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‘As I was saying…’ That was William Neil Connor with pseudonym Cassandra after he returned to his column in the Daily Mirror in September 1945. He had been interrupted from his regular column by the time he took to go to war, in the great terrible military convulsions that took place between 1939 and 1945 (The Second World War).
As it was being said in the Village! Ours, however, were not interrupted by disturbances but by the good tidings of yuletide and Sallah. The year 2007 seems to be the most promising yet to any Nigerian, living. Finally, the gate to the Presidential political arena has been closed and only 9 contestants would eventually be allowed to run that 2007 race in
Nigeria
. IBB would not be running after all. He wisely chose not to. What a relief! Few men, by their exclusion from a process, could have given such deep satisfaction to so many. The step-aside General has been stopped in his tracks from stepping back in. Nigerians have not gone yet to the streets in jubilation; they would at least sleep better knowing that IBB would not be their next President come 2007, …all things being equal. It is not that most Nigerians dislike IBB – far from it; it is just that exigencies, presently, would not allow it.
For eight years, 1985-1993, retired General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida presided over
Nigeria
, which in fairness, was not an easy time both for the President and his people. The period, however, provided a golden opportunity for the people and the leaders at that time. Many Nigerians I have spoken to seem to wonder that had he not taken over in 1985, this nation of ours would most surely have been counted among the Greats. IBB had the chance to take
Nigeria
to the moon, but he chose not to. He must have realised this inadequacy and could be why he decided to step aside, instead of stepping down when he was confronted and asked to go. His thinking surely must have been for the future - wherefore he could get another chance to correct for his miscalculations. That opportunity, however, is increasingly not to be!
Providence
seems to make IBB simmer. Here was one of
Nigeria
’s brightest minds but whom, with his own doing, delivered below expectations – even below his own standard.
This is not an attempt to make him more interesting than he is. It is a fact. It is said that nothing is more painful to a man, than the realisation that he had acted below his own personal standard. On the platform of his mental power and capability, IBB surely acted below his own personal benchmark. That is painful enough and there, draws my sympathy. Forget about what the billions you hear that he had amassed could do for him or the effects of the sycophantic songs delivered to his ears by his lackeys, IBB must be stewing in his own chowder during his solo moments. We all have our solo moments where, helplessly, we are confronted alone with our deeds. This could be what fuelled IBB’s desire to return to Aso Rock.
It is said that a leader is exposed to two critical elements – sycophancy and criticism. How he deals with it is essentially personal and could make or break him. The unappreciated actions of critics, nuisance as they seem, prevent the leader from falling overboard. Yet they are the ones he loathes most. Sycophants, on the other hand, effectively, push the leader into the pit. Those who are familiar with the Yoruba folklore story of the pretext-crowning of the elephant by the tortoise will understand my drift. Sycophant would call a leader, god. At a point, a vain leader will start seeing just that and not his own image anymore - anytime he looks into the mirror. IBB in his eight years as President of Nigeria glorified the sycophants around him – whilst his critics were sent to jail. His busybodies maimed or made some of IBB’s critics to meet some unfortunate consequences. Any attack on his policy was tantamount to an attack on his person. Government machineries were used to interpret criticism of policies as national treason.
He was, nonetheless, not alone. All the other leaders have, at one time or the other, fallen prey to this uncanny human element. Some were able to rise above it while in office. For some, they realised it too late. But why IBB! It shows that whatever you may think of him, IBB is made in the image of God after all. It is said that when a man realises a black spot in his morality, he tries to correct it with automatism without being conscious of it. It is the same reason why a criminal is drawn to the scene of a crime he had just committed. Police all over the world in recent times have been using this knowledge to apprehend offenders. The exclusion of IBB in the presidential race is monumental. Credit, however, will go to Obasanjo, who by so doing had laid another layer of benevolence to most Nigerians. To me, Obansanjo had left the best for the last.
