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Anikura
As Political Hero
By
Segun
Gbadegesin
culled from
GUARDIAN, February 23, 2006
Many of us may recall the tale of
the exploits of a notorious robber in Yorubaland popularised among children
and young adults in the 50s. He had his coterie of praise-singers. Even the
law enforcement agents feared him, or at least he was able to keep them at
bay due to various devices. He was invincible. He was called Anikura. I
remember especially one of the popular poems in his honour. "Awon jaguda
kekeke l'olopa Ekoo mu, Anikura mbe nile won o lee mu u. Anikura baba
omokomo. Anikura olori ole tii da boro. Agba ole a basuwon gbooro" (Meaning
Nigeria Police in those days only harassed petty thieves; there is Anikura
whom they are unable to touch; Anikura, the father of rascals. Anikura the
head of robbers, with an extra long purse). Anikura was lionised; he was
invincible, obviously because he was protected by the law enforcement
agencies and the powers that be of those days. That was more than a half
century ago.
This is a new century and the
tale of Anikura is being relived in a different setting with a different
twist. Whichever angle we choose to look at it, it takes just a modest
reflection to see Anikura as a fitting metaphor for the politics of the
Fourth Republic more so than the Second Republic that we rightly thought
was politicised beyond reason. Apparently, we aint see nothing yet then.
In a particular tragic sense, the political class in Nigeria is
constantly perfecting its capacity for absurdity. Clearly, this is not a
group that is capable of being embarrassed by its own actions. They
suffer from the plague of ailojuti (shamelessness) as our people would
say. Thinking that they are unassailable, and bitten by the bug of brute
power with its intoxicating venom, they would spare nothing to ensure
that the rest of us know who is in charge.
Their catch-word is
power, that is, brute power, meaning the power which brutes, not
rational beings, would lay claim to and relish. Every time I am
treated to the buffoonery that is also known as political dexterity
by the powers that be in Nigeria, I feel insulted and humiliated and
I am sure I share this mental state with scores of millions of our
people. The question, of course, is where is the outrage? And in the
absence of any public and collective expression of indignation and
condemnation of the Anikuras who degrade our political scene and
debase our democratic norms, can we really expect to make progress?
It is a well-known
fact that the body goes in the direction of the head. It follows
therefore that if the head is lost, the body cannot find its
way. We have a head that is mired in self-adulation and
self-aggrandizement, and is incapable of seeing beyond the self.
Every act, every decision, is therefore influenced by a
perception of the self in relation to others, especially those
that are perceived to be enemies. It is only a leader without
respect for his people or for the rule of law, that would tell
the whole world, several times, that some scoundrels confessed
to him that they participated in illegalities and he would not
only do nothing about it, but would in fact pat them on the
back.
What is the
point? In the reflections of a true statesman, politics is
an intangible part of daily routine, especially after an
election has been completed. But, in the mindset of a
politrickster, everything is a matter for politicking. It is
amazing that a second chance has turned out to be an
undeniable disaster for the one who would be messiah. What a
disappointment to the innocent believers looking for a
redeemer? From the use of the police to brutalise innocent
civilians peacefully protesting ridiculous policies and
actions, to the aiding and abetting, by providing subtle
support for illegalities of state assemblies against
presumed political enemies, to the illegal withholding of a
state's funds in spite of court ruling and intervention by
elders to whom a promise was made, it has been a nightmarish
experience of immense proportions for six years. We are
capable of enduring this malady and indeed surviving it for
another one
year, but
certainly no more. And if it becomes clear that anyone
would seriously contemplate extending this reign of
horror for one minute, we owe it to our need for sanity
to rise up against the institutionalisation of civilian
dictatorship.
Some have
defended this civilian dictatorship by appealing to
what they perceive as the economic gains it has
produced: debt forgiveness, GSM explosion, foreign
reserve stockpile, war against corruption. But look
out for the road projects; examine privatisation,
and let the world know the whole truth: that it is
all a slam. Of course, the anti-corruption crusade
should be a great legacy if it is fair and is not
marred by allegations that the targets are real or
imagined enemies. But assume that all these are
truly good ends with no blemish and are worthy of
achieving. Would it be justified by the use of any
means? Obviously no!
In
the warped psyche of presidential sycophants,
however, the end justifies the means. Were that
to be the case, they ought to address a logical
question: why did we struggle to get rid of
Abacha? Come to think of it, Abacha did much
better in terms of getting the "dividends of
dictatorship" to the people: PTF roads, PTF
drugs, effective cushioning of the impact of
economic policies on the people, etc. So it is
rather insulting to reasonable people for anyone
to launch a Machiavellian principle in defence
of a practice that just doesn't add up.
It cannot be over-emphasised that it is the
process, not the outcome that defines
democracy and makes it endure. Therefore, a
born dictator must be a terrible messenger,
indeed a misfit, in the practical pursuit of
democratic norms. And, unfortunately, we had
enough early warnings from the apostle of a
one-party system. This is why some of us
cannot really sympathise with those
recruiters who facilitated the come-back of
an unrepentant dictator only to regret their
involvement. What were they thinking?
What is most pathetic about all these is
the role that some of our people are
playing in this macabre dance of ego.
What has become of them? Why have they
sold their conscience to the devil? On
January 16, 1980, Chief Obafemi Awolowo
was a special guest of the Oyo State
House of Assembly in commemoration of
the 25th anniversary of the introduction
of free primary education in Western
Region. Recall that it was the House in
the 1950s that debated and passed a bill
for the introduction of universal free
primary education and free health care
for children below 18. It was that same
House in 1950s that worked for the
achievement of the many "firsts" for
which the Western Region was deservedly
celebrated: first TV station in Africa,
first Olympic size stadium, first
welfare state in Africa, etc. Indeed, it
was that House that featured selfless
pursuit of truth and freedom, and an
enviable demonstration of intellect and
dignity. That was a time that the
pacesetter label was a badge of honour!
On that day in January 1980, Chief
Awolowo said, among other things:
"The truth about the people of the
Western Region is that they are
sufficiently enlightened and bold to
refuse to be led by the nose by any
person or group however
sophisticated such person or group
may appear. They are slow to anger,
robust in contentions, alert to
their rights, and will fearlessly
resist and combat evil, whenever and
wherever they discern it, with all
their might and resources..."
I believe that this is always
true of our people and I am
assured that in spite of the
deliberate efforts of their
so-called leaders to dehumanise
them, the majority of our people
are decent, reflective,
conscientious human beings. We
were witnesses to their courage
and valour in the 60s, 80s and
90s. When the time is ripe, they
will take their own destiny in
their hands and fight for their
rights as dignified human
beings. In the fullness of time,
the charade will be put to rest
and impostors will be put to
shame.
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Gbadegesin is Professor
of Philosophy at Howard
University, Washington,
DC. |
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