Nigeria: Reversing the Tide of Decline
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MATTHEW HASSAN KUKAH Nigeria: Reversing the Tide of Decline he prolonged crisis of legitimacy which brought The Protracted Crisis of the Nigerian State Tabout the collapse of Soviet Communism in 1989 provided the spark for the quest for what has With hindsight, it is clear that when the British now come to be known as a »new world order«. conceded independence to Nigeria (October 1, Popular thought has been that for this project 1960), they merely decided to cut their losses and to succeed, the new order must be anchored on move on to consolidate their economic interests liberal democracy. For us in Africa, the period has in the new Nigeria. There had been no serious introduced new dynamics and challenges leading program to industrialize and modernize the coun- many students of the continent to believe that try (as the logic of colonialism tended to dictate) the struggle has begun, not for democracy per and forty years after this so-called independence, se but for Africa’s »second liberation«. Many most of the questions which surfaced before inde- believe that it is only the success of this second pendence remain unanswered. Nigeria’s quest has liberation that can truly guarantee a platform seen the nation move from the West Minster Par- for lasting democracy, for rule of law, prosperity, liamentary system, which was terminated with development, freedom, justice and equality. the first military coup of January 15, 1966, to the Unfortunately in Africa democracy is still con- American presidential system and then to a pro- sidered to be just a means to an end to hunger, longed military interregnum. Of the forty years of illiteracy and squalor. For Nigeria, democracy is our national independence, thirty were under mili- now seen as the vehicle of development which is tary rule! to pull the country out of the misery inflicted on Barely five years after Nigeria’s independence, it during more than two decades of semi-feudal, the first military coup took place on January 15, military and civilian dictatorships. Democracy is 1966. Ostensibly, the intervention was welcome perceived as a means of establishing a just society. because, on the whole, Nigerians had come to the While globalization propels the ideals of the new conclusion that the civilian regime would not suc- world order, for Africa it is still vital to deal with ceed in extricating itself from the contradictions the economic and political decay arising from years and limitations of their class and ethnic and regio- of slavery and colonialism. In his study of the crisis nal antecedents. In 1963, Federal elections had surrounding the African state, Basil Davidson, one been characterized by political violence and ethnic of the foremost students of Africa, came to the identities had become weapons of war. Corruption sobering conclusion that colonial Africa had sowed had become endemic so that when the leader of the seeds that would make the project of statecraft the coup (later known as the »The Coup of the in Africa a long, tiresome, oppressive, sisyphean Young Majors«) told Nigerians that he wanted exercise in frustration, thus leading him to refer to rescue them from a thieving elite, he struck a to it as a curse. There are many who would argue patriotic chord. Although the young men failed today that the post-colonial project was bound in their bid, military rule was established when to fail due to its inherent crisis of legitimacy and superior military officers took over the reins of the internal contradictions which existed within government. However, the fact that the new go- the system inherited by the new African elite. The vernment was overthrown via another military project of the state in Africa would be trailed by coup on July 29 indicated that military rule would persistent problems of underdevelopment and turn out to be a cure that was worse than the stagnation. disease. The first military government threw itself IPG 1/2000 Kukah, Nigeria: Reversing the Tide of Decline 19 open to charges of ethnicism and regionalism (the energies of the nation were concentrated on leader of the coup, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, was achieving a successful transition program. an Igbo as was Major General Aguyi Ironsi, the This program raised many hopes because it new Head of State who took over after the failed seemed to have some ideological focus. Babangida coup). The Ironsi regime was soon overthrown set up a Political Bureau that was entrusted with and charged by Northern military officers with the responsibility of fashioning out a program favoritism, complicity and spite for the North that would capture the hopes, anxieties and (since he had failed to prosecute the perpetrators fears of Nigerians. The Political Bureau recom- of the Coup). The new coup brought Colonel mended two political parties as the ideal for Yakabu Gowon, an officer from the Middle Belt to Nigeria. Unfortunately, General Babangida had power. These developments pushed the country built his own personal ambitions into the program. inexorably over the precipice and finally forced The result was that the nation kept going from one the nation into a bitter three-year civil war crisis to the other. They ranged from acrimonious (1967–1970). debates over Nigeria’s purported membership in After the civil war, the government embarked an international Islamic body (the Organisation on a program of what came to be known as of Islamic Conference), to the Northern States the three R’s (Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and becoming engulfed in religious and communal Reconciliation). It then promised to hand over clashes. Tensions between Christians and Muslims power to a civilian government as soon as it had became a serious threat to the project of de- laid down the ground rules for the project of mocracy because they divided the country along the three R’s. Unfortunately, the military got a its most dangerous fault lines – North/South taste for power and refused to step back on the and Christian/Muslim. Yet, so determined were grounds that the country was not ripe for Nigerians to embark on the course of democracy democracy. In 1975, a set of soldiers who wanted to that they willingly participated in the program by establish a democracy overthrew the government forming nearly 30 political associations. However, of Gowon to the joy of all Nigerians. In less the President decreed that only two of them would than six months, General Murtala Muhammed, be registered and therefore they ought to either the new Head of State, was himself killed in a merge or drop out of the race. When the poli- coup. He had endeared himself to Nigerians ticians showed no willingness to change their with his radical determination to rid the nation minds, he banned all the associations and created of corruption and to set it on a path of national two parties by decree: the Social Democratic Party rebirth, democracy and growth. Happily, General (SDP) and the National Republican Convention Obasanjo, who took over power, kept the promise (NRC). The President caused party manifestos to of his predecessor and duly set a program in be written for both parties with very little dif- motion to return the nation to civil rule. On ferences in terms of content. He merely stated October 1, 1979, Nigeria welcomed the dawn of in an address to the nation that the difference a new democratic era. Unfortunately, barely four between the two parties lay in the fact that one was years later, the military overturned the project a little to the left (SDP) and the other one a little to of democracy by sacking the civilian govern- the right (NRC). Notwithstanding this ideological ment led by Alhaji Shehu Shagari. It would take constriction, some 36 very prominent politicians two coups, a few aborted ones and the spilling threw their hats into the ring and sought nomina- of blood over a fifteen year period before the tions for the presidency. After investing time and nation would breathe the air of democratic money their dreams were shattered when the Pre- freedom again. The coup that threw out Alhaji sident single-handedly banned that entire class of Shagari led to the emergence of Major Muham- politicians. mad Buhari, who was himself overthrown on A new class emerged to continue the struggle August 25, 1985. His successor, General Babangida, to succeed the military. Both parties finally held managed to hold onto power by embarking on conventions to nominate their presidential can- populist programs and announcing a transition to didates. Interestingly, both nominated Muslim civil rule. Thus, from 1986, the attention and the candidates. One of them was Chief Moshood 20 Kukah, Nigeria: Reversing the Tide of Decline IPG 1/2000 K. Abiola (elected on the platform of the SDP), the then Minister of Defence and most senior mili- a multi-millionaire who had made most of his tary officer, who had been waiting in the wings like money from military contacts and who still had a vulture, swooped in and took over the carcass of very strong links to the top echelons of the mili- the Shonekan government on November 16, 1994. tary. He was a close friend and confidante of Presi- Abacha ruled with brutality. His almost five dent Babangida. He chose Ambassador Babagana years in power were the worst in the Nigerian Kingibe, himself a Muslim and diplomat from the state. Holding the entire nation in a thrall he North, as his running mate. The other party had literally carved the nation’s resources in two. What one Alhaji Bashir Tofa about whom very little was he could not loot or what was awaiting his loot- known.