30th November, 2010
After months of political manoevering and juxtaposing, after months of political bickering and tinkering, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Nigeriaâ€
This hard won victory has placed enormous pressures on the former Vice President to maintain his Northern Identity and ensure a Northern dominance as in the pre - Olusegun Obasanjo era where nearly all Federal Govt. Directors-General and Inspectors General were of Northern extraction.
In the Pre-Obasanjo era it was impossible to think that a police officer other than from the North could be appointed Inspector-General of the Nigerian Police Force.
It is one of the greatest ironies in Nigeriaâ€
And perhaps the label that best describes Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is that of “Northern candidate†as the label is the truest reflection of his 8 years stewardship as Nigeriaâ€
For 8 years as Nigeriaâ€
Apart from the American-modelled University the former Vice President is also the proud owner of a State-of-the-Art Printing Press which is also in Yola. All this wealth to build this multi-billion dollar empire was acquired, during his stewardship as Nigeriaâ€
For our Consensus Northern Candidate, these twin projects are tiny drop in the ocean as his businesses flourish both in Abuja and throughout the world especially in America where he has a heavy entrepreneurial base.
It has never been in doubt that he would serve only Northern interest judging from his antecedents as a man who is only interested in the welfare of Northerners especially from his Adamawa enclave.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is not the leader for a twenty first century Nigeria. Nigeria has outgrown the bitter regional politics and crises of the 50s and the 60s. We are in the computer age where face books and twitters now dominate the world.
However, the greatest relief is that the consensus candidate project is not a Northern conception. It is the agenda of a few myopic and self-seeking individuals who are struggling to regain political relevance in the Northern Political equation.  These 13 wise men are Nigerians who have served the nation in various capacities but whose private bank accounts have dwindled over the years and were only able to smile to their banks with largess from the aspiring candidates except Alhaji Aliyu Gusau who did not have much to dole out but was the most qualified candidate out of the four aspirants as he is the only one without only skeleton in his closet.
It was not surprising that nearly all progressive forces in the North even within the PDP rose in unison to condemn Adamu Ciromaâ€
The most virulent attack came from the President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) Alhaji Yerima Shettima who said “Atikuâ€
Also, the National Vice Chairman of the PDP Youth Vanguard in a new conference in Kaduna disassociated himself from the Adamu Ciroma-led consensus committee and emphasized that the committee “lacked the competence to speak for the North since some of its members were not in the PDPâ€. Alhaji Rilwan Abdullahi also enthused that “sectionalizing the issue of Nigerian presidency is undemocratic, unfair and unjust and because the Nigerian constitution has given every Nigerian the right to aspire to any office in the country.
If various youth all over the North, have the political wisdom to denounce principles of feudalism and ultra conservatism, then there is hope for the North and for Nigeria by extension.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakarâ€
It is true that Nigeriaâ€
Nigerian politicians should for once think of the Nigerian masses rather than using leadership to enrich themselves and their families and communities of origin. Nigerian leaders should take a cue from British, American and even African leaders who have left behind legacies of a Victorian life style including transparency and probity in office.
And it is the greatest breach of public trust and travesty of justice for a leader to enrich himself with public funds, building private universities, setting up multi-billion dollar empires while holding public office.
Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and Edward Heath, after serving Britain meritoriously had no home they could call their own. Harold Wilson in particular was allowed to squat at 10 Downing Street for sometime before friends bought him a small council flat. Lord Thatcher had to relocate his business empire to South Africa when his wife- Margaret, became British Prime Minister. He did this to avoid rumours of business advantages in Britain
Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush of America all started building their houses with bank loans after serving their countries meritoriously. Tony Blair was reviled for taking a “fat†loan and the British public wondered how he would service his loan even when they knew that Mrs. Blair was a High Court Judge.
Even in Africa we can still remember Julius Nyerere (Nwalimu) of Tanzania, Dr. Nkwame Nkruma of Ghana and even our own Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Chief Obafemi Awolowo to mention but a few. And of course one of the greatest patriots of all times – Dr. Nelson Mandela of South Africa.
It is unfortunately the greatest and most retrogressive descent into the Hades of Nigeriaâ€
Rather than attack President Goodluck Jonathan on the economy, Alhaji Abubakar should tell Nigerians what his cardinal campaign points are. He has to convince Nigerians that he has the wisdom, mental (not academic) and psychological empowerment to rule this great country – Nigeria. This is because his 8 years as Vice President were spent mostly in court fighting one corruption charge or the other. Alhaji Abubakar though a very intelligent former customs officer, has several personality inadequacies, chief of which are impatience and an ambiguous trait to always impose his personality on everybody around him. For some of these reasons Atiku is ready to move in and out of as many political parties that can accommodate him. If his antecedents are anything to go by, Atiku will surely still move out of the PDP after the party primaries.
Let every Nigerian be bold to tell Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that the era of Vice Presidents building private universities while in office is over. Let us all be firm and jointly confront him with the facts of the Hallibriton, Siemens, Wilibros and privatization scandals and jointly affirm that verbal denials will not be acceptable to us this time around.
All Nigerians know that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar wants to build more private universities for himself with state funds. All Nigerians know that Atiku Abubakar is a more difficult product to sell than IBB.
Oh no! This time Nigerians know who their leaders are -Â not Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
—Ben Nanaghan writes from Lagos