Waiting For 'Godot' Bin Laden? 

By

Bolaji Ogunseye

Let's look at some of Nigeria's manifestations. Without any doubt, Abacha's disinterest in cultivating the international community was odious and greatly harmful to the nation. Needless to argue, that diplomatic idiocy needed to be reversed. But President Obasanjo's government is clearly engaged in an over-kill to restore Nigeria's image. Personal self-projection seems to get too much in the way. Of course, every state leader rightly needs to have some personal vision of where and how to direct the government they lead. Obasanjo has the right and discretion occasionally to ignore public criticism and advice, and insist on his choices. Thus, concerning his too-frequent overseas travels, the President has clearly made up his mind to ignore widespread criticisms, and simply to get on with it - whatever might be happening inside the country. Just consider the timing of the visit to France. Since he insists on his nomadic schedule, I suppose we the citizens also have the right to go on pounding him on his over-exaggerated internationalist projections. After all, the President is relevant only because Nigeria exists, not the other way round. And it is all being done in our name and with our resources! 

In some sense, Obasanjo conforms to a well-known practice. Leaders in countries that perform poorly on the domestic front, tend to seek an escape from internal governance failure by playing to the international gallery. The concern is that this President is overdoing it. Take the USA, for example. With no less than seven (7!) US visits since his 'selectoral' victory in February 1999 (in two and a half years), one must begin to worry whether the President's handlers think of the natural fact that when a visitor calls too often and too readily (even if they are core members of your family or 'club'), their visit tends to be valued less. Economists call it the 'law of diminishing returns'. George W. Bush came to power only in January 2001. Our President has already visited him twice (someone told me thrice!). We must wait and see how many times President Bush will visit Nigeria in his four-year tenure. The over-zealous drive for 'world-powerdom' can sometimes look and sound rather funny and foolish. I got a first glimpse in connection with the so-called 'millennium bug'. 

While technologically-wired countries (US, France, Germany, Britain, Brazil etc) were busy with high-sounding preparations for an ammagedon that eventually did not happen, Nigeria, with its still largely manual working environment, also prepared for the millenium bug. And that was the correct thing to do. Even though Manhattan - just one area of New York City - has more telephone lines and computers than all sub-Saharan Africa (minus South Africa), it would have been irresponsible of us not to act, in case the worst fears did materialize. But when some newspapers reported on the 31st of December 1999 that 'fierce-looking and gun-wielding' soldiers and police were stationed at the Murtala Mohammed international airport as part of preparations for the millennium bug, it was difficult to resist a loud laugh. Of course, hundreds of millions of naira went into the preparatory operation (and into private accounts, no doubt) by a special 'millenium bug' committee. Maybe all that could be justified. But what of the 'fierce-looking armed troops at the international airport? Were they there to promptly arrest the 'saboteur-bug' as soon as it alighted from an incoming international flight, and then hand it over to the 'Special Branch' at Alagbon or Kirikiri? Perhaps the trio of Sabo, Omenka and A1-Mustapha could have been recalled from retirement and put to use in that operation, had that bug been foolish enough to stop at our airport. 

A challenge of scientific technicality and brain was thus given our special brawn and gun approach to most things (for which, no thanks to military-rule hangover). There are many ways to express the solidarity of the people and government of Nigeria with the Americans after the bestial attacks of 11th September. I can think of a few gestures that Nigeria could concretely have made in solidarity with America, which we have failed to make. Pretending that we are America, or psychologically wishing America's fate on ourselves is far off the mark, and a bit laughable. Why, for instance, did we need to put the nation on the highest military alert after September 11? Bin Laden has never for once mentioned Nigeria in his tirades, Nigeria is not a designated enemy in his warped and misinterpreted notion of Jihad. If indeed A1-Queda and the Talibans are behind the anthrax attacks in America, where does Nigeria come into the picture? How many NATO member-countries who militarily support the US actions against the Talibans and A1-Qeuda have been attacked with anthrax? Do we have B52s bombing the Taliban front-lines in Northern Afghanistan? Someone joked yesterday that since the President likes frequent visits to Washington, he should be careful not to bring back anthrax to Nigeria, and also remember to regularly take 'Cipro', the now popular anti-biotic that many frightened Americans take in anticipation of a possible attack. 

I cannot quite recollect the terminology used by psychologists for the syndrome of acting out your fancies about being another person. Whatever it is called, no one must drag our nation into aping the situation of another country. Americans who directly feel the emotional impact of the anthrax threat do not think it is funny. Nigeria does not face, and there is so far no conceivable reason for it to be subjected to an anthrax threat from Bin Laden and the Talibans. It's a bit like Jean Paul Sartre's existentialist metaphor about an endless wait for a 'reality' that wont happen. 'Godot bin Laden' will not come to Nigeria, and the government should please not compound our daily livelihood, security and infrastructure anxieties with another one about anthrax. Let those who wish to swim in American blues do so on their own personal account, and not waste our oil money probing a mirage. We are not a world power (at least not yet); we do not have America's vast strategic, world-wide interests; we are not involved in the complex political, policy, diplomatic and strategic struggles and contradictions in the Middle East, which constitute a significant part of the background to this crisis. Let our leaders aspire to any ambitions on the world stage, but Nigeria and its people must NOT be unduly exposed to problems far from their homestead. 

As a nation, we have enough on our plate. Let our leaders bring out the frigates, helicopter gunships and jet bombers of good governance, and begin the battle against poverty, squalor, muddy roads (wet season), dusty roads (dry season), poor drainage, smelly, open and unsightly gutters. Let the anti-terrorist battle rage against those telephone and electric wires hanging roughly overhead like a madman's baggage across all our major cities. Let us fight the terrorism that wastes life so casually in our government (and even private) hospitals; let air raids begin against the anomie that throws up inter-ethnic, religious and political (e.g. PDP elections) violence across our nation on an almost monthly basis. Give real teeth to the anti-corruption war by netting some truly big and live fish. Before we continue our desperate struggle for a permanent Security Council seat at the UN, let us stop and think. Does Nigeria want to be the only permanent member of the UN Security Council whose citizens fetch drinking water from broken pipes inside dirty and slimy gutters? I surely would like to be a citizen of a world power (and obviously my President to be a world statesman), but I much prefer to have the right thing at the right time, thank you very much. Can our leaders get a little real, please?

November 2001