June 12: Political Struggle as the Pathway to Egalitarianism and Future of Nigeria’s Development (Lecture)

June 12: Political Struggle as the Pathway to Egalitarianism and Future of Nigeria’s Development (Lecture)

 

Before we proceed, I want use this opportunity to remember Chief MKO Abiola.

We cannot but acknowledge that without MKO Abiola, June 12 would not have been possible. It must be explicitly emphasized that MKO Abiola had the option to renounce his mandate, and be generously rewarded for it, but chose not to.

 

The Muslim-Muslim ticket was possible then, is it possible now? How far have we come since June 12 1993 elections? What has been the impact of democracy on the average person since 1999? There are so many questions about the impact of the annulment of that spectacular election on our polity.

 

“The Abiola chapter in Nigerian politics was historic in more ways than one, because he represented the dream of a new Nigeria and a modern Nigeria.” - Pa Anthony Enahoro

 

This presentation will be addressed via three cardinal sections:
Political Struggle, Egalitarianism and Development

1. POLITICAL STRUGGLE

Generally, human being struggle against evil and from an Islamic perspective, Islam encourages the continuous struggle against evil.

“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah...” – Quran 3:110

 

Struggle is part of human nature. Human beings struggle daily – to live, study, marry and raise children. From a collective perspective, that struggle can be appreciated as political struggle.

 

June 12 political struggle is crucial because it ousted the military

I realise there is a new generation emerging that may not know the essence of June 12, 1993, because it has been 27 years. Real political struggle was under the military government, especially under Abacha. The June 12 struggle, eventually led to the ouster of the military and Nigeria evolved into a quasi-democracy, founded on a military – oriented constitution.

For those who participated in the struggle, the memories are evergreen. People were being arrested and tortured for speaking against the military regime. There were many incidents of spies littered around, usually mufti cladded service men scouring the streets and seated in commercial vehicles. People spoke looking over their shoulders, as there were many cases of missing people. Some of us still have those scars; psychological and physical. From the frog jumps, to detention without bail, from physical torture to gun wounds, from accidental discharge to cold blooded killing. The military era was brute and generally merciless.

 

Incidentally, people were rejoicing when Abacha died June 8, 1998 – it was the first time in my life I ever witnessed such a thing. Sadly, a month later MKO too was killed under very mysterious circumstances on July 7, 1998. From a continental perspective, the case of MKO Abiola in Nigeria can be appreciated as a precursor to the eventual fate of Mohamed Morsi in Egypt. Like Abiola, Morsi won the presidential elections, though Abiola never got to rule like Morsi, they were both arrested by the head of the military – Sisi in Egypt and Abacha in Nigeria, and both democratically-elected presidents eventually lost their lives in detention.

At this juncture, it must be acknowledged that when Abacha died, a section in the country may not have been so jubilant about the death of Abacha. To some people Abacha can do no wrong. However, it was under him some of the most heinous crimes were committed.

Ironically, the eponymous ‘Abacha Loot’ is still being recovered. He is the gift that keeps on giving, even in death. Some people have joked that the Abacha loot recovery can now be considered a source of revenue for Nigeria. But we must never forget that many people died during his brutal regime!

A classic example of the many political assassinations is Kudirat Abiola. Who killed Kudirat Abiola? Or did she kill herself? Who is responsible for the murder?

Incidentally, just 8 days ago, on June 4^th, was 24 years Kudirat Abiola was assassinated. In fact, that was the last burial my late dad attended before he died exactly 3 weeks later. I remember my father being despondent and couldn’t fathom why, nor believe the Abacha regime would stoop so low to kill a mother of seven. She was killed by cowards at 44 and never witnessed her children grow old, get married, start their families, nor meet any of her grandchildren.
Markedly, the Kudirat Abiola Corner by 44^Th street in New York, where the Nigerian consulate is situated, is named in her honour in 1997. In 2019, the Buhari government, duly recognised Kudirat Abiola as a heroine of democracy.

I have celebrated June 12 for many years, and for the past few years pondered on what has been achieved. I was undoubtedly elated after President Buhari declared June 12 a national holiday because it brought some sort of closure on certain issues – our votes now counted and people who lost their lives didn't die in vain. Buhari went against the odds and did what Obasanjo failed to do – I’ll not get into the intricacies of that, but May 29^th should never have been recognised ab initio.
I believe until a group of people completely retire from our political affairs, progress will be difficult. May be Buhari can help us retire his class of rulers.

 

 

2. EGALITARIANISM  

Egalitarianism is essentially social equality. Islam advocates we are all equal and the Quran is quite explicit on this fundamental:

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted” – Quran 49:13

 

However, between theory and practice are many variations and manifestations.

Egalitarianism was a primary objective of June 12, because MKO campaigned on Hope - The Hope 93 manifesto was themed “farewell to poverty”. 
The annulment by Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) set us back decades and we can only rue the opportunity lost since 1993. The average man just wants the basics – income, accessible health care, education and security – generally good infrastructure. Ultimately, these amenities will not only be beneficial but will widen the tax net. Taxation is a key part of economic development and sustainability.

Egalitarianism will continue to elude us without Strong Institutions

During a visit to Africa, Obama made a statement in Ghana, on July 11^th 2009 that “Africa does not need strong men. It needs strong institutions”. From a superficial perspective, seems like good advice, even if rhetorical, however, things are not so straightforward because of the many factors that must be taken into cognizance. Then there’s the debate of strong men versus strong institutions.

The reality is that different countries have different stages of development. The US has been practising democracy for at least 2 centuries. Their founding fathers were strong men who built their strong institutions. Nigeria adopted the Presidential system of government similar to the United States. Certain historic moves were made in the United States to solidify their institutions.  

A good example is the 22^nd Amendment of the US constitution. When George Washington, the first President of the United States, completed two terms in 1797, he decided not to run again, despite his popularity and supporters pushing for a third term. The two-terms were not enshrined in the constitution but it became a tradition many presidents followed after Washington. However, unprecedented events occurred, 30 presidents later under Franklin D. Roosevelt, who broke with tradition and ran for a third term and fourth term in 1940 and 1944 respectively. To avert a situation where a president could run unlimited terms, the 22nd amendment of the US constitution was ratified under Harry Truman in 1951. From Washington to Truman was 154 years - 1797 to 1951.

From that perspective, Nigeria started its uninterrupted democratic journey 21 years ago -1999. Nigeria is currently in the fourth republic; has had 6 elections and produced 4 presidents – Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and Buhari. The 2015 election was critical because it was the first time and incumbent lost and handed over to the opposition. This peaceful succession was good for strengthening Nigeria’s institutions and development.

 

It must be emphasized for posterity that Obasanjo; a major beneficiary of the June 12 political struggles - initiated after Babangida annulled the freest and fairest elections in our history, attempted an ignoble third term agenda. Obasanjo’s failed third term project was based on a futile constitutional amendment of section 137(1) b of the 1999 Nigerian constitution – on Head of State term limits. So, Obasanjo attempted to abuse the same system that brought him to power.

 

Systemic issues, require systemic solutions...

Every nation is unique and must excogitate bespoke ways to address their respective peculiarities. Turkey and Russia are some examples of nations attaining their developmental milestones with their unique styles of governance. In this regard, I am not absolutely against a mixture of governance systems to accelerate development. For example, a benevolent dictatorship, with the caveat that strong institutions are built, might be ultimately beneficial to the citizenry. So instead of pitching strong men against strong institutions, strong men can actually build strong institutions. Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia under Mahathir Mohamad are a couple of examples. Yew was PM for 31 years (1959-1990) and Mohamed was PM for 22 years (1981-2003).

In this context, the developmental situation in Africa can be argued. How effective has this approach been, and how has it benefitted the masses? In recent history, those in charge never took advantage of their longevity in power to build strong institutions. In the case of Nigeria, that ship sailed with the military institutions.
Essentially, our military era was wasted by not achieving expansive development feats under protracted and strong regimes. It can be argued the Buhari-Idiagbon regime was poised for that feat until it was truncated. Since 1999, our democracy has only made millionaires and billionaires of those elected into office. The NASS is a typical example. Billions that could be channelled towards the cause of the masses is wasted on cars and renovation. Health care budget and education are 46 billion and 48 billion respectively, whilst the legislators’ budget is 125 billion.

 

Corruption Culture and Lack of Accountability

After Buhari took over there was anxiety amongst the corrupt; some people wanted to go on exile and others feared jail. However, after some time, the corrupt began to feel comfortable and emboldened, because heads were not rolling as expected and Nigeria somewhat witnessed a recrudescence of corruption.

 

Though there are numerous corruption instances, I will cite a few examples.

Recently, the head of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, mentioned optimization of Kilishi production as an achievement – in 30 years.

 

I wrote an article in 2014 titled “Scamming the oppressed”, about the 2014 Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment, where 6.5 million applicants applied for 4000 positions. During the stamped, at least 16 applicants died and dozens were injured. Innocent lives were wasted without any repercussions. In fact, the victims were initially blamed for not following venue safety procedures.

 

During an interview with Modele Sharafa Yusuf, Atiku mentioned the billions wasted on energy from his regime to Jonathan’s, and nobody has been held accountable ever since. It makes you question many things, including the efficacy of institutions like the EFCC and ICPC as tools for fighting corruption. A society without any deterrents or consequences for criminal behaviour is a recipe for chaos. As the saying goes, a society without laws has no crimes.

 

In contrast, it would be good if those in government could emulate Prof. Oloyede and the remarkable work he is doing at Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Before Prof. Oloyede took over, JAMB remitted just N52 million to the federal government, but since 2016, an average of N7 billion has been remitted annually to government coffers.

