The day is June 12 and the country is marking the usual annulment of the election by the military administration of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in 1993. This day, you would recall, was later to replace the already existing May 29 as democracy day. But let’s not bug ourselves with this history, but rather see the story of the day.
Unlike the usual fanfare that trails the celebration of democracy in years past with Nigerians clutching flags and adorned with green and white outfits, this year’s celebration, or better still protest, is coming with a loud agitative undertone.
Many are calling for the removal of the incumbent Katsina-born retired General Muhammadu Buhari, accusing him of undemocratic and tyrannical leadership, which experts have argued as capable of tearing the fabrics of a once peaceful nation recovering from the wounds of the Nigerian civil war into another likely nationwide ethno-religious quagmire and bloodshed.
But let’s take a look at this situation in this direction. Just like a coin coming in two sides, the situation of Nigeria is becoming very confusing and deadlier.
A chef would prepare a meal and call it sweet, invite another to taste it and the person calls it bitter. And in protest to defend the ‘painstakingly’ cooked meal, the chef says “Pls check your status, malaria comes with bitter tastes in the mouth or outright loss of taste on the buds”.
This analogy is the bane of the day in Nigeria as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition, which before now used to be the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) alone but has now aligned with civil rights groups calling for restructuring,
Sometimes ago, during the peak of the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the first term of incumbent Muhammadu Buhari,the country was thrown into serious insecurity due to the insurgence in the North-Eastern part of the country, specifically in Borno State. The ‘formidable’ Boko Haram terrorists group sought to conquer the north while using hatred for western education as a launchpad.
This led to series of killings and kidnaps of mostly Christian clergies not only in Borno but neighboring states of Adamawa, Yobe, and Bauchi. These killings were mostly publicised by the dreaded group on posted videos climaxing with the Chibok invasion, which attracted global discourse and protests.
Something was perculiar; the killings were synonymous with the north. Infact, bold headlines by writers always screamed ‘Insecurity in North Eastern Nigeria’.
Critics have argued that despite the reputation and pedigree of the gap toothed general as a combatant, the fight against insurgency has become worst. As it is now, the whole country is turning into graveyards and silhouette of charred remains of both young and old.
Let’s look at Part 2 – the herdsmen moving into the scene in Act 2 Scene 1, chasing aggrarian communities and the generality of Nigeria’s into looming food crisis with near extinction of large scale agriculture.
State governors had, in the fight against these herdsmen killings, proved their competence, incompetence and ‘political alignments’ in handling their states as Chief Security Officers.
The present situation is one of uncertainty as no part of the country can be termed as safe. Attacks, counter attacks, formation of security and counter security outfits.
It is even difficult to differentiate between cultists, bandits and highway robbers in the way most of them dress.
Schooling is now suicidal as students are preyed upon for ransom, leaving parents dropping dead in trauma.
Companies have shut down due to dwindling economy and poor exchange rate.
Despite these worrisome posits, political defences, tantrums and rebellious opposition have trailed the journey of the country called ‘Nigeria’.
At the warfront between the incumbent and the opposition are some die-hard defendants who are ready to take bullets in defense of the President, his decisions, style of leadership, the ruling party and to preach achievements, while on the other side of the divide are fiery activists, who mostly were underdogs, piggybacking on the recent #EndSARS protests to emerge into the limelight and relevance.
Most of them also are veterans in the opposition game, who hid themselves away from public probably to live longer and see their grandchildren but have resurfaced to add volume to the fight against the opposition.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, spokesmen Garba Shehu, and Femi Adesina have been armor bearers returning fire for fire against critics even with social media usage under government control.
People who dared to speak on social media were hunted and tracked down through the widely criticised ‘Hate Speech’ mantra, which many saw as undemocratic and an infringement on basic fundamental rights.
The recent bank on Twitter by the government further added salt to the already oozing open wound.
Infact the introduction of the National Identification Number (NIN) registration, which had laudable objectives was termed as a ‘tactical way’ of clamping down on the opposition as vital details are included in the collations.
This had come after the whole country was thrown into flames during the alleged Lekki tollgate killings during the #EndSARS protests against police brutality.
Gradually, there was a metamorphosis into other areas of governance as many accused the President of tyranny, ignorance of civil rights, alleged ‘softspot’ for fellow fulanis in the country despite their perceived attrocities, cluelessness in leadership, disregard for federal character in appointments among other ‘bitter tastes’ in the mouth of Nigerians.
A greater, but more knowledgeable, strata of the opposition is saying the 1999 constitution is a misfit and obsolete in managing a multi-ethnic and socio-economically vibrant Nigeria, which had before now remained minority to Britain’s ‘revered and favoured’ Northern region.
Recently, the President was on Arise TV for an interview and criticisms filled the air on his position and analysis of the state of the nation especially on agitations from the South East and South Western Nigeria.
The rampaging, trigger happy and widely trending ‘Unknown Gunmen’, the flamboyant Amotekun, the widely ‘hated’ IPOB (recall that the group was proscribed as a terrorist group but won the heart of majority of the Igbos for their gallantry against herdsmen), the Eastern Security Network (ESN) formed by the South Eastern Governors as a replica of the Amotekun (but ended up clashing with IPOB militants), the Asaba deal communique by Southern Governors calling for restructuring, among other top issues have made Nigeria a country to be avoided by the international community.
I’m too sure many would agree that the news before now had been COVID-19, NCDC, Palliatives, opening and shutting down of airports, and statistics in the fight against the pandemic, etc. These have been replaced with daily killings in Nigerian communities, kidnappings along the highways, assassination of public officers, destruction of government properties, burning and looting of police stations, attack and murder of uniformed personnel, clash between governors on loyalty or disloyalty to the government of the day. Infact, it feels like insecurity has defeated COVID-19 in Nigeria.
Let’s not bug ourselves with mentioning the huge challenges facing the administration of the gap toothed General Buhari, which has put him on a hot seat ahead 2023.
The call for the removal of President Buhari reminds the country of circumstances leading to his ouster by a more adventurous Minna-born General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida through a coup in 1985 with many saying the economy was too bad. This is the case now as the airports are filled with people, mostly the young, leaving the country in search of green fields.
The questions are: How can a true democratic process be pulled through in this clamour by the opposition in a civilian era?
How genuine are the accusations against the incumbent? Aren’t they for political games just to ouster a party they see as gaining large followership? How can the agitations of the regions for seccession be pulled through despite strong impediments by the 1999 constitution?
What is the future of the entity called Nigeria if the global community wades in on the country? How prepared is Nigeria for war as loud drums are resonating around the regions at the moment?
So many questions to answer but what may sound louder is the question: Is Buhari’s food tasteless or the taste buds of the opposition are losing potency?
Let’s go the streets and see the outcome of June 12 in subsequent KAFTANPOST reports.
Happy Democracy Day notwithstanding!
