I confess that I was very angry with you during your brief stint as military ruler, 1983-5. First, you seemed to me to be power-drunk at the time—because you made no distinction between the corrupt who had been stealing and sharing public money under Shagari and those who were known to have been resisting the robbery. I belonged to the frontline of senators who were well known to have, on the floor of the Senate, resisted the mass corruption, and yet your military government detained me (and many like me), and I languished for four months in prison without any accusation – even without being asked any question by any official.
First of all, I congratulate you warmly for winning the nomination of your party for the presidency of Nigeria.
Though you and I are different in ethnicity and religion, we have many important things in common. I am a few years older than you – which means that if you and I had been Yoruba boys born in the same Yoruba town or village, we would have belonged to about the same age-grade Association ( with us Yoruba, age-grade loyalty is traditionally a very important factor of life). Moreover, you and I were young Nigerians in an era, the 1950s, when our up-and coming country of Nigeria was a source of great pride to its citizens, and an emerging titan eagerly awaited by most informed people all over the world.
The three regions of our federation (East, North and West) were engaged in an ambitious rivalry for progress and for improvements in the quality of life of our people. They were able to do that and achieve considerable successes because our constitutional structure gave them much leeway to manage their own affairs within the common Nigerian family. We arrived at independence in 1960 believing that our country was set on the path to becoming the blackman’s world power of modern times.
Unhappily, now that you and I are in our seventies, there is nothing left of our country’s ambitions and pride – indeed, there is hardly anything left of our country itself. Relentlessly crooked up, violated, robbed and depleted since 1960, our Nigeria seems now to be stumbling towards its demise.
As you prepare for your election, I decided to write you this open letter concerning our country, because I know you will understand the pain and expectations behind my words. The purpose of most of Nigeria’s rulers since 1960 has been to weaken and even destroy regional and local initiatives in order to gather all power, control and influence together at the federal center. Their success in doing that has enabled them to remove the management of development far away from our people, and to institute at the federal centre a viciously corrupt, wasteful and incompetent monstrosity. Reduced to the status of beggar clients of the federal robber barons, the state governments, as well as the local governments, collapsed and fell in line as submissive incompetents and mini-robbers.
In the process, real and productive enterprise quickly declined among our people, as the best and most ambitious rushed to join the ranks of the sharers of fraudulently acquired wealth from the public coffers. Our schools and universities, our public service, our police force, our military, our judiciary, all our governmental agencies (electoral commission, secret service, central bank, ports service, immigration service, public examination bodies, etc) – all collapsed under the weight of crooked control, massive corruption and generalized disloyalty. Poverty descended mightily into our country and became the lot of the overwhelming and increasing majority of our people. Our government itself admits that, today, about 70% of our citizens live in “absolute poverty” and that that percentage keeps increasing. With the growing poverty have escalated horrific crimes, a culture of dishonesty, a rush of our youths to Salafist fundamentalist terrorism, and mass flights of the educated to other lands – all of which are compounding the poverty.
From your well-known record as a leader of our country, I know that you are not only aware of these things, but that, in common with many members of our generation, you are seriously pained by them. I confess that I was very angry with you during your brief stint as military ruler, 1983-5. First, you seemed to me to be power-drunk at the time—because you made no distinction between the corrupt who had been stealing and sharing public money under Shagari and those who were known to have been resisting the robbery. I belonged to the frontline of senators who were well known to have, on the floor of the Senate, resisted the mass corruption, and yet your military government detained me (and many like me), and I languished for four months in prison without any accusation–even without being asked any question by any official.
And then, you and Idiagbon expended most of your obviously shining capabilities in pursuing nebulous and amateurish programmes like WAI (War Against Indiscipline), when what our country really needed was (after you had fiercely shot down corruption as you did) to massively divert our enormous oil revenues into investments in the lives of our people–through programmes for expansion and diversification of education, modern job skills development, entrepreneurial development, small business development, promotion of modern farming, policies for improving the quality and reputation of our labour force and thereby attracting investments and businesses into our country, policies for promotion of exports, etc. Put a people to work and persistently multiply the economic opportunities available to them, and the attraction to prosperity through competitive enterprise will gradually suppress indiscipline in their land. Fanciful programmes like WAI can have no lasting benefit or future – as I hope you must know by now. That is why the man who ousted you, Babangida, was able quite easily to wipe out all the patriotic gains of your regime.
