There comes a time in the life of any nation or community when a man with altruistic sense of leadership calls a stop to most or some anomalies to bring a new order in which all irrespective of political or primordial inclinations will fall in line.
Great countries of the world where some of the African or especially Nigerian leaders of affluence run to, went through the above phase before getting to where they are today.
United States of America is a good example so also China and even Russia where individuals came out to change the courses of history. Several men who have either sacrificed their all to develop United States of America remain indelible in the annals of the country’s history while the same for those who moved China out of weakness to become a major power since 1940. No matter how demystified Stalin or Lenin may be today, the history of either Soviet Union during her existence or the present day Russia will not be complete without honoring these men who moved their nation into the comity of great ones.
Men like Mobutu in Zaire, Mussolini in Italy, Hitler of Germany, Idi Amin of Uganda, Botha of Old South Africa and others are remembered for the negative impacts made on the histories of their various environment. The current leaders in Africa and especially in Nigeria have a choice before them: to be remembered with hisses or with fond memory. It takes succinct selflessness for leaders to change their environment with some of them never partaking in the joy of such while there have been cases of some losing their lives in the struggle to positively impact on their societies.
Africa has only gotten men who fought for Independence but who thereafter turned into errand boys of the departing colonialists or who just replaced the overthrown colonial oppressors while some heroes of African continent were never allowed to be sung as they were cut short at their prime or played out by the collaboration between the imperialists and Africans who refused to be free. Some were never allowed to get to power because the neocolonialists were scared stiff of their potentials of making their countries or African continent as great as their own.
In the last 20 years of African history, a name rings out loud and clear as one who displayed the altruism as that which had helped other nations of Europe and America to emerge . This name is Nelson Mandela and the whole world acknowledges this great man. From United States of America to Great Britain to France and so many other major players in the global politics of today, some individuals had emerged to show exceptional qualities which the history of these nations continue to applaud.
Nigeria , to some people is still too young to appraise (?) while to several people world over, it is a country desiring some exceptional and selfless leadership of high sense of responsibility. The World acknowledges that Nigeria has very important roles to play in the ensuing African politics in particular and the globe as a whole. It is very unfortunate that the country continues to hope for the ‘Messiah’ so to say who will ignore the so called primordial attachments, pettiness, religious sentiments and ethnic affinities to take the country to the level in which every Nigerian irrespective of tongue or tribe will feel a honored sense of belonging.
Leadership failure has bedeviled Africa and particularly Nigeria for several years and this is the draw back for the peoples of Africa. It is not therefore a surprise for knowledgeable Europeans and Americans to agree that Nelson Mandela remains till date the only personality that could have exemplified cogent leadership in Africa.
In the case of Nigeria, sentiments of religion more on the part of the Northerners and ethnic chauvinism have played and continue to play damaging effects on the emergence of a modern Nigeria. Even in some recent years when some great individuals with undoubtable quality in strength, purpose and leadership emerged, compradors in form of soldiers or politicians ganged up as in 1979 and 1993 to thwart the populist march and thus stopping what would have ‘let our people go’.
Nigeria is believed to possess all ingredients of leading Africa or nay the entire black race out of the woods but she needs to sort out herself . Several men and women who had been opportuned to lead in the country of Nigeria have failed to provide the essential path to her emergence. The spoils of office have influenced their decisions, they continue to lose the battle of will and also losing the credibility of standing before demagogues. It is therefore a shame for the current leader in particular who had been in government leadership before, gone through prison and offered a rare chance of going through familiar routes to fail abysmally to lift Nigeria up.
Olusegun Obasanjo had been in power from 1976 till 1979 as Nigeria’s head of State after the more popular Murtala Mohammed was assassinated in a bloody coup detat. It was his lot to hand over to the 2 nd Republic Civilian government of Shehu Shagari . He was on the sidelines from 1979 till 1995 when another military regime made him to do sometime in prison and was only lucky to have survived the death penalty judgment against him for a supposed coup.
His return to power for a second time was seen as a glitter of hope by so many Nigerians who felt he possessed the experience and nationalistic instincts to lift the country out of her perennial morass.
Nigeria as a matter of exactness, needs a man whether Ibo, Ijaw, Kanuri, Yoruba, Fulani, Urhobo, Ogoni, Bakassi or any other who could look his own people in the face and say ‘No’, we are not having that old brickbats anymore. A man who can unite the whole country like Americans are free to live anywhere in their country with every opportunity enjoyed without a discrimination.
Mr. Obasanjo and his cohorts who have skeletons in their cupboard know the truth about his almost eight years in the saddle as Nigeria’s President. The President needs to also appraise his years in Office and tell himself without hesitation his score sheets.
The economy which has been his shouting swansong is not reflecting positively on the masses as most Nigerians and more than in 1999 when he took over are worse off. His so much touted improving economy has made more people hungry while essential foodstuffs hitherto within the reach of the very poor Nigerians have jumped out of touch. He needs to tell Nigerians why their lives had become worsened under his watch while his comatose farms which could not be valued above 30 million naira in 1999 had suddenly been in a strong position to borrow 200 billion naira (according to EFCC and Obasanjo’s lapdogs) in 2001 while now making 30 million naira a month!
The President made more revenues from Oil sales than any regime in the history of the country as the Bush war in the Gulf brought surplus revenues to the coffers of the country. The President could have learnt from other oil producing countries which used the surplus returns to develop their countries or shunned the pilferers who disguise as his advisers to borrow a leaf from countries of the world which utilized such to raise up the living standard of their people. The budgeted price per barrel of oil was about $17 while the revenue jumped to about $70 and more. These were enough to rebuild the power supply equipment and inject life into the people.
The state of Security in Nigeria (of lives and properties) is nothing to write home about and the President, a retired army General feels no qualms about people dying from assassins’ bullets incessantly, Police engaging in armed robbery in which the State arms were used to kill taxpayers instead of protecting them. As a matter of fact, there have been cases where the Policemen were fired and convicted in some Courts of law. Recent cases include the Abuja killing in which some traders of Igbo origin were killed by the Police.
A sitting number one Prosecutor in the name of Bola Ige was killed in 2001 and the President felt no qualms as usual and to use his words: he was ‘kampe’ . Several (troublesome?) members of his party - People’s Democratic Party were assassinated from 2001 till 2002 but the Police not only failed to bring to books the killers but were commended by the Executive for trying. There were also cases of assassination of opposition party members in different States of the country which remain mysteries till today. Very recently, the aspiring Daramola in Ekiti State had his life snuffed out while in Lagos, the apostle of gentleman politics - Williams was also killed in his bedroom. It took collaborated pressures from the friends of the President before the Ekiti matter was sufficiently visited by removing the State Governor fingered as the brain behind the killings but he fired back recently that the President was aware of all his activities in Ekiti.
The Police under the watch of Olusegun Obasanjo is yet to find the killers in the Nigerian societies while Mr. President as usual only promised that they would be found. The state of Security in Nigeria is not only appalling but not attractive for the much needed foreign investment which the President spent years running after. It is the most important aspect which has kept a lot of Nigerian professionals and others away from the country since the inception of Obasanjo’s second coming. The President has always been quick to refer to the failure of the 2 nd Republic government on many angles but should be sincere enough to admit that even Shagari’s time was better in terms of Security. The Military which could have been used to go after the troublers of Nigerian Security in the face of the incapability of the Police were drafted after ballot boxes and opposition in the Obasanjo/INEC elections of April 2007.
