Usiriedo I. Omondiagbe

May 29th, 1999 was the day President Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn into power as the democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). That day Nigerians rejoiced and celebrated, calling it the dawn of a new era in Nigerian politics. We all thought that the new administration would usher in speedy economic growth and grassroot development. Expectations were high, and most Nigerians were willing to render support to the government of the day. It’s been nearly eight years now and the Obasanjo / Atiku administration, having spent two terms in office, are preparing to hand-over power. But has this regime lived up to expectations? Has the Obasanjo / Atiku government exhibited peculiar leadership qualities that distinquished them from past rulers?

Well, as an average non-partisan Nigerian, I’ll say in all certainty that the Obasanjo / Atiku government has totally failed Nigerians. They have reflected the highest form of incredibility, dishonesty and immaturity. All the successes which have been recorded since 1999 did not emanate from their skillfulness or ingenuity. Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been experiencing annual growths, the national budget has ran into trillions of naira, we’re been paying off foreign debts, and our foreign reserves have been booming with growth. This shows that the country is growing richer. But how could we give the government a pass mark when the country is growing richer but the condition of the masses is not improving. If a country is rich and its citizens are relatively poor, then it’s not worth commending. This shows that the Obasanjo / Atiku government is only a government for the rich.

The Obasanjo / Atiku government has tried tackling the chronic corruption which has been a dominant feature of the country’s politics. But events have shown us that all their efforts have been nothing but hypocritical. President Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku are the two most corrupt Nigerians. Agencies such as the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are meant to reduce corruption and crime to the lowest minimum, and promote the image of the country. But these agencies have become mere agents of deceit that are meant to hoodwink Nigerians into thinking that the government is dedicated towards fighting crime and corruption. Here’s a tip for the EFCC: if you truly want to be relevant, stop going after a selected group of citizens (presumed to be Obasanjo’s political enemies), go investigate the activities of President Obasanjo himself; also try visiting the cyber cafés in Benin City to see what teenagers are up to these days.

Embarrassingly, Nigeria today remains a country where public funds just disappears, and no one gets punished for it. It’s a place where a man could get assassinated in his bedroom or hotel room, and the criminals go scot free. It’s a place where census figures could be so rigged so much that the most cosmopolitan city in the country is rendered irrelevant. I could go on and on mentioning these unpalatable facts. But that is not the aim of this article. All I’ve been trying to state is that the Obasanjo / Atiku government has not been able to diversify the economy from that which is essentially based on the oil sector, the Obasanjo / Atiku government has not been able to spread wealth to the grassroots (where it matters most); the Obasanjo / Atiku government has not been able to promote social equality; the Obasanjo / Atiku government has not been able to improve security and reduce crime; the Obasanjo / Atiku government has not been able to provide steady electricity supply; the Obasanjo / Atiku government has not been able to practice true federalism; the Obasanjo / Atiku government has been more autocratic than democratic. All these have resulted in my characterization of the Obasanjo / Atiku regime as a failure. We have not yet forgotten the flagrant rigging which they perpetuated in the 2003 general elections. These men have totally undermined our democracy.

As we prepare for the April 2007 polls, we should remember that the country has suffered too much in the hands of short-sighted, ill-visioned, reckless and manipulative leaders. We must put an end to this now! The failure recorded by President Olusegun Obasanjo must also be attributed to Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the People’s Democratic Party. Hence we should see them as the enemy to defeat in the forthcoming elections. Both Obasanjo and Atiku are not matured enough to rule Nigeria. Atiku has been benefiting immensely from the PDP exploitative machinery (Which he helped to build), but backed out when he observed that things were no longer going his way. That was when he became a ‘hero’ and a ‘democrat’. I wonder why Nigerians now see the Vice President as a democrat or a hero, simply because he was opposed to the president’s third term bid and because of his long standing face off with Mr. President.

I wonder why many Nigerians are making this grievous error. Let it be stated here that the only reason why Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was opposed to the third term agenda of Mr. President is that he felt cheated by that ambition which was going against his own presidential ambition. Hence, he felt obliged to resist President Obasanjo’s third term plan. He did not fight because patriotism compelled him to do so, or because he respects the feelings of Nigerians. I wish to state categorically that Nigerians have benefited absolutely nothing from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in his capacity as vice president and we stand to benefit nothing from him if he becomes the next president. He has nothing to offer us.

In the last one year, Atiku has earned himself the reputation of being the most controversial Nigerian. I also acknowledge the fact that he has become one of the most popular Nigerians recently. There are reasons why some persons have been attracted to his presidential campaign. He has incumbency powers, he has nationwide support, and also he was a founder of the PDP. Hence he has and knows what it takes to successfully dethrone the PDP. This shows that he is very relevant, and has a vital role to play in the April 2007 polls. But the truth remains that we need a true leader in 2007, and Atiku just doesn’t fit that description. We truly appreciate his fights for our great country. This brings me to the aim of this article: the best path for Atiku in the build up to the April 2007 elections. If Atiku is to truly place his name in the good pages of history books as someone who truly fought for and defended Nigeria’s democracy, here is what he must do: he should step down honorably from the 2007 presidential race and join hands with the opposition to remove the PDP from power. This will totally correct his past ills. This will confirm his status as a true hero and a democrat. For sometime now, there have been calls from various quarters, asking the VP to step down, but all attempts have failed. This attitude from the VP gives one the impression that he is being sponsored to prevent the opposition from uniting against the PDP.

This is different from other calls asking the VP to step down from the presidential race. Other persons may be expressing such recommendations because they are advocating for the interest of a particular aspirant. Rather, this article is borne out of patriotism and the national interest. I am not asking Atiku to resign from being the vice president. He should remain the vice president till his tenure expires. But the best he should do now is to withdraw from the 2007 presidential race and join hands with the opposition, to fight the enemy (the PDP), enabling a more deserving party to succeed. The best Nigeria needs at the moment is credible leadership. Atiku must not be a stumbling block, but he should be able to contribute towards producing such a leader in the run up to the 2007 elections.

Robot  # 1 | 04.02.2007 23:39

May 29th, 1999 was the day President Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn into power as the...Read the full article.