Going for broke!

Friday the 17th of September, 2010, was a nightmare for many travellers, especially those who had to use airports in or out of Abuja.  I had relatives who had to fly into Abuja from Lagos, and the flight was delayed for 7 hours.  A flight of 11am in the morning, ended up landing in Abuja […]

Friday the 17th of September, 2010, was a nightmare for many travellers, especially those who had to use airports in or out of Abuja.  I had relatives who had to fly into Abuja from Lagos, and the flight was delayed for 7 hours.  A flight of 11am in the morning, ended up landing in Abuja at 7.30pm in the evening.  But one event related to me caught more of my attention.  One of the many ‘big boys’ flying into Abuja for the latest business in town, the Goodluck-is-the-Messiah Enterprise, had passed his hand luggage through the final screening machine at MMA2 Lagos. The security personnel there stopped the bag and asked the man what was in it.

‘Money’, the man said.  ‘What currency?’, the security people asked.  ‘Pounds’, answered the ‘big boy’, who hails apparently from anywhere in southern Nigeria. ‘Sorry Sir, we can’t let this through, as it goes against the money laundering rule, you will have to see our boss’, quipped the security people.  ‘My friend, I cannot see your boss, you are wasting my time!’, shouted ‘big boy’.  ‘Except you don’t want to travel sir’, mocked the security guy, a staff of FAAN.  ‘Ok, give me my bag, I need to make some calls’, commanded ‘big boy’.  And so he was handed his bag.  Five minutes later, ‘big boy’ is seen making his was to VIP seating, he had made the call and instructions had been handed down.  He was on his way to Abuja, with God knows how many millions of Pounds, all ‘to save Nigeria’.

Why is this story relevant?  It is relevant because the declaration to contest the 2011 elections by the sitting president, though glorious, reminded one exactly of the Youth Earnestly Ask for Abacha charade.  The surfeit of politicians, serving governors, musicians, comedians and movie actors, made it complete.  And indeed, the name ‘Goodluck’ was itself a coup.  Who will ask for anything else but good luck, in a society where we depend solely on luck and miracles, not hard work?  I wonder whether it had all been planned – to get someone with such a name, which will become irresistible to such a people like us, Nigerians.

I could tell that the man Goodluck himself, was quite uncomfortable with the whole charade and noise.  His wife, the Dame, basked in it.  But a man has to do what a man has to do, especially when he has really powerful people pushing him from behind.  And so, the president let down his hair when he danced to the rostrum, and did a few jigs.  Even I cannot as yet get the rendition of ‘Bobo to Good o, to tun ni Luck o’, by Dbanj, out of my head.  It was an entertainer’s paradise.

But that is where the good luck ends.  I will suggest to those still talking about zoning, especially from the North of Nigeria, to leave the matter and let President GJ continue.  In fact, it pains me that this country intends to waste over N100billion plus, on the upcoming voters’ registration and elections, when the entire resources of the state will be directed at ensuring the incumbent continues.  To make matters worse, the Nigerian federation does not have such monies at this auspicious time, so it has to borrow – by raising a bond.  That loan will go into the nation’s debt stock, for children yet unborn to pay.  And the net effect would have been to rubber-stamp the unstoppable desire of an incumbent.  It will be sheer fantasy, for many reasons, to believe that anything ‘democratic’ can come out of the present arrangement.  Someone has accused Professor Jega (whom Alao-Akala of Oyo State said stands for J-onathan E-bele G-oodluck A-zikiwe), of being fraudulent, for collecting the N87billion first and then talking of postponement later!  He had assured all YOU Nigerians that there is no ‘wahala’, once you give him his N87billion. Ko?

The reasons why I think the next elections cannot be free or fair draws from the airport incidence I described above.  It is all about who can spend the most money.  And the incumbent (who presently holds the knife and the yam), will naturally, in a shallow and fear-infested environment like ours, get the biggest share of the cake, if not everything.  The other reason is that the south of Nigeria is the headquarters of media and entertainment, and therefore holds the power of propaganda.  It has always been that way.  Many communities in Yorubaland are referred to by a cognomen called ‘Omo amuda sile, f’ogun enu pani’, translated to mean ‘people who lay down the sword, and kill their enemies with their mouth’.  It is a testimony to the age-long attribute of many south-west communities to be deft at propaganda.

So, the north should drop it like it’s hot!  I mean the zoning idea.  For if by any mistake it is seen that they overturned Jonathan’s ambition, the north will not rest.  The backers of the media will not stop talking about how the north it is that ‘spoilt’ the country, when we know full well that the demise of Nigeria, and it’s probable liberation, is attributable to every part and parcel of the country.

President Goodluck should spare us of spending that huge amount and continuing to rack up local and international debt which his government cannot repay.  He should even spare us all the defacing that is going on in Abuja now (with all sorts of posters).  I do believe however, that the emancipation of Nigeria will not be noisy.  And most of the so-called supporters of the ‘Goodluck’ project are pursuing selfish, lucrative agendas, not for the wellbeing of the entire country.  They will soon show up with their bill and derange all of Goodluck’s good intentions.

President Goodluck is however, treading on very dangerous territory.  If he does not want to bring ‘bad luck’ to Nigeria, or be the very last president we will have, he must know that his decision to carry on means that he must be ready to solve ALL of Nigeria’s problems.  I mean ALL.  Because if he doesn’t solve all our gargantuan problems in his tenure, and if EVERY Nigerian does not become educated and politically sophisticated, then the issue of ZONING will come up after his tenure.  By then, the Igbos should forget the idea of Nigeria’s presidency forever.  And the north will remember how they had been ‘cheated’ and go for vengeance.

However, if Goodluck becomes the best performing Nigerian  president ever, and his work is felt by EVERY Nigerian, then ‘zoning’ would have truly become dead and ‘anyone’ could then aspire to be president after his 8 or 12 years tenure in 2019/23.  But I don’t think that is likely, for the very basis of our emancipation, UNITY, is what he is damaging with his present foray.  It is no wonder why many see him as a ‘Southern, Christian’ candidate.  And the rhetoric of his campaign depicts him as one.  Many of his backers are actually trying to prove a point – that it is only a Christian and a Southerner, who can save Nigeria.  I totally disagree with this prejudice.  We must UNITE! We must show INTEGRITY!