The election of General Muhammadu Buhari as the next president of Nigeria is a tipping point in history. The cheers and jeers are products of multi-factors that speak to a people’s resolve to deepen Democracy. For some, the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) was the means to express support or anger. No longer is incumbency insurmountable. Change brought in this government, change can lead it out. The people cannot be taken for granted. Truly, Nigeria is a land where impossible is nothing.
About two decades ago, Nigeria stood at another critical moment in its history. It was the period where a one-million match was organized to get the military government going. Opposition was outlawed. Civil Rights Movements were banned. Dissenting voices were banished. The stoic remains of fundamental rights spewed from caves and hideouts. Nigerians became prisoners in their own land. We would never forget the tortuous path that has led us here even as we celebrate the maturing of a government where the people’s choice is supreme.
We are not there yet. Our country wrestles with its identity as it reaches out from the safe and familiar to the place of change. No matter what the word change means, we are agreed that the definition should include a situation where people can collectively speak of a Nigerian dream with deep inspiration and pride. The best picture of such reverie is a welfare state-which takes us to the heart of this discussion.
Has anyone ever wondered why succession is war in Nigeria as it is in most African countries? A candidate standing for any elections is often a product of radical interests: Region, religion, party, section, tribe, ideology and their like. The candidate’s election means a win of all of these interests excluding the most vital and all-encompassing interest, which in this case is national interest.
The triumph becomes: ‘Now is our turn…’; and those who do not come under this umbrella become political outcasts. The opposition party gets as good as they lack. The regions who voted along parallel lines wind up with nothing. The name of the game is political persecution-an ‘otherliness’ that leave people sticking out like sore thumbs. The scenario has been accepted by political parties and amplified by public commentaries. Is this the kind of change we want to see? Hardly.
The Nigerian Constitution forbids it. The following provisions lend credence to such prohibition: Section 14(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) states that the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a state base on the principles of democracy and social justice. Section 14(2b) goes on to say that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
Section 14(3) provides: The composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.Section 14(4) reiterates that the state shall foster a feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various peoples of the federation, to the end that loyalty to the nation shall override sectional loyalties.
The summary of these provisions is that the national cake cannot be for an anointed few. This expectation plays to reason because until people feel like they own a piece of government, they cannot be loyal to it.
What will distinguish General Muhammadu Buhari is his ability to rally all people around national objective Nigeria is in need of a leader whose vision affirms the motto of unity, faith, peace and progress. We do not need a president whose idea of change highlights our weaknesses but one who demonstrates possibility, destiny, success and hope.
Our country begs for a different conversation that sparks a transformation that will reverberate through generations. Thankfully, the president elect is a product of multi-factors. Religion which used to be a major fault line did not play a front role in these elections. If we sustain that vibe, then we would have moved the conversation forward.
There are fears that given the ‘immiscible composition’ of the incoming ruling party, the party may suffer from implosion as did the incoming opposition. To hang unto this fear is to limit ourselves even before we start. With the challenges starring us in the face and the bluff we have called off of a disintegrating Nigeria, it would be sad to play to our fears and genocidal to imagine the worst.
I believe we have a future to infatuate with and if there ever was a moment to rededicate ourselves to, it is now. Wherever we are in the process of change or transformation, we must have a clear picture of the future. To see clearly, we need to get the mist off the way and recognize our inhibitions for what they are.
The wind at our backs is compelling evidence of what we can achieve. The change that brought this government can lead it out. This fluid process is in and of itself magical. As we bask in the victory of democracy, this must be more than a celebratory moment; it should be a lightning touch for a lasting change. So let the change begin.
