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Obasanjo’s
burden of a third stanza
History has
never been this kind, wonderful and benevolent like it is with President
Mathew Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo. What late elder statesman, Chief
Obafemi Awolowo, the grand master of politics of the turbulent West
yearned and struggled for nearly half his life, was thrust on his
laps almost without firing a shot. Obasanjo had taken oath to be
chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters and a loyal number two after
the military putsch of July 1975. The assassination of then Head
of State, General Murtala Hohammed on February 13, 1976 changed
that. He took over the mantle “against his wishes and desires” and
steered the ship of state for three and a half years. Despised and
rejected by his people, the Yoruba for handing over power to a northerner,
President Shehu Shagari instead of Awolowo in October 1979, Obasanjo
again reaped bountifully from the popular agitation to actualise
the June 12, 1993 presidential mandate supposedly won by Chief Moshood
Kashimawo Abiola. Haven suffered brutality and indignities in the
gallows of late dictator, General Sani Abacha and cheating death
by the whiskers, he was sworn in four years ago as the second executive
president of Nigeria.
Now he seeks
to embark on a new stanza as he took oath the third time Thursday
to preside again over our affairs. No man in this generation may
be that lucky. Even as a soldier, many would look at his credentials
with envy. Although people like former Army Chief, General Victor
Malu would loathe his meteoric rise to the rank of general after
spending just 18 years of service, scholars of soldering and war
say Obasanjo performed a feat, threading the path of Allied commander
in the Second World War, General Mac Arthur. Like Arthur who collected
surrender papers from the defeated Axis forces commanders, Obasanjo
who took over the dreaded Third Marine Commando from Brigadier Benjamin
Adekunle, did the same from Biafran commanders led by Colonel Philip
Effiong at the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970. Walking through
this labyrinth of the burden of history, Obasanjo did say he would
surprise his countrymen who were groaning under the throes of a
bungled economy and the reek of virtual breakdown in social infrastructure
in the world’s sixth largest oil producing country.
After the four-year
stint, many will insist the country is no where near Obasanjo’s
flowery wish and vision. His prophetic eldorado remains forlorn.
With a history so sweet behind him, President Obasanjo had a unique
opportunity to turn around the fortune of his countrymen where a
significant number constitute part of the 220million Africans said
to be living below one dollar (N137) a day. Just as he took office
in 1999, the price of oil in the international market rose astronomically
like some shower of blessing, creating almost a glut to spend at
home. Unfortunately four years down the road, the lot of the people
is not any better. Governance is almost disappeared in the lives
of the people. The state of social infrastructure remains pathetic.
While West African neighbours like Ghana are offering supplication
to the Lord and celebrating uninterrupted power supply, Nigeria,
the world’s largest black nation reels under erratic and epileptic
supply. Not many of its citizens can boast of enjoying uninterrupted
electricity supply for 6 hours a day. No one is sure exactly how
much the government has spent on electricity generation, supply
and distribution. No one is equally sure of the extent of the nation’s
consumption. Energy officials prefer to speak glibly from different
sides of their mouth. Between March and now, Joseph Makoju, NEPA’s
managing director has given diverse figures. A special advert placed
by the government in TIME magazine last March said $2.7billion (N350billion)
was spent in reviving the power sector. The Punch in the first week
of May quoted Makoju as saying N102 billion was spent on generation,
supply and distribution.
The NEPA boss
was also quoted by The Punch of May 22 as saying a total of N200
billion has been spent. He also told us the nation’s power requirement
is now 10,000mw and not 4000mw as we were told previously. While
government officials struggle with the riot of figures, no one is
sure when companies will run their plants without spending huge
resources on diesel to power their plants. Who will equally safe
our environment from excessive noise pollution and the carbon monoxide
fumes dotting our skyline, courtesy of tokunbo electricity generators
everywhere you turn. In spite of claims that N350 billion contracts
has been awarded on road projects you are tended to ask where are
the roads? What we see is hardly passable. It’s miles and miles
of claims. In the areas of water supply, healthcare, housing and
education, government has almost virtually abdicated responsibility.
With the army of jobless youths, one gleans that tackling unemployment
is no longer on the agenda. Our failure to provide jobs has made
our streets more unsafe.
Thanks to the
GSM revolution that has liberalised communication, but how come
have we inflicted on our citizens one of the costliest tariffs in
the world? Many now carry mobile handsets but are so afraid to use
it. His presiding on a fragile polity notwithstanding, Obasanjo
has opted to play Russian roulette to the intractable issue of the
national question. In spite of committing N30billion to the Niger
Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the government is not anywhere
near arresting the restiveness in the region. President Obasanjo
should therefore use the opportunity of a third stanza to kick-start
the process of genuine development of the country.
He has a responsibility
to build an efficient social infrastructure. Obasanjo has to take
steps to tackle the gloomy economy and knotty issues of the national
question. He needs to do that by ridding his cabinet of professional
jobbers and never do wells and enlisting the services of committed
and altruistic men and women. Since he may never pass this way again,
his watchword should be not to fail. Baba must resolve this time
to avoid the path of Rehoboam by not serving us a dinner of scorpions.
First Published
in the Sunday Punch on June 1, 2003.
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