His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, PhD, GCFR, the former Military Head of State and former democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria celebrated 85 years on March 5, 2022. The event took place within the facilities of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State. The epoch-making event attracted presidents of various countries and eminent dignitaries of all colours from all walks of life. The focus of this treatise is not the activities that made the event world class but the very strong message that Baba of Africa delivered to Nigerians with regards to the presidential election that comes up in 2023. In a paper he presented at the international symposium to mark his 85th birthday celebrations, with the theme: Africa Narrative with Nigeria Situation, Obasanjo waxed both philosophical and empirical.
1. On a philosophical note, Obasanjo decried politics without principles, reiterating that “we need to be clear about what Nigeria needs today and why Nigeria needs it. Only then can we answer the question of how that will inform us of the criteria and characteristics for determining who” shall be elected the next president of Nigeria. Stating, “I believe in principles before personalities and taking personalities before principles is putting the cart before the horse’. This is in line with what Mahatma Gandhi called ‘one of the seven sins of the world—politics without principles.’ Politics without principles has remained the bane of Nigeria.
2. Obasanjo admonished on the need for courage and magnanimity in nation building, citing how his military government, in 1979 handed over to a democratically elected government led by President Shehu Shagari and Dr. Alex Ekwueme, a Biafran, as the Vice President of Nigeria. In order words, if merely 9 years after the civil war, the Obasanjo led government considered the Igbo fit for Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Rt. Hon. Edwin Umezoke, among others; one wonders why after 53 years an Igbo cannot be trusted with power. Obasanjo highlighted that from his personal experience and clinical observation, “there is no substitute for steady and uncompromised process of nation-building as we have had in some notable examples in the past that have stood us in good stead”.
3. Obasanjo spoke to Restructuring of the Nigerian polity when he asserts that “every village, town, nation or region has its socio-cultural peculiarities that are best suited for the emergence of its leader and the colour of its governance. Therefore, it is erroneous to put all communities on the planet into a basket, judge and narrate their leadership, governance and development, strictly from the point of view of people from a particular section of the world.” Obasanjo added that “if we dig down to the taproot of the recent turmoil and political and developmental upheavals in the world today, we will find that this skewed narrative is one of its major causes.” On the other hand, Nigeria is perhaps, the only federation in the world with a uniform local government administration across the entire country; erroneously expecting that a form of administration that functions effectively in Borno State will, mutatis mutandis, succeed in faraway Rivers State; etc.
4. Obasanjo spoke the mind of the masses when he castigated the morally tainted aspirants for the presidency of Nigeria. In his words: “I cast a cursory look at some of the people running around and those for whom people are running around. If the EFCC and the ICPC have done their jobs properly and supported adequately by the judiciary, most of them would be in jail. Any person who has no integrity in small things cannot have integrity in big things.” To this end, Obasanjo pointed out “some irreducible minima on leadership qualities. These include people-centredness, inclusiveness, ability to manage diversity, abhorrence of corruption and ethnic jingoism”; warning that if we continue in the same pattern of recycling, sweet-word campaigning, manoeuvring without the substance of integrity, honesty, patriotism, commitment, outreach, courage, understanding of what make a nation and what make for development, we will soon have to say goodbye to Nigeria as a country.”
5. Obasanjo argued that “if as at 2015, Nigeria was seventy five per cent a country and fifty per cent a nation, today, Nigeria will not be more than fifty per cent a country and twenty-five per cent a nation” The elder statesman warned that “if the drift is not halted, the remaining twenty-five per cent of Nigerian nation will be dissipated in no time and Nigeria will not be a country but countries; and will never be possible to be a nation again. That will be a monumental tragedy for Nigeria, Africa, the black race and humanity.”
6. In furtherance to the above, Obasanjo stated that the major issue on hand is “how to progress Nigeria from a country to a nation.” As a process of nation building, he cited how his democratic government “adopted rotation and sharing formula for six key party political offices and government offices among the six geopolitical zones which stood the country and the party in good stead. It was the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) policy that made it inadvisable to have candidate from the South to succeed me after my eight years in office as President”. Obasanjo emphasized that “federal character, rotation of power and such other measures are meant to help our nation-building process and more sure-footedly, move Nigeria forward.” He cautioned that “riding over these measures rudely, shoddily and roughly cannot augur well for our nation-building process and progress”. Obasanjo reminded Nigerians that he strived to ensure that he “was succeeded by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua from the North. When Yar’Adua died in office, the nation-building process made us to follow the Constitution and for Jonathan to step in contrary to the desire of some people from the North who agitated otherwise”. Put differently, zoning of offices, that is equitable zoning, is a desideratum for managing the diverse ethnic groups in Nigeria.
7. The seventh canon is that “Nigeria is tottering and for as long as we continue to put the cart before the horse, it cannot be well. Or put another way, for as long as we continue to do the same thing over and over again, the result will not be different”.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo is delighted that Nigeria has a free spirit like Chief Olusegun Mattew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo, PhD, GCFR. He is simply a cosmic agent who has delivered a powerful message from the Angels. He has spoken like an elder statesman and history will surely judge him most kindly. The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Professor George Obiozor expresses immense gratitude Chief E K Clark and all members of PANDEV; Chief Ayo Adebanjo and the Afenifere; the members of Middle Belt led by Dr. Pogu Bitrus. Others include the Forum of Northern Elders for Unity (FNEU) led by Alh. Baba Mala; Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum (YRLF) led by Mr Akin Malaolu; the Arewa Support Group for Igbo Presidency led by Mustapha Imam; the leadership of South-East Muslims Elders Council, (SEMEC); General Ishola Williams and several groups and courageous dignitaries whose names have escaped my memory.
It was Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), also known as Saint Augustine, a theologian, philosopher and Catholic Bishop, who stated that “truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself”. On the other hand, the general outcry for a Nigerian President from the South East of Nigeria will continue to gather momentum until the earth quakes for the deaf to hear.
Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide
