SNC, NIGERIAN FACTOR AND TRUE FEDERALISM
By Jibo Nura
jibonura@yahoo.com
August 24, 2004
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Nigerians are wonderful, indeed very funny set of people in a benighted setting that even the one eye can never be king. It is evident that almost all the odds have happened in our country but yet nothing happens.
In fact, when I see everybody searching for a solution to our ailing problems, I feel bemused and at the same time vindictive of the fact that ours is certainly a country with very unserious people. Perhaps, no country in the world has witnessed and recorded bad omen the way we do, especially when one traces our historical despondencies of the last two decades, one shall even conclude that we are the most resilient specie on earth.
Categorically speaking, Nigerians are the architects and builders of the unresolved conflicts, national tragedies and calamities, which have bedeviled contemporary Nigeria. There are classical references of misdeeds, that have proven our recurrent maledictions.
For example, one of these first classical misdeeds that is worth mentioning is that when you talk of one of the most powerful politicians in the country, you could not do away with the likes of General Shehu Musa Yar'adua, who combined all the military tactics and skills to the extent that he was able to monopolise and reduce the country's political equation into his personal chess board.
But with all the political calculus of Yar'adua, he was arrested until he died in detention.
Secondly, if you consider the only powerful sultanate in the North, there is none other than Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, who ideally, when he talks, the Muslims in the North and by extension the entire nation are supposed to shiver, but Alhaji Dasuki was also arrested and embarrassed!
Thirdly, it is also an established fact that if you want to count one of the most successful bussinessmen in the country, you could hardly jump the likes of Chief M.K.O Abiola, who had made his name home and abroad, but his money could not save him from going to exile and worse than that Chief Abiola was encaged in prison until his death.
Fourthly, when you speak of one of the most senior military officers that none of us ever thought would be put in jail until his hair turned grey, was retired General Oladipo Diya. But Diya was terribly totured and severely purnished.
Fifthly, if you think of political radicalism, you could not be more active than Ken Saror Wiwa, the Ogoni-born activist, who was always fond of identifying with his people politically. Wiwa was also eliminated along with his fellow henchmen.
Sixth, whenever it comes to matters of religious fanaticism, you could hardly be a match to Sheikh Ibrahim El-zakzaky, the man who was always in battle with government's irreligious acts. But Sheikh Zakzaky was physically handcuffed and made prisoner for almost a year without being granted bail.
Seventh, the most popular journalist in the country was Dele Giwa, who was deeply committed to active and objective journalism. Giwa too was strategically killed and the rest is now history.
Eighth, it is obvious that if you are looking for Nigeria's most influential past head of state, you could not pick any of the leaders who is more influential than Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who due to his diplomatic acumen was universally acclaimed by the international communities. Chief Obasanjo too was highly petrified and tormented to the extent that he narrowly escaped death.
Nineth, if you ask Nigerians, which is the most vulnerable and blood shedding regime besides Gawon-Ojukwu saga, some may be bias in revealing the basic truth, but the fact remains that Obasanjo's regime is second to none in terms of massive killings of innocent souls.
Tenth, despite IBB's "maradonic" maneuverability and besides all his evil ingenuity, he was caught unawares by the irate youths. Perhaps, when you ask him, he may say that was the least thing he expected to happen to his life- to be publicly accused by bandits! Wonders never end in Nigeria.
Virtually, all the oddities have happened; there is nothing, which we did not see in our soil. In fact, the list is endless. But the cardinal question here are: are we ready to eschew these misdeeds and misconducts as a people and keep being together as a united entity called Nigeria? Or are our misdeeds bad enough that they can't be reconciled?
Actually, these are some of the unfortunate things that made some of us to believe that the only alternative panacea to the nation's problem is to go back to the drawing board because we cannot just succumb to internal and external aggression; neither can we afford to continue messing up one another. Now it is crystal clear that everybody knows that our actions and inactions have made us to start reflecting on what Alhaji Abba Kyari( the elder states-man) referred to as the "Think of the unthinkable"
Therefore, the fact of the matter is: we have totally lost our sense of direction. What remains now is just a battered nation full of insecurities and uncertainties. We have since lost bearing as people. What is certainly left is just a mushroom set up, and once you strike the stem, the entire structure will totally collapse. This is currently the Nigerian setting!
Hence there is need to go back to any kind and/or form of drawing board and it does not matter whether it is Sovereign National or whatever sort of conference and settle our scores.
Personally, I am of the opinion that since we cannot make any headway as a nation and also since we cannot bury our hatchets and make Nigeria great, then there is no reason whatsoever to be together. Let us learn from the First Republics, i.e we should just understand that our differences really matter.
And I think we can only achieve our goals as viable, strong and proper federating units.