be with a little more from the federation account, the Lagos to Onitsha axis too. But arguing with these sets of “leaders’ is like talking to the deaf, it’s a hopeless situation.

There are so many things that I will like to expatiate upon as it relates to Nigeria but due to the constraints of space I will just leave the reader with the following whys; why is that from President Obasanjo all the way to the council chairmen, the Nigerian constitution is not accorded any respect? Why is the Nigerian government still run like a totalitarian state with orders having to come from Abuja all the time? Why is the state of our infrastructure the way they are despite six years of promises? Why does it seem apparent that President Obasanjo is trying tooth and nail to perpetuate himself in office despite the fact that the presidential system doesn’t allow this? If he must perpetuate himself, he can at least show some decency and sponsor a bill before the national assembly to change the present system from presidential to parliamentary (that’s if he has any brain at all to think of a decent manner), why is the Obasanjo government burning foreign textiles in order to artificially protect local ones? Why does he insist on eight year old cars as a criteria for the importation of used cars instead of just making sure that they are genuinely certified road worthy? Where is the palliative measure for gasoline? Why does he insist on a continual rise of petroleum products simply because he bought into the IMF’s hogwash about the Nigerian fuel been cheap? Did he tell his masters in Washington that the average Nigerian is equally poorly paid hence couldn’t afford 65 naira a liter fuel? Where is the agricultural subsidy? Why is it that six years into the life of this administration, our university curriculum is yet to be harmonized? Where is his small business loan? And the list of whys goes on…. While am not suggesting that President Obasanjo can do all these things single handedly, what I am saying however is that the single greatest weapon that he has to achieve all these goals is through his leadership skills. So far, he has been under utilizing this potential, hence the Nigerian state has continued to flounder under his watch. Right now as I write this piece, some desolate Nigerian or is it biafran is using the biafran pound to transact business in Aba and sadly enough President Obasanjo cannot do anything about it, the truth is; the south easterners may be justified in their loss of confidence in the Nigerian state.

In conclusion however, I like to say that my greatest fear for Nigeria is that it may end this century the way it ended the last, with poverty, hunger, disease, chaos and all the ills of a failed state.

But our faith in God and in ourselves would perhaps save us from this ugly scenario. In the meantime lets reject the 1999 constitution and mandate the council legislatures, the state and the national assemblies to start work on a new constitution for the Nigerian people, one that will reflect our moral foundation and beliefs, our similarities as well as our diversity, as we embark on this journey, lets continue to seek the face of the lord and hopefully the sleeping giant of Africa will rise again.

Robot  # 1 | 16.11.2005 05:11

To the extent that there are those who think Obasanjo is the best thing that has ever happened to Nigeria, there will be hundreds of the rest us who think otherwise.Due to the furor generated by my last article, I will like to be more specific herein. However, I must warn that if you are n...Read the full article.

Unregistered  # 2 | 16.11.2005 19:20

Well said, let the chips fall where they may.

Unregistered  # 3 | 16.11.2005 20:59

The immunity clause does not prevent the prosecution of public officers after they have left office. We have Audu, Mbadinuju, Osoba, Adebayo, Akande and others who are no longer governors. They no longer have immunity. Are they all clean? Why has any of them not been prosecuted? Alamieseyegha, Dariye and co will not be governors forever, they will one day have to leave office. The EFCC and ICPC will not disappear after 2007 as they are established by law. Why can they not prepare dossiers on any alleged thieves and deal with them under our laws for what they have allegedly done to our people? Laundering £10m in the UK is small beer compared to the alleged pillaging of the resources of an impoverished and needy state like Bayelsa. Why can he not be subject to the full wrath of the Federal Republic for the bigger crime he has allegedly committed against his people. What is the rush to make a point with someone at the expense of bringing ridicule to our Nation in the international space when we can set better examples to thieving Chief Executives through their cousins who are already available for prosecution. Why are we affording Alamieseiyegha the luxury of a foreign 5 star jail when he can have the "better" porridge of our 1 star Kirikiri complete with koboko at the appropriate time? The immunity clause exists for a good reason and need not be expunged because it is being abused by the short sighted. We have adequate laws to protect our country from plunder. It just does not appear that we have the sincerity of purpose to enforce them to the letter. Are we really serious about pursuing all looters? The law establishing the ICPC and EFCC I believe mandates them to prosecute any looters from the 70's. Are there no looters from that period that can be pursued? Infact a very effective lesson to impart would be to catch looters from the earlier period which would prove the maxim that "one day your sins will find you out". That may be the greatest deterent of all. If it is indeed true that the FG is in possession of a list of Nigerians with scandalous and unexplainable substantial foreign holdings, this would be a good starting point. The unanswered question is, do we really have the will to go all the way in this war against corruption? The jury is out. Aluta Gwobezentashi

Unregistered  # 4 | 17.11.2005 00:37

Aluta, thats exactly the point, a lack of will and the failure of leadership. I agree with the writer, the immunity clause needs to be removed for starts.

