1803 – 1815 in Europe was an era of the Napoleonic Wars that arose from the conflict of the French Revolution. One of the categories of the wars was the third coalition in 1805. Napoleon inherited a very chaotic republic but turned the tides around with the aid of stable finances, well-trained army and strong bureaucracy in his administration.
The highly intense wars gave birth to the Congress of Vienna that facilitated relative peace enjoyed for a very long duration in Europe through the spread of nationalism and liberalism. A deep reflection on the Napoleonic Wars shows genuine citizenry support for their leader on the altar of extreme patriotism with determination for a creation of a self-sufficient country as displayed by one of the war legends, Nicolas Chauvin, who was badly wounded at the war front. Despite receiving a worthy pension, Chauvin remained a fanatical Bonapartist even after the abdication of Napoleon and subsequent events gave birth to Chauvinism in recognition of his single-minded blind devotion to Bonapartism despite all odds.
The display of chauvinism by some Nigerians in protection of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration cannot be described as misplaced. There are occasions when the inherent trust and belief in the integrity of a personality leading a government influence patriotism and nationalism among citizens even when the economy is in comatose. It is a fact that the administration fell short of expectations of rapid revamping of the economy, crushing of corrupt practices in the society, especially among public officials and abating criminalities to the barest minimum. According to Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan “Life in the state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”. These descriptions are found in current travails of insecurity and criminalities in our society influenced by intolerance, fear and hatred being hanged on the neck of Mr President by his detractors in a cruel manner that depicts Nigeria is not umbrella for all Nigerians as enshrined in the constitution.
During President Olusegun Obasanjo tenure in 1999, two prominent Yoruba towns, Ife and Modakeke, waged war against themselves for more than six months before peace accord were signed by their leaders. Should we hold Obasanjo as then Nigeria’s chief security officer responsible for irrational behaviours among his people? Or when the Niger Delta militants were killing expatriates and destroying oil installations, then President Goodluck Jonathan should have been held responsible for the insecurity that plagued the country under his watch? The idea of throwing tantrums at leaders on the ground of racial affinity with certain retrogressive elements involved in criminalities calls for introspection, if we must weather the storm together to rebuild this country.
Nigeria’ constitution only guarantees the right to religion, it doesn’t create or enforce any religion on anyone or abrogate race or tribal recognition. It only promotes the spirit of nationalism and one Nigeria. The arrow heads of forces that have been determining the emergence of a Nigerian President since 1999 through mastery of the art of deceit and divide and rule are at play again with the new slogan “Third Force”. Their target is to weigh the trend for possibilities of gathering interest parties against the present leadership of the country. Those familiar with the art of convictions will understand why it is easy for political gladiators to mobilise forces against any incumbent President seeking re-election in Nigeria. Since our economy has continued to wither away and government has failed to curb corruption as a means to create abundant wealth, it takes financial strength and goodwill by the incumbent President to secure re-election bid.
The same way powers are not always gotten through the barrel of the gun, blackmail and propaganda don’t win election against a well loved President. The much touted “Third Force” or Nigeria Coalition Movement led by former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola who was a member of the former ruling PDP and currently a member of the ruling APC with similar antecedents with other front liners of the coalition, simply depicts the intemperate aspect of chauvinism in disguise. Ordinary Nigerians, especially the young people that are not beneficiaries of both APC and PDP, can be regarded as weak, inferior and unorganized to make positive impacts in the polity. Must we always obey their directives or why do the retired Generals always pop-up deceptively to rally the masses towards a particular path? Alas, the civilians probably lack the technical strategies to mobilise a free order to compel the government to perform creditably. This must not be the narrative every time. Then ruling PDP was regarded as bereft of any ideology to address the problems of unemployment, insecurity and anti-corruption in our country. In the buildup to the 2015 general elections, APC was viewed as alternative with defined mission and value added manifesto at variance with reality today. But one imagines that none out of over eighty political parties in Nigeria can sufficiently mobilise Nigerians to create a new order if so displeased with the current administration.
If people are mobilising against re-election of a President that has not even declared intention to that effect and the canvassers are his contemporaries, then the young people must have been infested with low esteem and cowardice for any tilt to the Third Force by those that plunged the country into the current economic and social malaise. In the literary rendition “Oath of Fealty” which popularized the phrase “think of it as evolution in action”, Larry Niven said: “God does not protect fools. Fools are protected by more capable fools”. The Third Force if needed must be a product of necessity promoted by people without questionable antecedents. Any pattern that tends to bring re-alignment of forces to display our penchant for misadventure as witnessed in the past must be snubbed by the masses. The masses must stop playing the characters that placed them at disadvantage positions as capable fools protecting fools.
If the choice of APC as the ruling party was influenced by the integrity of President Buhari and the intellectual capabilities of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu then the missing link “think of it as evolution” that disconnected the man of integrity from tapping the intellectual capabilities from his promoter should be found to avert the impending doom being peddled around by the Third Force comprising people of vested personal interest seeking everlasting relevance within the corridors of power at the expense of Nigerians. In the permutation to the merger of political forces that birthed APC years ago, Tinubu was denied the opportunity to be running mate to Buhari simply because both of them are Moslems. The party was threatened with the caption “if you go through this door, you will be killed”. To survive, the party opted for a Moslem/Christian ticket to soar to victory. Where has that religious politics taken us to after three years?
Rather than the Moslem/Christian combination to birth harmony among Moslems and Christians in Nigeria, MURIC and CAN take accusations to public domain every day. We have allowed religious bias to lead us into so many misadventures; if this is a Christian, that must be a Moslem, if not the gate of hell will be left open and the reward is high poverty, unemployment and insecurity. Our thinking should be geared towards humanity as ultimate preference in our choice of leadership. The mandate given to this administration must be seen with the concept of “think of it as evolution” in order for all well-meaning Nigerians to put on their thinking caps. We should assimilate the determination of solutions to the current travails as resetting an agenda for this administration and declare national emergency to solve Nigeria problems under the trusted President Buhari.
Ministers and other appointees of Mr President who are misrepresenting his good intentions and abusing their offices must be exposed. Vintage reports from the covers of NYCN active leaders recently exposed the alleged abuse of power by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development Mr Solomom Dalung for failure to resolve the inherited impasse in the leadership of the National Youth Council of Nigeria for almost three years in office. During the health challenge of Mr President last year, NYCN Forum of State Chairmen under the Chairmanship of Comrade Sukubo Sara Igbe Sukubo, Chairman of Rivers State Chapter of NYCN, secured the philanthropic gestures of the Founder of Belema Foundation Engr Jack Rich-Tein who sponsored a National Prayer organized at the Eagle Square, Abuja. While organizing the event, news of factional crisis rocking the national leadership of NYCN got to the peace lover, Engr Jack Rich, who rose to the challenge of reconciling the three warring factions to form a National Transition Committee upon signing harmonisation plans registered in Federal High Court, Abuja. But the minister allegedly turned deaf ears to the resolution of the crisis to create a parallel leadership. By the dictates of both the National Youth Policy and the Constitution of NYCN, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development is the supervisory agency but the minister lacks authority to impose or inaugurate leadership for NYCN as he did recently to further create factions in the council.
As said by Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. Young Nigerians must fathom genuine means of supporting this administration to secure a well guaranteed future where tranquility, harmony, peace and abundant wealth will be witnessed in our lands. Since we have witnessed that a mere change of government in Nigeria is not a guarantee for instant solutions of our numerous challenges as a people, then we must facilitate a means to make our government responsible and responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of the people.
Agboola writes from the National Headquarters, National Youth Council of Nigeria
