It snowed cat and dog; the azure was glamorous and pregnant for another down pour. I was snowed in and to pass the time, I went before my favorite toy – computer. I decided to surf my favorite web sites and read articles, news and special reports on Africa, primarily on Nigeria. As I was sitting in front of my computer, a voice was heard, urging me to write a screenplay on Obasanjo’s Nigerian political life. At first, I tried to ignore it, but it persisted and without funfair, my fingers began a mellifluous harmony on the computer keyboard and before long, a title with studied nonchalant for the play emerged and it is called: Obasanjo, stop chasing illusive shadow.

Main characters:

Leading actor – Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo (rt.)

The current president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. An ex Nigerian military head of state from 1976 to 1979.

Location 1 – Nigeria

Location 2 – the palace of the world political leaders

Principal actors – listed in non-significant order are: all Nigerian retired military Generals including Gen. T. Danjuma (rt.), a longtime comrade of the president dating back to his first scene into the apex of the Nigerian leadership pyramid. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida – an ardent supporter and sponsor, who admittedly bankrolled Obasanjo’s 1999 presidential bid and who ranked second in a hierarchical order of past Nigerian most vicious leaders. Finally, ex military Generals who formed the core of the president’s inner circle of advisers in his current position as a civilian leader.

Obasanjo’s record.

In the course of Obasanjo’s political, military and civilian leadership career, he has created a mountain of record more than all the other Nigerian ex-military and civilian leaders put together. Here is how they stark up:

First, during the Nigerian civil war, as a leader of the Nigerian commando, Obasanjo actively participated in the onslaught of the Igbo ethnic group who were frustrated with the inability of the central government to curb the mass killing of their brethren in the republic. Because of their suspicion of the national government intent coupled with the lack of security and sanctity of life, liberty and property, the Igbos opted to secede from the country and form the republic of Biafra. This decision evolved into a thirty months civil war, which ended in January 1970. Afterwards, Obasanjo wrote a debauchery book regarding his war time experience titled "My command." Again, Obasanjo was instrumental in the surrender of the severely depleted, demoralized, starved and butchered Biafran civilians in January 1970.

Second, he was the first Nigerian military dictator to voluntarily hand over power to a civilian elected government. However the amorphous transition process from military to a civilian government in 1979, was suspicious and marred with questionable motives such as the protection of the military excesses and culpability from possible civilian purge. At the said period, all the federal approved parties by FEDECO except the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) proclaimed their intention to probe the army if they win the election. As luck and gutter political may have it, the NPN won and the issue died a natural death. Furthermore, on May 29, 1999, history was once again made; the former military dictator once again became the benefactor of military transfer of power to a civilian democratically elected government.

Third, as a military leader, he promulgated a land use decree, centerpiece of his "operation green" revolution. The green revolution was a colossal failure right from its inception, and was abandoned, but not repealed. The government land decree resulted in the seizure of people’s land inherited over the centuries. The land decree policy was one of the fuels that ignited today’s nightmares, one of which resulted in the Odi massacre. The control of natural resources gave the paucity central government absolute power over revenue allocation and that power has been systematically abused by successive Nigerian governments. Like it is said, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Furthermore, successive governments in Nigeria embraced the communist oriented land use law where the central government, the big brother, controls the natural resources without due compensation to the owners of the land. This excessive concentration of power at the national level has become the breeding ground for the corrupt fat cats bent on enriching themselves at the expense of the poor peasants whose resource rich lands are being exploited and confiscated by the government without due compensation.

Today, the Nigerian government have claimed to be operating democratically, yet, those basic tenets of a democratic dogma, such as free market, private ownership of natural resources and production instruments, compensation to owners of land acquired by the government at a fair market price, have not been vigorously pursued. So far, only lip service has been paid regarding government intentions to repeal over burdensome anathema laws that inherently degrade and retard progress in a democratic society.

Moreover, the land decree did not stop some corrupt public officials and the army from accumulating mass land. The extent of this contravening behavior have been exposed in the last eleven months – thanks to the new transparency in government adoption, the only surviving principle of the Obasanjo’s original message given in May 29, 1999.

But, if this fragrant disregard of the land use decree is accepted, then, all the Igbos who lost their properties and land as a result of the Nigerian civil war, without choice, must be compensated. Also to be adequately compensated were the oil producing states, not the government, but the individual landowners whose lands have formed the backbone of the economy that has sustained the nation over the years.

Without having the horse before the cart, recently, there is a positive sign that the government is about to recluse itself and reverse from the previously held law on land control. The Minister of Justice, Mr. Bola Ige has indicated the government’s willingness to rethink its failed and absurd land ownership policy.

Fourth, the roving president has visited more countries from one end of the globe to another, more than all of the previous Nigerian Heads of states and presidents and their foreign ministers combined. Interestingly, this president has not shown any inclination to slow down, nor does he show the significance of such trips. These trips have assumed a self-serving purpose by itself. He posed for picture opportunities with foreign leaders and at their palaces. He even chaired the important G 77 in Havana, Cuba, the only trip that so far in his run around the world that have been paid for by a foreign nation.

Furthermore, why would this president travel to Iran last week? It is a well-known fact that Iran is a staunch supporter of terrorist organizations and exporter of Islamic fundamentalism. It is also a common knowledge that Iran is one of the major oil producing and exporting nations. However, it is a known fact that the USA and some European nations imposed sanctions against Iran and Iraq export, especially oil to the west has benefited Nigeria immensely, so why the trip to Iran? If the president’s trip to Iran would enable him grasp a first hand knowledge of the internal workings of Sharia law and how to contain its nuisance influence in a secular society, then the Nigerian people would not mind footing the bill. But if the purpose is to add to his resume of the nations that he consulted while positioning himself for another run for the Secretary General of the United Nations, then, it conforms with the Nigerian disease where leaders would not do their job and instead would simultaneously attempt to use their current office as a stepping stone for another higher office.