Furthermore, I though t it was a pity that you did not appear to recognize that the over-centralization that was being given to our federation was the foundation of our ills as a country. You were wrong in thinking that punishing the corrupt leaders would destroy corruption abidingly. What is needed is to change the system into which corruption has been built. In our country’s case, we needed (and we need) to reduce the magnitude of our federal government and empower our state and local governments, which are nearer the people, to bear most of the burden of development. Then we need to give recognition and respect to our various nationalities in structuring the federation – which should mean that our larger nations would each constitute a state, and contiguous groups of our smaller nationalities would be assisted to form states, just as the Indians sensibly and profitably did in the 1960s.
By refusing to go that route, Nigeria has abysmally depressed its nationalities. For instance, my Yoruba nation came into Nigeria in 1914 as easily the fastest modernizing nationality in Black Africa; and we entered into independence with Nigeria in 1960 as the development front-liner and pace-setter in Africa. Today, we are a battered, poor, and disoriented nation, and most of our achievements have been wrecked, thanks to our being part of a Nigeria that destroys its peoples. Every other Nigerian nationality has similar stories to tell. My brother, I am, by nature and by upbringing, averse to merely lamenting an evil development; I act to change it. My potential urge, even as I write this, is to exert myself with others like me towards pulling my Yoruba nation out of Nigeria if Nigeria will not change course – and that is something that we Yoruba are perfectly capable to achieve if we are pushed to start upon it. And the same is true of some other persons and nations. In short, let’s not ignore or minimize the danger of Nigeria’s dissolution.
I know you have what it takes to change and save Nigeria. I wish you luck in your election – and I wish Nigeria luck.
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Buhari was 40 when he became head of state. In Nigeria people do not begin to mature until they are 55+. Buhari, Gowon, Babangida, Obasanjo, Ojukwu, etc were just boys with pistol running a country. What did you expect?
ReplyDeleteSo watz better in Buhari to come back?if he failed woefully to to combat corruption as a military head,what can he do as a democratic head?when u had absolute power,u cant use it but now u want residual power,how do u wanna use it and don't forget Buhari locked innocent people in prison for no reason o,so has d General forgot all dese?we are waiting.
ReplyDeleteRubbish, cheap campaign for Buhari.
ReplyDeleteHe failed to tell what Buhari achieved except locking him and others who did not commit any offence. Is what he want him to do? Paid agents. No good reason to back up his support. Who is he to speak for yoruba ceceding from Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteAt 70 what can you offer Nigerians...
ReplyDeleteYour comment is off the mark here. Buhari is not the savior of Nigeria. If Jonathan has not performed as people said, what are the reasons for his under performance? I agreed with the senator when he said Nigeria problem. The nations he mentioned here did not have a framework at all to exist together. Until that is settled, there is nothing like Nigeria survival. Every tribe and Nation in Nigeria will continue to try to outsmart one another, fight for elections and thereby perpetrating all manner of corruption. Jonathan had an opportunity to correct this, but have been diverted by those forces that still want to keep a strong devilish hold in Nigeria. Okar tried to set this right in coup but failed simply because of these same people that want to maintain their hold on the Country.
ReplyDeleteThe Professor did not address any relevant issue in his story. He thinks empowering local governments will reduce poverty at local level. He failed to understand that corruption is everywhere, LG SG and FG.
ReplyDeleteThere is no need to seek the division of Nigeria along ethnic identity because it will not benefit anyone. Yoruba, Ibo, Edo, Fulani, etc are all Nigerians. If we put an end to corrupt practices in any form, we will enjoy our country together.
The Professor should quit tribal sentiments.
Articles should be read to understand the thought and ideal of the writer before commenting. iam surprise at the response of some people above. The writer pointed out Buhari's inability to consolidate on the success (shot down corruption) of WAI for economic prosperity of Nigeria. The writer pointed out what Buhari could have done in 1983 -5 which is still a lingering solution to our nation's calamity - decentralizing the Federalism. The writer is advising Buhari to learn from these errors and use his obviously shining capabilities in pursuing the diversification that will lead to investments and persistent competitive economic prosperity among Nigerian cultural and political entities if elected president.
ReplyDeletethe same structure that the senator pointed out in the past is what buhari keep doing.we all agree thar fution of Nigeria was indeed questionable.my observation is,why would buhari keep playing a religious politics.why do you have to keep going to churches to pick a running mate.has he not understand that ethnic and religion is the bain of our problem.I thinj buhari belongs to the clicks of those leaders that doesn't see Nigeria existing without bringing in sentiment.
ReplyDeleteI find this "Open Letter" thought-provoking and am of the opinion that the writer loves Nigeria as dearly as Buhari does. These are the kin d of people we need to govern Nigeria; and strengthening the local governance structures will surely reduce the too much power that our Presidents and Heads of state have enjoyed in the past ... look what power has turned Jonathan into! He sits watching while thousands are brutally killed day after day; I heard someone refer to the killings as Jonacide; I agree.
ReplyDelete