Donald T. Philips an American Inspirational
author did a beautiful book on the leadership qualities of the Black American
Civil Rights Campaigner Reverend. Martin Luther King, JR; aptly titled
"Martin Lurther King, JR. On Leadership" and in chapter four of this
evergreen book the author narrated a story of how the late civil rights
activist captured the imagination, admiration and reverence of the global community
with his mastery of the art of public speaking.
The author who also penned the most admirable
book on the foremost American President, Abraham Lincoln titled
"Lincoln on Leadership" and who also founded the Non-Governmental
organization called 'Fathers on Leadership', told a story of how in summer of
1956, Almera Lomax, editor of the Los Angeles Tribune, went to hear Martin
Lurther King, jr., speak at an event in Los Angeles. It was during the
heat of the Montgomery boycott and the Reverend Martin was in town to drum up
support for the movement against white supremacist rule and the aggressive
apartheid era American society at that time.
Mr. Philips noted in his widely appreciated book
that Mrs. Lomax was so inspired by the beautiful rendition of the civil rights
champion that she had to write him a letter showering him with praises and
expressed her desire to join his Baptist Church movement as an associate member
even though she has been an agnostic since the age of 12.
Why the undue attention to this particular
inspirational event that took place nearly five decades ago at a place that is
several thousands of miles away from Nigeria?
I am citing this story to correlate it with an
event that took place 24 hours before the Saint Valentine Day of year
2014 in the city of Abuja at the prestigious Catholic Secretariat of
Nigeria near Apo legislative quarters in which the Deputy Senate President
Senator Ike Ekweremadu was the chief guest lecturer whereby he dissected a very
thorny and highly explosive theme of succession challenges in Nigeria and
proffered pragmatic panacea that in his considered thinking would resolve this
singular issue that is threatening to tear apart the unity of Nigeria.
As the 2015 elections draw near, it is evident
that some political elements from the Northern and Southern parts of the
country are ever so divided on which of the zones should produce the next
President of this fragile political entity which ironically clocked 100 years
as so-called 'united' nation of Nigeria founded by the then British colonial
governor Lord. Lugard and his mistress Miss. Flora.
Here now is the correlation between what
happened in Los Angeles as told by the author aforementioned and what took
place at the first annual catholic social forum in Abuja for the year 2014 in
which the Deputy Senate President took the hot seat to canvass solution to the
challenges of political succession facing Nigeria.
He, the chief lecturer spoke so well and showed
distinctive erudition in his legally loaded and intellectually rich paper that
even those who disagreed with him among the choice audience applauded his
erudition and deep philosophical comprehension of real politics in the context
of how to bring about good governance and create avenue for the growth of
democracy and participatory politics.
Ekweremadu who gave what I may call the
"Ekweremadu's Panacea" to the disturbing conundrum of political
succession struggle in Nigeria, also used the occasion to applaud the Catholic Church
in Nigeria for in his words playing and living the heroic role as the
intellectual standard and yardstick for Christiandom.
He also encouraged the Catholic Church to keep
playing the role of an independent voice to show the light so the leaders and
followers in the nation's political arena can follow for Nigeria to become a
better society whereby harmony, peace and respect for human rights would become
sacrosanct. Indeed, many who watched him speak said the people of Enugu state
actually sent the best person to the National Assembly to represent them even
as others 'prophesied' that Ike Ekweremadu is destined for greater political
office.
I am really happy to be here today, Senator
Ekweremadu told the audience. I thank the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria for
inviting me to be part of this Forum aimed at addressing the perennial
challenge of political succession in Nigeria’s democracy, he further
stressed.
He endorsed the Catholic Social Forum of the
Nigerian Catholic Secretariat by stating that the forum is therefore a further
proof that gone are the days when the church, which is divine and celestial,
was reluctant to get involved in matters of politics, largely regarded as
terrestrial, profane, and in some quarters, dirty. I am glad that this
particular intervention is coming at a time we are practically experiencing the
problem we are trying to address.
