Person of the Year (1)

Your columnist has selected a person of the year since 2003. In December 2003, just over six months after the inception of former President Obasanjo’s second term, I proclaimed his reform-minded economic team my ‘team of the year’. The next year, the reform team had consolidated and was firmly on the way to changing Nigeria for good. I had no hesitation in December 2004 in concluding that they were ‘still, team of the year’. The 2003 and 2004 nominations were published on the op-ed pages of the Guardian.

At the end of 2005, my person of the year was extracted from the same team-indeed its then leader, Dr Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She was in many ways a model-her intellect, comportment, values and leadership, and her work for Nigeria had borne clear fruit-fiscal transparency, growing reserves, sectoral reform, resumption of foreign investment and debt relief. In 2006, I nominated ‘the Judiciary’ as my Institution of the year’. The nominations for 2005 and 2006 were of course published on these pages.

This tradition will continue this year. Who in the opinion of this columnist made the greatest positive impact on the Nigerian nation in 2007? Which individual, group of individuals, entity or institution helped Nigeria along the way of development and sustainable progress in 2007? Our ten nominees for this year in no particular order are Mr Peter Obi, Archbishop Peter Akinola, General Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (again), Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the Supreme Court.

But before examining these nominees, we have decided on an alternative list as well. While we honour those who in our view have made the most significant positive contribution, shouldn’t we recognize for the records those who in our view may have also advertently or otherwise made a not too positive contribution? Should we not also note those who may have been the most important stumbling blocks in our forward march as a nation? I think we should. Accordingly we also suggest ten nominees for our alternative list as follows-armed robbers, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, ex-President Obasanjo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ahmadu Ali, the Nigerian political class, the ex-Governors of the 1999-2007 class, Corruption, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Professor Maurice Iwu.

Armed robbers made life terrible for many Nigeria (not least your columnist) in 2007. They raided homes, snatched cars, attacked people in traffic, robbed banks, petrol stations, supermarkets, drugstores, any where there was a possibility of some cash. Insecurity increased in the land as armed robbers made a big come back into the national psyche. There were several victims-many dispossessed, some injured, many dead from their gunshots, or knife attacks. Often all they sought to collect from their hapless victims was a mobile phone, a laptop computer, handbag or just some petty cash. Many of the victims did not even have a chance to say yes or no before they were shot. In 2008, insecurity and crime must be a major focus of the federal and state governments.

Alhaji Atiku is on my hero’s list, as noted above. But along with his ex-boss, he is also on the not so heroic list! His name came up in all manner of corruption allegations-PTDF, Congressman Jefferson/ I-Gate, Wilbros etc. Whether he likes it or not, he has contributed to the notion of the Nigerian as corrupt and dishonest. Happily however, he is always ready to defend himself against all allegations. President Obasanjo also has both positive (as we shall see later) and negative contributions. The obnoxious third term plot, emerging corruption allegations involving his friends and family members, infractions of due process and transparency and capricious decisions characterized the last two years (particularly) of his tenure. But his most enduring damage was the shameful conduct of the 2007 elections.

The PDP had an opportunity to transform Nigeria since 1999, but instead it has presided over the erosion of democratic practice in Nigeria. Far from the touted vision of its founders as a vehicle to institutionalise democratic norms and values in Nigeria, the PDP ended up institutionalizing election rigging, shameful party primaries, violence, bribery, intimidation and every thing but democracy in Nigeria. There is yet no indication that the party has turned a new leaf going by the local government elections its state governors conducted recently. This is in spite of the odium the April general elections brought upon the whole country. Of course the party seems to have nothing against corruption, with more and more of its ex-governors ending up before the law courts on staggering allegations of gubernatorial stealing.

Alhaji Ahmadu Ali was a particularly obnoxious symbol and spokesman of the degenerate face of the PDP. He propounded a notion of politics as a military garrison, counselling ex-governor Rasheed Ladoja of Oyo State to submit to Lamidi Adedibu, because Adedibu was the reigning garrison commander. Under him, the PDP did not in any way resemble a democratic community. Rather he made the party look like it was a distasteful and unprincipled assemblage of persons united seemingly only by a common aversion for principles and honourable behaviour. But of course we know there is another more acceptable face of that party which history has given a great responsibility as Nigeria’s ruling party.

Of course the PDP can argue (not without some justification) that it is not alone amongst Nigerian political parties and politicians in disdaining values-based politics, internal party democracy and proper electoral conduct. Unfortunately as the ruling party, it is the one Nigerians will hold accountable. Nevertheless the entire Nigerian political class will have to rediscover proper democratic practice or sooner rather than later, the entire political class will lose legitimacy before the people, with terrible consequences. The ex-governors (1999-2007 class) were particularly visionless representatives of the political class. In eight years they stole and squandered exceptional oil revenues and at the end of their tenures, many are ending up in jail. Of course it is not only the politicians and the ex-governors who are guilty of corruption-civil servants, bankers, business persons, contractors, professionals, clerics are all involved. The Nigerian nation will have to deal with that malaise if we will fulfil our destiny as a great nation.

But the 2007 prize for infamy will have to be awarded jointly to INEC and its chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu. The Yorubas say, when you are sent a message fit for slaves, you carry it out like a freeborn. In INEC and Iwu’s case their conduct of the 2007 elections was banal-worse even than slaves would. That election took Nigerian democracy back several decades. It will take a lot to repair the damage.