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51 Years Of 100 Metre Race
Opinion By Dr Samuel Aruleba(PhD)
Newsdiaryonline Sat Oct 1,2011
A race of 100 metres is
regarded in athletic world as a dash distance of a few seconds
to accomplish. But when a competitive athlete is still running
after 30 seconds, then, one must suspect a problem beyond the
catch of the naked eyes.
So to this day, Nigeria has been running a straight line
race in a yoyo form that has impeded her ability to accomplish
her desire. It has become a byword for the soul-destroying
futility of a never-ending policy malfunctioning, resource
mismanagement and unimaginable magnanimity of bloodletting in a
country once dubbed land of promise, peace and unity. Now, gone
with the wind is the promise for a better tomorrow. Peace has
vanished on the streets with Boko Haram sect menacingly snuffing
out peoples’ lives with ease in their everyday barbaric
bombings. Unity is meaningless and has no value of its own in
Nigeria. Certainly, the doomsday is near. In few days time, the
blare of vuvuzela would yet sound out the marking of Nigeria’s
51st independent anniversary, the time checks and
balances would be required to establish our performances as a
nation. And without too much mathematical calculation and
scientific proofing, the swaggering pendulum of aggregate
stewardship would shift inexcusably on the side of nothing other
than stonewall backwardness considering our aura for resource
squandering and blindness to impetus of development. Beside
population explosion derived from joblessness, Nigeria would
unarguably struggle to record any meaningful impact on world
stage in the 21st century. Numerical strength of a
country alone doesn’t indicate resourceful achievement. What is
more significant to life enhancement is unity of purpose,
mission and vision – the antidote for common wealth, progress
and fulfilment and which we lack in Nigeria. When a high
definition common goal is vigorously pursued and contested on
the platform of 3D team spirit of sincerity, equality and
recognition of individual strengths and weaknesses, the
predisposition to then achieve maximally along the line of unity
would become better appreciated.
On 1st October 1960 Nigeria was created after decades
of English conquest that saw an end to self-rule in the South
and North of the country and the declaration that further
redefined and consolidated the forcefulness of the 1914
amalgamation. The country was without any doubt a misconceived
concept and for sure, the purpose was to serve the fullness of
the British government that aimed at sulking dry the juice of
our endowed resources as against anything near the ‘cosmetic’
unity being proclaimed and which has ever remained the bane of
our collective national progression.
At the time of Independence, the servant-master mentality
was still intact in our psyche and we could not do anything
without first of all seeking the opinions or approval of Her
Majesty. That begged the credibility of the British supervised
first national election conducted in 1959 that ushered in Sir
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as first Prime Minister and to the aghast
of many other contestants outside the Northern Region who were
believed to be better disposed to lead Nigeria at the time. The
tragic end to Balewa’s government in 1966 through a military
coup seemed a child’s play compared to its aftermath when the
Hausa-Fulani in the North tried to pursue and actualise Othman
Dan Fodio’s (Head of Islamic Jihadists) vision of unleashing
relentless religion assault on the South until the Quran is
dipped in the Lagoon.
Barely six months into his government as a military head of
State, had Major General JTU Aguyi Ironsi (an Ibo man from South
East) met his waterloo in Ibadan.
He along with his Host (Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi) who
was the serving military governor of Western Region was murdered
in a revenge mission executed by a group of young Army Officers
of Northern Region origin. Now the bird is let out of the hat.
Illiterate or otherwise, as civilians or military, the North has
taken the centre stage in the Nigeria politics since 1960
producing virtually all Head of States or Presidents with Chief
Obasanjo (a Yoruba from the South West and Dr Goodluck Jonathan
from Delta Niger) coming in as the only interlude of note for
the odd12years in 51years of independence; yet, Hausa/Fulani are
not satisfied if the violent call by Abubakar Atiku to spur him
win the last general election he lost to Jonathan was a measure
of intent.
It was not until General Ibrahim Babangida
sacked General Buhari/Idiagbon regime from office in 1985 that
the cruel thought of the North to permanently pocket the South
clearly came to the front burner. The period saw the enlistment
of Nigeria as a member of the Organisation of Islamic Countries
without due consultation with the people. That shows the
insensitivity of our Minna General to the plural nature of
Nigeria. It was a foolish orchestra to bear. To compound his
diary of evil scheming, Babangida dealt the last blow to what
remained of MKO Abiola’s political ambition when in June 1993
the Presidential election, which Abiola won, was callously
annulled by the Junta chief. Gone without trace to the world
beyond before their time and on the notebook of hired assassins
were Papa Lukeman Rulwani, Kudurat Abiola, Chief Bola Ige, and
hundreds of others with the sole aim of weakening the political
strength of the South.
One good deserves another. That is true. But
in the language of totalitarianism, which recognises ONLY ME
factor, the law of reciprocity does not apply. The voting
patterns of all the previous elections before 2011 bore the
hallmarks of people from the South-South (Bayelsa, Delta, Edo
and Rivers) with good intent going North in their block
decisions. Now the son of the soil, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan became
an instant outcast to the Hausa/Fulani in his first time to
contest the presidential election against the likes of Atiku,
Babangida, Buhari and Gusau “the club of expired Generals” who
were themselves candidates from the North.
Just by the time the whole world was watching as a
corporate witness to the unfolding new electoral development in
Nigeria that ushered in Goodluck Jonathan as the President in an
election process that was well organised and meticulously
executed for its fairness and transparency, the Boko Haram sect
started unleashing ferocious arson attacks on churches in the
North and with automatic rifles, machetes, bows and arrows
cutting down ‘for suya’ hundreds
of fellow Nigerians found in Christendom and outside Islam. What
could be more heinous than the gruesome killings of scores of
innocent members of the NYSC from the South serving their nation
in the North after President Goodluck Jonathan was declared
winner of the April 2011 election. Such development attracted
huge hues and cries from all and sundries of those who value
lives calling for an end to the NYSC programme with immediate
effect.
Moreover, if it is true that lateness is
better than never, our collective resolve to reconstruct our
path to greatness should be of paramount
task for Jonathan’s ‘dormant and colourless’ government
to institute a serious and people’s driven Sovereign
Constitution Conference debate without further delay. A
consolidated nation that lingers unsteadily to the world unknown
urgently requires a reorientation of purpose. Unity in diversity
might bring more succour if only to retain the common identity
for longer than necessary. A reference point was the accelerated
pace of socio-economic development recorded between 1957 and
1962 in the self-governed Western Region under the leadership of
Chief Obafemi Awolowo and which to this day remains the envy of
other regions in the federation. Catch phrase alone does not
heal wounds. Go on with one Nigeria brings no oneness as long as
the North and South do not share similar ideologies to life.
Previous leaders from each region unmistakably acknowledge this
fact in their past public utterances when many advocated for
separation along tribal lines, aspiration and social
affiliations to guarantee peace and accelerated political and
economic advancement. By now, both young and old fools in the
country would have seen the need to proffer an alternative
formula of governance outside the scandalous whitewash simile
from the white house. Pastor Agrey once put it in perspective
when he said “I am proud of my colour, he who is not proud of
his colour is not fit to live”. This is the meeting point where
the North and the South see themselves as people of different
colours seeking different taste of life and a constitutional
denial is indefensible as it is inexcusable. Action should now
override words. The wind of change is
blowing across the universe and Nigeria could not afford to wait
for the time it would turn to a cyclone. Meanwhile, I wish my
country a happy independent anniversary, free from blackout and
Boko Haram nefarious activities.
Email:
samarus@rocketmail.com
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