by Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia

Yours truly has been sitting on the sidelines for quite sometime now. But sitting on the sidelines is very dangerous in modern day Nigeria. As usual the excesses of government has prompted me to write. And write I will.

I will deviate from my previous papers and make an attempt to advocate for the third way towards solving our collective problems. Once, I said to a colleague of mine, “societies have to live by an expressed minimum standard and under a set of laws, if societies fail to do this, they will fall to disrepute and chaos”. Ironically that is what has befallen mother Nigeria. We have refused to live by basic standards and under set of laws, hence we have fallen to disrepute and chaos.

The most troubling aspect in this scenario is that the government of the day having captured power does not know what to do with it. It is not just a citizen’s responsibility to question his leaders, it is his duty to do so. For the laws of democracy ensure that no one man has all the answers but by being responsible to one another, collectively as a people we can achieve the impossible. The show of shame by President Obasanjo in throwing out Dr. Bala Usman out of the EFCC seminar readily comes to mind. In order for this democracy to endure, tyranny in all its forms must be resisted.

As I traveled round the country after a long absence, I realized that we have made some progress on some fronts and we have continued to regress substantially on other fronts. Here by progress I mean the advances in information technology and GSM communications, some form of stability, selective justice ala EFCC, debt reduction and in some other minute things the Obasanjo administration cared about.

Examining the bigger picture, six years into the life of this government, law and order is yet to be restored to our lives. Driving on Nigerian roads is not only dangerous it is suicidal. Nigerian drivers do not obey any traffic law, the okada riders are the worst in this category and we have refused to move in the direction of the 21^st century. Instead of installing traffic machines, we have continued to use tired, old police traffic wardens with no success. The probability that Nigerians would die as a result of a road accident is higher than that of a plane crash!

In the same vein, service delivery in most government ministries and parastatals is at best dismal or in most cases non existent. You have to grease some official hands before you get anything done in this country, from getting a hospital card to getting a police report on a missing item, you have to pay your way through, I mean in “egunje or back hand” or whatever you call it.

Not only are Nigerian roads terrible and our service delivery poor, our supposed “leaders” are uncouth. They are reckless in their choice of words and talk down to their fellow citizens.

Six years after over promising on energy distribution, all we see is a change of name from NEPA to PHCN. There is no reason to replace one monopoly with another. If the prevailing ideology does not change, a mere change of name wouldn’t make a difference. We are where we are not by divine providence but by our own choosing. Evolving from a third world nation plagued by disease, famine and hunger, dismal energy distribution, corrupt police and army, blighted cities and a thieving ruling class to a modern 21^st century society would not be an easy task but it can be done.

At this juncture, I will like to advocate for the third way in Nigerian politics, by advocating for the third way, what I am suggesting is for all Nigerians to come together and make a stand against bad leadership. The problems plaguing the south-south, south-east, south west and the north is not any different. It does not matter whether the south-south gets 25% derivation or not, without a sound leadership, it will be frittered away. What we need to do is come together, see, we are more powerful if we speak with one voice. Lets do away with the clichés, the thieving class are forever afraid of the day that the Nigerian people will come together as one regardless of religion, tribe, language, sex, age or geographical location, if we rise above the imaginary lines in which they seek to keep us divided, tyranny will be defeated and a people’s republic born.

One other thing that I find troubling is that ¾ of employed Nigerians have been reduced to the most basic level of employment. Literarily they are either drawers of water or hewers of wood. When you consider that having a GSM kiosk selling N20 a minute call is considered substantial economic empowerment. Nigerians are still bogged down in day to day survival jobs barely making a living. The problem is not one of lack of will by the Nigerian people, to the contrary, Nigerians are hard working people and very smart. The missing link ever since the time of the Awolowos, the Sardaunas, Azikwes, Murtala and Buhari/Idiagbons has always been good and purposeful leadership.

Under a visionary leader, the Nigerian people will prosper and the Nigerian economy will show the results in naira and kobo. If “NEEDS” has not significantly empowered Nigerians, it is because it’s devoid of a human face. Nigerians do not want just another IMF backed economic blue print, they want honest and purposeful leadership. They do not want a leader who will talk down on them, they want one who will talk with them. They want not an office manager but a hands on field leader.

Now, what is this I hear about the federal government wanting to employ only first class and second class upper degree holders to the federal civil service! Isn’t it enough that the organized private sector in Nigeria have continued to use these kind of discriminatory policies against Nigerians, what is awful is for the government of Nigeria to institutionalize discriminatory practices against her citizens. Wouldn’t it be a lot fairer if all relevant disciplines could apply and sit for an aptitude test to actually make sure they are fit for their designated roles. In today’s Nigeria, that a candidate possesses a first class or second class upper degree does not in itself demonstrate a sense of high intelligence! The United States of America would not have benefited from the skills and intellect of the Philip Emeagwalis of this world if they had practiced institutionalized discrimination. President Obasanjo, have you heard about equal opportunity before? If not, I enjoin you to scrap the federal character commission and replace it with an office to be called the equal employment opportunity commission to be established by an act of parliament. This injustice against the Nigerian people must not be allowed to continue.

And why is the Nigerian police still run like an arm of the presidency with yes-men at the helms of affair? A lot of reasons have been adduced as to why the police is run the way it is. Some schools of thought have said that to leave the police in the hands of state governments is to invite anarchy and chaos. Others have also said that because of deep-seated ethnic animosity in Nigeria, it will stir up mayhem. Others have just plainly given up on its workability just like a North Central governor I asked back in Atlanta-Georgia sometime last year.

