NIGERIA’S MEDIOCRE LEADERSHIP FUNNEL
Gboyega Atoyebi argues that not much has changed in the country’s political administration
As an avid student of history and a keen observer of the socio-political transmutations in my country since 1983, being my personal socio-political awakening, I have been intrigued by so much change yet everything remains the same and some people will daresay worse. I remember in Technicolor December 31, 1983, the outburst of joy and jubilation that greeted the news of the ouster of a democratically ‘selected’ government midwifed by a certain General Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ). The juntas’ action was justified by one Brigadier Sani Abacha with the opener “you are all witnesses to the great economic predicament and uncertainty which an Inept and Corrupt leadership has imposed on our nation in the last four years”. Thus a group of ill-trained civil managers hijacked the country and plunged us into a worse 18 months period of excruciating socio-economic tumult signposted by a foreign exchange conundrum, unprecedented inflation, general scarcity and factory shutdowns. This general economic downturn combined with a physical and verbal assault on the citizens’ human dignity aka war against indiscipline resulted in buyer’s remorse and suddenly the Alhaji Shehu Shagari-led government was no more as distasteful.
Enter August 1985 and yet another intervention justified in the coup speech opener thus: “The intervention of the military at the end of 1983 was welcomed by the nation with unprecedented enthusiasm. Nigerians were unified in accepting the intervention and looked forward hopefully to Progressive Changes for better. Almost two years later, it has become clear that the fulfilment of expectation is not forthcoming”. This ushered in a new ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), another intervention by a small select ill-equipped gang determining the destiny of the majority. This intervention was an extended period of experimentation and certainly lots of motion but little progress from SAP to MAMSER, political transition to election annulment and finally from a Federal Military Government to an Interim National Government.
Due to the brevity and impotence of the Interim National Government, I fast forward to November 1993, where I see nothing but a power grab with no raison d’être or vision for the nation thus leaving the country in an impasse with a self-acclaimed elected president in prison, a sitting president leading a pariah nation towards Armageddon, then suddenly another intervention (where from, I know not) and tea drinking and apple eating became suicide missions.
Permit me to skip the bearded one and fast forward to 1976, apologies 1999 to re-introduce a born again general now democrat nay civilian, President Olusegun Obasanjo. In my mind, another
AS IT STANDS, WE MIGHT BE FACED WITH A 1983 REINCARNATE IN PMB OR 1999/2003 SUB-INCARNATE IN AA; EITHER WAY, AS IT WAS FOR ME IN 2015, IT MAY STILL BE IN 2019
intervention masterminded by yet a few to ensure continued dominance of the many. This was a civil rule rather than a democratic government. This period was very symptomatic of Nigeria with flashes of individual brilliance but yet a collective lackluster. Subsequently bitten by hubris, he sought to elongate his stay, but was battled by his vice, Atiku Abubakar (AA) not for love of country but personal glory and in retaliation bedevilled the nation with a retiring sick former governor of a provincial state and a reluctant lucky governor as his vice.
From assumption of office in 2007 to his death in 2009, Nigerians were subjected to a pseudo-government of sorts in a captured presidency led by a very sick president and a weak vice. The president was either a prisoner or too sick to resign, neither could the weak vice act until the doctrine of necessity was activated by ‘well -meaning Nigerians’ as if the constitution did not suffice. Thus entered the shoeless but lucky one, President Goodluck Jonathan (GEJ) with a promise of Transformation. His tenure was however stigmatised and very likely characterised by ineptitude and or corruption just like Shagari’s 30 years earlier. And with the same gusto albeit without force or guns but a media blitzkrieg and an unusual congregation of a few strange fellows, an unprecedented one party to another party democratic transition was effected in 2015.
This heralded the triumphant enthronement of, wait for it President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), not the son of General Muhammadu Buhari of 1983 fame, just a tuxedo- wearing born again general with the same promise of Change! As it was in 1983-1985, so it has been so far; the government says it’s the mess they met, the previous government (aka opposition) says they are being victimised and tried via media and the people as usual are groaning.
This brings me to here and now, the eve of another intervention, the threshold of a transition and the same coterie of voices (fill in any acronym alias here) that have beguiled us these 40 years oscillating between their anointed surrogates are shopping for a replacement. And that’s when I had the nightmarish thought that if General Sani Abacha was alive or General Ibrahim Babangida was strong enough, either could have been packaged for us as an alternative. But as it stands, we might be faced with a 1983 reincarnate in PMB or 1999/2003 sub- incarnate in AA; either way, as it was for me in 2015, it may still be in 2019. Six and half dozen, same difference. Atoyebi, FCA, is a Financial Services Executive and an alumnus of Lagos Business School