Of course if it is Nigeria my country, no writer would experience the “writers block,” because there are numerous issues deserving attention and critical reviews. It is simply a case of one day one big drama. We woke up sometime last week to hear from the country’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Musa that the Canadian embassy refused to give him a visa to enter their country.
The beaten to his game told us he didn›t care even when he should have been seriously troubled by the opprobrium brought on the rest of us by his lack of understanding and obvious underpricing of himself and country. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was the first to issue a reaction in which he told the Canadian people to “go to hell.” He was followed by the Minister of State for Defense Alhaji Matawalle. Afterwards the Internal Affairs Minister chimed in.
I will bring out the absurdity in the show of shame. For a serious country where leadership is taken seriously, defense chiefs don›t leave their countries just anyhow; do a quick review and tell us how many times you have heard about defense chiefs roaming the world just for flimsy reasons, not to talk of a country at war. Don›t ask if our country is at war; more people die from reckless attacks happening across the country than would have been the case if we were engaged in actual war with another country. This should be of great concern but as it is, it would appear it isn›t.
If it were, our defense chief won›t ferret soldiers and head to Canada for veterans games sponsored by a private citizen. The point is: that Canada threw away the request for visa amounted to a slap on the face; it is a confirmation where the developed world places us. I was interviewed on the NSA reaction and my position was it was not his duty to respond to such a development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the responsibility. The staccato reactions portrayed us as country without “organization”, no wonder things have turned out the way they are.
Now a few few voices of dissent are flowing from the North, so it would not be charitable to tar the North for the misbehavior of a few. Nevertheless, it would have been proper if the northern political establishment found a way to distance the area from what is becoming an obvious political misbehavior from the region. Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is leading the assault on the cycle of instability. He abuses the President Bola Tinubu, alleging that his policies have dealt fatal blows to people of the North. He wants a northern to take over from Tinubu in 2027.
El-Rufai shares company with persons like Babachir Lawal, Aminu Tambuwal and Professor Usman Bugaje who wants a halt put to the rotation of the office of the president between “North and South,” whatever that means.
It has become an established pattern that the Northerners find their voices and crusade for good governance only when one of their «own «isn›t in office as the President or any strategic office for that matter. When former President Muhammadu Buhari was there and taking the country down the hill into the valley of economic and security doldrum, no one spoke about how he turned the national army into killing the young population in the South East, none mentioned genocide, it all in the bid to keep the nation as one. Boko Haram terrorists and militia masquerading as herders went through the backyards of people across the country, killing and maiming citizens. Very annoying was the fact that even though they often operated in large numbers they still remained invisible to law enforcement agents.
When some of these real enemies of the country were apprehended government sent them for rehabilitation rather than trial. South East boys were good to be shot at and Nnamdi Kanu must face trial. The trial is four years running. None called that wrong. Under El-Rufai, who now pretends to be our new “philosophy king,” Kaduna State boiled and before our eyes turned a killing field especially for Christians who dominate Southern Kaduna. In such a diverse state, El-Rufai produced a Muslim/Muslim leadership as governor and deputy. Suddenly, he has become a symbol for New Nigeria. The poster face for patriotism. All because such characters know one thing which is that far majority of us have short memories.
Babachir Lawal didn’t quite fare very well as Secretary to the Government of the Federation. We didn’t hear his protestations when under the government he served Christians were being hunted and killed. Nigerians were accused of blasphemy and killed in bizarre style, he was in power and never offered any view. Today he has become a crusader for change. Perhaps, he now has the benefit of hindsight. Tambuwal, former speaker and governor who abandoned the president of his party, who is of southern extraction wants the North to rise and take back power. Hahaha!
The upbraiding of southern presidents by elements from the North isn›t an act we should tolerate any longer. Nigeria belongs to all. A word for southerners would be to come out from their shells and cast away fears. Their beggarly, apologetic and appeasement disposition should be done away with. If they give you power use and when it is time for negotiating new terms go for it with confidence and boldness. No candidates of the North transverse the country to be elected President and yet they are hardly given special attention. No one needs to be big before you can say you are, both the big and the small need the other to survive. This is the plain truth.
Finally, it needs reminding that their are “little foxes” we need to deal with and settle without waiting for an amendment of the constitution. An elder statesman, Kanayo Esinulo, succinctly captured an aspect when he wrote: “Totally shameless is political defection. Our electoral laws should, I humbly suggest, include a section that compels an elected member who decamps to another political party within the time frame of his/her elected period, to automatically lose the seat and go back to the people for a fresh mandate. Many enlightened Nigerians vote for parties, not our crooked politicians.
“ If you decamp, your seat becomes automatically vacant and you come back to us, the electorate, for new votes and in competition with other candidates. Other people who are willing to serve should get the chance to contest for seat with the decampee. Our politicians are making politics look really dirty. Nigerians should insist that a decampee immediately loses his seat and returns to the electorate for new mandate as they compete with others. It will inject sanity, hygiene and decorum into the system. Think about it.”
Development isn›t rocket science, especially with examples everywhere. he challenge has been inadequacy of quality leadership materials. Poor quality personnel have made us focus on the minor leaving out things that matter. If development must come then a change of our old ways is inevitable.