Dr Abati And The ‘Crossover’ Syndrome —Tayo Ogunbiyi

In most African countries, the government is often far away from the governed. Hence, it is not uncommon to find a wide gulf existing between the leaders of most African nations and their followers. In most cases, the leaders live in unbelievable affluence while the people live in astonishing and horrible misery. In view of this, the citizens in their seemingly hopeless and helpless conditions hope and yearn for men who will understand their plight and become their voices in a society where their views no longer count. Consequently, when they see men who not only seem to understand them and feel their pains but also are ready to fight on their behalf, the masses see a glimpse of hope.

Suddenly, their despair begins to give rise to optimism. It is now common in several African countries to find a class of people often referred to as social crusaders, human rights activists, civil rights activists, etc. Considering the amount of resources and passion these men put into fighting the course of the people, even at the risk of their lives in some cases, they are frequently regarded as the conscience of the nation in their respective countries.

In Nigeria, for instance, it is not too difficult to situate the period in our socio-political history when the masses begin to seriously groan under the heavy yoke of a leadership that inflict pains and hardship on them through several belt tightening economic measures. That period, for the purpose of this discourse, began during the General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) years. From the IBB years till date, Nigerians have been given a raw deal by subsequent governments. It was from this era that the cravings of the people for good governance, portable water supply, regular electricity supply, good road network, qualitative education among other basic necessities of life become a mirage. It was, therefore, not surprising that it was around this time that the country began to witness the rise of several social crusaders who provided a sort of rallying point for the people in their bid to draw the attention of their leaders to their dwindling social -economic fortune. This was the period when the activities of various social crusaders such as the Chief Gani Fawehinmi, late Dr. Beko Ransom Kuti, late Tai Solarin, Olisa Agbakoba, Nosa Igiebo, Kolawole Ilori,Femi Falana, Arthur Nwankwo, Bamidele Aturu, Babafemi Ojudu, Dele Giwa, Kunle Ajibade, Olu Onagoruwa, Yinka and Joe Odumakin among others became very pronounced. The dictatorial and authoritarian tendencies of the governments in power during this era contributed immensely to the renewed role being played by social crusaders in the socio-political evolvement of the country. Some of these crusaders are top professionals in their chosen fields who came into active activism because of their genuine interests in fighting the cause of the masses.

In Nigerian contemporary history, we have had journalists who found the allure of social crusading too good to resist. Seeing the irresistible window that their chosen career offered them as columnists, social commentators, editors, etc , most of them soon become the nemesis of corrupt and inept leaders who have nothing to offer except compounding the miseries of the people. They became men who spoke out the minds of the people. Within a short period, they began to have an unbelievable army of admirers who follow their heroes religiously. But their rise to fame comes with a price. For instance, in the hey days of military dictatorship, and even in our current democratic voyage, some of these men have had faceoff with leaders which in some cases resulted into death, incarcerations, ill health, business losses, etc all in their bid to ensure that governance is used as a vehicle of social change.

One of the most visible journalists who belong to this class of crusading writers in our recent history is Dr. Reuben Abati. A consummate and creative writer, Dr. Abati, no doubt, is in a class of his own. He is the kind of writer who without knowing you peeps into your minds, week- in- week- out, to churn out articles that truly reflect your thoughts concerning burning national issues. His satirical style of writing soon became a must read for the political and literary minded folks in the society. No wonder, he has become one of the most sought after public speakers in the country. Together, with another brilliant pride of the land, Professor Pat Utomi and others of like minds, they conceived Patito Gang, a television programme that x-rays the various social-political ills in the country with a view to propounding solutions to them.

It was, therefore, with mixed feelings and philosophical indifference that most of Dr. Abati’s admirers greeted the news of his appointment as a Special Adviser on Media by President Jonathan. This is quite understandable. Our recent history is full of cases of many erstwhile social crusaders who quickly abandon their primary constituency as soon as they cross over to the corridor of power. But really, the question is if people like Dr. Abati are among the best in their chosen profession, shouldn’t the government go for the very best in the land? Are we not the ones that have been clamouring for the inclusion of technocrats in governments across the country? Is the government not the institution that is mostly in dire need of top notch professionals like Dr. Abati in the country to chart the affair of the country in the right path?

However, the issue here is not whether the government should enlist the service of people like Dr. Abati or not, rather the major concern is if Dr. Abati and his likes will be able to fit in to what has become of governance in the land. Often, some of these men decide to join government out of a burning patriotic desire and passion to truly fight the course of the people . The sad thing, however, is that in Nigeria, and indeed most African countries, government have become a sort of cult where people with civilized ideals and orientation might not really fit in. Certain aberrations have become so institutionalized in governance that God saves your soul if you try to change the status quo. For instance, oppression, corruption, hypocrisy, deception, lies, falsehood among other social vices have become part of the most active apparatus of governance in Nigeria. The fear, then, is how will people who are known to be averred to all these vices cope in such an environment. A case in point is the just concluded nationwide protests against the removal of fuel subsidy, which in all sincerity is like adding more to the already heavy yoke of the masses. Prominent Nigerian social crusaders came out to fight on behalf of the people. But, it was sad that the masses lost the ever dependable backings of social crusaders like Dr. Abati to the other side at a time when people like him could have helped to properly articulate the position of the masses against some of the carefully articulated propaganda of most government officials. When some of us saw Professor Utomi at the Ojota people’s rally against fuel subsidy removal, we could not but asked: “where is Dr. Reuben Abati?” Admittedly, he might not have joined at the rally, if had not joined force with the government, but you could be sure that he would have added his voices to those of millions of Nigerians that condemn the insensitive move of the people in his write-ups. Not only that, Dr. Abati would have, in his usual satirical style, condemned the occupation of Lagos by men of the Nigeria Army. It is regrettable that Dr. Abati might now find himself working against the peoples’ interest in the spirit performing the job he was hired by the President to do. A case in hand is the recent face- off he had with Members of the House of Representatives when he tried to play down the resolution of the house which advised the President to revert back to the status quo in respect of fuel price. Indeed, the House was so infuriated with him that its Committee on Information had to issue a statement questioning the quality of advice people like Dr. Abati offer the president.

In the final analysis, in as much as one does not have any evidence to prove that Dr. Abati has compromised some of his widely acknowledged principles, it is often better that those that represent the conscience of the nation shun the temptation of joining force with government, especially if such government is one that doesn’t mean well for the people. Aside the fact that their jumping ship is a loss to the people, they always end up, in most cases, not coming out with their integrity intact. In fact, more often than not, those in government usually bring them on board primarily with the intent of disgracing them and the very principles they symbolize. Cases of late Tai Solarin and Dr. Olu Onagoruwa are some of the examples that readily come to mind. Ideally, it would have been better for the people if these men and more of their likes come on board government, but the irony of governance in our enclave is that government doesn’t always work for the good of the people. This is the paradox of our land! One only hopes that Dr. Abati and his likes are able to change this trend! May God help them!

•Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja