Atiku’s ambition from Igboman’s perspective
These are the embodiment of Igbo wisdom and worldview which every credible Igbo son and daughter is usually proud of. This is because “AKO NA UCHE” (restraint and wisdom) are the pillars of Igbo epistemology. It them constitutes the cradle of the people’s socialization and rites of passage. Be that as it may, it is […]
These are the embodiment of Igbo wisdom and worldview which every credible Igbo son and daughter is usually proud of. This is because “AKO NA UCHE” (restraint and wisdom) are the pillars of Igbo epistemology. It them constitutes the cradle of the people’s socialization and rites of passage. Be that as it may, it is important to state that this piece is not about Igbo culture and civilization; rather it is an exercise to buttress an application or a semblance of an application of Igbo wisdom in the day to day political life of an individual in the face of enormous challenges and aspirations.
Even though in our human world, there are many individuals who are richly endowed by the Almighty wherever they may be found, one wouldn’t mind risking the guess that Atiku Abubakar, the Turaki Adamawa is a rare breed strongly made. He has encountered huge challenges in his political career; he has also been able to weather the storm in this political climate.
Therefore, it is not out of place to stress the need for the younger generation of Nigerians to look up to him and learn; at least, the basic values of calmness, forgiving spirit, caution, perseverance and the associated virtues of patience and ultimate faith in the unlimited capacity of the Almighty; who oversees the affairs of men to come to the aid of His people at all times of distress; to raise the lowly and scatter the proud -hearted.
If my logic and intuition do not fail me here, I have enormous confidence in my assertion that our country Nigeria, needs a symbol of civilized values, morals and etiquettes in the person of our president to help us overcome our “gara-gara” lifestyle which has affected negatively our perception by other peoples in a world that is contracting everyday to a digital village.
The dominance of the values of force and praetorian syndrome perhaps caused by many years of military hegemony do not help matters any longer when the issues concerning us are those of national development and good value re-orientation. Having as president over the years men who think that might is right and the loser should kiss the dust, while the winner takes all, is contrasting with the need and efforts at building democratic culture.
Come 2011, Nigeria deserves as someone that will influence and infect us with his humble values and attitude of patience in all we do and are. When we Nigerians become gentle and caring in our ways; dropping the predators’ tendencies that make us ride a roughshod on others without giving a damn, then the moral re-juvenation which we dearly desire for national progress would have commenced. We need someone at the level of national leadership with humane carriage to look up to, so that we can overcome instincts which have reduced us in the sight of the world’s civilized people. We need to overcome the grab-grab syndrome.
It is evident that the former vice president will bring to our national consciousness his listening appeal, which usually helps an individual see something good in others; instead of the prevailing order where positions of power and authority make our leaders arrogant, unreliable making them treat official sub-ordinates and other human persons with rash and disdain.
There is an indispensable need for our country to enjoy the leadership of a national character who can by his Midas touch recreate in us the confidence and dignity of the human person. We desire earnestly that the president, who will not go to the presidency to begin lessons on federalism and statecraft, rather who will hit the ground-running from the first day in office. The Nigerian Project needs an exposed and rugged political engineer. Atiku has international political exposure and a national reach that diminishes provincial leadership we are experiencing at the national level for long now.
We don’t need a president who knows everything, a superman who does not trust others, nor think they are capable of any good. We are not asking anymore for a President who will use national media to disgrace in most unpresidential manner its noble and patriotic citizens.
I have a high level of confidence in his aspiration to be president of Nigeria. We have to eradicate forceful tendencies, narrow-mindedness and clannishness; carelessness, and intimidating values that lead to a penchant for eliminating opposition and bravado. These will keep the rest of us in perpetual servility, if anyone with these bad qualities should become president. The retired military class have had their opportunities to transform the country but wasted it. So what new, do they have to offer?
He has been the most investigated public servant in the country. However; it is quite surprising that despite all the pre-determined investigations, all the Nigerian people could be shown are circumstantial evidences that amount to nothing but a cocktail of lies; which reminds one of the words of Sam Aluko “Atiku Abubakar must be a political angel.” According to the erudite Professor of Economics and an elder statesman, “if all the authorities have to show for his corruption allegations are nothing but the infamous Nuhu Ribadu’s EFCC reports, which the high court in Lagos threw out as null and void.”
As he declares for the presidency, the Nigerian people who have admired the determination with which he has risen to uphill political challenges in his political career expect that he will bring that zeal, vigour and determination to bear on his tackling the enormous infrastructural problems confronting the nation.
Okechukwu wrote from Umuahia, Abia State