How I look forward to that day when a president or governor of mine would be in power for four years without travelling to any oyinbo man’s country for one reason or the other. That for me would be the day that Nigeria finally attains independence. But Nigeria remains in bondage – colonial bondage, mental bondage that has left us bewilderingly underdeveloped.
Look all around you. It has to be a British international school or American university for it to be of acceptable quality. There has to be a white skin managing our football or running our shop for it to gain validity. On the social media, you see our young, virile men wedding some shrivelled white women who could have been their grandmothers right here in Nigeria’s marriage registries with friends and relatives ‘rejoicing’ with them.
We didn’t want the Whiteman; we fought for freedom from colonialism but today ship about 80 per cent of our resources both at individual level and as a nation back to the Whiteman. Every young man or woman wants to travel ‘abroad’. Most of our pregnant women would rather travel to the US to be delivered of their baby. We want to dress like the Whiteman, we eat mainly imported food.
But most troubling is that our leaders – the politicians, intelligentsia and the business class who ought to know better – seem to think that what defines their essence best are their foreign bank accounts, mansions abroad, the foreign schools their children attend or how many times they fly abroad each year.
Our men in power who ought to show better examples if not patriotic zeal seem not to know any better or care. With only a few exceptions, most governors travel abroad more than they tour their states. Recall that President Olusegun Obasanjo shuttled the world as if time was running out on him. He claimed he was trying to reunite an estranged Nigeria to the rest of the world. He claimed he was on the hunt of foreign investors.
President Goodluck Jonathan also did a bit of sight-seeing and Muhammadu Buhari after him has not lagged behind in executive junketing. It explains why Nigeria’s Presidential Jet Fleet is among the largest in the world. Obasanjo and Jonathan acquired more jets and Buhari would not let go of them even in these lean times. Such is the colonial tragedy that a country that cannot maintain a national carrier has more jets in its presidential fleet than UK, US, Germany and Japan put together.
This long prologue brings us to the matter of the day. As you read this, 12 governors from the North may still be in the United States of America. According to report, they have travelled under the auspices of the US Institute for Peace (USIP). They were also hosted at the White House on Wednesday. It was not reported whether the governors met with President Barack Obama. But they met with Obama’s National Security Adviser, Susan Rice; US secretary of State, John Kerry among other top state officials. Recall that last August when Kerry visited Nigeria he only toured northern Nigeria and met with the 19 governors of the North. That visit sparked heated controversy, as many in the South viewed it with deep suspicion. They wondered whether Kerry was on a state visit or a visit to the Northern Nigeria.
The Christian Association of Nigeria described it as divisive and inimical to the unity of Nigeria.
With this current visit, which was almost secretive, apprehension is rife as to the motive. Yes with religious extremism in the north of Nigeria, which culminated in the Boko Haram terror war of the past five years, it is understandable that the US would want to engage the leaders of the North a lot more. But other parts of the country, especially leaders with foreign mentality, would feel left out and indeed take it as being punishment for being of good behaviour.
Beyond the north-south dichotomy, as far as most of these governors are concerned, it is the photo opportunity with Obama, Kerry or Rice that matters. For them, visiting America is merely a junket of sight-seeing, shopping and salting away a few more dollars.
Our governors are hardened and cast in bronze. Nothing moves them except the sweet perquisites of office, looting of treasury and the next election. This is the life of most Nigerian governors; they don’t care much about anything else. They know the cause of the problems at every level but they would rather not do the right things.
For instance, which of the governors would truly be accountable? If governors apply as much as 70 per cent of the resources available to their states, there would not be so much poverty and strife in Nigeria.
It is common knowledge that the complete decimation of our local government administration is at the root of most of Nigeria’s problems today. Which of these governors in the US would commit to properly setting up the LGAs in his state? Which of them will apply the funds of the LGAs judiciously, accountably and for the people in the LGAs?
Even if Obama visited these governors everyday; if they lived in the US and worked in Nigeria, nothing will change if they have the same overlord mindset.
Just as Alhaji Kashim Shettima, governor of Borno State, who led the northern governors, feared that Nigerians did not trust their motives for being in the US, we do not trust them; they have not earned our trust. Hear him: “Majority of our citizens will quickly conclude that we are here on jamboree…
“Our visit to Washington is an opportunity to re-engage with our American partners on the most vital issues that can help us to quickly make transition from volatility to a phase of peace development in northern states of Nigeria.”
It is remarkable that elected chief executives of Nigerian states would have to travel thousands of miles to the Whiteman’s land, burning public funds to gain insight on the problems in their backyard. This is happening in 2016. What a calamity!
Abati and the demons of Aso Rock
It might be said that the average Nigerian’s mind may still be fixated at the levels of spirits, demons, principalities and strange, unseen powers. Reuben Abati knows this and he exploited it to the hilt. Last weekend, the social media was abuzz with Abati’s article: The spiritual side of Aso Rock.
Abati was the chief spokesman for the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan. To conjecture or ‘reveal’ if you like that some unseen spirits live in Nigeria’s number one address is indeed a wild-fire material and to come from a ‘learned’ authority who has just left that rarefied edifice, must be some form of holy gospel.
But Abati, one of the best of this profession, was clearly playing to the gallery. He is trying to whip up primordial emotions and perhaps escape with some excuse as to the crashing failure of his boss while in the saddle. We are neither impressed nor taken in.
Both Abati and his principal were swept off by the strong tidal currents of power. It’s understandable, it happens to even the best of leaders. Abati needs to be more sober and reflective so we can all learn the mistakes of that colossal failure. To fail twice would be double tragedy.
