Nigeria: Democracy, ominous prophecies and service delivery ( 2)

By Continued from yesterday

THIS funereal tone was completely at variance with the euphoria of that celebratory time in 1960. In less than a decade down the road, events were to prove him right. This is because, as we all know, what passed for Nigeria, unravelled disastrously and tragically. So tragically that only external forces were on hand to prevent a total disintegration of the social formation called Nigeria. In other words, the entity called Nigeria was propped up by the self- serving benevolence of London and Washington.

Possibly unknown to many, there was another social force who in the late fifties also ominously predicted a lot of the tragedy which continues to haunt us. Our reference here is to Adunni Oluwole. As revealed by Olusanya and Kole Omotosho, in two separate works, Adunni Oluwole went all over Lagos, Ibadan and Akure, dressed in rags with a millstone around her neck. Was she mad? People wondered. No! She retorted. She was only showing people what would happen to Nigerians as soon as the colonial master formally leaves the scene. In other words her contention, which she vividly dramatised, was that Nigeria under Black rule was going to be like hell on earth.

The remarkable thing is that this sad state of affairs was predicted way back in the fifties when the black man was yet to fully preside over our affairs. According to the records what impelled Adunni Oluwole towards this ominous disposition was that there was a brief period of self- rule in the regions in the run up to independence.

According to her, she observed on a first- hand basis, the shenanigans and the various forms of stinking opulence of the then politicians. She therefore came to the unassailable conclusion that a second colonialism was in the offing for Nigerians, and Nigeria, come 1960.

The least that we can do is to credit Adunni Oluwole with some uncanny insight as regards her ominous foresight on what internal colonialism will look like. The sensitive listener may have noticed the nuance here. Our colonial masters as stated above, formally left the scene, but as revealed by Segun Osoba the historian, they managed to put in place a welter of laws and institutions, which enabled them to retain control of what passes for the country.

This was particularly pronounced in the oil industry where till date Nigeria continues to be a by- stander in this critical area of her life. One telling instance of this is that whenever a major oil company like SHELL decides to declare a ‘ force majeur’, the consequences can be felt all the way from the Niger Delta to the hallowed portals of Aso Rock. Indeed it is this ominous and dependent situation, which has inspired the comment that the Nigerian State is a shell; while SHELL is the Nigerian State.

If I may be allowed to revert to Adunni Oluwole and her prophetic, stance, it is instructive to note that her ominous prophecy transcended her person. Partly arising from her tragic anticipation, an unusual political party was formed in Agege, which was then in the Western Region. The name of the political party was Egbe Ki Oyibo Malo. Let me quickly apologise to non- speakers of the Yoruba language here.

In essence, what that political party stood for, was the retention of colonial rule- that the white man should continue to rule us.

On this note, I have often wondered, in an admittedly counter- factual way that, in a free and fair election in which there is a choice for the Nigerian masses as regards who to choose, between the colonial masters and the post colonial masters, chances are that the former will be preferred.

Beyond sheer conjecture is the fact such a voting process is already on among our young folks. The Japa syndrome has clearly signposted their preference between these two social forces- the colonial masters on one hand and the post- colonial masters on the other. Again, another dimension of the ominous prophesy vis- a- vis Nigeria could be glimpsed from the work of Ian Brook- a former and white district officer.

In the book tellingly titled: The One Eyed Man is King, Ian Brook, took one long and serious look at the then nationalists. He came to the conclusion that these nationalists were very deformed in terms of thinking and behaviour and such they were clearly not equipped to take Nigeria to the Promised Land despite their professions and depositions.

Equally important was his observation about the shallow profile of our democracy. In this respect, he pointed out that as soon as people learnt that the white man was going away, they were confused, came to him and enquired about what would be their fate.

What this translates into was that the democracy project at that point in time was elite- driven and largely detached from the general populace. This may well partly explain why even till date what passes for government is largely viewed by the populace in imperial terms: Ijoba!

For those who understand this, the term Ijoba runs counter to the tenets of democracy. In this type of atmosphere, what can we make or say about Service Delivery ( SD)? SD in the abstract sense involves a two- way corridor between the government and the governed. But for much too long, the former has been left to its own devices without any push or urgings from the governed. Under such a circumstance, SD has been very poor in terms of basics like: security, potable water, power supply and basic nutrition.

Whereas strictly speaking democracy is not a spectator sport. There must be active and constant involvement by the populace. Even among members of the elite, these elements of apathy and passivity can be seen.

The irony here is that someone is representing every inch of this country at least in nominal terms. My concrete references here are to social forces like Councillor, Chairman of Local Government, Members of the House of Assembly, Members of the House of Representatives and of course Senate. Starting with this informed audience, how many of us here have interacted in any sustained and vigorous way with these various stewards of our democracy? Which is why the struggle for SD must start from this very room.

So I am charging and urging all of you present here to take it upon your individual and collective selves to know and interact with your various representatives all the way from Councillor, through the various Houses of Assembly up to the Senate, if we seek in any meaningful way to ensure and guarantee service delivery and by extension the health of this democracy. Let me conclude by saying that in a comparative context the bitter fruits of post- colonial rule are by no means confined to Nigeria. Similar situations continue to unfold in other social formations like Ghana, Kenya, Algeria and South Africa. In each of these countries, issues are being raised along the fashion of Oscar Wilde, ‘ that the present is the past entered through another gate’.

Which is why the quest for democracy, democratisation and service delivery is an eternal one, which requires the active participation of us all.