 

3. DEVELOPMENT

Abuse of Social Contract

Why are we not developing as we should? Because the social contract has been abused! The social contract between the governed and the governors has been broken. Because of the social disconnect, there is a chasm between the ruling class and the masses. Those in the ruling class are often stuck in a cocoon and detached from reality. The characters involved are unscrupulous. If an aspirant raises money from people to contest elections, or is indebted during the electioneering process, the first priority is to settle creditors before trying to commit to good governance.

 

There has to be an elite consensus, and general national cohesion on critical issues. What we are witnessing are the manifestations of a protracted period of successive maladministration by previous governments. Policy failure upon policy failure!

Unfortunately, the system is designed to benefit just a privileged few. The money some people expend on amusement and frivolities, can transform not just individuals, but communities.

To commemorate June 12 Last year, I wrote an article about 20 years of democracy and made some recommendations:
 Recommendations

 

-         Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Human trafficking – death penalty.

-         Since rape is a growing issue; for rapists, I recommend castration.*

-         Embezzlement of public funds and advance fee fraud - life imprisonment or death penalty, depending on the gravity of the crime.

-         Judicial officers found guilty of obstructing justice, taking bribes or found to be in connivance with criminals must be stripped of their right to practice the law profession and cannot have any dealings with government for life.

-         Police officers found guilty of abating corruption must be executed. Law enforcement officers must only comprise those with high ethical standards.

-         All children and grandchildren of all those convicted should forfeit any proceeds from the criminal activities of their parents and barred from holding any public office nor have any dealings with government for life.

-         All court proceedings must be televised for the public to witness all convicts got a fair trial.

Note: * Newly added recommendation

 

EJE – Execution, Jail, Exile

Importantly, I came up with the EJE acronym for dealing with public office corruption. The war against corruption should go beyond rhetoric and theatrics and summarily convict all those found guilty. The options for looters should be unambiguous – execution, jail or exile (EJE). Nigeria must develop to a level where everybody is held accountable and nobody is bigger than the law – no sacred cows.

 

Structures and Restructuring

Beyond the political rhetoric of restructuring, the nation as it is currently constituted has its limitations. Nigeria has a unitary system where too much power rests on the central governing unit, and this needs to be revised. A lot can be achieved through regional structures. Development has to reach the three tiers of government - federal, State and Local. Governance structure must be redesigned to assist economic growth. Innovative development initiatives must be adopted to accelerate economic growth. I support socio-economic restructuring. Microcosmic development via regional socio-economic structures must be implemented. Also, I welcome collaboration and healthy competition amongst states and regions.

 

Investment Sectors

IT – start-ups, apps development, and offshore services – there’s nothing stopping us from competing with countries like India. Nigeria has suffered infrastructural deficit and requires drastic development catch-up from wasted decades of mismanagement. Critically, connecting the rural and hinterland to development infrastructure will stimulate economic growth, especially the agro-allied sectors. Surely, if voter’s cards can reach rural areas, development can reach there too.

I remember during a trip to China, I toured the Suzhou Industrial park. We had such similar projects in Nigeria too. In Lagos for example, Ikeja, Oregun and Ilupeju had such industrial zones. Unfortunately, some of the buildings in these industrial zones have been converted to churches.

 

Further Recommendations

-         An uncompromised judiciary that does not adjourn cases in perpetuity.

-         A total revamp of the police force. Adequate army funding boost to fight crime and insurgency.

-         Public service – Civil Service revival with innovative ideas is an urgent requirement. The civil service must be streamlined, particularly the non-productive sectors that aren’t generating any revenues. A lot of civil servants have no business in public service.

-         Critically, the education curriculum must be revamped for a more innovation and production oriented template. Research and development must be integral to the educational ecosystem. 

-         The activities of religious organizations must be monitored, so they are not utilised as conduits for money laundering and terrorism. Also these religious organizations can’t continue to fleece people – especially the downtrodden. These organizations should try and collaborate on development initiatives.

 

I will round up my presentation by addressing the next and future generations.

 

“The future promise of any nation can be directly measured by the present prospects of its youth.” – John F. Kennedy

Motivational factors – avarice etc. Get rich quick mentality. Where is the dignity in labour? Who are your role models? Scammers, Yahoo -Yahoo, Yahoo Plus.

I remember some silly songs -Yahooze, I go chop your dollar – and other unconscionable songs that have ingrained the wrong mentality into people. I am aware things have gotten worse contemporarily, and I will purposely not mention any names – vacuous individuals who glorify filth, waywardness and corruption.

 

The mercy of God will never come, because those most affected are not sincere – hypocrites and potential looters who celebrate criminals. I believe it was Rawlings that said we love our oppressors. God will never change a condition of a people until they change that which is within themselves. “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” – Quran 13:11. We need to change ourselves and be selfless: Arise O Selfless Generation!

© M.B.O 2020 

(Lecture delivered to The Academy on June 12, 2020)