He then delved into the fundamental causes of
political struggle in Nigeria which is bitter and affirmed that; "Nigeria’s
democratic experiment has always been truncated as a result of succession
crises that have arisen at different times. The examples are well known to us.
The current dispensation is again being threatened by the succession malady.
The question then is, what factors are responsible for this?".
To him the major cause of the so-called bitter
and quarrelsome political succession struggle boils down to political elites
with no national and public interest at heart fighting and jostling for the
spoils of office and political power just as he blamed the lack of political
parties with strong ideological discipline for the near-anarchy that has been
unleashed by different amorphous political interest groups scrambling to grab
political power in 2015.
To Senator Ekweremadu because of the
overwhelming lack of political literacy and sophistication among the followers
in Nigeria, the political elites have become so adept at playing up certain
mundane sentiments to position themselves as champions of the political
interest of their people. He thinks that the heterogeneity of Nigeria has also
been used as a gimmick by ruthlessly undisciplined and conscienceless political
elite to divide the people along ethnic and religious lines just so that they
can capture political offices for themselves.
Ekweremadu is right because if we watch the
various 'political war lords' from the North and South dishing out threats
against the corporate entity called Nigeria if they failed to achieve their
myopic political goal to capture the Nigeria's Presidency in 2015.
His words: " The diversity of Nigeria,
which is supposed to be its greatest asset, has unfortunately become the most
potent instrument of manipulation in the hands of the political elites. Thus,
the selfish ambition of a few are easily articulated and sold as group,
religious, sectional, and ethnic interest to the citizens".
Ekweremadu who spoke out his mind in his
personal capacity was quick to sum up the symptoms of political succession
struggle and challenges facing contemporary Nigeria as follows; "The
symptoms of an ailing political system in Nigeria are evident in all facets of
Nigeria’s political landscape. From the debilitating crisis rocking the
Governors’ Forum to the internal crisis of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party
(PDP) and most other political parties, to the mergers by existing opposition
political parties, the defection and cross-defection by elected politicians,
the threat by militant groups and radical sects and groups all over Nigeria relating
to the issue of who succeeds the President in 2015, it has become obvious that
the country and her democracy sits on a keg of gunpowder, which if not properly
handled, could leave a sour taste in the mouth of everyone".
He then canvassed single term for all executive
political office holders as the fastest panacea to the challenges of political
succession in the country because in his considered opinion, Nigeria’s
democracy is relatively young, and that one of the things that emerging
democracies have going for them is that they have the failures and successes of
older democracies to learn from. He cited several instances of nations in Latin
America whereby the executive tenures were constitutionally
changed/pegged to reflect the needs and aspirations of her people before those
democracies stabilized.
"For instance, it is a fact that the Latin
American democracies faced the same challenges we are facing today in the
1970s. As many of them transited from military and autocratic regimes to
democratic regimes, they discovered that the politics of succession, including
incumbents’ penchant for self-perpetuation, was overheating the system, thus
threatening their democracy", he stressed.
"As a solution, they adopted the single
term presidency until such a time their respective democracies matured and
stabilized. Some of the countries even fixed the period of time, which the
singe tenure system would last. And indeed, now that they appear to have a
stable democracy, virtually all of them have returned to two terms of office
for executives", Senator Ekweremadu affirmed. He drew thunderous
applauds.
Well, he has offered his solution. But I think
Nigeria needs to build the institutions that would sustain democracy, Rule of
Law and end the vicious circle of impunity than pay much attention to political
succession struggle because if democratic institutions like the electoral
commission, police and the judiciary are consolidated and become effective to
end the regime of impunity, Nigerians will not think much about which zone
produces the president since good governance will then take center stage.
+Emmanuel
Onwubiko; Head; Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria; blogs
@www.huriwa.org; http://www.huriwa.blogspot.org/
14/2/2014
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