Obasanjo's report card at two
By
The Obasanjo led democratic government marked its second year anniversary two weeks ago. The administration has indeed come a long way having wrested power from the military after about fifteen years of tortuous topsy-turvy military rule. During this period under review, the gun held sway and a lot of terrible and horrible things happened. Violent crimes such as assassinations, armed robbery, murder, demonstrations and strikes were the order of the day. The ill- fated hanging of one of Nigeria’s foremost and articulate playwright and intellectual, Ken Saro Wiwa led to the suspension of Nigeria from commonwealth of nations in 1995. With terrifying record, Nigeria became isolated with many of her citizens fleeing the country.
However, with the death of Gen. Sani Abacha and the subsequent take over of Gen. Abdul Salam Abubakar, temporary relief was brought to the country. The Abubakar regime came with the deceit of sanitizing the system particularly in the area of rights abuse. It also promised to recover wealth stolen by government officials before handing over to a democratically elected government. Unfortunately, as they recovered, they also looted the treasury. But they kept to their promise of hand –over and on May 29, 1999, the baton of leadership of Africa’s most populous nation was handed over to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Looking back, one is almost tempted to say that there is nothing worth celebrating. Since assumption of office, the General and his horde of advisers have compounded Nigerians problems politically, economically and socially. Not long after they assumed office, the Kaima declaration of 1999 was made and violence broke out between the police and the youths culminating into the death of some policemen in Odi village in Bayelsa State. The President without recourse to his advisers and the National Assembly, unilaterally ordered the military (army) to raze Odi town and level it to the ground, killing, maiming, raping and looting. This was one of the most political blunders made by the President. Yet, the President marked his second year in office with blood stained hands.
Today, unemployment has forced many youths especially in the Niger Delta to violent social vices such as robbery, smuggling, prostitution, trafficking in narcotic drugs and advanced free fraud. It is very pertinent to note that most of the Okada riders in various towns and villages in the country are university graduates whose ambition have been scuttled as a result of irresponsible government that cannot provide employment opportunities for its citizenry.
The series of policies the Obasanjo administration claimed to have put in place to eradicate poverty for the down trodden masses have collapsed like pack of cards. The Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) only lasted for a year with a lot of criticism trailing its implementation. The Youth Employment Scheme (YES), speculated by the presidency to create five million jobs before the quarter of year 2000 was a fiasco. Party officials hijacked the few positions for their kin and faithfuls.
Today, more than 70 per cent of Nigerians are hungry because of the high cost of foodstuffs. What did Nigerians celebrate on May 29? Was the hunger, absence of good roads, poor communication network, water, and epileptic power outage? The President should tell Nigerians what he celebrated because as the nation celebrated, the Academic staff University Unions (ASUU) is on strike as government fails to reach an agreement with the body. Posterity will not forgive the Obasanjo administration for the poor handling of education. The hostilities between students and their lecturers in the past eight months is traceable to government’s insensitivity to educational matters and its refusal to sign the December agreement reached by both parties. Does this call for celebration? Government’s performance in all the sectors is disappointing. In agriculture and manufacturing, the performance is below average such that the President announced government’s intention to import beans from Burkina- Faso, one of the poor countries in the West- African sub- region. This is not only an embarrassment but also an indication of failure. Once again, the fuel scarcity has crept into the system with long queues dotting the streets in major towns and cities.
The manufacturing sector in the country has collapsed as a result of epileptic supply. Delta, Rivers, Lagos and Kaduna states are the major industrial haven in the country. Today, most of the industries in these states have either folded up or reduced their production capacity drastically. Yet, Mr. President celebrated. How can foreign investors be attracted to Nigeria when the crime wave is astronomically high and frequent power interruption is the order of the day? The Obasanjo government is one of mediocrity and allegiance is mainly to Mr. President and their ability to grab enough funds for the 2003 elections. Already, officials of the ruling party have started canvassing that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) should not register other parties for 2003.
It is two years of democracy and the people are yet to reap the dividend of democracy. The President has failed the people of the Niger Delta for his lack of proper funding of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The President should know that the future of this great country and indeed the people of the Niger Delta cannot be mortgaged forever as we can now hear the cacophonic sound of drums in the thick forest of the Niger Delta and it shall not be too long before the beats and drummers emerge. The President is most welcome to marking two years of failure in office but if he is not satisfied with the way events have turned out, he can chose the most honourable option – resign.
A stitch in time they say saves nine.