Unregistered  # 5 | 17.11.2005 02:20

No matter how one considers the King God in Aso Rock --- from his intentions or from the effects of his actual actions--- the man (OBJ) has been a retarding force in the history of Nigeria. He is either a foreign agent imposed on Nigeria to do the work of his masters for the interests of his masters or he is complete idiot, devoid of intelligence. Nothing else can explain his repeated behavior and records from 1975 to the present day. If this is the best that Nigeria can profer, then we'd better forget that country because it will never amount to anything meaningful. Of course, Nigeria under the Yorubas and the Hausas has been an obvious charade. Just forget about the Igbos and other ethnic groups for a moment; concentrate on the Yorubas and the Hausas. Is Lagos State and Ogun State the lands of milk and honey? Did Abacha build the best modern technological centers in the North or did he send Nigerian resources to foreign lands? A republic of human beings is controlled by the rule of law. Subtract the rule of law and you will have a jungle or banana republic in which whims of fools are substituted for visionary policies and programs. Lack of the rule of law leads to lack of accountability and mediocrity and self-motivated ramblings. The lack of respect for the rule of law leads to selective intimidation of political opponent; it leads to threats as means of self-glory. It leads to unresolve deaths of perceived and unperceived political opponents. It leads to what you have today in Nigeria --- backwardness and return to the Stone Age level of infrastructures. How can the attorney general of Nigeria be murdered senselessly and the murder covered up? If Bola Ige, with his security details, with his level legal training, could be murdered without a proper adjudication, how then can any person in that nation be secure from abuse and loss of life? OBJ is a joke. Those who support him are jokes of human society. Awolowo and Zik must be turning in their graves. Only bloody confrontation with the retards can really save Nigeria from the present downward spiral. Bloody confrontation does not come to our mind; we sit around analyze and re-analyze. But we must remember that sometimes it is rational to kill off 5 millions to save 135 milions; God will forgive us for saving 135 millions from the savagery of 5 million beats.

Unregistered  # 6 | 17.11.2005 03:37

Its always amusing visiting Nigerian Sites. I'm glad my fellow countrymen exercise freedom of speech vibrantly. We read anything - the bad the ugly the absurd! This piece shows this writer is a very good entertainer of the Baba Sala ilk.And he knows, hence he says his piece is not for everybody! Ignorance indeed must be bliss. Does this writer know something called separation of Powers? Whose function is it to adjudicate? If it takes over 2 years to adjudicate common election Petition and Appeal will end AFTER the man leaves office who is to blame? ALL the cases in court how many judgements have you secured? Who is fooled by your assertion that Alamie should face "justice" in Nigeria? ( A clever trick by his friends to get him off the British hook) The British will never surrender Alamie to Obasanjo even if he demands because (as our former colonial masters) they know the kind of criminal justice system we have. You talk of Ige how many murders have you resolved in the last 20 years? Didn't Oputa Panel identify a suspect for Dele Giwa's murder? Where are the killers of Yar'Ardua (of Blessed Memory) Abiola, Abacha, Pa Rewane,Kudi Abiola, NAA Engineer bombed to death, Marshal Harry etc. Obasanjo has pursued Abacha loot with vigour what has been the outcome? How many bags of Ghana must go do you require to pass a law to revoke immunity clause, can't you write to your rep (or furnish the bags) to initiate the Bill since you say that revoking the bill will harm Obasanjo's interest? Where were you when this man was being elected twice? Did you even VOTE? Have you thought of what is in the offin for you when this man vacates office? How many EX gov, President ex anything have ever faced justice for misdeeds in office? When you had problem with immigration did you report to Obasanjo and he did nothing? So, if a local Govt Chairman does not know or do his job hold the President responsible? Do you read the Finance Ministry's published allocations to State and Local Govts? And if 99% of Govs and Chairmen pocket theirs you want the Fed to come and do their job for them? You write like one joker we had as Gov. He had workers union problem due to non payment or delays, so he went to Obasanjo and asked him to give his state money to solve the problem. He was reminded that unlike in the military days a President cannot single out a state for help even though they are his tribesmen. So he went back to his state to campaign against the "wicked" Obasanjo. The head of a Federal Govt Parastatal was removed (he paid himself N27M monthly allowance) next he organises rally against a "wicked" Obasanjo. Wait till you get my next piece on this site: YINKA AJIA FOR PRESIDENT!

