IBB Can Be Right!

On return from the Republic of Guinea, where he went on an errand for President Yar’Adua to assess the conditions in that tiny African country following a military putsch, IBB made what has been widely regarded in pro-democracy circles as a sacrilegious statement to the effect that the action by the military in that country is indeed patriotic.

It is difficult to believe that a man like IBB does not know that the ‘in-thing’ across the globe is the clamour for democracy. And for a man who has (or once had) his eyes on the Nigerian presidency through democratic means, it is difficult to imagine that he did not know that condemning the coup in that country could have shored up his image as a democrat at home earning him some political scores in return. But IBB did not grab this opportunity; rather he took the risk of supporting the coup.

Expectedly several prominent Nigerians have since expressed disgust at IBB’s support for the coup; but it is important to assess the circumstances that informed this seemingly unpopular stance of IBB, even in the face of a contrary opinion by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Ojo Madueke.

The country Guinea has been under political turmoil since two years ago when the tenure of the parliament expired but no elections were held to renew its mandate. Elections planned for 2008 could not hold before the death of former President Lansana Conte, who himself was holding unto power illegally. It is obvious that this scenario created a vacuum of leadership in the country and the much cherished democracy was nowhere in practice in that country.

In the face of imminent disintegration of the country with the possibility of a civil war, it is only logical for the military forces who are constitutionally charged with the duty to protect the sovereignty of the state to step in and stabilize the system.

The action of the military boys would have been totally condemnable if there was a functioning and legally elected democratic government in place. In this case there was none, rather what was on ground could best be described as chaos, worst than military dictatorship.

The death of the President further created a fertile ground for anarchy. The military could therefore not have done any better than stepping in. In fact it would have been grossly irresponsible if they folded their arms to watch the country degenerate into a civil war under the pretext of preserving a nonexistent democracy. That they waited for two years and for the death of the president before taking power is a subtle testimony of the good intentions they have for their country.

These are the grim realities that IBB came face to face with when he visited that country. Interestingly those condemning him did not have the privilege of a firsthand assessment of the situation on ground. Neither did they offer alternatives of the way forward for that country. Rather they were preoccupied with casting slurs on IBB’s person based on their perception of his past.

To these critics, IBB just have to be wrong. Coups no doubt are bad in fact they are very bad under normal circumstances but it is not enough to condemn a coup; one must also proffer an alternative way forward. In the case of Guinea, the civilian leaders themselves did not offer a better alternative. They squandered the opportunity to groom their democracy making this present military intervention inevitable. So IBB was only stating the obvious, which might be a bitter pill to swallow for many.

Hear him: ‘For God's sake they were patriotic to make sure that the country remains intact. From what we could see upon arrival at the country the people are on the side of the coupists, and it would be unfair to say they have come to power to stay. I think we as outsiders should put our acts together to help the new leadership of Guinea to get the country back to its feet as that is about the most important thing they need from all and not criticism,"

I would rather support the views of the man who spoke from the background of firsthand facts on ground in Guinea than join the gang of those who sit in the comfort of their armchairs to throw stones. IBB is a very courageous man to have resisted the urge to speak against his conscience just to win approval from the pro-democratic society.

I am not sure the idea of democracy we wish to protect by condemning IBB and the military in Guinea is the type that allows a civilian like Conte to want to remain in power for life. Africa still harbours some sworn dictators like Ghaddafi of Libya and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe who, despite pauperizing his people and acting undemocratically in all his ways, haven't come pressure from African heads of State to step down. Why the hypocrisy and haste in condemning the Guinean coupists who in any case have expressed the desire to conduct elections quickly and return the country to civil rule?

IBB may have been tagged with the most uncharitable title of an ‘evil genius’ but he can be right. Indeed when he toppled Buhari in a bloodless coup, majority of Nigerians supported that coup and some of those condemning him even served under his military government. In fact Nigerians only fell out with him when he persistently reneged on his promise to hand over to a civilian culminating into the annulment of June 12 1993 elections.

Yes even IBB can be right. He was right when he introduced Option A4 in the electoral process. He was right when he moved Nigeria’s capital from Lagos to Abuja. He was right when he conducted a referendum to gauge the mood of Nigerians over the then proposed IMF loan. He was right when he set up the FRSC. He was right when he abolished import licensing, created the space for new generation banks to flourish, stopped the monopoly of Nigeria Airways and liberalised of foreign exchange and interest rates. He was also right when he championed power shift to the southwest to stabilise the polity that was heated up after the death of Abacha.

So I strongly believe, the position of IBB on the guinea political crisis is worth considering. It is hardly the stand of an uninformed political neophyte. No! It is a well thought out way out, by a great mind of a complex political crisis brewing in Guinea, which if not tamed early, could dwarf the humanitarian crisis in Dafur.