Come to think of it, the more one decipher the president’s intent when he requested through 2000 supplementary budget, to purchase multimillion dollar presidential airplane, the more one is persuaded by available information and conclude that this president needed a good transportation that would carry him and his entourage around the world, while chasing illusive shadow. At the same token, one feels compelled to concur with the National Assembly’s denial of such request. A purchase of an expensive custom made executive airplane at a time of economic woes should have been irresponsible, selfish, arrogant, a breach of voter’s trust, affront to the international lenders that the country is pleading for debt forgiveness or relief, and finally, confirmation of business as usual in the current polity.

Obasanjo should stop chasing illusive shadow and pay more attention to domestic needs, which have deteriorated over the years. He should right the wrong perpetuated by the ill-advised transfer of government on a platter of gold to gluttony vultures whose corrupt practices spilled over to successive governments. While the travelthon president roams the palaces of the world leaders, Nigeria burns. Odi burns, Anambra and Aguleri annihilated each other, Okigwe assaulted, Lagos under siege, armed robbers rules the big cities as unofficial jungle mayors, Kaduna becomes the Nigerian version of Cambodian killing field, Islamic fanatics juxtapose duel laws that segregate sexes and religions. The embarrassment and degradation of national pride by the amputation of criminal’s anatomy and public flogging, both of which constitute a cruel and unusual punishment, contrary to the tenets of the 1999 Nigerian constitution. The opulent steals from the Nigerian treasury with impunity, all in all, a leadership vacuum therefore exists. The president therefore, becomes what Heinrich Mann characterized in the Little Superman, as "moved amongest the men like a capricious potentate."

Air Obasanjo should be grounded because Nigerian presidency is not a part time job or is it an avenue for stepping up into a world leadership position. Nigeria needs a leader who would not be afraid to step on the toes of corrupt enemies of progress. Nigeria need a leader that would impute his foot print by pursuing programs that benefit the greatest number of people and not a travelthonemenia who perceived his obligations and position as a gift from God for self aggrandizement.

In a civilized and contemporary society, every politician has a starting point. They call it constituency. Unlike in the civilized world, the Nigerian constituency often follows the Nigerian politician around and that is their pockets or handbags. What we have in Nigeria are bunch of self serving politicians who cherish embezzlement of public funds and turn around and spend less than half percent of the loot on the people who would worship or adore them out of fear or ignorance, and eventually re-elect them to the same office where more theft would occur. Stealing from the Nigerian treasure has assumed a life of itself. It has become a national obsession and pass time. It has become the only avenue for "wanna be" millionaires to fulfill their dreams. Nigerians used to be a nation where honesty and hard work is honored and appreciated. Those who refused to join in the cannibalization or get rich quick scams are regarded as fools and not foolhardy.

Magicians use illusions in their magical incantations, and that is acceptable. Political illusions are unacceptable and those who perpetuate fraud in the name of polity are dishonorable and it would be a travesty to group Obasanjo with any of the aforementioned groups.

Canvassing for support among the world leaders may not get the president into the highly regarded UN secretary general seat. He has to show results of his work in Nigeria to the skeptics who are yet to know him. Those who saw his handiwork as a leader of a nation with population over 100 million saw a dictator in the 1970s at work. They have not seen a democrat who reacts to many political forces, multiethnic demands and religious conflict resolution. These are some of the components that exist at the world body. While a dictator governs by decree, a democrat rules by consensus building among competing forces.

Conclusion

Nigeria is now geared to encounter another milestone as they approach the year 2003. There have been many forces and names that saturated the media that were dubbed potential leaders. Most of them have failed Nigeria in the past, and some want to continue what they started while at the pinnacle of Nigerian political ladder. It would be a disgrace and shame to the black race if these morons were allowed back to the pinnacle of leadership ladder once again. They had their chances and they blew it. Most of them made the most of it by enriching themselves at the public expense. It is time for the people to look toward a new direction come 2003. Pleading ignorance for lack of information should no longer be a justifiable argument for bad electoral decisions.

Obasanjo should stop chasing illusive shadow. Right now, he has become an elusive president in Nigeria and time is running out on him. Nigerians have given him a second chance to redeem himself and so far, he has not taken the bull by the horn. Touring other nations in the past two years have not yielded any dividends. Touring foreign nations has not impacted positively on the president’s behavior from acting like a monarch or military dictator to a democrat. The buck should start and stop with Nigerians. A stime at the current stodginess of Nigerian polity is disappointing to say the least. Perhaps, he may need to rethink the excessive reliance on ex military officers for advice if that is the source of his numerous bad judgements.

The Nigerian people should be well assured that it is within their confine to pick the candidate for one of the two permanent seats in United Nation security council that is tabled and under consideration to be occupied by Africans, when approved by the United Nations. Africans would sponsor a replacement for Kofi Anan, the current secretary general of the United Nations, if Africa were given another opportunity to fill the post. Foreigners would not pick or dictate the candidate(s) for Africans or Nigeria. Kissing foreign leaders at their palaces for a shot at these positions without grassroots support may not work.

May God bless Nigerians for their perseverance, tolerance of bad leadership and mendacity to international financial organizations despite the abundance of such resources at home…and the beat goes on.