The Minefields of Aso Rock (2)

By Fred Igbeare

In part two of this mine-mapping expedition, we examine other explosive issues confronting President Umaru Yar’Adua.  Watch out for fireworks if his missteps are egregious!  Or if he charts a successful pathway, he could gain the admiration (and legitimate votes) of many Nigerians.

Transparency: His pacesetting asset declaration definitely sets him apart from the pack.  Yar’Adua has raised the bar, and must now contend with a potential backlash from other politicians.  And the public will want to know more about his assets and would understandably want a more open government.

Government in Nigerian still runs like a secret society.  Democracy has helped open it up a bit but not sufficiently. The president’s credibility would surely be enhanced if he champions the Freedom of Information Act.  Nigerians need to know how public monies are spent.  And with so many prying eyes enabled on them, pubic officials would be less prone to personalizing the people’s treasury.

The president needs to understand what drives the separatist hunger in Nigeria.  A major source is the desire for a ‘fair share’ of the ‘national cake’.  Unfortunately current allocations seem to ‘disappear’ in transit.  Yar’Adua must ensure that the people actually get a taste of their allocated ‘slices’.  Sticky fingers from local officials can be as devastating as the inexcusable neglect from the center.  Resource hijackers indeed deserve aggressive prosecutions.

Separatism: In the Niger-Delta, the release of Asari Dokubo may signal a turn for the better in that region. Celebrations are premature however since the underlying problems of acute deprivations persist there.  In the South-East, facilitating Ralph Uwazurike’s release could be a positive move in easing tensions.  In other regions, the president’s challenge is to preempt issues that lie dormant there, waiting for a spark to ignite.

One such spark in the past led to a devastating civil war that Nigeria better not repeat.  The civil war was supposed to have ended on a ‘no victor, no vanquished’ note.  The reintegration of Igbos into Nigeria, however, hasn’t been without obstacles, or if you prefer, active subversion.  What accounts for this hostility?  It may be motivated by age-old ethnic rivalries in Nigeria.  Or it may come from a desire to ‘punish’ the Igbos for attempting to secede.  Which rationale predominates is unclear.  Either way, we are threading on dangerous grounds. 

An undercurrent of suspicion seems to exist that questions the ability of an Igbo man/woman to rule one Nigeria.  It is very instructive that Ken Nnamani felt compelled to say he had proved the Igbos capable of ruling Nigeria.  What could have prompted the esteemed former Senate president to make this assertion?

Nigerians beware: another civil war is not a far-fetched reality. How we all respond to the cries by others for fair treatment will determine the imminence of another such war.  The pictures of lifeless bodies accompanying Uche Nworah’s piece (“Who Speaks For Uwazurike And Ndigbo?”), evokes haunting images.  Nobody wants to be deprived of loved ones.  And if the deprivations are perceived by the aggrieved to be unjust, seeds of discontent are planted.  Such seeds propel the Arab-Israeli conflict and fuel it today. 

The killings of unarmed civilians can only push those coming behind them into taking up arms.  Ken Saro-Wiwa’s murder by Sani Abach, among other provocations, cannot be divorced from the resort to violence by Niger-Delta indigenes.  Again, I say, Nigerians beware!  Mending ruptured relationships can be quite difficult, and in some cases, almost impossible. 

Centralism’s Vicious Grip: What is really sad is how military rule has damaged the country’s federal structure.  Compelled into a forced marriage by the British, Nigeria’s disparate ethnicities saw federalism as permitting liberating levels of self-governance.  The military complicated matters with many years of unitary government that is proving quite difficult to unravel. 

Well, civilians are in charge now, or so it would seem. Yar’Adua should take the lead in helping give state and local authorities greater roles in government.  The details of how that could be worked out can come from ongoing national discussions among Nigerians.  One key to effective federalism, of course, would be greater accountability by the various levels of government.  As a first step, the president should push for a legal requirement that all officials publicize their assets!

Economic Hardships: Contrast the opulence of fattened public officials with the squalid living conditions of many ordinary Nigerians!  Part of President Yar’Adua’s appeal has been his earlier identification with the ‘leftist’ PRP.  The expectation hence is that his policies would improve the lot of the suffering masses.  If the history of leftist governments is anything to go by, Nigerians have a lot to be worried about.  Josef Stalin reportedly killed millions of his own constituents, to give one example.  Perhaps Yar’Adua may turn out to be another Julius Nyerere: with great personal integrity but better luck in performance results!

The point being made here is that Yar’Adua has to earn his status as a man of the people.  His image as a ‘socialist millionaire’ shouldn’t count against him.  Indeed, he can provide much-needed guidance to others who want to make an honest living and still hit it big!  Very critical: he must improve people’s lives directly to gain even a modicum of popular trust.  If gaining trust is a goal, then Yar’Adua may have miscalculated during labor’s recent general strike. 

His government is said to have announced concessions without first informing labor leaders.  Although they had just met with government negotiators, the leaders reportedly first heard of the concessions from the news media.  The government’s aim supposedly was to make the labor leaders look bad.  If this report is true, then something for more sinister than is obvious is going on under Yar’Adua’s watch.  A calm surface can sometimes mask treacherous waters! 

(fredlintaz@yahoo.com)

Robot  Villager

# 1 The Minefields of Aso Rock (2) By Fred Igbeare &...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 01.07.2007 04:39

gwobezentashi  Villager

# 2 The minefields of Aso rock or the banana peels in the villa have turned the place into skid row. The return of the owner from his one month sabbatical has signalled that the landlord is back. All pretenders are on notice that joke is joke and play is play. The Leader was pushed out into the cold before you could say "corrupt policeman". UMYA can do his feferiti by publicly declaring his "peanut" assets even small boy Bodunde has more than him. The things that matter such as who is Minister for Petrol, who is minister for Finance, who is minister for FCT, what bills are considered by NASS, who are the service chiefs, who runs the party, who is in charge of the NASS, EFCC etc etc. Such matters are too important to be left in the hands of a pretender from Katsina whose only ambition was to return to chemistry lecturing after leaving his beloved Katsina state in no better shape than he met it. When you talk about policies..... Part of President Yar’Adua’s appeal has been his earlier identification with the ‘leftist’ PRP. The expectation hence is that his policies would improve the lot of the suffering masses. Have you not heard that Obasanjo is in charge of harmonizing, coordinating and reviewing government policies? So what policy changes are you anticipating? Unfortunately current allocations seem to ‘disappear’ in transit. Yar’Adua must ensure that the people actually get a taste of their allocated ‘slices’. Sticky fingers from local officials can be as devastating as the inexcusable neglect from the center. Resource hijackers indeed deserve aggressive prosecutions. Ho ho ho ho ho. Mallam Fred, which one you dey now? Resource hijackers helped to put him in office. Abi you don forget say to thief na offence, to live off the proceeds of crime, na offence too. Handling na serious offence o. So when UMYA dey point finger, 4 dey point back at him. Aluta! Gwobezentashi Posted by gwobezentashi| 01.07.2007 06:20