Presenting Nigerians with a fait accompli
Perhaps one of the enduring contributions and relevance of Chidi Odinkalu and Ayisha Osiri’s book “Too Good to Die: Third Term and the Myth of the Indispensable Man in Africa” is the attempt to explain the phenomenon of the military god-complex in Nigeria, where soldiers have hijacked politics and governance in Nigeria since 1966 and continue to dominate the political terrain whether in and out of uniform, usually exploiting Nigeria’s fault-lines and promising to fight corruption. They did this by promoting a false narrative of “the structural fragility of state(s) which are ‘ethnically and religiously heterogeneous,’ and that “they alone have the capability to keep these states together while simultaneously demonising civilian politicians as a venal and corrupt class from whose predations the military exerts itself to save the people.”
Well, military rule became anachronistic in the late 1990s and the military had to beat a retreat to the barracks in 1999. But the military god-complex had continued to hold sway in Nigeria. They have monopolised the political space, of course, with a handful of private businessmen and politicians and have continued “to sponsor political actors and pre-determine contests for power” through subterfuge, sham elections or both. This group has decided who governs this country from 1999 till date and are set or have already determined who will emerge president in 2019.
Former President Obasanjo – the dean of the ex-generals and their unofficial spokesperson – was the first beneficiary of this military god-complex in 1999. Although, he sought to violate the predetermined order of passing the presidential pie amongst themselves every four or eight years; and although the members of this group could quarrel and fight amongst themselves in contestation for the presidential pie, their dominance of the political space and influence is yet to diminish. They have continued to set the electoral agenda and continue to determine who emerges as Nigeria’s president in every election since. Of course, to do this effectively, they co-opt some politicians and businessmen to give it a political or democratic outlook.
Take, for instance, the way this group booted out former president Goodluck Jonathan from power and installed General Buhari. It started with voluble leader of the group accusing the Jonathan of incompetence and pursuing an ethnic agenda. He also led the way in the adoption of General Buhari, a perennial presidential aspirant as the man to deliver the country. Pronto, all the retired generals and their civilian lackeys or associates dumped the former president and lined up behind the Buhari project. What followed was one of the best image laundering and public relations work ever to be done on a candidate for election. In a jiffy, the generally held perception (created by the same set of people) of General Buhari as an ethnic champion, religious bigot, and perpetual unelectability was demolished. Before long, he became Nigeria’s messiah with a magic wand to, at once, end corruption and insecurity in Nigeria and bring about an age of economic and social development never experienced in the country before.
Nearly four years down the line, the same set of people are tired of Buhari and have anointed another candidate – Atiku Abubakar – to take his place. Like Buhari, Abubakar has a perception problem, still created by a section of this group, of being a corrupt individual with an inordinate desire for power. Just like they did for Buhari, they have began the process of refurbishing Atiku’s image and presenting him to Nigerians as the best candidate to rescue the nation’s battered economy. Just like in 2014, they have set the agenda for 2019 and everyone seems to be following their lead without question.
Don’t get me wrong. I felt in 2014 and still feel Buhari was never qualified and should never have been the president of Nigeria. I felt and still feel he isn’t intellectually, morally and physically fit to govern a diverse and complex country like Nigeria. I feel another four years of Buhari will spell catastrophic disaster for the country and may eventually lead to the disintegration of the country (a situation I believe the military god-complex will not countenance for selfish reasons). I felt and still feel Atiku Abubakar, despite his perception problem, could have made a good choice of president in 2007 or even 2015 and would have helped deepened Nigeria’s political culture and development. I felt and still feel Nigeria’s problem isn’t corruption and corruption is only a symptom of a deeper problem – the weakness or absence of institutions, and a candidate that will help in the building of strong institutions will be the better choice for the country.
But I’m equally worried that the ex-generals have never made a good choice for Nigeria. I’m worried that the horse-trading and negotiations that went into the adoption of Atiku as the preferred choice of the ex-generals will greatly constrain the former vice president and limit his ability to do what is right for the country. I’m worried that the proclivity of the military god-complex for constitutional vandalism hasn’t waned and that their helping a candidate to office will mean a continuation of the destructive influence and power of this group. I’m also worried that the military god-complex has refused to even countenance the candidacy of more qualified aspirants and have continued to rely on the politicians and military officers of old that are part of the problem of this country.
These devious fellows have always determined the options for Nigerians and have made it difficult for the people to exercise real choice in the important matter of choosing the people to govern them. In a free society, the electorate decides everything; in dictatorships, it is those who count the votes; but in banana republics like Nigeria, it is neither of those, but a shadowy group of ex-generals who determine everything and only present the people with a fiat accompli! It is not for nothing that Obasanjo referred to Atiku as Nigeria’s next president.
Christopher Akor