The Case of A Curious Democracy.

As we celebrate 64 years of Independence, it would be nice to throw some light on the State of the Nation.

For many years, we hounded the military until they decided to take a bow in 1999. Since then, it would be interesting for us to do a nationwide introspection and an in-depth analysis to examine the state of our democracy. How have we fared?

Let’s take it one leader at a time and see if we can make informed progress on the question.

1999-2007.

Obasanjo’s first term was heralded by great hope and optimism. Having just been released from prison, the nation hoped that a man who had been through the valley of the shadow of death, literally would have a measure of humility stewed in wisdom and a great vision of what he was going to do to show gratitude to a nation that welcomed him back from the abyss, and to God Almighty who had shown him mercy.

It did not take long for the Tiger in him to awaken. All the promises of a new Constitution and reforms to entrench a democratic culture quickly gave way to jackboot authoritarianism.

The Leopard was not going to change his spots as much as the Ethiopian would be expected to change his skin.

A lot of privatization began to unfold under his watch as national assets started to change hands from the Federal government into the pockets of cronies. The biggest heist was Transcorp. It was one of those sad things.

Sadder still was the revelation that the biggest Kahuna in the country bought some heavy amount of shares in Transcorp.

What ever happened to ethics?

For the big Kahuna, ethics be damned. He went on to deliver the ultimate bitter pill of democracy of the Otta variety, nurtured in civil war rhetoric when he “captured” all the States in the South West in 2003, except for the one belonging to a rising star, the marathon man, Lion of Bourdillon.

By the end of his term, he had freed us from our debts, saved close to $70B in excess crude account and foreign reserves, but failed at a $16B electricity project, failed to deliver on roads, and left our university system in a shambles.

The question then arises as to the money saved. Why was it not channeled into infrastructure that the nation could benefit from?

Should a country save money or build infrastructure that can help build wealth?

How would you score his government on the economy, human rights, infrastructure, education, and furtherance of democratic culture?

By 2007 when it was time for him to quit, he foisted on the nation the kind of election that even the Serengeti with all its carnivores could not dream of.

Our descent into Jackboot democracy was so bad that even the beneficiary of the rape said to the country at the time: “Guys, this was some bull—-“

He did not live long enough to institute reforms. He died in May 2010.

Only God knows what could have become of our country if Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua had lived.

Here comes the man in black: 2010–2015. He came meek as they come. He gathered bright minds around him. The economy grew to become the biggest in Africa. In 2014, he gathered the whole country for a Constitutional Conference. They agreed on 114 resolutions. He had the opportunity to become the biggest Statesman Nigeria had ever produced. He could have done the reforms and sailed into the sunset, but no.

I heard this expression from a friend in Benin City to the end that: we are all slaves to our ambitions. She told me she heard it from some political big wig in Benin City. I shall be seeking his permission to have him on record.

He must know.

If Jonathan had done the reforms and chosen not to run, would a different kind of Nigeria have emerged?

Any guess would be educated at best.

All the wolves, the people who helped to win elections in his Party, the PDP, deserted him in droves and moved over to help Buhari.

2015-2023.

If you thought Jonathan was weak, the new master of the Manor, the Generalissimo was effeminate. His understanding of his role in power was not only provincial and ethnic, it was also infantile, and kindergartenesque. Under his watch, a quite conflicted man because of his religious adherence, he did not know to separate Buhari the religious man from Nigeria, the secular country. He let people whom he thought looked like him and believed as he believed run roughshod over the nation. Kidnapping became a business just as corporations took a back seat to banditry and herdsmen colonialism. Training schools for apprenticeship in banditry, Jihadism, and kidnapping sprang up across the country. Add to that the fact that he was sick more than half of the time. The country was like a ship being tossed up and down in open sea without a stated destination.

Fortunately for us, we have always been a self-help nation. It therefore did not matter whether the General was good or bad.

The things we asked for—basic things like good roads, electricity and security which they denied us the ability to do for ourselves but which they were unwilling to do, remained undone for 8 years.

If you produce tomatoes in Borno that cannot get to Lagos in two weeks because there are no roads, where does that leave you as a farmer and where does that take us as a country?

These are inflation drivers. Add to that all the massive borrowings with Crude Oil as collateral, a nation in distress was in a hurry to see his back.

The writer saw a short video of the man walking down a dusty street in his native Daura with people barely acknowledging his existence. That was the extent to which he affected their lives.

Abraham Lincoln said:

“You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time.”

Enters the Jagaban— 2023——.

Welcome Mr. President. It is your turn. It is your time.

It’s Jagaban time.

You’ve had one year of a dismal record. Your supporters say we should give you some time.
My response to that is: Do we really have a choice?

Now, while you’re doing your thing, let’s remind you of a few things. You are in the examination hall. We, the people are the invigilators. We, the people, even though we are invigilators, we are willing to help you a little bit, to point the way by giving you that look without saying a word. Sir, here’s the look, (The reader may stare and post “the look” on Tik Tok).

We are waiting for problems of hunger, roads, and security to be addressed. Mr. President sir, have your advisers told you the bare-faced truth that there’s hunger in the land?

The fortunate thing about this last question is that we can solve most of it very quickly in 6 months, tops. It takes 120 days for maize to grow, 48 days for Tomatoes, 73 days for rice. It takes 12 weeks for your chicken to begin to lay eggs, etc. There is no drought in the country. With the right motivation, and with the special appointment of a Food Czar, our youth can face the bush and your administration will go down in history as a problem solver.

Otherwise sir, you will run your course and you will be abandoned and lonely when you walk your local streets after you leave power as you must when the time comes, and it comes very quickly.

You can ask the original big Kahuna. 8 years went by so fast he started to ask for Third Term. We turned him down politely.

May you reign in good health, but know something sir. You are not the State and the State is not you.

Michael O. Ovienmhada.