African leaders should support the new military leadership in Guinea to conduct elections and return to civil rule as promised. It is only when they fail to keep their promise that sanctions could be rolled out against them. For now, we should give them the benefit of doubt.

I want to end this piece by quoting from the scholarly rejoinder titled ‘Beyond the Drums of IBB Candidacy’ by Professor Sam Oyovbaire and Dr. Chidi Amuta to Louis Odion's piece "Before the Babangida Candidacy’’ that: ‘Commentators on Babangida's role in history should also show substance, historic correctness and researched pronouncements rather than mere regurgitation of emotions and recycled untruths about our recent national history.

I agree.

Robot  # 1 | 15.01.2009 03:35

IBB Can Be Right! On return from the Republic of Guinea, where he went on an errand for President Yar’Adua to assess the conditions in that tiny African country following a military putsch, IBB made what has been widely regarded in pro-democracy circles as a sacrilegious statement to the effect that the action by the military in that country is indeed patriotic. It is difficult to believe that a man like IBB does not know that the ‘in-thing’ across the globe is the clamour for democracy. And for a man who has (or once had) his eyes on the Nigerian presidency through democratic means, it is difficult to imagine that he did not know that condemning the coup in that country could have shored up his image as a democrat at home earning him some political scores in return. But IBB did not grab this opportunity; rather he took the risk of supporting the coup. Expectedly several prominent Nigerians have since expressed disgust at IBB’s support ...Read the full article.

allaccess  # 2 | 15.01.2009 09:24

I think we should look at both sides of an issue in order to find the best solution. Bear in mind the solution may not be the best solution but better than the other solutions available. African are generally known for being passive and easily led, small cabal of people can enslave an African people without the people so much as fighting for their societal given rights. No one knows the intention of the military junta because it is too early to call, they may very well be a citizen revolt but for the fact they are in uniform makes it look like a coup. If they decide to create a law and order society and later help bring about a democratically elected government then (as much as I hate to say it) IBB is right. Let’s think out of the box

Austin  # 3 | 15.01.2009 09:56

IBB may have been tagged with the most uncharitable title of an ‘evil genius’ but he can be right. Indeed when he toppled Buhari in a bloodless coup, majority of Nigerians supported that coup and some of those condemning him even served under his military government. In fact Nigerians only fell out with him when he persistently reneged on his promise to hand over to a civilian culminating into the annulment of June 12 1993 elections. Yes even IBB can be right. He was right when he introduced Option A4 in the electoral process. He was right when he moved Nigeria’s capital from Lagos to Abuja. He was right when he conducted a referendum to gauge the mood of Nigerians over the then proposed IMF loan. He was right when he set up the FRSC. He was right when he abolished import licensing, created the space for new generation banks to flourish, stopped the monopoly of Nigeria Airways and liberalised of foreign exchange and interest rates. He was also right when he championed power shift to the southwest to stabilise the polity that was heated up after the death of Abacha..... I agree. Because... I am a yes man :icon_ques::exclaim:D:

nijalaw  # 4 | 15.01.2009 12:10

What rubbish, if IBB had been smart enough he would have made a different statement. The country has been suspended by the AU already. Coups are not welcome anywhere in the world right now & it would be foolish to be in support of any, no matter the circumstance. The backbone of late president Conte was the military. Were the politicians given any time to sort themselves out? No the military took over a couple of hours after his death. The Guinean junta initially wanted to hold elections in 2010 but have now promised to hold elections this year but who knows whether their mentor IBB has tutored them on Maradonaism & it's all a ruse. Also note the following. More than a third of the world's bauxite reserves are in Guinea, making it the second-largest producer internationally. It also has large reserves of gold, diamonds, iron and nickel. It's possible IBB has some special interests aligned with the junta. What about our own situation. Is there a government in place right now in this country? A government in doldrums. Majority of the people living on less than a dollar a day. Daily rural to urban migration, economic migration & brain drain overseas. What about the bad roads, no potable water, healthcare collapse, dismal power supply , armed robbery, militancy, religious bigotry, nepotism, ethnicity, cronyism corruption, thuggery, godfatherism, kidnapping, ritual murder, cultism etc etc etc. Are people in Nigeria ,despite all these hardships clamoring for a coup? No & we will not accept one. It is wrong for IBB to be encouraging or supporting coups. Eight years of OBJ an ex-military leader in civilian garb was hard to bare but it was better than him in uniform. As for IBB did this & did that, it's bunch of crap. He laid the foundation for where we are right now; a nation standing on a precipice & waiting to implode.