May the souls that took their untimely exit during the last #EndBadGovernance protest find sweet repose and may the contradictions that predisposed us to tolerating depopulation as an acceptable handmaid of public protests be exorcised from our psyche. As predicted, after the first day of protests by the sons and daughters of the land, we counted the surviving warriors. A yet indeterminate number is missing. They will not witness the mythical Eldorado we are all looking forward to tomorrow.
Market Route
I learnt early in life that many footpaths lead to the market. Whichever direction you’re coming from, the market is always central in relation to the village. In the same vein, there is no single route to success in any endeavour, especially in the political sphere. If the politician’s goal is to win the trust of rivals and outright foes, even if only grudgingly, his toolbox can’t consist mainly of barbs and sticks; it must also have plenty of roses and carrots.
If we haven’t learnt anything from the #EndBadGovernance protest, then those who died have died in vain. The destruction of public properties and the social dislocation caused in many parts of the country may need to happen again with more ghastly consequences before we become wiser. But as rational beings, we can chart a different path. After all, the planet is pork-marked with erstwhile popular footpaths abandoned in favour of newer ones to meet the exigencies of the times.
In the changing sands of modern times, it is no longer considered smart to meet every novel suggestion with the stock answer — “This is how we are used to doing the job”. The contemporary wisdom is to seek newer, smarter ways of tackling old problems, more so as the analogue ways of yore are unlikely to be any match for today’s digital challenges.
Translated into the vernacular of old fashioned politics, the opposition is usually characterised as enemies of the ruling party and the state itself. Subscribing to different political philosophies is cast as a choice between heaven and hell. All the members of one’s own party are saints; the opposition is made up of demons and enemies of state.
Because shamelessness comes with the territory, politicians can’t be bothered by the contradictions inherent in the way they routinely decamp from one party to the other. As soon as they announce their change of ship, they start unsaying all the terrible things they had said about their new political homestead. Their old foes suddenly become family.
Their fanatical followers, rendered more brainless by economic flagellation, simply follow their masters to the new camp. No questions asked. Just memorise the new slogans. Old things have passed away; welcome to our new political home. Amen. And their former party, former family, becomes the coven of political witches and wizards who don’t mean well for the state or country.
We have played enough games in this country. For our collective sakes, I think it is about time we did things differently. By this, I mean that we cannot continue relying on the same old footpaths to take us to the market of political cohesion when there are shorter routes that are guaranteed to take us there more quickly.
New Footpath
Nigeria’s problems require the input and commitment of ALL stakeholders, not just the ruling political party. Bear in mind that the last presidential election was unique in the sense that it was a three-horse race with the winner securing a little more than one-third of the total number of votes cast. President Tinubu scored 8,794,726 against a total of 14,582,740 scored by his three major opponents, Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso. It would make sense to reach out to those major opponents, especially Atiku and Obi.
The president can borrow a fairly used idea from the era of Olusegun Obasanjo’s presidency. One of the fora purposely created for reaching out to political opponents and pressure groups was the Presidential Breakfast Table where the wily general tapped the brains of his foes, friends and sectoral experts. Being invited to the president’s breakfast table was considered an honour and many prominent politicians relished the privilege.
Now, imagine the president inviting Mr. Peter Obi, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and some of the more visible economic experts and technocrats to the presidential breakfast table. Usually, some policy statements will seep out of the gathering after the intellectual intercourse. Party chieftains, too, will seize the opportunity to show that they are part of the new spirit of reaching out. In effect, such a move will help to douse the political tension in the land.
The alternative is the current default position which the current administration inherited from Buhari’s unfeeling government which established the template of hiring thugs to disrupt protests. To make matters worse, his idea of the presidency was a kind of royal court where he was the ultimate ‘Kabiyesi’ and everyone else was a political serf or vassal. That informed why he merely reigned while his henchmen ruled/ruined the roost.
Tinubu is more exposed and better educated than Buhari. He is also a politician while his predecessor was more of a cult figure. Tinubu knows what to do to defuse the political tension in the land. The surprise is why he hasn’t done it all these days. it is about time that the president took direct control of the narrative going forward. As the intriguing TV advert says, “Draw your friends close; and your enemies closer!” Except that there are really no enemies in this case.
Shagari’s Example
I remember that during the Second Republic, the rivalry between Awolowo’s UPN and Shagari’s NPN was fierce. But Shagari had the benefit of the political ‘wiseness’ of his party chairman, Chief A.M.A. Akinloye (a.k.a. Always Mentally Alert). Those were the days when party supremacy had a meaning. The party and the president agreed that they needed to have Chief Awolowo on their side, especially as he was reputed to be an economic wizard of sorts.
Perhaps he would share some of his wisdom with them? And perhaps his followers would now give Shagari a breathing space? Shagari invited Awo to take a trip with him in the presidential jet and later decorated the leader of the major opposition party with Nigeria’s highest national honour, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR). If Shagari could do that 42 years ago, I have no doubt that Tinubu can match the spirit of the gesture in terms of how he relates with political opponents.
When political apparatchiks are allowed to build a cult around the president and turn him to a ‘Kabiyesi’, they (whoever they are and whatever designation they are identified by) become the real McCoy because while the president is reduced to a hermit who shows up only for major ceremonial occasions, they, the aides, assume control. From what we know about President Tinubu, he is not the type of person who would drive a car from the back seat.
There are many pathways that lead to the marketplace of political engineering. The president should choose the less travelled one of statesmanship in which opponents are treated as fellow shareholders in the Nigerian commonwealth. I’m tired of Nigerian presidents showing so much promise and then failing spectacularly.
I want Tinubu to succeed. If he succeeds, there are chances that Nigerians shall have life more abundant. But to succeed, he must remember that he who walks alone is both in front and behind.
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