Datti Ahmed’s outburst

For my readers who may not know, Datti Ahmed is a distinguished citizen of our country. He established the Baze University in Abuja. So by that token he could be passed as a scholar. He is also a businessman. But he is better known as vice presidential running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election which they ran on the platform of Labour Party (LP).

The pair didn’t win but the defeat for them was like a victory, they posted a very impressive performance to the amazement of many watchers of our country’s political stage. Since that outing both personalities it would seem went their separate ways. While Obi left the Labour Party following an internal crisis, and went about looking for another political platform, Ahmed receded to the background but not without occasionally firing some key political “bullets” about political and governance matters once in a while.

Last week he was on another outing with a statement that none of the presidential candidates for 2027 elections have the vision and capacity to effect positive changes in the country even if they eventually got power. Nigerians who heard him thought Ahmed was taking a jab on his friend and political ally, Mr Peter Obi.

Those who hold the view believe Ahmed accepted to pair up with Obi in 2023 because he was convinced Obi had what it takes to bring about change to the poor governance culture plaguing the land. Now they ask,” what changed”? After all they kept saying Obi is the same man.

Nothing changed except that Ahmed’s outburst and position confirms what a few citizens know, a matter far majority of those who call themselves Nigerians ought to have also known but which unfortunately they don’t know and don’t care if they know or not. The fact of true existence is that two people may agree as to doing a thing or pursuing a course, even when it is obvious their underpinning philosophical foundations are different in so many ways.

Ahmed Datti is a scion of the conservative Northern ruling political establishment. By that he knows so much of the way of power but has no ideological burden or commitment to make in this regard. It is not the same with Obi. Obi is from the South East where republicanism is in practice. Definitely his approach to power and use must be different and it is. So both great citizens were bound to keep a distance from each other and their 2023 outing.

Datti has in some instances made statements that ordinarily should be embarrassing to Peter Obi. This much truth we can accept but this last statement of his, Datti is right. I was a guest on one of the radio stations in my city on the Datti statement and the question was if he was right or wrong. The answer was clear and emphatic “Datti on this score is very much right”. Take note my statement stands on present continuous, it is not that it was right yesterday but today wrong, no.

It is talk flowing from vision and may be experience too. I read in a statement where someone said a “bad system will swallow up a very good man.” I agreed and I am repeating here that our system is so terrible, the structure is so badly done, that good governance would remain a mirage for as long the system is in place.

The making of nations grows through well articulated and greatly designed processes. Usually the move begins with the component units agreeing that a union is desirable and acceptable. Agreement is crucial to achieving a sense of “buy in” from the citizens. It is the bonding that leads to the establishment of a country from the point the political leadership moves towards achieving nation state.

Almost 66 years after sovereignty, we have not achieved or been about to build up a country. I have been opportune to attend a few summits and conferences in the federal capital, Abuja and it is very discomforting to hear our brothers from core North say in very loud voices “so long as national unity is not threatened”, then nothing is wrong with the idea. Statements such as this obviously are proof we have not built the right foundation for the kind of country where citizens can look into policies and programs without reference to ethnic and religious considerations.

Development can’t thrive in the atmosphere of chaos. Chaos doesn’t only happen when physical violence is the order of the day, it is chaotic also when people who should be one don’t see themselves in that light. We need unity to commit ourselves to whatever we have agreed or our leaders think we should do. This is the way it works.

The other thing would be nationalism and real development. You are going to Maiduguri from Aba and you don’t know the road, definitely confusion would take the centre stage because doubts would trump confidence. You will have to keep stopping to ask for directions. This on its own would make the journey cumbersome, irritating and frustrating. The approach of every city along the road would create the feeling of the destination.

This is what has become of us. Do a critical examination of the manifesto of all presidential candidates who want to rule or lead us, each would be prescribing solutions according to personal visions. This can’t work. We are not settled whether this country is capitalist or welfarist. The consequence is divergences in the work for national development.

We say we are capitalist but where are the investors? The local entrepreneurs don’t have deep pockets. Have we made the citizens have love for everything Nigerian? Going abroad has become a status symbol so everyone wants to elope to Western countries. China, Malaysia and Singapore, among others. didn’t develop following this route where citizens have preferences for anything foreign.

Some of us are ashamed that almost 66 years after sovereignty, that word again, we have democracy but nothing in terms of character show that we opted for a democratic system or order. Impunity reigns very high to the point our president is comfortable to go to a foreign country for over one month as a “holiday”. There’s virtually no productive base. We all want foreign goods. We have crude but can’t refine yet we have over 150 tertiary institutions with chemical engineering departments. Electricity supply is erratic. Beyond the very poor leadership recruitment process, our main or basic problem is SYSTEMIC. We need a NATIONAL CONFERENCE.