Nigeria: Forward or Backward?

In my last article, I raised questions around the lack of clarity about what our national paradigms are as a people. It was my way of re-directing our national debate back to the fundamental issues as we approach our fiftieth independence anniversary. In continuing my examination of our challenges and prospects as we approach half a century of post-colonial nationhood, today I ask, are we as a people looking forward to the future, or looking backward to the past?
I have always been struck by our penchant for looking backwards rather than forward in our national life. When we want an indigenous football coach, we go back to Amodu Shuaibu or Austine Eguavoen, who have done the job previously rather than for instance trying Sunday Oliseh or Samson Siasia. We continually re-call old grandees out of retirement, rather than create a new pool of talent who can serve the nation-Theophilus Danjuma, General Aliyu Gusau, Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Ernest Shonekan, Gamaliel Onosode, Jubril Martins Kuye, Shettima Mustapha, Ufot Ekaette, Adamu Ciroma, Ibrahim Lame etc are recent illustrations of this backward-looking inclination, the consequence of which is that we do not develop new leadership capacity in our nation.
The perpetrators of this syndrome, (who invariably are also the beneficiaries!) then justify their continuous recycling based on the absence of substitute leadership capacity, thus creating a vicious cycle (of mediocrity) and self-fulfilling prophesy (of leadership deficiency). The contemporary example of this trend is of course the emerging profile of possible contenders for the 2011 presidential contest. Look at the list of supposed front liners-former military President Ibrahim Babangida, ex-military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar are the leading Northern contenders. None of the numerous former Governors, Ministers and Senators from the North (and South) is courageous enough to join the race as the system is configured to assume that only these political dinosaurs (as one commentator described them) are eligible to contest and win.
Indeed Babangida has sought to justify his return to the presidency after leaving the office seventeen years ago on the basis of an absence of younger leaders. He has not attempted to flaunt a sparkling performance record (perhaps an admission that he doesn’t have one?); he has not put forward any intelligent analysis of the nation’s current challenges; and he has not proffered any solutions to the nation’s myriad problems. He left office with the nation in disarray, plunging us into five years of terror under his comrade and friend, General Sani Abacha due to the unending transition games his government played. Even though he seemed at first to have an understanding of economic policy, his government soon lost its way as oil prices recovered and corruption undermined structural adjustment. His government’s impact on the educational system, national ethics and societal value system however remains his most damaging legacy! Yet he audaciously returns to ask for the same job!!!
Buhari left office as military head of state in 1985, twenty five years ago! His reign was characterised by abuses of fundamental human rights, press censorship and ignorance on economic policy (the best illustration of which was his counter-trade policy-effectively a return to Stone Age trade-by-barter). His regime imprisoned journalists, executed drug traffickers and jailed politicians without trial. The same government however released the very head of the regime it overthrew, arguing that all wrong-doing in the government was ascribed to the Vice-President! Since then, Buhari has never been heard to discuss economic policy or national development. His record on human rights has not changed as he was a key functionary of the murderous Abacha regime (with which in spite of the regime’s national and international notoriety, Buhari remained a staunch ally) and he has not in any way expressed any regrets about his record in office. Yet he is touted as a serious candidate for presidency!
Atiku Abubakar is probably the Nigerian public office holder (apart from his friend and ally, James Ibori) with the highest number of allegations of official corruption levelled against him. He has had to confront graft allegations both domestically and internationally. Atiku, in spite of having been at the top of Nigerian politics for several decades, is not associated with any ideological, policy or developmental platforms. When his mentee, Bonnie Haruna held forth in Adamawa State, after Atiku relinquished the state governorship for the vice-presidency, that government was remarkable for nothing! Absolutely nothing! He has since then established a reputation as a politician completely lacking in principles in the pursuit of power-in PDP today; off to AC the next day in order to contest for presidency; and desperately seeking a return to PDP thereafter, once it seemed clear to him that PDP is where the presidential action is! These, fellow Nigerians, are not the stuff of which leaders are made!!!
The challenge we face is to decide whether we would look forward, carefully and meticulously for a new, more promising leadership. Babangida, Buhari and Atiku and such “blasts from the past” will not take this nation forward. It is time to search across the political, business, academic and professional spectrum of Nigerian society for committed, honest and visionary leaders. Looking backwards will not deliver that quality of leaders.