Bala Usman at Times Like This
The received wisdom has that it is a Chinese curse to say, “May he live in interesting times.” Interesting times are often defined as “times of danger and uncertainty” while conversely “uninteresting” times are times of uninterrupted peace and tranquillity.
Certainly all nations pass through both interesting and uninteresting times so defined. Nigeria cannot be different.
But unarguably very few countries parade citizens living in seemingly endless “interesting” times like Nigeria. What with almost a century long British colonial occupation, brutal exploitation and oppression (1861-1960)? Even much earlier, what with 16-18th centuries long inhuman Slave trade in which million Nigerians were forcibly kidnapped to the Americas to force labour on plantations? What with a Civil (Biafran) War, ( from 6 July 1967 – to 15 January 1970), between the Federal government and the secessionist state with 100,000 combatant casualties and as many as over 2 million civilian casualties? What with 30 years of military dictatorships (1966-1979) and (1983-1998), almost half the nationhood and almost twice 20 years of “democratic” rule? What with decade long economic structural adjustment (remember SAP?) with political regimentation? What with scores have communal and ethnic-religious feuds, militancy and insurgency? And endless constitutional / political debates and reports? What with mindboggling revelations of serial vertical and horizontal corruption? What about elections as wars of attritions? What with ever-predictable National Assembly versus executive wholesome confrontation and half-hearted cooperation amidst governance challenges on security, economy and fight against corruption? And what with the current political frustrations and shouting matches of unity and disunity, “restructuring” and self determination and even audacity of hysteria about disintegration in a country which witnessed avoidable civil war just 50 years ago?
Some nations certainly do have bagful of interesting issues, but Nigeria ever lives in interesting times with scores of interesting issues.
Paradoxically interesting times do throw up interesting historic figures that commendably turned adversities into national progress. Nigeria has had its fair share of historic figures, heroes and heroines of anti-colonialism, independence and democracy. Just as the country like any other nations had produced scores of rouge leaders and anti-heroes.
With so much media reportage of the rouge leaders, our interest here is to bring to the fore the fact that there was a country which indeed paraded notable leaders who symbolized dignity of labour. In an age in which leadership is becoming endangered specie and even scandalously and shamelessly synonymous with crass corruption, the point cannot be overstated until recently Nigeria had a fine tradition of popular earned leadership. Some of these great leaders include Herbert Macaulay, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Haji Gambol Sawaba, Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Pa Michael Imoudu, Mallam Aminu Kano, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Kudirat Abiola, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and Dr Yusufu Bala Usman among others. What marked Dr Yusufu Bala Usman (1945 - September 24, 2005) out was that he was a great historic participant figure as well as an academic and a leading scholar of Nigerian historiography. We are indeed living in an interesting times in which common sense is far from being common with cheap shut-down of communities and cheap quit -notices feverishly served to fellow compatriots, with even cheaper social media proclamation of “Self determination” by misguided youths of various shades.
Obviously to be academic and seek for real knowledge in this interesting time in Nigeria is a luxury. All this negative development then raises the question; what would be the reactions of the philosopher-patriot that was Dr Bala Usman if he was alive today?
What would be the reaction of the late founder of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to our collective scandalous return of the long discredited TINA mentality (There Is No Alternative-this time “Restructuring” but in the 90s SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme)? What would be Bala Usman’s reaction to Prof. Wole Soyinka’s band wagon seemingly uncritical new posturing that “Nigeria is negotiable” as if we have successively revisited Green-tree agreement on Bakkasi? There is no doubt that for sure, Dr Bala Usman would have audaciously taken the Centre stage to put issues in historic perspective making a passionate case for the unity of Nigeria and indeed Africa. He would have taken an exception to the recent fashionable insular shoddy analysis of a complex issue of development and good governance. He would have interrogated one-buzz word-solves-all Nigeria’s problems; “Restructuring”. He would have reminded all of the danger of the nostalgia for the old regions, the failings of which led to the old clamour for the old state’ creation. The power of memory eludes most Nigerians with the loud silence of historians. Dr Bala Usman would have gone ahead to profile the new emergency “reformers” “re-structuralists” for what they have always been; the wreckers of nation-building projects and warned the citizens against a renewed manipulation of religions and regions for selfish agenda.
Dr Bala would have thought outside the false box of restructuring and called for the “liberation of Nigeria” form wholesome state capture by the forces of corruption! We must revisit the brilliant historic engaging essay by the great African patriot and scholar at the sixth Bala Mohammed (his friend!) Memorial Lecture entitled; Nigeria unity and Nigeria History: the Basis of our self –determination” ably delivered at the conference Hall, Shukura Hotel, Sokoto, on the 10th July 1992. On national unity here is quotable Bala Usman, which is still relevant at times like this ;“It is necessary to be very clear from the beginning as to the nature of what we are talking about here. Nigerian unity is not an abstract thing existing in the minds of some people. It is not a figment of somebody’ s imagination. Like the unity of other countries, of other polities, and indeed of all communities at all levels, it is made up legal and constitutional enactments. It is made up of network of human relationships. These relationships are real. There are ecological relationships, economic relationships, social relationships, psychological relationships and political relationships. Right now, these relationships are beings trained and battered by the intensity and scale of the decline in the living conditions of almost all the people lives of Nigeria, except a handful. This devastation of the lives of Nigerians is a direct result of the economic crisis the country fell into from the early eighties and particularly due to the policies of the structural Adjustment Programme imposed by the present regime, over the last six years”
Nigerian unity is not an abstract thing existing in the minds of some people. It is not a figment of somebody’s imagination. Like the unity of other countries, of other polities, and indeed of all communities at all levels, it is made up legal and constitutional enactments. It is made up of network of human relationships. These relationships are real