No regime in Nigerian history has wasted as much opportunities, goodwill and expectations as the Olusegun Obasanjo administration. This is a man who narrowly escaped death in Abacha’s gulag. Rising from the ashes of despair and desolation to become Nigeria ’s president. Prison experience ordinarily humbles individuals who emerge from it chastened, righteous, and committed to the common good.

Obasanjo’s regime has had the added luck of witnessing the greatest oil boom in history, with abundant cash to actualise a rapid transformation of public services and a comatose infrastructure. No doubt his administration inherited a fragile nation on the brink, reeling in discontent, hatred, violence, corruption, exclusion, increasing divisions and excruciating poverty. But at the same time the regime was also singularly and rarely invested with enough goodwill and wherewithal to effect rapid and enduring change.  

What we have witnessed since 1999 is a complete opposite of the ideals, and expectations that ushered in the 4th republic. Obasanjo has all but constituted himself into a God. The constitution is now so brazenly raped and abused. The rule of law is as good as dead. Court rulings and orders are routinely thrown out the window, as the God of Aso Rock selectively obeys only judgements that serve his narrow interests.

The status quo constitution that breeds so much inequality and injustice remains unchanged. The power question remains unresolved. True federalism remains a concept only in ink and paper. The increasingly dysfunctional extortionist police force with frequent extra judicial murders to their name seemingly exists only to carry out the whims and caprices of the self proclaimed God of Aso rock.

To cap it all, Godfathers whose only mission is to milk the coffers of their respective states have taken over the Nigerian political space. Overtly backed and prodded by a shameless and whimsical president who pretends to be fighting corruption.

 A vile, and vain dictator, his vindictive, authoritarian, and uncompromising style of governance has led to the PDP having 4 chairmen in 7 years, 2 speakers in 7 years, 5 senate presidents in 7 years, 3 governors in Oyo state in 7 years, 4 governors in Anambra state in 7 years, 3 governors in Plateau state including emergency rule in 7 years, 5 governors in Ekiti state including emergency rule in 7 years, infact at one point Ekiti state had 3 governors in 1 week. And a presidency engaged in a scandalous quarrel with his vice president. The ongoing intrigues and designs in Aso rock, might yet lead to another record breaking event of having 2 vice presidents within the life of the administration.

With the legendary and record breaking abuses visited on the fabric of this nation, it is a miracle the nation is still standing on its feet. It is indeed regrettable, that at a time the nation stood in desperate need of leadership, she was once again held captive by evil and uncivilised so called leaders, who have neither learnt, nor have any sense of history.

Nigeria remains critically on the brink. As we await the next helmsman come 2007, we can only hope the next president (if there will be a handover) will be moral enough not to seek to emulate some of the bad precedents of flagrant constitutional abuse, illegal impeachments, and Godfatherism characterised by Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

Obasanjo’s legacy will be one of so much hope that heralded despair, so much expectations that heralded despondency. So much money that heralded increasing poverty, so much opportunity for civil rights that heralded a spike in unpunished extra judicial killings, so much faith in the rule of law that heralded a groundswell in abuse and disregard for the judicial process, so much noise about police reform that heralded a more repressive police force beholden only to the president, so much hype about democracy, that heralded a total destruction of democratic institutions.

Nigerians will not forget the rampaging Chris Uba’s and Lamidi Adedibu’s of this world foisted on their collective psyche by a pretentious president in a hurry.  History I predict will be merciless on the villains of our 4^th republic in its judgement!

Comrade Lawrence Chinedu Nwobu

Email: lawrencenwobu@yahoo.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 24.11.2006 00:18

olootu  Villager

# 2 =Robot;139679>...Read the full article. History I predict will be merciless on the villains of our 4th republic in its judgement! Only that when the guilty suffers... the innocent shares from it. Posted by olootu| 24.11.2006 08:13