This piece is taken from the perspective that from 1999, in the second coming of Obasanjo, we began a democratic process with the best tool we had: a constitution that spelt out the terms and conditions that we as a country can organize and govern ourselves.   While this constitution with so many ambiguities and gaping holes and needed a lot of fine tuning, it at least gave us the start on a functional democracy, with the provision that Nigerians can be allowed to choose any new leaders of their choice once every four years. It is this basic and fundamental power of a people to choose their leaders that is the hallmark of any successful democracy. 

Since Obasanjo’s reemergence as president, Nigerians have painfully realized that it is virtually impossible to elect any new leaders of their choice as corrupt leaders intoxicated by absolute power perpetuate themselves by massively rigging elections right under the noses of international observers and scuttle the democratic process.  That is why the current legislature’s attempt to amend the constitution to enable the failed presidency of Obasanjo another four year term amounts to a disingenuous political stunt and a daylight robbery at best.   That this move is unconstitutional, distasteful and extremely perverted is to say the least.  Members of the legislature who support this moral travesty give the vain, self serving and uninspiring argument that Obasanjo can do in the next four years what he could not do in the past six years of his presidency.  That only Obasanjo has a monopoly of bright ideas and the touch of executive leadership is to insult the intelligence of millions of Nigerians whose lives have been unceremoniously sentenced to perpetual abject poverty in the past six years.  What stops this bunch of self-serving crooks (legislators) to ultimately declare Obasanjo the life president?  It has happened before with Idi Amin, Eyadema, Charles Taylor, and currently happening with Museveni in Uganda, Paul Biya in Cameroon, and Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.  The list of  corrupt and oppressive leaders who have scuttled the democratic process and installed themselves as tin gods in their own countries goes on and on in Africa. 

In the case of Nigeria, one would think that Obasanjo and the legislature would be ashamed to think that Nigeria is not capable of maintaining an exemplary and truly functional democracy for the rest of Africa to follow. 

It is an oxymoron to say that Obasanjo is good for Nigeria.  The average Nigerian does not supports his third term candidacy and here is why.  Nigerians cannot collectively say their lives are any better now than they were six years ago.  Since Obasanjo’s presidency, they point to the fact that the country has gone from bad to worse.  Therefore Obasanjo’s third term candidacy must be seen as nothing more than an absurdity and tragic for a country that has been consistently abused by most of her previous leaders.  

During Obasanjo’s term so far, almost all elected and non-elected leaders, state governors, party chairman, and party operatives, etc are billionaires in a society where poverty, unfortunately has become the only way of life for 95% of her citizens. 

Across the country electricity is a rare government service as most city neighborhoods and communities are in total darkness for days on end.  Affordable healthcare and housing is almost non-existent.  Our public utilities and infrastructure are in such decay you would think we are just emerging from the dark ages!  While most public sector workers hardly get paid on time, politicians continue to build mansions and acquire wealth  all over the country. Corruption, now a state authorized institution and armed robbery are running neck and neck in terms of their impact or damage to the nation’s psyche.  Leading economic indicators as seen by international observers paint the country as close to a basket case. 

This is despite the fact that Nigeria is one of Africa’s leading exporter of crude oil and earned more income that many countries in Europe combined.  Given her resources, she is perhaps one of the richest countries in sub-Saharan Africa.  Yet, the country as a whole today stands as a huge laboratory of human suffering and poverty.  If something was not wrong with our democracy, Obasanjo and his entire government would have been booted out of office with a no-confidence vote by the legislature many, many years ago.  That is what most civilized ,developed and informed democracies do.  That Obasanjo and his cabinet ministers continue to be above public accountability is the enduring mystery of our democracy. 

The shifting equilibrium or widening gulf between the rich and the poor, between the haves and the have-nots, between the struggling and those who have completely lost the will to struggle must come as the sobering reality of a leadership ready to sell the soul of our nation to the highest bidder.  While this topsy-turvy and convoluted national scenario will shake the faith of many a Nigerian, yours sincerely is still a deeply rooted believer in the Country’s potential as a world leader.  That her date with destiny and her time to shine under the sun are yet to come. 

Be that as it may, it must be realized that until Nigerians find a collective non-violent means to challenge the excesses of their political leaders, our democracy will continue to be tortured, fractured, acutely sick and confined to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and unable to recover for generations to come.    

To this end, Nigerians must be reminded that the road to a non-violent yet potent revolution will not come easy.  It will require sacrifices of all sorts.  Their human rights could be violated with impunity and crudity.  It must be understood that nowhere in human history was freedom for the abused and oppressed masses given so freely on a platter of gold. That Obasanjo and his cronies and all those who have benefited from his years of military dictatorship and now years of failed presidency will stop at nothing to imperil the democratic process time and time again. 

In this struggle to reclaim their inalienable rights under democracy, Nigerians must look back at similar struggles in the Philippines under the last Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Chile under General Augusto Pinochet, the Congo under Mobutu Sese Seko, Romania under Nicolai Ceausescu, Yugoslavia under Slobodan Milosevic, Haiti under Papa Doc Duvalier and Jean Bertrand Aristide and the most compelling struggle of blacks under Apartheid in South Africa.  These historical landmarks were made possible because people were rooted in their beliefs and in the power of numbers and understood the sacrifices needed to achieve their freedoms under these totalitarian and oppressive regimes.   Late Major Adaka Boro, of the Nigerian Army, President Nelson Mandela and Jerry John Rawlings are a few of the Africans whose sacrifices under similar struggles changed their immediate societies if not their countries forever. 

It is no secret that Nigerians have expended enough time and energy lamenting about the corrupt and oppressive leaders and their failed presidencies.  These corrupt and oppressive leaders will not go away any time soon.  

And it is time that Nigerians “take the BULL by the horns”! How low must the mental depravity of our leaders go before we realize that we can not take it anymore?   

Remember; when a man fails to confront his fears head-on, his fears may consume him head first! 

For now be informed, be active, keep hope alive, and do something that will put your country on the right path.   

Robot  # 1 | 05.04.2006 12:05

In most civilized societies, democracy is defined as the government of the people, by the people, for the people. It is that simple and has been the time honored definition. However, in Nigeria, in the record books as Africa’s most populous country, democracy seems to have taken a different meaning, different definition and d understanding. Here, democracy is a government of the corrupt, by the corrupt, for the corrupt. The operative word being corrupt. Nigeria offers the best case study of a tortured and fractur...Read the full article.