Unregistered  # 7 | 17.11.2005 09:20

=Unregistered>"Its always amusing visiting Nigerian Sites. I'm glad my fellow countrymen exercise freedom of speech vibrantly. We read anything - the bad the ugly the absurd! This piece shows this writer is a very good entertainer of the Baba Sala ilk.And he knows, hence he says his piece is not for everybody! Ignorance indeed must be bliss. Does this writer know something called separation of Powers? Whose function is it to adjudicate? If it takes over 2 years to adjudicate common election Petition and Appeal will end AFTER the man leaves office who is to blame? ALL the cases in court how many judgements have you secured? Who is fooled by your assertion that Alamie should face "justice" in Nigeria? ( A clever trick by his friends to get him off the British hook) The British will never surrender Alamie to Obasanjo even if he demands because (as our former colonial masters) they know the kind of criminal justice system we have. You talk of Ige how many murders have you resolved in the last 20 years? Didn't Oputa Panel identify a suspect for Dele Giwa's murder? Where are the killers of Yar'Ardua (of Blessed Memory) Abiola, Abacha, Pa Rewane,Kudi Abiola, NAA Engineer bombed to death, Marshal Harry etc. Obasanjo has pursued Abacha loot with vigour what has been the outcome? How many bags of Ghana must go do you require to pass a law to revoke immunity clause, can't you write to your rep (or furnish the bags) to initiate the Bill since you say that revoking the bill will harm Obasanjo's interest? Where were you when this man was being elected twice? Did you even VOTE? Have you thought of what is in the offin for you when this man vacates office? How many EX gov, President ex anything have ever faced justice for misdeeds in office? When you had problem with immigration did you report to Obasanjo and he did nothing? So, if a local Govt Chairman does not know or do his job hold the President responsible? Do you read the Finance Ministry's published allocations to State and Local Govts? And if 99% of Govs and Chairmen pocket theirs you want the Fed to come and do their job for them? You write like one joker we had as Gov. He had workers union problem due to non payment or delays, so he went to Obasanjo and asked him to give his state money to solve the problem. He was reminded that unlike in the military days a President cannot single out a state for help even though they are his tribesmen. So he went back to his state to campaign against the "wicked" Obasanjo. The head of a Federal Govt Parastatal was removed (he paid himself N27M monthly allowance) next he organises rally against a "wicked" Obasanjo. Wait till you get my next piece on this site: YINKA AJIA FOR PRESIDENT!" The writer of the above is one of those 5 millions that must die for Nigeria to live again. This is the summary of his ideas: Nigerians are incapable of ruling themselves. If that is the case, then tell OBJ to divide the nation along ethnic lines so that each ethnic group can join Britain or America freely without anybody forcing us to do so. If you do not know how to do anything in your miserble life, then step aside. If your mother had a fool for a son, then die and leave us alone. If you are a monkey devoid of intelligence, then move out of Nigeria so that humans can manage their affairs for themselves. Nigeria of 1961 was far more advanced than Nigeria of today, but Nigeria of 1961 was ruled by Nigerians. These were men of reason and self-denying patriotism for their nation. What you have today in the persons of IBB and Obasanjo are self-interested monkeys who MUST DIE for Nigeria to live again.

Unregistered  # 8 | 17.11.2005 11:51

lets not just wish them dead, lets pray that they have long life so that in their very life time, they can be a witness to a NIgeria that will be free and prosperous, where the rule of law is supreme and a republic led by diverse ethnic groups of men and women of wisdom and grace.

Unregistered  # 9 | 17.11.2005 12:23

This is for the Obasanjo apologist in the village, the writer Yinka Ajia is way out of your league. He has made valid arguments and offered alternatives, lets see you come up with yours. Yinka, the rest of us will continue to pray for you.

Unregistered  # 10 | 19.11.2005 11:39

Poor "giant of Africa". Her heart beat is failing. Thank you for this article. I hope they will listen at least. Now i can see why these frustrated people are calling for the return of white man to lead Africa. http://www.cagintua.de/wiki/index.php/Talk:Main_Page

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