31st January, 2017
Complacency will set in if we do not have people put us on our toes or, as I often say, hold my feet to the fire. Variety is the spice of life, says the English man. To my grandmother, we cannot all sleep with our head facing the same direction. We necessarily must differ and in this diversity of opinions, freely expressed, sprout progress, justice, fair play, and peace. Take it away and life itself becomes a meaningless ritual, hollow and drab. The fulcrum of democracy is the right to differ without fretting and without punitive exactions.
Thanks also to everyone who responded to my call to help choose our “Man of the Year 2016”. It took some time to collate the responses, sifting the wheat from the chaff. There are those who recommended Donald Trump, the new United States’ president. Truly, Trump is worthy. His personality is intriguing and his campaign was electric. His views were something else. In every aspect, this man is not ordinary. The whole world waits with baited breath to see how he will reshape our world as he has promised – or, better still, threatened. There are those who chose the immediate past British Prime Minister, David Cameron, for his bravery in calling for a referendum on Britain’s place in Europe and when the vote turned awry, his sincerity of purpose in accepting the people’s decision as well as the courage to step down. Such statesmanship is a rarity in Africa. Qualified as Trump and Cameron are, I do not intend to choose this column’s “Man of the Year 2016” from abroad. Charity, as they say, begins from home.
Coming nearer home, some said they would have loved to pick The Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh, the disgraced erstwhile dictator who shot his way to power in 1994 by overthrowing the elected government of Sir Dauda Jawara. They said had Jammeh stuck to his initial acceptance of the outcome of the December 1, 2016 election which he lost, and which little-known Adama Barrow won, and had he gone ahead to ensure a seamless and peaceful transition of power, that singular act alone would have atoned for his uncountable number of sins. I agree completely – but it would seem that the gods had not cut out Jammeh for great things and honour. He changed his mind, contested the election results he had initially accepted, dug his feet into the ground and threw his country into trepidation and commotion and the whole world into uncertainty. He refused all entreaties and only ran when force was applied.
Some chose Ghana’s democracy as worthy of “Man of the Year 2016” and their argument was sound. Ghana’s democracy appears to have matured; they have pulled government to opposition transition seamlessly many times over. Their elections are devoid of the usual rancour that attends elections here; they have put do-or-die politics behind them; and their elections do no cost a fortune like ours. I once read an interview by Musiliu Obanikoro, then Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, in which he said the Ghanaians made use of local content to organise their elections at minimal cost but here, it must be hundreds of billions of Naira and practically every item must be imported. Ghana is a shining example of a democracy that is maturing unlike here in Nigeria where the gains of 16 years of democratic rule have been frittered within less than two years by the APC\Muhammadu Buhari administration. The efforts of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, which ex-President Goodluck Jonathan also carried forward, have been put on reverse by the present administration. The ghosts of do-or-die politics, rigging and blatant writing of election results have returned to haunt us. Election umpires are compromised with impunity; security agencies act as if they are the private armies of the government in power and, to make matters worse, a section of the Judiciary has been so compromised that “Jankara” and “Oluwole” judgments are procured at odd hours by the powers-that-be to gain undue advantage over their opponents. Under the PDP, opposition thrived but under APC\Buhari, all manner of shenanigans have been employed to lay the opposition prostrate.
Great for Ghana and good for Africa! There are suggestions that the award go to a sportsperson. This is understandable as many of us are now fans of Europe’s elite clubs while our own local clubs have become orphans. It is an extension of our taste for all things foreign while “Made in Nigeria” goods suffer. That way, our economy is shrinking rather than expanding and the pressure which we pile on the Naira will increase rather than diminish.
Therefore, the economic recession will be exacerbated rather than recede, the sugar-coated promises of government spin doctors notwithstanding. The preponderance of opinion is that we give it to Antonio Conte, coach of Chelsea. This man, I must admit, is worthy. His club is not only riding highest on the Premier League table, it is doing so in grand style, leaving the other big names trailing it by a wide margin. No one expected Conte to be this successful; all eyes were on Jose Mourinho (Man. U.) and Pep Guardiola (Man C.) but Conte has pulled a surprise on everyone. The league, however, is not yet over; in football, everything is still possible and Conte and Chelsea fans will be best advised not to count their chicks before they are hatched.
