Nothing captures the defeat of the essence of achieving the goal of sovereign independence more than the events of last week. Unable to work out a national democratic agreement amongst themselves to cement our countries fragile democracy, Nigeria’s political establishment stood arms akimbo as the former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry and others from outside our shores dictated the terms of engagement.
In the process, what is left of our national self-esteem was stripped bare. The to ings and fro ings going on in Abuja, the nation’s capital depict a scene out of a Greek tragedy. Nigeria is about to hold Presidential and General elections for which it has had four years to prepare for. It is not about to enact a civil war.
The demeaning sequence of events going on is a clear testimony to the fact that we have not built up and sustained strong, enduring national institutions. The inadequacy of our institutions reveals itself in different ways every day. For example, millions of bemused and increasing frustrating voters are lost as to where and when to pick up their PVC’s. This is clearly absurd. For 15 years after the restoration of democratic governance, we ought to have developed the institutional mechanisms for all year long voter registration, as opposed to a once in four years scramble.
In addition, the absence of a vitally needed national democratic agreement is also alarming. Stoning the convoy of the President, the man who personifies the Republic is disgraceful. In actual fact it desecrates the ethos of both republic and democracy. Incidents such as this show the fragility of the cosmetic agreement signed by the contesting parties. The predictable observance in the breech occurred even before the ink was dry.
Even more reprehensible is the sabre rattling by those who self-preservation and continuing economic promotion is based on rejecting the result of any election not favourable to their interests. Taking a cue from retired General Theophilus Danjuma, the time has already come to read the riot act. The Nigerian state must reassert itself as the only entity with the monopoly of the instruments of coercion, intimidation and ultimately violence. Any Sovereign State that allows its monopoly of the above to be contested ceases to exist.
The ‘agreement’ itself was farcical anyway, very much like asking spouses to sign a peace accord and yet continue to live under the same roof. What Nigeria needs is a national democratic agreement based on the ethos of democracy, equity, social justice as the basis for peaceful coexistence. It is not too late to do so now!