|
Shagari/Gowon:Detribalized Statesmen On A Rescue Mission
By
Shagari Sumner Sambo
Mon Oct 3, 2011
“True statesmanship is the art of changing a nation from what it
is into what it ought to be.”
- William R. Alger
As Nigeria celebrates her 51st independence anniversary, the air
of patriotism and optimism that the nation still has better
prospects ahead is mostly located among our political leaders
while cynicism and complacency is the the lot of a huge number
of the citizenry.
Celebrations are low keyed across the federation not because
there are no visible signs of hope that things could get better
but for the fact that terrorism is in the air courtesy of the
failures of our security agencies to live up to their oath of
safeguarding the territorial sovereignty of Nigeria and also the
viral poverty and other prevalent socio-economic challenges that
have made living in the geographical space called Nigeria a
daily miracle.
Seeing former President Aliyu Shehu Shagari, former Head of
State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) and former
Chief of General Staff, Commodore
Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd) doing all they can to give backing to the
administration of President Goodluck Jonathan through their
subtle influences in government and appearance at the low key
independence celebration at the Aso Rock Villa has bolstered me
to think that there is something ahead that these elders are
seeing which our generation may not be seeing at the moment.
While speaking with journalists after the event, Shagari was
quoted to have said: “I disagree with those who say we have
nothing to celebrate. It is not easy to attain 51 years of age.
Mr. President has now garnered a lot of experience......We are a
great nation. You can only claim to be great when you are
confronted with challenges of this nature and you overcome them.
I do not think having overcome other challenges, these ones will
hold us down. We are happy....Nigeria is progressing, whether
anybody likes it or not.”
On his part, Ukiwe said the prevalent insecurity “is a phase we
are passing through and I believe we will get it right.”
While Gowon said “I must say that Muslims and Christians must
live together. I grew up amidst Muslims; we schooled together,
we played together without any problem. Why is it difficult now
for the two groups to live together? It is high time we tell
those responsible for the kind of conflicts we are witnessing
today to please give peace a chance. My word for Nigeria is
peace and development.”
Gowon continued; “every year, we keep our hopes alive. Anytime
we have a problem, we should address it through peaceful means.
The task is now for the younger ones to rise to the occasion and
protect the country, particularly, journalists should be mindful
of the kind of information they disseminate to the public.”
I think these leaders may have seen their minimal successes and
past failures of fully integrating the Nigerian society staring
at them hence the need to correct the mistakes of the past by
offering their undiluted support to the present administration
run by a southerner.
The general consensus among many Nigerians especially of
southern extraction is that northern leaders are responsible for
the enfante terrible called Boko Haram which has almost brought
Jonathan’s administration to its knees by promulgating
insecurity and fear in the land thereby giving little room for
developmental activities.
This assumption is neither here nor there, as no northern leader
has been arrested on this charge.
But if truth be told, the duo of Shagari and Gowon have stood
firmly with President Jonathan right from his days as Vice
President seeking to be declared as Acting President while his
former boss, Late President Umaru Yar’Adua laid on a sick bed
until his ascension and consequent election as president.
Through their conduct, the two leaders and other prominent
Nigerians who have risen above ethnic waters have shown that at
times like these, statesmen need to wake up to their
responsibilities of being the giant iroko trees that prevent the
winds from destroying the smaller trees underneath them.
Some cynics say the support Jonathan got from Shagari during the
April 16, 2011 presidential election is located on the premise
that it was a protest against General Muhammadu Buhari’s
overthrow of the former’s democratically elected government in
1983 and thus the unforgiveness of that single action led
Shagari on a revenge mission.
But truth be told, the reality is that Shagari is a statesman
who has always desired to integrate and knit the fabric of the
Nigerian society together. His credentials as a detribalized
Nigerian has never been in doubt as this quite and unassuming
leader chose an Igbo man, Alex Ekwueme as his Vice President and
granted pardon to the cultural leader of the Igbos, Odumegu
Ojukwu to return from his exile in Ivory Coast while same time
remaining very loyal to his strong party chairman from the
southwest, Meredith Adisa Akinloye during the NPN days.
On his part, Gowon has always been there as the pillar that the
nation leaned on during the civil war.
