Backstroke, By Wole Olaoye

Having watched recent developments regarding constitutional amendments and suggestions on changing from the current presidential system of government to the parliamentary mode from whence we came, I think it’s time we weaponised a proverb from our ancestors: If a forward march doesn’t get us to a satisfactory destination, there is no harm in returning to the original place from where we took off.

I am always fascinated by backstroke swimming. You can’t comprehend the incredible power of propulsion at the command of human limbs until you analyse a race in reverse gear, complete with the athlete’s natural compass, which facilitates lane discipline. 

Having watched recent developments regarding constitutional amendments and suggestions on changing from the current presidential system of government to the parliamentary mode from whence we came, I think it’s time we weaponised a proverb from our ancestors: If a forward march doesn’t get us to a satisfactory destination, there is no harm in returning to the original place from where we took off.

Parliament

Politically, we practiced the parliamentary system of government during the First Republic. It served us well — if the developmental attainments of the period are compared to the last 25 years when we literally squandered our national wealth in the service of our newfound greed. 

I don’t want this to be another panegyric on that great statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who taught us that we were all sent to this world for a purpose and it is our duty to find that purpose and fulfil it, instead of living a soulless life like a scavenging homeless pet. 

During the First Republic, each region had its own style, its own vision and socio-political tempo. The Western Region tagged itself the pacesetter. Awolowo enforced the free education policy and personally motivated the people to aspire towards producing children the society could be proud of. One of the premier’s favourite quotes was the one in which he hoped that the son of his barber would, someday, by merit, emerge as a parliamentarian or a minister, so that the cycle of poverty would not be passed from generation to generation. 

To accommodate the increase in school enrolment, the number of primary schools rose from 3,550 in 1952 to 6,670 by the end of 1958. When the scheme was launched in January 1955, the number had increased by 430,432 to an unprecedented high of 811,432 children. Awolowo allocated an average of 35 per cent of the total recurrent budget each year to education between 1954 and 1959. 

What obtained in other regions was custom-made by their political leaders. Whereas primary education in the Lagos Colony was spread over eight years (Primaries One and Two followed by Standards One to Six), the primary education programme in the North took seven years. In the Eastern Region, it was six years.

The quality of leadership that the regions had in the First Republic was high. That level of competence, passion, relative honesty and spirit of competition has never been seen in any part of Nigeria since then. No wonder Nigeria prospered. The Western Region was exporting cocoa through its vibrant marketing boards and producing food in excess of requirement (even though the region had proven deposits of bitumen, gold, talc, lead and zinc, gypsum, bentonite and baryte, rock salt and iron ore)…

Secondary education was a more uniform five-year programme, except that some elite schools made provision for Lower 6 and Upper 6 to pave the way for direct admission into the university. Premier Ahmadu Bello of Northern Nigeria designed a crash programme of mass education to produce the massive number of teachers and other professionals that the region needed. Incredibly, although a devout Muslim himself, he maintained a policy of ‘One North’ and did not encourage discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or religion.

The Western Region had the most advanced apprenticeship/skill acquisition system, in which enrolees learnt various skills under a standardised system which culminated in ‘Freedom’, the equivalent of convocation. A tailor, mechanic or electrician upon graduation was regarded as a solid professional ready to face the world’s challenges. There was dignity in labour devoid of any inferiority complex. 

Prosperity

In the Eastern Region, the redoubtable Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was succeeded by Dr Michael Okpara in 1960. At 39, Okpara was the youngest premier in the entire federation. His political activism was fired, not only by the enthusiasm of youth, but also by ideological adrenalin. He was a proponent of what he called ‘pragmatic socialism’. He triggered an agricultural revolution in the Eastern Region to such an extent that young people were attracted to make a living through the cultivation of cash and food crops in farm settlements which the government facilitated. 

Under his leadership, the Eastern Region was able to export £3 million of rice and other staple food items. He also embarked on a massive industrialisation scheme in Enugu, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Aba and Umuahia. As a medical doctor, he brought his knowledge to bear in the government’s fight to  eradicate yaws and leprosy and also built new hospitals. The region had large deposits of coal and other minerals but Okpara ensured that he tapped the agricultural bounties of his region, instead of depending only on minerals.

The quality of leadership that the regions had in the First Republic was high. That level of competence, passion, relative honesty and spirit of competition has never been seen in any part of Nigeria since then. No wonder Nigeria prospered. The Western Region was exporting cocoa through its vibrant marketing boards and producing food in excess of requirement (even though the region had proven deposits of bitumen, gold, talc, lead and zinc, gypsum, bentonite and baryte, rock salt and iron ore), while the Eastern Region has uranium, iron ore, glass sands, granite, clays, oil and gas, bauxite, lignite, tin and columbite.

In the North, nature had deposited feldspar, limestone, kaolin, clay, potash, iron ore, natural salt, quartz, magnetite, diatomite, trona, mica, silica sand, gypsum, granite chips, flutters earth and uranium, gemstones, marble, manganese, molybdenum, lithium, nickel,  industrial minerals, gold, cassiterite, tantalite, tin, wolframite, columbite, laterite, green and yellow phosphate, etc. 

Nigerians, no matter their region of origin, are literally walking on wealth! Of course, it is widely known that the former Midwest Region is sitting on not just petroleum resources but also quartzite, marble, gypsum, lignite, limestone, kaolin, graphite, manganese, ilmenite, gravel,  industrial clay, silica, lignite, tar sand, decorative rocks, limestone, rubber, etc. 

With all these possibilities, we continue to grope for a way forward. What were we doing that gave us so much prosperity, self confidence and self satisfaction? The regions are having to ask themselves some very uncomfortable questions. 

It is impossible to discuss the way forward for Northern Nigeria in the ongoing debate about the future of Nigeria without evoking the image of Premier Ahmadu Bello. Since his assassination in 1966, the region’s leaders have found it expedient to use his name to advance their causes but none of them has attempted, even remotely, to be an embodiment of the selflessness that the former premier personified.

Advancing Backwards

It is impossible to discuss the way forward for Northern Nigeria in the ongoing debate about the future of Nigeria without evoking the image of Premier Ahmadu Bello. Since his assassination in 1966, the region’s leaders have found it expedient to use his name to advance their causes but none of them has attempted, even remotely, to be an embodiment of the selflessness that the former premier personified. Today’s politicians live apart from their people in stupendous wealth. 

No one was prouder of his region than Ahmadu Bello. He was so self-assured that he accepted or rejected ideas from other regions on the basis of their social compatibility. Recently, an academic who has lived through Nigeria’s trajectory from the 50s to the present day tried to kick up the dust of controversy at a friend’s get-together. 

“What would the Sardauna have said about so-called ‘Muslim states’ collecting VAT on alcoholic beverages consumed in other states, which is considered “Haram” (i.e., forbidden) in Islam?” He asked.

The agent provocateur answered his own question: “Sardauna would have said the North can mine its minerals instead of mining proceeds of beer and liquor.”

One of the guests also declared that Awolowo would have disowned all those using his name to literally pick people’s pockets today. Not to be left out, their host asked: “Is there any politician from the Eastern Region or Midwest that one can compare with Okpara or Osadebey? We are all fielding our worst elements.”

To each argumentation its own logic! But there is a lot to be said for a system that made us prosper until we started behaving like spoilt children. 

Imagine a 100 metre backstroke dash! Any takers?

Wole Olaoye is a Public Relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached on wole.olaoye@gmail.com, Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021