Atiku@69: Tribute To This Hero Of Our Democracy

Atiku@69: Tribute To This Hero Of Our Democracy By: Senior Fyneface Mallam Garba Abubakar, and his wife, Madam Kande,anywhere they are in paradise would actually be proud of themselves and the Godthat blessed them on November 25th 1946 with a son whom they calledAtiku, and who incidentally turned to be their only child. This is because thecircumstances of the birth and upbringing of this son of theirs have remained astrong testimony as said by the Holy Bible that as God’s thoughts are higherthan man’s thoughts, so are His ways (acts) higher than man’s ways. Without mincing words, Atiku in his 69 years ofexistence, has matched every adversity and challenge that he came across, withcourage and unalloyed steadfastness. His response, when properly analysed, willalways be found to draw from an inner strength of character and a sense ofcompassion, as well as a spirit of accommodation for the usual human foibles. Atiku’s life has remained an inspiration to childrenof the same otherwise disadvantaged background as his. Those who don’t knowshould now know that this boy from Jada, Adamawa state rose above an adverseand poor background, and through sheer dint of hard work and sterling personalqualities learnt the secret of wealth creation early in his childhood andsupported himself through school; rose through the ranks of public service;retired to a profitable business life; and became a popular politician and forthat matter, one of the pillars of the democratic dispensation this countrytoday enjoys. Whetheranybody wants to hear this or not, Atiku’s sense of responsibility, justice andfairness has inspired confidence in many and had generated the robust goodwillthat has kept this country together. A true democrat who Cheston would say,“objects to men being disqualified by “accident of birth” and a bridge builder,Atiku has held the diverse and disparate groups in this country together.  MostNigerians, especially the latter days democrats (new converts including thosewho were born again and those who metamorphosed from something else) and thestrata that have now graduated from boys to men may not be aware that becauseof the unwavering or rather fanatical conviction of this rare Nigerianstatesman on the critical role education can play in the formative years of achild’s life, he single-handedly came up with the idea of the Universal BasicEducation Programme (UBE), a programme initiated to give every Nigerian child ahead start in life irrespective of family background.

This same man was solely instrumental to the evolution and development of the well-defined and coordinated economic reform agenda of the federal government forthe greater part of the period that Gen Olusegun Obasanjo held sway as thepresident of the country? Successful implementation of the policies adopted,provided a sound and stable macro -economic environment in which economic andfinancial decisions were taken with a large degree of certainty. No doubt, political opponents of the former vicepresident, Atiku Abubakar are most likely to be his best canvassers whenpassing judgment on his credentials as one of the foremost and consistentdemocrats of the modern day Nigeria. And as publicly admitted by one of them,it was in recognition of his consistency and a sense of public service – twoqualities that he imbibed from his mentor, late General Musa Yarádua that havestood the Turaki Adamawa in good stead since 1999 as a people-oriented leaderand a staunch believer in the tenets and supremacy of democratic principlesover myopic dictatorial and parochial leanings. Even hisestranged former oga, Gen Obasanjo in his good elements publicly declared that“Since I metAtiku Abubakar I found him a worthy personality. I have been particularlyimpressed by his political astuteness. He is a great mobilize, motivator,visionary and above all a friend indeed who can be relied upon any day.” Rather than picking holes, where none exists in hisdemocratic credentials, Atiku’s critics should be honest enough to thank himfor his pre-eminent role in the entrenchment and consolidation of our currentdemocratic dispensation and his continued insistence that we remain steadfastlyon that path. He was selfless when he joined the leagues of democrats tocampaign, within the limits of decency, for an end to military rule in thecountry. Atiku’s strong believe in the supremacy of the Rule ofLaw and his attitude of allowing the courts to decide on issues that borders onhis politics rather than taking the laws into his hands today provides informedreferences in our political jurisprudence. Hisgrassroot passion and humanist instincts had endeared Atiku to Nigerians fromevery nook and cranny of this country.

So confident and acceptable is he toevery national grouping, that a columnist once tagged him “Mr Nigeria,” andtrue, this man is a broad-minded national icon. Sir, as you mark your 69th birthday, permitme as it is deemed appropriate to use the occasion to bring to your attentionone particular issue which you are already aware of but may not know very wellthe seriousness of it. Being from the Niger Delta, it is grosslydisheartening that in your usual patriotically creative mind, an idea youconceived and came up with in your policy document of 2007 which was lifted orrather stolen by the Yar’adua/Jonathan PDP government as the answer to thecries of my people has been implemented in manners that could best be describedas blurred and at worst confused. Turaki, as you conceived the idea of a Ministry forthe Niger Delta, it was supposed to be a federal government direct interventionistto seriously address the problems of the deliberate neglect of the region bysuccessive governments.

You believed the Niger Delta region should be treatedas a National Emergency Project deserving a “Marshall Plan” to be monitored andsupervised at the highest levels of government.  As you conceived it, although the federal governmentwill play an active role, the ultimate solutions should be community- basedwith a multi-layered system from ward to local government to state to federalgovernment. This proposed structure was supposed to help focus attention,ensure development, and improve capacity to deliver services. Your emphasis asconceived was to be on development and full implementation of a region-widemaster plan encompassing the views of all stakeholders.  You also proposed the floating of a Niger Delta Bond(to be repaid by pledging proceeds of earnings under a three tier governmentpartnership) to significantly increase the quantum of funding immediatelyneeded to undertake development programmes and projects in the battered region. Sir, today what we have on ground as the Ministry ofNiger Delta cannot be distinguished from what we have as Ministry of Cultureand Tourism. It is neither interventionist conscription nor a succor –providingministry to the people of the region. Rather it has been hijacked by those whohave no idea of even the minimal palliatives they should focus on to wipe thetears of the crying rural people of the region. The ministry has only succeededin making few multi billionaires not only in the Niger Delta but across theentire length and breadth of the country. Worse of all is that the NDDC hasbecome a platform to fund political campaigns and mischief of whoever is at thehelm of affairs in Aso Rock. Nothing has changed at all! The question the NigerDelta people are asking today Sir is: “when shall the messiah come?” Anyway, let me leave you Sir to enjoy your birthdaycelebration, but be assured that “this stone which the warped-minded buildershave been reluctant to use is fast becoming the chief cornerstone of thefoundation because ‘ifechukwu de, odesigae’ and nobody can erase it. Happy Birthday sir!

(SENIOR FYNEFACE: No 11c Elelewon Street GRA II, Port Harcourt;senior_fyneface@yahoo.com)