Emma Okwuahaba
Cynicism weighed heavily on the national psyche. No one knew for sure the direction of the ship of state. For million of Nigerians, it was a decade to forget. Many, unable to fathom the irreversible slide to hopelessness by a nation so bountifully blessed, simply voted with their feet. They ‘invaded’ other lands in search of the proverbial Golden Fleece.
To them, the ship of state was miserably lost in a vast socio-political and economic ocean with no one to salvage it. Suddenly, the news of the demise of the dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, filtered into town, eliciting spontaneous, wild jubilation. That was in July 1998.
Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, who took over from him promised to return Nigeria to democratic rule, less than a year from then. Precisely, he gave May 29, 1999 as the terminal date for military rule in Nigeria. By extension, that date would also signal the commencement of democratic rule. Though beleaguered, Nigerians braced for the transition and saw it through.
Approximately 4,015 days after Nigeria returned to the path of democratic governance, have things really changed for the average Nigerian? In 1999, people reveled and rejoiced at the prospect of civilian governance.
Inside the beautifully decorated and well secured Eagles Square in Abuja, on that historic day, newly inaugurated President Olusegun Obasanjo, easily revved the inexhaustible stream of hope in Nigerians.
In his inaugural speech titled "The new Dawn," Obasanjo was quick to admit that indeed, Nigerians had had to cope with a hectic past.
"I wish to pay tribute to the great and gallant Nigerians who lost their lives in the cause of the struggle for liberty, democracy and good governance. They held the beacon of freedom and liberty high in the face of state terrorism and tyranny. ..And I must commend you my home-based fellow Nigerians for the way you bore unprecedented hardship, deprivation of every conceivable rights and privileges that were once taken for granted."
What is more, he acknowledged that a vastly endowed nation like Nigeria must not fail in using nature’s free gift to ensure that Nigerians live a good life. He promised to do just that.
He added, "Nigeria is wonderfully endowed by the Almighty with human and other resources. It does no credit either to us or the entire black race if we fail in managing our resources for quick improvement in the quality of life of our people. Instead of progress and development, which we are entitled to expect from those who governed us, we experienced in the last decade and a half, particularly, in the last regime but one, persistent deterioration in the quality of our governance, leading to instability and the weakening of all public institutions", he declared.
For a clincher, he added: "The citizens developed distrust in government, and because promises made for the improvement of the conditions of the people were not kept, all statements by government met with cynicism". He then went on to reel out a good deal of promises, all aimed at ‘improving the conditions of Nigerians’.
From a vow to fight headlong and stem corruption, to ensuring energy stability, infrastructure development, deepening democratic values and strengthening government institutions, security of lives and property, fostering socio-economic growth and development and many more.
But alas, 11 years down the road; with the third president on the saddle - all on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - it has been a harvest of broken promises and tales of reversal of fortunes than a systematic journey to Eldora do.
Corruption unlimited
The president had declared "Corruption, the greatest single bane of our society today, will be tackled head-on at all levels".
Unknown to Obasanjo and, perhaps many unwary Nigerians, corruption was just at its infancy with a determination to flower and blossom. The nation’s image abroad became synonymous with corruption, sleaze and shady deals. Soon, the landscape was reeking with sordid revelations of corrupt practices in high and even low places. Governors turned their state treasuries to personal purse. It was so bad that some governors were forced out of office in a rather ignoble manner on account of corruption. The number one cop in the country, lawmakers, and contractors were indicted in different cases of alleged corrupt practices. Indeed, one lawmaker openly declared that as politicians, some of them took loans and or sold their properties to raise fund for their election campaigns and must necessarily recoup same.
The national chairman of the ruling PDP has had to resign because of alleged corruption charges leveled against him. In the last four years, there have been so many revelations in the public and private sectors that make one fear if ever corruption will be tamed in the country.
Infrastructure
The new helmsman had lamented the decay, dysfunctional and epileptic nature of the nation’s infrastructure, which he said "were allowed to decay and collapse" (and that) "the entire Nigerian scene is very bleak indeed" (but) "I am determined with your full cooperation, to make significant changes within a year of my administration."
After eight years and a failed attempt to clinch a ‘Third Term’; three years shared by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, the state of Nigeria’s infrastructure is far less than desirable. No roads, no rail and no waterways and most importantly, no energy to generate electricity.
Deepening democratic institutions
As days turn to months and then years, it became apparent that it was easier to mouth democracy as the best form of government than for the operators to allow democratic institutions take root. Former President Obasanjo simply did not respect the doctrine of separation of powers as much as he trampled upon the federal structure of the polity. As a former military ruler, Obasanjo saw authority in a centralized form and that was exactly how he ran the country. The executive became so powerful that both the legislative and judicial arms of government became subservient to it. The leadership of the legislative arm was determined and installed by the executive. Judicial pronouncements were obeyed at the whims and caprices of the executive. Even political parties were made subservient to the executive at the federal and state levels. Party chairmen held offices at the pleasure of the executive. Godfatherism was elevated to an art. They loomed larger than life, and decided who get what and how as they bestrode the political space like colossus. Political flag bearers were chosen in air-conditioned hotel rooms by a mere handful of stakeholders than the people themselves. Soon, it became fashionable for aspirants to court godfathers who usually have powers to impose them on the system than the electorate.
As for elections, they grew progressively worse. The case of 2007 was simply dumbfounding. A new senator was sworn in only last week whereas an illegal occupant had taken that Anambra North senatorial district seat for three years. The tribunal declared its verdict on the petition in the Osun state governorship election in 2007 only yesterday.
General issues
Obasanjo listed the following as priority areas:
(I) The crisis in the oil producing areas
(ii) Food supply, food security and agriculture
(iii) Law and order with particular reference to armed robbery, and to cultism in our educational institutions
(iv) Exploration and production of petroleum
(v) Education
(vi) Macro-economic policies - particularly, exchange rate management etc.
(vii) Supply and distribution of petroleum products
(viii) The debt issue, etc.
Of all the issues, apart from the external debt for which Obasanjo and his team did well, there is hardly anything to cheer about the others.
For instance, not until the administration of the late Yar’Adua pronounced amnesty for the militants in the Niger Delta on August 6, 2009 did the region know any peace, especially from 2006.
The waiting game
As another Democracy Day rolls by, the pain rather than the joy of today is the consciousness that the average Nigerian, who is familiar with Obasanjo’s inaugural address on Democracy Day, 11 years ago is still waiting for the promised ‘New Dawn.’ How soon it will come remains largely a matter of conjecture.
Written by Augustine Avwode
My dear brothers and sisters,
The push to place Nigeria in her rightful place is on, in full gear. There can never be better time to board the train that takes us to the promised land than now.
Two places where you can join the Transform Nigeria Movement:
1. www.yourgovt. com
2. http://groups/. yahoo.com/ group/Transform- Nigeria
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