Bypassing Principle and Reason

Those familiar with Dr Chidi Amuta’s antecedents would not be surprised that his THISDAY article of Thursday, August 26 2010 titled “Babangida and the Western Bypass” amounted to probably the most extensive public advocacy in defence of his “friend” Babangida since the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election. Amuta is the author of the IBB apology, “Prince of the Niger” and intelligent contemporary readers may have already discerned some not-so-hidden agenda in his recent canvassing amongst others for “the imperative of zoning” and a “governors’ party”. The unexpected dimension this time is the wholesale vilification of an entire ethnic group, who Amuta derided as “the Western Bypass”; his glancing blows at the media (especially the so-called “Lagos Press”-a group I thought he belongs to!!!) who he accuses of acting “often at the instance of the Yoruba elite”; and talk of an “oppositional agenda of the media”.
Amuta lists virtually all Yorubas who in his words “benefitted” from IBB and accuses the South-West of ingratitude, for appearing not to support IBB’s 2011 presidential ambition. For a public intellectual which Amuta is or used to be, this is a curious charge. Is public service a favour to be dispensed by a kingly benefactor? What is wrong with Wole Soyinka for instance, availing the nation his services in creating the Federal Road Safety Corps, something he had done previously in Oyo State? Does serving his nation require him to remain eternally grateful and supportive of IBB’s leadership irrespective of principles and IBB’s subsequent actions? Can a Nigerian leader elect to exclude any ethnic group from public offices? For every Yoruba person who served or “benefitted” from IBB, couldn’t one produce an equivalent name from other “geo-political” zones?
(South-East-Ebitu Ukiwe, Kalu Idika Kalu, Chu S P Okongwu, Ike Nwachukwu, Professor Nzimiro, Iwuanyanwu, Clement Akpamgbo (SAN), Sunny Odogwu, Professors Eme Awa and Humphrey Nwosu and I presume Chidi Amuta! South-South-General Ogbemudia, Tam David-West, Admiral Aikhomu, A.K Horsfall, Tonye Graham-Douglas, Sam Oyovbaire, Raymond Dokpesi, Admiral Porbeni, Paul Omu, Anthony Ikhazobor, Larry Koinyan, Tony Momoh, Patrick Dele-Cole and Mike Akhigbe; Middle-Belt names-John Shagaya, Joshua Dogonyaro, Jerry Gana, General Domkat Bali, David Mark, Jerry Useni, Stephen Ikya, John Inienger etc; The “core” Northern zones-Ibrahim Dasuki, Coomasie, Umaru Shinkafi, Justice Muhammed Bello, AVM Hamza Abdulahi, Bamanga Tukur, Aliyu Attah, Muhammadu Gambo, Halilu Akilu, Umaru Ndanusa, Ibrahim Alfa, Murtala Nyako, Shehu Musa, General Abacha, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, AVM Nura Imam, Gado Nasko, Jubril Aminu, General Aliyu Gusau and numerous others.) Does it not amount to intellectual sophistry for anyone to present one group as having “benefitted” from Babangida’s regime requiring some life-long payback? The accusation in any event, proceeds from a certain mindset about the nature of public office, one that has been described as “come and eat” mentality!
Beyond this unfortunate ethnic arithmetic, Amuta dismisses the annulment of the 1993 election as done “for reasons of higher national security”; mocks Yorubas for Awolowo’s failure to attain national power; and attributes Abiola and Obasanjo’s subsequent victories exclusively to IBB’s grace and favour! Amuta’s closing argument is the most intriguing. He derides the ethnic group’s “oppositional essence”; describes the region as a “political bypass”; and threatens IBB will win without Yoruba votes. There may be some method behind the intellectual strangeness! The strategy (as with “June 12”) may be recast opposition to IBB as a Yoruba phenomenon, turn others against them, and isolate anger against IBB’s presidential run to the South-West. No one should fall for this tactic. Many Hausa-Fulanis are not passionate about “zoning” because IBB is positioned as beneficiary; Many Nigerians from South-South or South-East argue vehemently against IBB; And very few in the middle-belt are looking forward to an IBB presidency!
Anyone in opposition in Nigeria, given the very poor results after fifty years of independence should be proud of himself! There is no pride in being in the mainstream of corruption, election rigging, absence of vision and planning, infrastructure decay, power shortages, crime and insecurity, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and profligacy! The media should be proud of acting in line with its moral and constitutional duty of opposing these tendencies. Unfortunately for IBB, I think Amuta’s pre-emptive strike at the PDP South-West meeting in Ibadan on August 28 which adopted Jonathan, was in fact a disservice to his campaign. I don’t think Yorubas hate IBB personally. They may oppose him (just like Obasanjo and even MKO Abiola), but that is based on some principles. They supported Murtala Muhammed and once supported IBB himself! Candidates for political office engage with opposing viewpoints (and as MKO proved they sometimes succeed) and not write them off or threaten to “bypass” them. If IBB wants the votes of all ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, his duty is to address their objections and present his record in office in as best a light as he can!
Instead of reason, Amuta resorts to power and expediency-“since you can’t stop us, you better join us”. It is a tragedy that this argument is presented not by some ex-military officer, policeman or customs officer friend of IBB, but a former university lecturer and newspaper columnist who earned a PHD! Perhaps proximity to the Nigerian brand of prebendal state power and its “benefits” has affected Dr Amuta’s notions about national values and how a people exercise their choices about their leadership.