For the continued survival of the Nigerian state, state and local police departments are not just necessary, they are vital. It is only veteran residents of a certain place having a stake in their local economy that can ensure their security. They do not need an extensive training on the geography and topography of their locality, most of the time, they know the spots to find local thugs and petty thieves. In the event of a major disorder within the community, they will gather the information quicker than the present Nigerian police, having thus gathered the information, they will pass same on to the federal police who has the jurisdiction to intervene in case of inter state disorder. Hence, the issue is not that state and local police departments will create any more havoc than has already been created, the plain truth is that by creating these departments, it will bring to the fore many of the issues that has become an embarrassment to this nation. State and local police would not work because typically in today’s Nigeria, it will be populated by one ethnic group to the disadvantage of the others, bringing suspicion and distrust. In the same vein, state and local police will work if the spirit of equal opportunity is applied. Such that it would not matter if you are Yoruba, Hausa or Ibo, if you qualify as a resident in a certain state and you desire to be a police officer the opportunity is not closed in your face just because you were born in a different place or because your father hailed from another state. In a true federalist state, such considerations would be inconsequential. But because the so called “elites” enjoy the status quo, they will do anything and everything in their power to perpetuate it. It is convenient for them to claim one state and live in another, thus, enjoying the spoils of both.

I will continue these reflections by talking about revenue allocation and petroleum products price fixing in Nigeria in the ensuing essays.

A.Y.Ajia writes from Minna, Niger State.

Smith30045@yahoo.com

Robot  # 1 | 11.10.2005 16:36

Link to the article is here

ADEBAYO ADEJARE  # 2 | 11.10.2005 19:42

YINKA, You have done very well. I not only agree with your observation that keeping on the sidelines is wrong I will go on to say that it is unpatriotic. I advise my friends to take a stance - either for or against. We would not have had so much mess to clean if we, the elite had not chosen to \"siddon look\". Even those who talk do not argue the constructive way you did. They are mostly uncouth and irresponsible hence those in authority just choose to ignore or close their ears even when those who are constructive write because the \"iconoclasts\" get better coverage and attention in the press. Some of the leaders return the verbal abuse because not all politicians are corrupt and incompetent. Abubakar (the General) sneaked in a provision into our Constitution that bars other Police (providing for only Federal Police) That is the greatest disservice any ruler can do to law enforcement. Now, in six years, our ever busy legislators have been unable to amend that anachronistic provision. The Governors are busy fighting for Federal Allocation and Local Govt when they should insist on having State and Local Govt Police. We should stop blaming Nigeria Police because they can never cope. Law enforcement is a duty on us all, individuals, local govt, state govt even NGO\'s. In due course, we would have State and local govt police (when it pleases their excellencies at the National Assembly) The issue is beyond debate. NEEDS:I have the impression that there are problems with the implementation of NEEDS but I understand that that Policy initiative is good for our society and I wish all the other states would emulate Lagos State which has now adopted NEEDS \"in toto\" and is implementing that laudable Federal Program as a State Policy. CHANGE: Now some of our problems are ATTITUDINAL and cannot be changed overnight. e.g. The Nigerian driver would have to be re-trained or re-oriented. (NOA pls note)There are difficulties in jointly fighting corruption because its hard to agree even on the basics. Some still worship public office holders and readily defend (or fear to challenge them) them using tribe, religion , nepotism or simple social stratification.Is it true that a particular religion ordains some for riches and others for poverty and ignores source of riches? Since the Politician believes he had been transformed into our boss by being elected into office do you blame the civil servant for the same attitude? And if you report anybody for demanding bribe would he and the boss you reported to not block you from getting the very service you wanted - with gross impunity? Would you even dare to report? The beginning of success in our quest for development is a change of ATTITUDE to public office and in general. The President launched a program for excellent customer service but will the state and local govt follow suit? No! As far as some are concerned that is \"Obasanjos Program\" e.g. War on corruption. So you and I cannot feel anything like that unless we go to Abuja where the officers are afraid that Obasanjo is watching them. NEPA, now PHCN cannot work because the few transformers etc have to be operated by Nigerians most of whom are lacking in proper work ethics. So we need to change our work ehics to even increase power production not to mention maximising it. Telecoms is working because very little maintenance is required and vandals have no access.Then our attitude to public property too has to change. Govt was forced to do some privatisation partly because we generally disrespect public property. Time would not permit me to respond to all your points but I do sincerely appreciate your taking up the guntlet and especially for the civilised manner you did. If we don\'t keep quiet, change will come sooner than later. Now, as for Dr Bala Usman(RIP), I do not doubt his patriotism. He and Dr Osoba presented a Minority Report to President Obasanjo on the 1979 Constitution so the President knows him.There was sanity in the system at that time. Its hard for me to agree to your description as \"show of shame\" maybe because I like the President although he is sometimes easily aggravated and that is human. I, as a common law trained lawyer agree that a citizen should be free to express his views any time in any manner including physically confronting the President at a workshop. The incident is an unfortunate one because both are on the same side of the Nigerian divide - the Progressives and more so because their views on the subject-matter do not materially differ. Flesh must have sneaked in. The moral for the rest of us is simple: NEVER CAST YOUR VOTE FOR A RETIRED GENERAL AGAIN. AND IF YOU DO SO AGAIN, DO NOT COMPLAIN IF YOU GET THAT KIND OF TREATMENT OR WORSE. Perhaps we should advise Mr President to please lease Prof Jerry Gana to us to continue where he stopped as MAMSER Chief in order to effect change of attitude in the citizenry.