The Implications for A Future Post-Military Nigeria
By
The pace of progress in Nigeria since the transfer of power from the military to an elected civilian government in May 29 last year has been very unprecedented. Any patriotic Nigerian should have cause to show optimism about the future of our dear country, Nigeria, if the course is maintained and refined.
At a time when we patriotic Nigerians living outside the country, have begun to watch events in our country with keen interest and enthusiasm. At a time when we have started bragging with others about the future of our dear country, and our potentials to better the lots of our people, and the lots of the people of the continent of Africa. At a time when we have started seeing the government of the people for the first time in our lives, beginning to set permanent structures that will help in the development efforts of our country. For the first time, a government of our country has begun to institute structures that will provide continuous development strategies that are not ad hoc, and will outlive each successive administration. Then, an elected senator of a section of our country making a rhetorical comment before the press inviting for a military coup de’ tat.
Our honorable senators and representatives may look at this comment as another theatrical presentation by a Nigerian to be laughed at and cajoled with kid’s gloves. For us outside the country watching every activity going on within the country with interest, there is another dimension to the comment of Senator Joseph Kennedy Waku.
Our interpretation is that, even though, the majority of Nigerians are happy with the current government, and are optimistic about the future, there are some people who are not satisfied with the mood and direction of the government. Unfortunately, these people are in the minority group. The current government and the people of Nigeria must take coup threat seriously.
Our people must be prepared to condemn this utterance from a person who was democratically elected to represent us. We must be prepared to form a human-shield to protect our young democracy at all times. We must be prepared to shed our blood to nullify any attempt by military Opportunists from scuffling our democracy. Our elected representatives must be honest and sincere during the investigation of Senator Waku. With proper investigation, it might be discovered that there are some people behind his assertion and ambition.
Nigeria could have done better, especially, with the oil-boom of the 1970s and 1980s, but for successive interventions in our governance by the military. We Nigerians must learn to understand that it takes intelligence and vision to lead a group or a country such as ours to achieve its naturally endowed potentials.
We should grow up to a point the interest of our nation overrides sectional or tribal interest. It takes the vision, and intelligence of President Bill Clinton to turn the American economy from that ridden with huge budget deficits to an economy with huge budget surpluses. It doesn’t matter whether Bill Clinton is a Northerner or a Southerner.
The military Opportunists misruled the country for many years. They looted our treasury, and siphoned our finances, creating multiple accounts all over Western and Eastern European banks, and North America. The military helped to polarize the country politically by creating imbalances in the distribution of resources within and outside the country. A typical example in how they distributed the PTF program contracts in the country, with the bulk of the contracts disproportionately given to the North. These things help to create mistrust amongst the various Nigerian nationalities.
Coming back to my main theme of writing this article, meaning, the Implications for A Future Post-Military Nigeria. The majority of Nigerians do not want the military to rule the country again. We want our legislators to take note of this assertion. We don’t want any more military governance in our dear country Nigeria. I have heard a few past military Heads of States stating that only a "good civilian government" will stop coup in Nigeria. I do not believe with their views because the military leaders do not have the credibility to dictate to the Nigeria populace when a civilian government is good or bad. The majority of Nigerians do not want to change the government through mere minority sentiments and opinions. To the military Opportunists, the only good government is the one that loots the treasury, transfers our money to banks in Europe and North America, and is sectional and divisive.
To these military Opportunists, the only good government is the one that fortifies itself against the wishes of the majority of Nigerians even if they have to use death squads to eliminate those who oppose the government. These people do not have the credentials to tell Nigerians when our government is good or bad. The badness of a government is a relative term. The government that caters for the majority of Nigerians may be portrayed by this group as being bad because it is transparent, and is able to seal loopholes which help to siphon money from the national treasury.
We civilians want our government to be chosen by the people and for the people. We want to be able to use our voting rights to vote out those officials who are not serving the interests of the electorates during election time. We do not want the barrel of gun to change our government for us. Therefore, the military forever, must stay out of our political lives.
I am as passionate and optimistic as I can about the future of our country. If there are some people who do not like the path followed by the current government, I think it is too bad. Their interest runs counter to the interest of the generality of Nigerians. I am calling on our elected legislators to discourse the future of Nigeria should there be another military coup. Please, do not shy away from this issue. Coup plotters do not care what happens next. You must discuss about this, now. Do not shy away from reality. Most of us in the South do not want military dictatorship anymore in our lives. Should any section of the country want to be ruled by the military, the union can allow them to go without war. If the military Opportunists stage another coup, I would suggest that the country be split into six independent countries based on the six geo-political zones to sustain and maintain each cultural and ethnic identity. Please, be advised that I love to have Nigeria as one giant nation. But if the corporate existence continues to work against the advancement of our democracy and civilization, then we should allow those who want to be ruled by the military to have the option and freedom to do so without jeopardizing the aspiration of other nationalities in Nigeria. We want to be able to change our rulers through the ballot box and not through coups. We want a kind of government whereby a few military Opportunists can’t tell us when our government is good or bad because they do not have the credibility to differentiate between good governance and bad governance. Besides, they do not have the civic training to see these differences without sectional sentiments.