The Passing Scene

A few days ago, at the beginning of his well-deserved rest in England, President Muhammadu Buhari lamented that his paramount challenge is with the judiciary. He quoted his experience in the past futile efforts to become the occupier of Aso Rock as what constitutes his lack of confidence in the Judiciary. The fact that such an unbecoming statement was made in a foreign country makes one wonder about how sensitive our President really is concerning our foreign image, in spite of his globe-trotting which we are informed is necessary to repair our reputation abroad. In any case, the statement which, by itself, airily cast heavy aspersions on our institutions of justice must be considered ill-considered coming, as it did, from the head of the executive branch of government.

On this day, February 13, General Murtala Mohammed, Nigerian Head of State, was assassinated. Exactly 40 years ago today. He was on his way to work at Dodan Barracks, a distance of less than three kilometres from his residence in Ikoyi. He was killed along with is aide-de-camp, the only company he had. It was not his style to garland his way with a massive escort of despatch riders and armoured cars, in the midst of wailing sirens. Although he had himself seized power some six months earlier, he was casual about the personal protection his position naturally warranted.

Mr. Rauf Aregbesola is a delight to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, whose joy it is to see any functionary of the All Progressives Congress who, they believe, has fallen short of the celestial standards their own party claims for itself. They are consistently aided, inadvertently, by some arms of the government, particularly organs like the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which sometime stumble over the hurdle of fairness to all. For instance, the crime-busters recently failed to arraign someone described as “an associate” of President Muhammadu Buhari, unlike they did with several PDP members who had been accused of benefitting from the widely distributed largesse accruing from the 2.1 billion dollars of security funds, under the control of Colonel Sambo Dasuki, (Rtd.) erstwhile National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Like the visit of the Chief Executive Officer of the International Monetary Fund to Nigeria. That is one item that is not splitting my sides with laughter right now. What is she doing here—and at this time? Or has she got the right to just bump in on us? We are a sovereign nation yet, aren’t we? I saw how our high officials were tripping on one another’s heels to welcome her, and I wondered what has happened to our sense of propriety. That is not the proper way to welcome the agent of an institution that has seen this country on the way to ruin.

You must have heard of a very knowledgeable people who woke up one day and, in their great wisdom, declared that Nigerians were the happiest people in the world. Of course, it was not added that they were of Nigerian stock. They must have come to that fabulous estimation during a festive period like Christmas when almost everybody has something to dance about, and Nigerians will dance at the drop of a pin.

The original idea was to carve an enclave out of Nigeria in an area mostly populated by the Igbos among other ethnic groups like the Efiks, Kalabaris, Ibibios, Ijaws, Ogonis and others, stemming from a violent disagreement in the Northern part of the country, which put the lives of people sojourning there from the Eastern part of the country in danger. The exodus which ensued when the Southerners, mostly Igbo, streamed back home to save their lives, gave passion to the desire of keeping away from the North. That desire was resisted and crushed by the armed forces of the rest of the country in a war which has been tagged “Biafra” by some people and “Unity by others. That is history. No nation should go through that awesome experience twice. Hardly any nation can.

We can now all admit that we are at war. The proclamation that slapped a state of emergency on three States—Yobe, Adamawa and Bornu—a while back would seem to suggest as much, especially from the launching of all-out hostilities in certain areas of that region. It did not appear that we were really sure of what was going on these past three to four years during which we had borne the scourge of the Boko Haram. Some of course called it “terrorism” which is, in fact, a measure of warfare.

We are at the mercy of the politicians who rule us as masters rule slaves. They do not have any consideration for our needs and desires. They do not care to honour even their word to us. They care less still for the pride of the nation, or her progress. They hold us in utter contempt. But should they not hold us in some kind of esteem, no matter how little—some respect, some regard at least? After all, we put them there, didn’t we? It was our votes that helped to elect them into the Houses of Assembly, the House of Representatives, or the Senate.

“W riters, like teeth,” according to Walter Bagehot, “are divided into incisors and grinders.” He should know. He was the editor of the time-honoured journal, The Economist, for more than a decade until his death in 1877.

A little way back there, it was like we were hardly going to be able to govern ourselves properly. If it was not a free-for-all in the “hallowed” chambers of our law-making elements, among distinguished and honourable men and women, it was that we manufactured an impasse in the progress of governance. And then we would begin to pant, and gasp and point accusing fingers in all directions. Now we seem to be a bit more focused on what is wrong as against who is wrong.

Mike Enahoro seemed to treat a football gently when he was on the field. He would stroke it smoothly to bring it under control. He played the guitar the same way too. It was a personal skill, his personal style to apparently take things easy while achieving the desired end.

The list of the ministers has been received by various people in various ways. As usual, the areas of responsibility were not included. This was demanded in the past and would have been welcome in this dispensation now as a mark of the expected change which many people are still waiting to discern in the Buhari government.

Fulani herdsmen now operate quite a distance from home—wherever that may be. Offspring of arid regions, a nomadic lifestyle is stamped on their nature, incensed by the perennial need for water both for themselves and their cattle. But their herds need more than that; they also need food by way of grass and shrubs which do not grow in their native areas.

Dr. Bukola Saraki, the distinguished President of the Senate, believes that the accusation of his alleged false declaration of assets when he was the Governor of Kwara State, is politically motivated. The Code of Conduct Tribunal, before which he had to appear in Abuja, also has before it the consideration of another indictment against Saraki of owning and operating foreign bank accounts contrary to his position as a public officer. But beyond that, he is also held to have acquired some assets which are believed to be beyond his legitimate earnings.