He fought ferociously to keep the unity of Nigeria during
and after that internecine conflict. Having realized that he
made some mistakes as a leader probably out of youthful
exuberance (as Nigeria’s youngest Head of State), he now devotes
his time to offering prayers for the country through his
Christian prayer group, Nigeria Prays. He also chairs the Yakubu
Gowon Foundation which has consistently and successfully been in
the forefront to eradicate Guinea worm throughout the nooks and
crannies of the country.
By extending a hand of fellowship to recent presidents of the
nation as evidenced by their support for the Jonathan
administration and compared to most rulers that have besieged
the Nigerian presidency, I think the duo of Shagari and Gowon
have consistently shown that we can move forward as a nation
despite our ugly past.
Like Gowon disclosed, as a Christian and proud Middle Belter
from the FCT, I
feel pained when I hear or report the news that Muslims and
Christians are killing themselves in unjustifiable feuds as I
grew up in a family where the adherent of both religions lived
and continue to live in peace without us noticing any
distinction other than the fact that we serve God in separate
ways. This former unity can be seen in the bearing of popular
Hausa and muslim-like names like Ibrahim, Audu, Bello, Sambo,
Bagudu among others by northern Christians.
Also, I attended the famous Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria from
where high profile southerners especially Niger Deltans like
Donald Duke et al graduated from. In fact, my history books tell
me that northerners and Niger Deltans
have always had strong political ties since the NPC days
where the Niger Deltans were instrumental to the North emerging
as the power at the centre.
In addition, the contributions of several persons from the
Southeast and Southwest helped to strengthen commerce and the
educational system of the Northern people, with Late Obafemi
Awolowo even gaining political grounds during election campaigns
in the old Benue - Plateau region.
With these developments, one finds it difficult to understand
why some elites continue to create a gulf between the Nigerian
people instead of propagating unity in diversity.
By supporting President Jonathan to steer the ship of state, I
think all that Mr. President can do at the moment is to wake up
to his responsibility by justifying the confidence reposed on
him by Shagari, Gowon and the teeming Nigerians that voted for
him on April 16 rather than giving excuses and pointing at
Goliaths everywhere as any good leader will always have tough
Goliaths.
Moreover, some persons that succeeded in governance like the
Late General Murtala Muhammed and Chief Obafemi Awolowo had
stronger oppositions that always stood on their ways, but they
succeeded. Being the President of a heterogeneous society like
Nigeria has never been a child’s play from day one.
Though kudos must be given to former President Olusegun Obasanjo
for having the temerity to initiate a dialogue with the family
of the slain Boko Haram leader which may lead to a peaceful
resolution of the crisis, however, one continues to question his
manner of statesmanship especially in the light of several
character flip flops and the recent exchange of tantrums with
the gap-toothed general.
In these interesting times that some former presidents have
resorted to “foolish” dissipation of energies in public glare or
others keen on grabbing power at all cost, methinks Nigeria is
blessed to have had the likes of Gowon and Shagari.
Although I am no relation of his or from Sokoto State and had
earlier questioned why I was named after him, nevertheless I
remain grateful to my parents for naming me after a great man
with a great mind like Shagari and for having a selfless Middle
Belt leader like Gowon as both leaders have all risen to the
challenge of statesmanship...unlike their contemporaries.
Who knows, maybe with more efforts by other prominent elder
statesmen like Shagari and Gowon, Nigeria may after all not
witness any breakup in 2015 as widely predicted by foreigners
and re-echoed by many disenchanted citizens.
But if we all agree that the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable
then, despite the pessimism by President Jonathan, Nigerians
must continue to advocate for the convocation of a
constitutional conference where all ethnic groups will discuss
how to restructure the federation and live together because if
in a couple of years the centre can no longer hold despite
efforts by statesmen like Shagari and Gowon, then things will
definitely fall apart.
Long live Nigeria, Viva Africa!
Shagari Sumner Sambo
is a Senior National Correspondent with NN24 Television. He also
edits a newsblog
NEWSMAN by Shagari Sumner Sambo
on Facebook. He can be contacted via: shagarisambo@gmail.com
|
