The march is on one more time. The 2023 general election is the focus. But, clearly, the presidential contest is the ultimate. It is given.
Babajide Balogun contributed this piece to the discourse. And there is immense wisdom in it. That is the reason for sharing. His exact words:
Yet again, the political season is here. A time when the musical chairs are up for the theatrics of politicians as they entertain us, the electorate, with the good, the bad and the ugly of their political ambitions. In normal situations, this is the time that Nigerians should sit back and enjoy the thrills and funfair that come with the season.
But this is 2022 Nigeria and these are not normal times. The political process that is unveiling, which will ultimately lead to the election of a new President that will steer the ship of the nation for another four years, cannot be a tea-party affair.
In the past few years, Nigerians have gone through a labyrinth of challenges that could have set other weaker nations rolling down the cliff. In past elections, politicians would mount the soapbox telling us about how they plan to improve the economy and make life generally better for Nigerians.
But at this moment in time, the survival of Nigeria itself is, sadly, the first item in the catalogue of campaign promises that our politicians have to make. It has gone that bad! The unity of Nigeria is broken and it has even made our politics more toxic.
The great philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, could not have had Nigeria in mind when he theorised about the “State of Nature.” But the reality of Nigerian life, with the anguish and angst that continue to define that idea, should serve as a classical case study of a society where life is short and brutish.
The Yoruba have a saying, “ti a ba n sun ekun, a ma riran,” which translates literarily to mean: “When we sob, we see.” As we meander through the uncertainty of our politics and set forth to choose a new leader for the country, we must take cognizance of the fact that the nation cannot afford to make another mistake of recruiting inept leadership.
Because what we contend with is a leadership crisis essentially, it becomes more important that we are circumspect about the personality we shall be electing into the number one job in the land. Regrettably, even now, we are yet again chasing shadows, discussing which part of the country the next President should come from (the same sentiment that led us to where we are), rather than talking about character traits that our next President should possess.
There has never been such a time in the history of Nigeria that the country requires an experienced hand. A leader who understands the dimensions of all the challenges that beset the country and someone who has the capacity to harness our collective strength to take us out of the abyss that we find ourselves today.
We have heard some eminent personalities signifying their intentions to contest for the position of President in 2023. Among the lot that has come out thus far, I will give my endorsement to Atiku Abubakar.
The principal consideration in his advantage is that he has the power of foresight and the boldness to espouse brilliant solutions, even when it is unpopular to do so.
In the 2007 presidential election, when Atiku contested, he presented to the Nigerian public a policy document. One of the revolutionary ideas in that document was towards finding a lasting solution to the endemic problem of the Niger Delta region.
By the way, he remains the only presidential hopeful who continues to present policy documents at each election cycle. Atiku thought it right that the best way to control the festering crises in the Niger Delta region was, first, by domesticating the challenges of the region and narrowing the management of those challenges through a special governmental ministry.
Here we are today, we have been able to devise a political solution to what used to be an intractable problem. Thanks to both Atiku and late former President Umaru Yar’Adua for having the courage to implement that policy.
Secondly, I doubt if there is any contemporary politician in Nigeria who has been consistent with the issue of education advancement and has, indeed, articulated a solution around all of our country’s challenges around enlarging the borders of investment into education. Atiku has demonstrated over time his belief in education as the most viable vehicle to not only drive extreme poverty out of Nigeria, but also as a sustainable instrument for modern nation-building and development.
Either as a businessman or a politician, every Nigerian knows what Atiku represents. He is one candidate who we will not be gambling about his character and dispositions. He is detribalised, he is cosmopolitan, he is good at hunting talent and he is a team player. In essence, therefore, he has the character profile that is required to become the President who is fit for the moment.
There are two other examples of situations where Atiku has shown fascinating examples of courage and foresight in proffering solutions to national challenges. First is on the issue of restructuring. At the time when Atiku became the chief marketer of restructuring in the North, the establishment in the North was least tolerant to the idea.
Not only was restructuring unpopular in the North, it was even politically risky for any politician to take the agenda to the North at that time. But, today, the political establishments in the North are increasingly receptive to the idea. That is why, today, we are getting a sort of national consensus around what used to be a controversial topic. Again, thanks to Atiku for his courage and foresight.
The second example is when, during the 2019 election campaign, he called the attention of the country to the need to divest from moribund crude oil refineries. My Yoruba people have an interesting adage: “You cannot bypass the courtyard of truth, you either take its path on the way setting forth or on your way back.”
Nigerians have set forth and back, and here we are on the issue of petroleum product refining and we sure know better now. Again, thanks to Atiku for his courage and foresight.
So, clearly, we have a presidential hopeful in Atiku who has a clear knowledge about our national challenges, their forms and dimensions, and has clear ideas about how to solve many of these challenges.
They say it is good to always “follow person wey sabi road.” Atiku “sabi road” and it is in our national corporate interest to let him lead us on the road out of our current situation into a more promising future.
• Balogun, a political analyst, writes from Ibadan, Oyo State