Where do we begin to talk about the Nigerian problem?
Some people say we should go back to the 1963 Constitution.
I ask the question: “Were we not operating the 1963 Constitution when Awo began his fight with Akintola?”
Awo is regarded as deity among much of the Yoruba population until you encounter someone whose father got a call that Awo’s people from Action Group were on their way to burn down their home for being supporters of the Nigerian National Democratic Party, a breakaway faction of the Action Group led by Ladoke Akintola.
They ran off, and went to a neighbor’s balcony from where they watched their house burn down to the ground.
For this person, the 1963 Constitution did not work. Her family was ruined.
The 1963 Constitution sounds good until you encounter a man who was present when in an attempt to placate the deity, Akintola was persuaded to prostrate for his former boss.
A sitting Premier prostrated for his former boss.
What did his ex-boss do?
Awo rejected the peace offering.
If you were Akintola, a sitting Premier, what would you have done?
Awo’s imperious behavior towards Akintola, was telegraphed to his supporters who felt justified in burning down the homes of people who disagreed with them.
And so, under the 1963 Constitution, the 1964 General election was disputed in the West.
Awo’s people were largely badly behaved. He did not stop their bad behavior. The First Republic came to a screeching halt on January 15th, 1966.
I was in Primary School at Holy Cross, Benin City. We were in school already when the news broke. The headmaster sent us home. I was an eyewitness to the ruination of the First Republic by bad behavior from Awo’s West.
A few months later, on July 29th, 1966, we were given tiny Green, White, Green flags to line up Mission Road, Benin City to await the arrival of the Head of State, General Aguiyi-Ironsi.
We waited in the Sun.
And waited.
He never showed up.
He and his host, Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi had been murdered in Ibadan.
Awo had already being sent to prison in Calabar.
In a twist of history, as the trouble which originated from his Wild, Wild West began to consume the country, Ojukwu set him free from prison. Awo made a big speech which included this line: “If the East goes, the West will follow.”
Everyone clapped.
The same Awo then turns around to take a job with Gowon, and helps Nigeria to prosecute the war against the East.
Any wonder why it is taking so long for the East and West to see themselves as political partners despite being the biggest trading partners in Africa?
One could argue that 90% of Igbo Trillions come from doing business in Yoruba land.
Would anyone want to dispute that?
Here’s the point. All politics is local. All politics is about self interest.
When people quarrel about politics, and tear each other apart as we observed two beautiful women do on a WhatsApp platform that I witnessed last night, I wonder why we all get riled up over politicians.
Exactly one week after the election, exactly one month after the election, Obaseki, and Asue will meet Oshiomole, and Akpakomiza at Osaro’s baby’s naming ceremony.
They will sit at the same table surrounded by police and DSS. Presiding over that table will be, Lucky Igbinedion, a sometime friend, a sometime foe of the others.
They will drink champagne together.
They will do business together.
You will not be there.
I will not be there.
We all need to calm down.
This is the day after.
As we continue to work hard towards reform, my friends, one thing is certain as Sam Cooke sang:
A change is gonna come.
Nigerians everyday come up with recipés for fixing the country.
I ask the question: Where does the country begin?
I guess the simple answer would be that the country begins from the community.
How do we begin to fix the community if we cannot have credible Local Government elections?
We are in a cycle. A vicious one.
And so, while we await the change, because it is inevitable, one thing that underpins the entire discuss is the preponderance of bad behavior. I do not know of any document that can address bad behavior, aside the law.
So, why don’t we remove the immunity clause?
Beneficiaries of rigging yesterday complain about rigging today.
The game is the same. The loser of today goes to find out how the winner of today won so that he too can win tomorrow.
On Saturday in Edo State it was alleged that one Party offered 4k per vote. The other countered with 10k per vote.
At a much higher level where only a handful of people need to be bribed to change results, 4k will turn to $5m and the counter offer would be $10m.
What we don’t want is anyone asking us to burn down our country because it is their turn to lose.
No.
And—don’t ask me how we’re gonna fix the system. I am just as flummoxed as you are.
Not a single Governor has ever conducted credible Local Government elections since 1999. They have always foisted Sole Administrators on their hapless people.
Some govern their States with 4 Members of the House of Assembly, while some govern with 10, sending the other 14 to political Siberia.
It’s cold, and lonely, and broke in Siberia.
Even the all pontificating, honey sweet talking Peter Obi in his time in Anambra did not conduct any credible Local Government elections.
In the heartbeat of the nation, someone won 18 over 18 last year in Local Government elections.
We did not burn down the house.
People bribe to become Vice Chancellors.
Someone allegedly paid N40m to be made VC. Another countered with N80m. Mr. N40m went to complain to the Chairman of the selection committee. He got back his money with a hiss.
I saw a Professor the other day in the home of a very wealthy man in Benin.
A few days later, I saw him again in the home of a powerful politician. I had to ask my friend about him.
He said—“Oh Proff— he’s lobbying to be made VC.”
Here, we go!!
Pastors are GOs for life.
They ask others to retire at 70. They retire without benefits.
None. Or, is there?
They have Private jets. Members of their congregation cannot pay fees to write WAEC.
Bankers transmute from CEOs after their tenure. They create new Holding Companies to retain control.
Principals collect bribes to keep teachers who are not teaching on the payroll.
According to a writer from the Nigerian Tribune, three Nigerian witches gathered recently for a meeting in Minna ostensibly to discuss the state of the nation.
They had a chance to bring about fundamental changes in their time.
One gave us June 12.
The other gave us a worthless piece of paper that he called the 1999 Constitution.
The big Kahuna of them all gave us $16B worth of darkness and a failed Third term.
They all had their day in the Sun.
What did they do with it?
The question remains, my friends.
Where do we begin?
According to a Nigerian singer: “If you ask me, na who I go ask?”
Michael Ovienmhada.
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This is the sad story of my dear country Nigeria. To answer the question, where do we start from, let me say we need to start from ourselves. The current political orientation that we have as electorates needs to change. We are becoming increasingly complacent with rigging of elections in the country and the scale is getting worse by each election. The impunity among our politicians in damming the consequences of rigging elections is top notch now. The day we begin to severely punish the election riggers in the country, we will be in the right direction.
A country where one believes that those who should participate in elections should be those who can bear the pain of rigging elections is bound to be doomed. We must also acknowledge that our judicial systems need serious reform. A situation where one man has become so powerful that people now need him to win in court is bad news. Our judges must use facts rather than technicalities in judging election cases.
Once we begin to let our votes count, we will be heading to the right direction.
We need separation of powers in governance such that various arms of govt operate independent of each order. There can’t be a democracy without it, To let one president be in control of everything is very much insane and creates a culture of impunity especially when criminally minded persons find their way into power