The Hypocrisy in Calls for Sovereign National Conference

Also Published in DAILY TRUST

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Nigeria’s political landscape has oscillated along the indices of relative stability and instability ever since the country’s independence. However, it is obvious that, even during its relatively best circumstances, it has never been smooth enough, which has stirred debates on the imperative or otherwise of convening a sovereign national conference to review the country’s terms of corporate existence.

In Nigeria’s largely dirty political game, where nothing including conscience is beyond compromise and/or manipulation, the so-called sovereign national conference issue has itself been manipulated as a tool for political blackmailing and intimidation by some largely desperate politicians and other elites, who have lost out in the game to reclaim their (though largely ill-gotten) relevance.

Notwithstanding where one stands with respect to the call for convening such a conference, it is obvious that the inconsistency of its proponents is too obvious that it implies their hypocrisy. Being largely ideologically bankrupt and uncreative intellectually hence incapable of proposing, advocating and following through realistic alternatives, they simply drive on regional and ethnic emotions to manoeuvre their ways to achieving their personal interests.

They have always disguised as patriotic members of their respective ethnic groups to bring up and push for convening the conference, giving the impression that it is the only panacea to the country’s predicament. Incidentally, however worse the country’s predicament is, most of such proponents of the SNC have in the past been actively involved in creating and/or exacerbating it.

What is particularly hypocritical of them is that, when they are in the system, and no matter how rotten it is, they dismiss any call for such a conference only to switch side when they are removed or lose out. For instance, Olu Falaye was rightly considered one of the principal architects of IBB’s disastrous economic policies, and Oladipo Diya was not only Abacha’s second in command but was actually one of the masterminds undermining and frustrating any move to enthrone MKO Abiola; his own tribesman, as Nigeria’s President though he was widely believed to have won the 1993 presidential election.

Moreover, they seem to be too dull to realize how they frustrate one another, because by the time some of them lose out hence switch side some others have already got there and are busy sharing the loot hence would not only tolerate any distraction but are even prepared to go to any extent in order to maintain the continuation of the status-quo, until they also lose out for others to call the shots and do the same, and the same circle and scenario continue.

So, probably once President Jonathan and indeed the entire southern politicians and even some of those who come from the north central currently calling the shots leave their offices, they would switch side and transform into self-acclaimed regional champions claiming to be pushing for restructuring the country’s structure for better benefit for their people. However, they would also be frustrated as another set of politicians would have by then already stuck their own fangs in the nation’s blood vein sucking as much or even worse as their predecessors.

Interestingly, perhaps it is only in Nigeria where a person who has held influential positions in national level including presidency would after leaving office relegate himself into a mere ethnic bigot and/or regional champion.

Yet what baffles and indeed saddens me is how these crooks get away with such crude tactics by deluding their people into believing them. Their people should wonder why these so-called ethnic and regional champions did not seriously push for their strategic regional interests when they were in the position of power in the first place. How I wish their people realized that such so-called ethnic champions are mere bloody opportunists, who are not prepared to sacrifice even their positions for the sake of their course even if there is one at all.

Incidentally, though I despise making specific references to ethnic groups especially in terms of comparison between them, however in analyzing Nigeria’s peculiar socio-political environment one sometimes finds himself compelled do so, so as to make his point clear enough.

This is quite necessary because as I pointed out earlier, such controversial elements largely operate under their respective regional and/or ethnic platforms, for which they set up various so-called umbrella organizations to purportedly represent the voice of their respective tribesmen.

Yoruba for instance have Afenifere while Ndigbo have Ohanaeze Nd’Igbo and both have their own militia i.e. OPC and MOSOB respectively. By the way, much to the credit of Hausa-Fulani ethnic group, they are the only major ethnic group in the country, who don’t have any ethnic based organizations to represent them let alone an umbrella organization for that matter.

Afenifere and its like-minded individuals for instance have been particularly deceptive and blackmailing. They have always tricked their arch-rivals; Ohanaeze Nd’Igbo into joining them to push for an agenda of purported common interest, only to double-cross them at the end and get away with it.

They had also managed to blackmail the north into making that foolish decision to literally select Olusegun Obasanjo and manoeuvre him back into the presidency; the price of which the country at large is still paying. They largely succeed by manipulating the media sector in which they maintain a considerable control hence manipulate it in order to achieve their vested interests.

Incidentally, in as much as I believe in the option of radical restructure of the country’s corporate structure, I don’t see any credibility in those ethnically motivated movements. After all, they aren’t even that ethnic champions in reality, instead they simply disguise in ethnic colours to achieve their individuals’ goals.

So, if credible people-oriented movements actually, voluntarily and overwhelmingly choose to advocate for convening a sovereign national conference then so be it, after all, Nigeria’s remaining united or going divided is not and should not be a do or die issue.

This is even though it is obvious that the country has no better alternative to remaining united but with strict adherence to the principles and provisions of good governance, which is defined by accountability, transparency, competency and creativity. Because no matter how many entities the country is divided and/or subdivided into, the same people who have ruined it when it was called Nigeria will still ruin its breakaway entities whether they are called Oodua Republic, Republic of Biafra or whatever.