At a level of mere mortal that I belong, I congratulate tens of Nigerians who were able to use their little pens to puncture IBB’s balloon of pomposity. For some unexplained reasons, people were courageous enough to initiate the call for IBB not to run and spoke out. Call it
Providence
or patriotism or whatever you believe in. It is still in consonance with what the German writer recorded. Johann Wolfang Von Goethe, whose standings in German literature is comparable to that of Shakespeare, thus recorded, “Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth - that the moment one definitely commits oneself then
Providence
moves too.”
IBB, of course, is far from being irrelevant and he is survivor. It is now left to him to do what is right. My advice to the Minna Chief is to lend his weight to whomever he genuinely knows would take
Nigeria
out of this rot, barring of course his personal interests and security. Only then, can he have peace with himself, I think. Making up with one’s enemies is never too late as they say. The U.S. Senator Everret Dirksen, who passed on in 1969, once said, ‘Life is not a static thing. …The only people who do not change their minds are incompetents in asylums who can’t and those in the cemeteries.’ Even if Buhari is what IBB’s heart suggests, he should endorse him without any delay.
Nigeria
is bigger than all of us. IBB and Buhari, I am sure, are big enough to admit it.
My call is based on the urgent need for organisation. Government’s primary role is about organising the society and not about awarding contracts. What we have been hearing thus far are more of awarding contracts for the provision of amenities, yet the whole society is disorganised. Organisational repertoire has eluded us if you come to think of it. You could argue that lack of organisational ability is common place among black communities and
Nigeria
being the largest in effect should be more so. But what does it cost to organise ourselves? Definitely it is not money but the will to do so. Mind you, personally, the black man or the Nigerian is organised but when they are two or more they are lost. I took a drive around
Lagos
during this yuletide and visited some areas I had not been in ten years or more. What I saw brought tears to my eyes. Not much for the lack of new infrastructure or the decay of the ones still standing; it was the lack of organisation within the society. I hope I am using the right word.
Lagos
drivers, particularly the commercial drivers - I assume it is the same in all the other parts of the country – have turned the main arteries of our motorways into bus stops and nobody seems to care. Building permits have been granted for large commercial buildings without considerations for parking. Where do they expect the people to park their vehicles when they visit this gigantic edifice? Traders have taken over the roads.
Every Nigerian is selling something or the other. Every door in
Nigeria
is practically a shop, yet the economy is tottering. At night, it is even worse when their ugly stands are visible after the people have gone – some of the stalls are the ugliest piece of contraption. The streets are adorned with banners that compete with webs of electricity and telephone cables; all of which will shame any spider. All public walls and bridges are plastered with posters of priests and politicians – two of the disappointing “Ps” in
Nigeria
’s psyche. The other “P” is the Police.
Nigeria
is really jaga jaga. 1 Corinthians 14: 40 run thus. “Let all things be done decently and in order.’ Ironically, it is the posters of these men of God that deface the country more than anything else. That definitely cannot be considered decent or orderly.
Twenty three years ago, Buhari and the late Idiagbon brought out the whip to organise us; of course, we did not like the taste of that whip. The passage of time, in any case, would have mellowed that youthful exuberance. If Buhari is still convinced that organisation more than anything else is what we need, he should know that it has to be through persuasion this time. Nigerians would have to be sold the idea that it is more profitable now and not just in the far future; to be organised. The late Fela Anikulapo Kuti said in one of his memorable songs that everything is disorganised. Our actions have confirmed Fela as a prophet and not the charlatans that call themselves prophets these days in our midst. I do not agree with a friend who insisted that should Buhari win, most of the present leaders would end up in jail – including our President. That would be damaging to our psyche. We should let bygones be bygones.
To fellow Nigerians who will vote for our next leaders, my advice is simple. ‘If you do what you’ve always done; you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.’ That was recorded by somebody. I am sorry, I do not know who. So, we should choose carefully. Our lives or those of our loved ones may depend on it.
Samuel Akinyele Caulcrick –
Lagos
.
Author of the book: The Devil Must Be Laughing.
ISBN 1-4241-2196-5
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Authors 
Posted by Robot| 02.01.2007 14:02