Obasanjo: Working Hard Against
Democracy
By
Simon Kolawole
culled from THISDAY, December 31, 2005
I envy President Olusegun
Obasanjo, so to say. It’s never an easy task to be something else at home and to
simultaneously paint yourself as a saint abroad. I don’t know how he does it so
excellently. Outside Nigeria, Obasanjo is a symbol of an angelic democrat, an
extraordinary statesman and a no-nonsense anti-corruption crusader. It’s
amazing. Sometimes when I hear foreigners talk about my president, I get
confused. Are they talking about the same Obasanjo? Are they talking about the
Lion of Aso Rock? Are they talking about the Obasanjo we know or the one that is
yet to be born?
Recently, we were to have a lecture on the role of the UN in human and economic
development. I got to class so early that I was the first to get there. Shortly
afterwards, the man who came to give the lecture entered the classroom. We
greeted warmly. He had worked with the UN for decades and had written a series
of books on the history of the organisation. We had enough time to chat on
different issues while he got his computer ready for the PowerPoint presentation
of his session.“I understand your president is a very good and honest leader,”
he said. “I have met him once and he comes across as a committed leader. But I
keep wondering why Nigeria is not making much progress under him. Some of my
friends tell me that it is because of the people surrounding the president. They
say the man himself is very upright but the people around him are corrupt. What
do you think?”
Inwardly, I chuckled. Committed leader? Upright president? Anti-corruption
purist? Democrat? Peacemaker? Statesman? Which Obasanjo is that? I don’t, in any
way, begrudge him for having a false, messianic image abroad. It is his luck,
our ill-luck. What I cannot stand is his desperation to hold on to power at all
costs, his desperation to distort and destroy our democracy, even if it means
setting Nigeria on fire – playing the South against the North and grinding all
his perceived opponents to submission by using and abusing state power. This
desperation is acidic. The biggest threats to our democracy used to be the
military and economic hardship. How times change. Today, the biggest threat is
Olusegun Obasanjo. He is doing everything possible, everything within his power
to pull down this democracy. He is doing all his best to damage our liberty. He
is so committed to his newfound love. And because of this selfish ambition, he
is not bothered about the cost. He is ready to fan his ego at any cost to
national unity, democracy and common sense.
Obasanjo’s pathetic deficiency in leadership is very evident in the way he
allows his cronies and sidekicks to unleash mayhem on this country. The Anambra
issue is enough evidence to show the kind of president ruling this country. We
all know the story. It is, however, more demoralising that the same characters
who have been perpetrating evil in Anambra for the past two years are now the
favoured oil block owners and PDP chieftains or trustees or whatever they are
called. The same characters who set the state on fire are wining and dining with
the president. Was it not Obasanjo who told us that Chris Uba confessed to have
rigged Anambra elections? Isn’t it tragic that the same Uba is now a member of
PDP Board of Trustees? Does PDP know the meaning of “trustee” at all? Isn’t it
more tragic for Obasanjo that Uba is not behind bars for rigging? Didn’t
Obasanjo swear to uphold the laws of the land? Meanwhile, the victim, Chris
Ngige, has been expelled and de-registered from the party. What manner of
president is this? I suggest he should make Chris Uba Senate president so that
the equation can be complete.
The latest brigandage in Oyo State, orchestrated by thugs loyal to his imperial
majesty, is another manifestation of how Obasanjo allows his loyalists to wreak
havoc on Nigeria. The sin of Governor Rasheed Ladoja is not clear yet. What I
understand is that Obasanjo suspects Ladoja is an Atiku associate. Therefore, he
has allowed Lamidi Adedibu to soak Oyo State in an obscene, murky crisis. When
policemen, in collaboration with thugs, storm a governor’s office to fulfil the
heart desires of an emperor, is our democracy not under attack? How can Obasanjo,
who paints himself as a peacemaker in Darfur and Liberia, preside over a country
where Adedibu would be giving conditions for peace? Who is in charge here? How
can one individual, a stark illiterate at that, hold a whole state to ransom and
is still riding horses on our streets like a king? What manner of president is
Obasanjo? How can anybody ever say Obasanjo is a committed and sincere leader?
They may call him committed leader in AU or G77, but we who are his victims in
Nigeria know better than that.
The Oyo crisis has further exposed Obasanjo the way he is: a ruler who turns
blind eyes to the excesses of his cronies. He watched with amusement as Uba
heated up Anambra State. He has been watching, with more amusement, as his boys
put Lagos State under siege through the instrumentality of FERMA and police. And
now, Oyo State is in the grips of his foot soldiers. Meanwhile, when those cult
boys tried to stir up crisis in Rivers State, Obasanjo quickly sent in the
military to protect his only begotten governor. This is a shame, a big one for
that matter.
Obasanjo does not inspire confidence in the citizenry at all. He does not behave
like a leader or a statesman, because he is not one, anyway. A sincere leader
will put his country first above personal ambition and selfish interest. Nigeria
under his watch has become a killing field and a jungle. Bola Ige was murdered
in cold blood in 2001. Up till today, there is no head or tail in the
investigation. Yet, this was a man who jilted and disorganised Afenifere in
order to please Obasanjo. Where is the reward for his labour? Marshall Harry and
AK Dikibo were murdered in cold blood by those who could be easily traced,
arrested and brought to book if not for their political aprons. Up till today,
the truth is buried. But, of course, we know that it will not remain buried
forever. This seeming triumph of deceit will only be temporary.
Obasanjo’s contempt for democracy is very evident in the way he reacts to
criticisms. The US says it would not support a third term and gets a stern
rebuke in return. General Yakubu Gowon says tenure extension is not advisable
and he gets insults in return. Yet, this is the same Gowon who was running up
and down in 2002 when the National Assembly wanted to impeach Obasanjo. This was
the same Gowon who, along with respected Northern politicians, rallied round the
president to save his neck. It was OK then. Now that he has raised a very
patriotic alarm on the third term plot, he gets insults as his reward. Of
course, it serves him right. If the National Assembly had done away with
Obasanjo then, Nigeria would have been saved from this unfolding catastrophe.
I have not forgiven Vice President Atiku Abubakar for compromising at the PDP
convention in 2003. The VP and the governors had a once-in-a-life-time
opportunity to rescue our democracy from the Otta chicken farmer. But they
flunked it. For whatever reason, they threw away the golden opportunity. That is
why, inwardly, I am happy the way Obasanjo is dealing with Atiku and all the
governors now. It is too late to be fighting for the survival of democracy when
they had willingly given this man the rope with which he is hanging our
democracy. How can anyone ever trust Obasanjo to be fair and just? How can
anybody think Obasanjo means well for Nigeria with all the unfolding events? Can
we all be deceived forever?
Democracy thrives when the judiciary, the police, the electoral body and all the
institutions are allowed to function freely. Obasanjo has done enough to
discredit the judiciary. The Inspector General of the Police takes instructions
from him. The electoral commission chairman is an appointee of his cronies.
Obasanjo has made a mess of every institution that makes democracy thrive and
sparkle. We are all watching in pains, unable to do anything, unable to raise a
voice, unable to call him to order. He is doing whatever pleases him, like the
maximum ruler that he is. He wakes up one day and decides to de-register PDP
members. Uba destabilises Anambra and gets trusteeship position in the PDP. He
may soon get a national honour since national honours have been cheapened and
ridiculed by Obasanjo. Adedidu sets Ibadan on fire, gives conditions for peace
and then rides majestically on a horse to Obasanjo’s warm and respectful
embrace.
Obasanjo’s determination to wreck our democracy is further evident in Southern
leaders’ meeting. How can a true leader be playing one section of the country
against the other? When you hear that Chimaroke Nnamani is hosting a Southern
leaders’ meeting, the implication should be clear to all. He has never for once
believed in 25% derivation. For him to spearhead the campaign suggests something
strange. Like my Igbo brothers would say, when you see an antelope dancing
beside the road, the drummer is somewhere in the bush.
But let it be known to Obasanjo that he is playing a dangerous game. We have
seen this before. And we all remember the outcome.
Ribadu’s Reputation at Stake
In a country where characters
like Chris Uba, Bode George and Lamidi Adedibu are the ones calling the shots,
nobody should blame me for continuously, and desperately, looking for role
models. The acute scarcity of heroes in Nigeria has often boxed someone like me
into a corner as I am ever eager to celebrate those who I feel are making a
positive impact in a society where evil is treated with full respect. On this
page, I have never hidden my adoration for Dora Akunyili, NAFDAC DG, and Nuhu
Ribadu, EFCC chairman – two Nigerians whom I believe have demonstrated integrity
in the land of indignity. I have celebrated entrepreneurs like Femi Otedola,
Aliko Dangote, Wale Tinubu and Mike Adenuga Jnr on this page because we have
seen many people who have government connections and who never translate such to
the benefit of millions of Nigerians as these men have been doing.
Of course, I have been pen-lashed by many readers who don’t agree with me. I
once got an e-mail from someone who wanted to know how much I was paid to sing
the praises of these people. Significantly, I have come under heavy bombardment
because of my support for Ribadu. My inbox is regularly congested with e-mails
from those who think Ribadu is just doing a butcher’s job. I get comments like:
“You must be the only Nigerian who doesn’t know that Ribadu is a cutlass in
Obasanjo’s hand and a ready tool for the implementation of the third term
agenda”
While I would very much like to discount these side talks, I cannot, in good
conscience, ignore them. I rigidly stand by my position that nobody should
steal and hide behind “political victimisation” as defence, but, at the same
time, Ribadu should draw a very thick line between sincerely fighting corruption
and fighting Obasanjo’s vindictive battles. As far as I am concerned, I remain
very proud of Ribadu; we need more of Ribadus to clean up the peculiar mess in
the land.
However, Ribadu has a rear opportunity to carve his name on the tablets of
history. And that will depend on his ability to resist pressures from the
president. He is the chairman of EFCC, not chairman of the kill-and-go
sub-committee of the Life Presidency Project. That must be uppermost on Ribadu’s
mind at all times. His allegiance is to the people of Nigeria and not to
Obasanjo, who in any case sees Nigeria as his courtyard going by the way he
calls Nigeria’s money “my money”. If Obasanjo tries to exert undue pressure on
him, Ribadu should honourably bow out of EFCC. That way, he will prove a point
that he is nobody’s hired assassin. That way, he will write his name on the
hearts of millions of Nigerians.
Most importantly, Ribadu should examine his conscience. I know Ribadu to be a
committed Muslim who does not joke with his religious beliefs. Anytime he sits
on the mat to say his daily prayers, I implore him to search his heart and ask
himself some sincere questions, questions like: Am I truly fighting corruption
or am I a machete in Obasanjo’s hand? Do I do things because Obasanjo has
personal interest or because that is the right thing to do? Is my motive genuine
or am I playing into Obasanjo’s hands?
I tell Ribadu something: ultimately, his loyalty is to God. Obasanjo is a mere
man. We who believe in God know that it is better to fear God than to fear any
man. This very fact of life should guide Ribadu in his actions. He should be
true to himself and to his God. I have no reason to distrust Ribadu yet, but he
needs to talk to himself and allow his conscience to be his guide. And if he
cannot go on under these mysterious circumstances, he should take the honourable
way out. Afterall, Obasanjo is not our God, even though he thinks he is.
