Separating activism from political realism:

                                        An opinion on Atiku’s presidential bid

 

It has become a pastime for Nigerian internet pundits to treat the presidential ambition of vice president Abubakar Atiku with disdain. Forgetting however that the task for a better Nigeria is a continuous one. If politicians are not angels, then it behoves on us to make rational demands of those who seek to lead us. The arguments so far raised against the aspiration of the vice president is a legitimate one, however what is missing is the political engagement that this could have provoked.

 

Out of so many aspirants to the presidential seat, so far it’s only the vice president that has submitted his policy direction for critique. Lets remember that in 1998 President Obasanjo did not even have a coherent manifesto not to talk of a policy direction. The debate for or against vice president Atiku’s policy direction is indeed a legitimate one, what is deficient so far is the apparent debasement of the dialogue.

 

Yes, we have the right to question the vice president’s source of wealth, we have the right to question his stewardship right from his custom days to his days at the National council on Privatization and his on going stewardship as the vice president of Nigeria. But to conclude in the face of all these that he is outrightly unfit for higher office is to say the least ridiculous. If the above criteria were the yardstick, then President Obasanjo would never have been in Aso rock.

 

Nigerian progressive elements as encapsulated by Dr Kayode Fayemi made a tactical mistake in 1998 by ceding the political stage to the Babangidas, Aliyu Gusaus and the Obasanjos. After fighting Abacha to a standstill, they picked their bags and disappeared into thin air. Because we presume Obasanjo wasn’t good enough, we decided to make no demands of him. When President Obasanjo eventually came to power in 1999, he ran roughshod over the nation and he has continued to do so ever since. Since progressives did not contribute by way of funds or ideas to his election, he decided to conduct state affairs in the manner in which he chose. This is one of the reasons why we ought to exercise restraint as we question (legitimately) vice president Atiku’s credential to be president of Nigeria.

 

I am excited to see Prof Pat Utomi declare his interest in the presidency, this man is one of those that could if given the opportunity turn the fortunes of our country around. The extent of his political structure am not sure, remember elections are won at the grassroots level. Two other Nigerians whom I have tremendous respect and admiration for are Governors Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Donald Duke. In all honesty, all these three, Utomi, Tinubu and Duke do not have the political infrastructure and network that vice president Atiku has. President Obasanjo knows this much and that’s why he is fighting tooth and nail to scuttle Atiku’s ambition.

 

By using political realism other than activism, I would encourage Nigerian progressive elements either in the Diaspora or in the motherland to come up with ideas on the way forward. We should avoid the mistake of 1998. The presidency of the most populous black nation shouldn’t be treated as a tea party, we ought to take the aspirants serious and make reasonable demands of them. Whenever the primaries are held, we ought to try and get concessions from the front-runners, this will ensure that they are committed firmly to their electoral promises before they are in office and we can hold them accountable. In getting concessions from them however, we should avoid making any under the table deals with them but rather our dealings with them must be transparent and above board.

 

Even though our problems seem enormous, they are infact surmountable. What we need in order to fix our decaying infrastructure, unemployment, security, education, healthcare, transportation, Niger delta, etc is a sound leadership, whether vice president Atiku Abubakar will provide such a leadership remains to be seen, what is evident though is his political shrewdness and his amiable personality.

 

Instead of engaging in unnecessary political activism, lets take notes and summarize our ideas on the way forward. We should present these to the front-runners and get them to pledge their commitments to programmes that are dear to our hearts. By following this path, our activism would have yielded democratic dividends for the nation in the long run.

 

Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia is the coordinator of TheBridgeBuilders’ Forum and writes from Indianapolis, Indiana-USA, can be reached at abdu_mumi@yahoo.co.uk

 

Post Script:

We need to support the aspiration of as many progressive individuals as we can find, right now, we have Prof Pat Utomi, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dare Babarinsa, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Femi Falana. Lets help them with funds and ideas, they surely need all the help they can get.