Our own Victor Moses was named. Here was the stone which the builder (Mourinho, while he was Chelsea’s gaffer) rejected but which has now become the head of the cornerstone. I often think that some coaches are over-valued or over-prized; the same thing with players. Depending on the coach and, to a great extent, mother luck, some of the players neglected or rejected today can be as good, if not better, than those being celebrated. As the scriptures say, time and chance happen to them all. Moses, today, is bedrock of Chelsea. Unbelievable! Or what do you think Mourinho would feel seeing the man he treated as scum being celebrated today as pillar of the same Chelsea, against whom Mourinho’s Man. U. is struggling? I want to see Moses continue with his sparkling form for Chelsea as well as transfer same qualities to the national team, the Super Eagles. For him, it is not yet time for awards. He must not rest on his oars.
Back home, some readers picked President Muhammadu Buhari and or our gallant military for routing Boko Haram from Sambisa forest. A time it was when the terrorists controlled a large swath of land mass bigger than many countries in Europe. And they flew their dirty flag over the country’s territory! Such audacity! Now, the terrorists hold no territory and have reportedly been routed in Sambisa. Some Chibok girls, we were told, have been rescued or found while negotiations\military efforts to get the others out of Boko Haram clutches continue. These achievements would have been enough to win the award for Buhari\the military but for the fact that there are a lot of misgivings beclouding the two issues. Boko Haram continues to throw bombs and cause damage every day. They easily ambush and kill top military officers. The bomb that the air force “mistakenly” dropped on an IDP camp was said to have been meant for a Boko Haram camp. That is quite revealing. It means that Boko Haram is still potent enough to warrant air strikes being deployed against it – and three strikes at a go. At the last count, over 200 are said to have died in that sad episode. We must encourage Mr. President and our gallant military to continue with their brave efforts until total, undisguised victory is won. It is not yet time to lionize anyone on this issue simply because, to quote Kenyan nationalist Oginga Odinga, it is “Not Yet Uhuru”. Uhuru means “freedom”.
The Chibok girls’ issue is shrouded in even thicker secrecy and mired in greater confusion. It is perplexing on many fronts. Over 200 girls, all Physics students, were quartered in a dormitory, preparatory to writing WASC examination. That congregation will be hard to get even in the South. Now when some of them were purportedly found, the media was not allowed to get near them. The leader of the girls could neither speak English nor read a prepared speech. Since then, the girls have not returned to their families, so we could go and interview them for their reminiscences. My hunch is that the true story of the Chibok girls have not been told; until then, no medals.
Gov. Peter Ayodele Fayose, was recommended by the majority of readers as “Man of the Year 2016”. The reasons adduced are that he is the lone voice of opposition in the country today. Someone referred to him as the biblical John the Baptist of our generation – a lone voice crying in the wilderness and aridity of principled and committed voices to stand up against the tyranny of bigoted rulers as well as speak the truth to power. Many of those nominating Fayose reminded me of my oft-repeated position that opposition is the fulcrum of democracy and that without vibrant opposition; democracy is nothing but a charade and theatre of the absurd. I agree. Without opposition, dictatorship will roll over us seamlessly. I agree also, though regrettably, that APC\Buhari, by the much we have seen of them, cannot be trusted to safeguard democracy without vibrant opposition breathing down their neck. They have a large tendency for arbitrariness and vindictiveness and a huge appetite for one-party and dictatorial rule. For standing up against this Behemoth; for daring this Leviathan; for making himself the mouth-piece of the voiceless Nigerian masses, governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Peter Ayo Fayose, is awarded this column’s “Man of the Year 2016” medal.
By Bolanle Bolawole
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