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CNN International interview with Nigeria's President Obasanjo and USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu on Democracy and Security Issues

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Obasanjo's failed quest for 3rd Term has damaged his reputation

By Prof. Patrick Wilmot
Special to USAfrica The Newspaper, Houston
USAfricaonline.com, CLASS magazine, IgboEvents, and The Black Business Journal

June 3, 2006: The May 2005 failure of President Obasanjo's bid for a third term may be the beginning of genuine democracy in Nigeria. Many of the politicians opposed to his prolongation in office may have been influenced by the power and money of his opponents but the decisive factor was the grassroots opposition of the Nigerian people. Many of his would be supporters were deterred by the hostility of their people, and put this popular support above the lures of bribes and the fears of Presidential retribution.

It is now the duty of these budding democrats to organize their popular base to prevent the resurrection of uncontained and unaccountable power. They must recognize that the strength of this inchoate democracy spells the end of a centralized, imperial presidency, fashioned from the worst aspects of a military hierarchical structure that descended into barbarism. The tragedy of military rule in Nigeria is that it was exercised by third rate soldiers without honour, integrity or courage.These democrats must also realize that enemies of Obasanjo are not necessarily friends of the Nigerian people. Many share his values but oppose him on personal grounds because they want to operate the same system that has ruined Nigeria for the past thirty years.

Obasanjo's failure is not personal but that of a class of Nigerian power holders who have a profound contempt for their people. The system they operated has failed spectacularly and it would be a tragedy worse than the third term if politicians worse than Obasanjo were brought back as saviours. A whole generation has failed and it is time they recognize this and make way for leaders of the twentieth century, with the democratic values and competence to run a modern state.

The President once said that Africans do not know the concept of opposition. This is rubbish, based on his ignorance and the racism of his colonial masters. There was opposition in the simplest of African societies but the people attempted to resolve these through painstaking discussions, not through bribes or threats of violence. Our ancestors in Sokoto, Zululand or Ghana did not suborn opponents with fifty million Naira or send the SSS and mobile police to deny them their democratic rights.

The President severely damaged his reputation by linking himself with a project designed and operated by some of the worst elements of a discredited political class. While he does not care what Nigerians think, he is very concerned about the opinions of foreign friends and while these people still praise him for his work in places like Darfur, they were alarmed and disgusted that he tried to bulldoze a project that is opposed by 85% of his own people from the South West zone, and 75 to 80% in the rest of the country. To restore his reputation and leave a positive legacy, President Obasanjo must accept that Nigerian society has changed, and that he must choose to be part of the solution or part of the problem.

First he must recognize that there is an opposition in Nigeria whose interests must be accommodated. The press, even though owned by members of the failed political class, has achieved a degree of autonomy that allowed it to take an almost unanimous stance against the third term project. The President owes his life to the activities of pro-democracy activists who opposed the dictatorships of Babangida and Abacha and fought to realize the democratic mandate of the late M.K.O. Abiola. He may despise Soyinka, Fawehinmi and Wilmot but a mature politician does not formulate policy on the basis of emotional preferences. History will ask why he chose to surround himself with Tony Anenih, Ibrahim Mantu, Dalhatu Tafida, Chris Uba, and Lamidi Adedibu rather than the fighters for democratic freedoms.

The President must immediately consult with the people who opposed him and come to a consensus on how the most urgent problems of the country can be solved. This is the African way of dealing with opposition, as seen in the indaba, majlis, town council, and village gathering. He knows the African proverb which says keep your friends close but your enemies even closer. If he considers Atiku, Tinubu and Buhari his worst enemies, these are the people he should convince that he has the best programs for making Nigeria better.

The first task should be to guarantee that next years elections are free and fair. The Nigerian people, like all others, are quite capable of electing leaders of their choice. They did so in 1993, defying all the stereotypes of ethnicity and religion, and were frustrated by corrupt military and civilian politicians. The President must guarantee that the Electoral Commission acts competently and professionally and that the police and security forces are not used to rig and intimidate the electorate. Political godfathers should be investigated and jailed if found guilty. Stringent laws must control the use of money and public resources.

In the rest of his term, President Obasanjo must put in place programs to alleviate the horrific poverty of his people by building schools, hospitals, factories, water-works, roads, power stations; pump resources into restoring the universities, building communications, saving the environment; must indicate his seriousness in tackling corruption by investigating all corrupt people, beginning with those closest to him. All candidates for office in future must be cleared by both local and foreign anti-corruption agencies, including forensic accountants.

No enemy or opposition can disgrace the President from office. Only he and his friends can.
Wilmot, author and critic, served for decades until recently as Professor of Sociology at the Ahmadu bello University (ABU), in Zaria, Nigeria.

USAfricaonline.com SPECIAL REPORT/NEWS: OBASANJO'S FAILED 3RD TERM POWER-PLAY IS GOOD NEWS TO NIGERIANS, ABROAD AND HOME.... USAfricaonline.com and its correspondents in Nigeria and across the major cities of the U.S are reporting an increasing tally of anti-3rd term phone calls and e-mails from our readers. By a margin of almost 7-2, USAfricaonline.com data show that an overwhelming majority of the politically active citizenry are happy that Nigeria's Senate halted retired Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo's stealthy, unpopular, behind-the-scenes-wink and nod power plays to secure an "unrequested" 3rd term as president of Nigeria (a total of 12 consecutive years).

Many Nigerians still feel disappointed that a man (Obasanjo) who had gained so much from Nigeria would cling so tightly to power, even against the popular will of the people, moreso with age, energy and fresh ideas for a new era not on his side.

Also, USAfricaonline.com review of Nigeria's recent history show that President Obasanjo seems to be moving rapidly into the zone of ill-repute of his former military colleagues who, like him, refused to leave office when it was time to go. Gen. yakubu Gowon in 1975; Gen. Ibrahim Babangida in 1993; Gen. Sani Abacha in1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.

More baffling many Nigerians we interviewed recall is the lessons of the excesses of the late Gen. Abach who jailed Obasanjo while the former schemed to remain in power.
For the special report by USAfrica multimedia networks' Publisher Chido Nwangwu, click on 3rd term.

Nigeria's Senate kills bill seeking to prolong Obasanjo's tenure to unprecedented 3rd term.... Nigerian senators voted on Tuesday May 16, 2006 to throw out a bill seeking to amend the country's constitution to give President Olusegun Obasanjo the chance to run for a third successive term in office next year. A majority of lawmakers in the upper house agreed in a voice vote to scrap the bill, which has raised tensions in Africa's most populous country plagued by ethnic and religious violence. "By this result, the Senate has said clearly and eloquently that we should discontinue further proceedings on this amendment bill," Senate President Ken Nnamani announced to applause.

Obasanjo, who was on a visit to France as the lawmakers took the decision, has never stated he wants to run again when his second, four-year term comes to an end in 2007. But he has hinted he would like to complete economic and political reforms he has initiated. However, many Nigerians believe he is behind a powerful campaign by his supporters to prolong his rule. Six months must now elapse before the bill can be re-presented to the Senate, if Obsanjo's third term supporters wish to.
Obasanjo's current 2nd tenure (8 years in office) will end on May 29, 2007. (IRIN)

His globalist underpinnings and outlook are truly reflective of the true essence of his Igbo world-view, his Igbo upbringing and disposition. Igbos and Jews share (with a few other other cultures) this pan-global disposition to issues of art, life, commerce, juridical pursuits, and quest to be republicanist in terms of the vitality of the individual/self. In Achebe's works, the centrality of Chi (God) attains an additional clarity in the Igbo cosmology... it is a world which prefers a quasi-capitalistic business attitude while taking due cognizance of the usefulness of the whole, the community. I've studied, lived and tried to better understand, essentially, the rigor and towering moral certainties which Achebe have employed in most of his works and his world. I know, among other reasons, because I share the same ancestry with him. Permit me to attempt a brief sentence, with that Achebean simplicty and clarity. Here, folks, what the world has known since 1958: Achebe is good! Eagle on the Iroko, may your Lineage endure! There has never been one like you!
Ugo n'abo, chukwu gozie gi oo!

CLASS is the social events, heritage excellence and style magazine for Africans in north America, described by The New York Times as the magazine for affluent Africans in America. It is published by professional journalists and leading mulitmedia leaders and pioneers.



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