Robot  # 1 | 05.07.2006 01:53

It has become a pastime for Nigerian internet pundits to treat the presidential ambition of vice ...Read the full article.

agbonizuanghwe  # 2 | 05.07.2006 04:29

Yes, we have the right to question the vice president’s source of wealth, we have the right to question his stewardship right from his custom days to his days at the National council on Privatization and his on going stewardship as the vice president of Nigeria " We will be questioning his stewardship as president of Nigeria if he is allowed to become President even as we go nowhere fast. I agree with you however that it is more what we the people do about the demand side of things that count. But I am sure you are well aware of machiavellian and fascist strategies often adopted by our leaders with collusion from so called progressives who are either blissfully unaware or down right cunning. Neither trait is particularly attractive in governance

Fjord  # 3 | 05.07.2006 09:48

Parags 1-3: In which case you’re arguing that there can be no conclusions from the questions or the non-forthcoming replies to them? Atiku’s wealth and his performance on privatization raise impossible-to-ignore on his fitness for candidacy. We not only have the right to ask these questions, but decency, if not anything else, requires Atiku and his contractors to provide answers and not merely respond. It’s slightly insulting that the questions have yet to be answered; it’s beyond the ridiculous that more articles for his case are pouring in. Does Atiku’s policy merit any consideration when his fitness for candidacy is in serious question? The argument in parag. 4 is unclear. The question right now is Atiku’s fitness. He is perceived to be as corrupt as any number of the other thieving Nigerian politicians. Let's hope the suggestion isn't that principled people support a corrupt politician because if he wins he’ll not consider those who didn’t support him. I mildly detest being on the same side as the president, but Mr. Obasanjo may well be in good company were he to want to stop Atiku and the likes of him. The current problem isn’t only ensuring that fit people apply for the president’s job, but includes scuttling the plans of Atiku-types, including that of that chief of thieves, Mr. Ibrahim Babangida. Let’s hope you’re, sir, not advocating submission to the thieving mob. Atiku’s bid for the presidency ought to be disdained, and actively scuttled too. Part of that is continuing to discuss the issue of his talent in corruption. What’s the meaning of the “political infrastructure and network” term?? Ability to effectively distribute loaves of bread stuffed with Naira? Contact with local chiefs/corrupt police/thugs and Adedibu-types to rig elections? A mystical ability to subvert the will of the people at the grassroots? Whatever it means in practical terms, "political infrastructure and network” - at this point - isn't a qualifying requirement for the presidency. Matter of fact, any politician who presently has a "political infrastructure and network” ought to be subjected to intense scrutiny. They're the ones most likely to have engaged in the abominable act of forcibly screwing Nigeria from the rear. .

myhotbrain  # 4 | 05.07.2006 15:38

Mr. Yinka; I must admit that I have onetime or another used the word 'progressive' to describe some politicians in the past, which was wrong. Please, if you can, how do you define 'progressive' in relation to some politicians such as Atiku and Tinubu? When you wrote that: "Yes, we have the right to question the vice president’s source of wealth, we have the right to question his stewardship right from his custom days to his days at the National council on Privatization and his on going stewardship as the vice president of Nigeria. But to conclude in the face of all these that he is outrightly unfit for higher office is to say the least ridiculous. If the above criteria were the yardstick, then President Obasanjo would never have been in Aso rock." Of course, Nigerians have the rights to ask these questions on how VP Atiku conducted himself in his capacity as Chairman of NCP, even as the investigation and possible prosecution awaits US Congressman Jefferson on his dealings and alleged bribing of the VP Atiku. The question is: should Nigerians be pro-active and asked VP Atiku these questions in the first place, or should will wait until VP Atiku using his charisma and network in clinching the presidency and afterwards be declared wanted in the USA for possible prosecution for financial crime? Further you talked about the criteria used in selecting and electing President Obasanjo, should we and must we continue to use the same criteria after 7 years of the Obasanjo/Atiku's administration or should and must we not increase our vigilance in preventing looters and prospective looters from ascending the highest office in the land? Having political network and huge amount of questionable wealth is only a part of the former equation, whoever must lead/rule Nigeria beyond May 29, 2007 must not only be of high moral character, he/she must be seen by most Nigerians as incorruptible. Period! As much as I admire the fact that you can support whoever you so chose, requiring of us to not ask certain questions of VP Atiku is akin to denying us of our rights to be led by men of conscience who will always do right by the suffering masses. Both VP Atiku Abubakar and Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu are the two faces of the same coin. FAKE AND CORRUPT. And you should not be suprised if both of them ends up in jail post May 29, 2007 when their constitutional immunity would have expired. Peace and Love, myhotbrain.