Presidential monologue (23)

President Tinubu

Good morning, Mr President. Happy Democracy Day! It is a joy for our country to have enjoyed a quarter of a century of democratisation. Some of us still alive from the broad civil society that were veterans of the struggle for democracy graced the occasion with you at the Eagle Square in the Federal Capital Territory.

Mr. President, it is not enough to celebrate. The past 25 years have been like motion without movement. With very few exceptions, the country has been governed by the most reactionary and backward elite that are anti-intellectual, anti-development, and egoistical.

There has been no concrete development. It has been a quarter of a century of waste, and zigzagging. To date, the nation has yet to achieve national consensus on the direction that the country should be headed. At the barest minimum, any leadership ought to be able to project hope for the population with a vibrant youth segment in search of a glorious haven. It has not been so, and the extant political actors have all betrayed us.

You did say at the dinner that was held at the villa on June 12, that with men and women of goodwill behind you, you will not falter and fail. It appeared to me that you are already rigged by a circle of sycophants who would stop at nothing, to shield you from the men and women of goodwill for their interest. The shabby treatment meted out to the pro-democracy activists, some in their eighties, that you invited to Abuja speaks volumes.

The secret of success in leadership lies in privileging the interests of the governed; making them the alpha and omega of public policy, which is why we say government and its policies are about the people.

The second and equally fundamental point is transparency and accountability. As Amilcar Cabral, the Guinea-Bissauan and Cape Verdean revolutionary, put it: “Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories”.

Mr President, your policies are not paying off yet. Some say one year is not enough. I do not share this view. Some basic age-long problems such as the free flow of petroleum products through domestic refining and constant electricity supply are still there. Beyond common sense, they remain unsolved. Your administration has not been able to communicate effectively in this direction. Tell Nigerians why it has been impossible to refine fuel domestically. Tell us the cabal behind this seemingly intractable national shame; confront them, and we will line up behind you.

Mr President, let me direct your attention to the issue of terrorism in the country. The battle against the terrorists in the northwest, so-called bandits, is raging. Their enduring nature despite the efforts of our military, speaks to some sabotage, what Walter Rodney has called ‘cold complicity’.  The Nigerien authority made it public through a ranking officer that Bello Turji, the notorious terrorist in the northwest, enjoys protection from elements in government. The unnamed officer allegedly said interalia: “Niger is not Nigeria! If only you’re sensible you ought to have known that you cannot play this rubbish game with the Nigerien military.

Let me repeat, I swear by the prophet, Muhammad and swear by God, Bello Turji you’re doing this because your government, the Nigerian government conspired against its citizens to allow your reign of terrorism. They protected you (from credible intelligence), you’re actually a nobody. Don’t mistake Niger to be like your country…I counsel you to restrict yourself to Nigeria, committing your atrocities, kidnapping innocent people for ransom, killing at will while enjoying protection from the country’s military. The Nigerien military, we are patriotic, we don’t condone this type of treasonable felony against our country”.

Mr President, the above speaks volumes about the complexity of the war against terror in Nigeria. Under the Jonathan administration, the Executive Outcome, the South African private military company, was contracted against Boko-Haram insurgents in the Northeast a few months into the 2015 elections, the Executive Outcome men cleared the miscreants, and an election was held in the Northeast that gave Buhari massive electoral gain to oust the incumbent.

According to Eeben Barlow, Chairman, Executive Outcome, on arrival in the Northeast theatre, the first finding was the massive infiltration of the Nigerian security forces by partisans of Boko-Haram. No one to trust, he took his time to isolate some elements and gave them Special Forces training based on the African battlefield. There was tremendous success.

Mr President, I know there was a debate recently on the merit or otherwise of engaging mercenaries. That is not what I am concerned about. The point is that you restructure the army to achieve integrity and operational efficiency. I wish you a Happy Salah break.
Akhaine is Professor of Political Science at the Lagos State University.