Given the parlous condition of the nation, manifested in mass poverty, generalized insecurity, high corruption in government, gross official recklessness and near zero governance, it is no surprise that the Vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, has found it necessary to join his voice to the clarion calls to save Nigeria before it is too late. As the sitting vice-president, who together with his principal, Muhammadu Buhari have been ruling Nigeria since 2015, the problems of marginalization, discrimination and centrifugal forces highlighted by Osinbajo as threats to national unity, might have preceded their administration; but they became entrenched and intractable because of their obvious failure of leadership. They are therefore not completely blameless. Also having regards to his status as Nigeria’s number two citizen, Osinbajo ought to have direct access to President Buhari; and is in a position of power and authority to initiate policies and actions that will halt the descent into anarchy and chaos. The fact that he chose to speak as a passive observer somehow stripped his message of any significance. Instead of calling on Nigeria’s political and ethno-religious leaders to educate the public about the need to live together to ensure unity in communities, Osinbajo and Buhari should lead by example.
It is common knowledge that the Nigerian ship of state is casting about in heavy seas. There is hardly any aspect of governance that cannot be faulted for malfeasance, corruption and incompetence. The overall situation was already quite appalling before terrorism and widespread insecurity of lives and property were added to the arsenal of the country’s woes. Because of poor governance and disdain for the wishes of the people, many angry groups – all spoiling for a fight have sprung up all over the country. This is a country where a few citizens live in untold opulence while the vast majority wallows in poverty. In Nigeria, the nearer you are to an oil well, the poorer you become. All those nebulous structures that have been created to alleviate poverty do not alleviate anything, such that from Bayelsa to Sokoto, the poor are becoming poorer. Hungry and unemployed, many Nigerian youths lend themselves to criminality and violence. Those who should restrain them are not doing so for they too have not seen the dividends of democracy.
In a recent outing, Osinbajo decried the unabated spate of violence, insecurity and ethnic clashes, which he said were already threatening the century-old aspirations of the founding fathers. The Vice-president who made the call while delivering the convocation lecture of the Sokoto State University, said work must be done in the continuous pursuit of Nigeria’s unity to ensure justice, equity and fairness for all segments of society. “Unity is not just a slogan or even merely a good idea. It has manifest expression in our communities where Nigerians from diverse backgrounds are trading, partnering, inter-marrying and blending in various ways. We live in a complex web of multi-layered social, cultural, economic and political synergies playing out in every sector of our individual and national lives. This is why we must understand that even though managing diversity can be politically and administratively onerous, diversity itself is an economic strength and harnessing it properly is hugely rewarding.”
According to Osinbajo, citizens must not overlook any fears or allegations of marginalization or discrimination on account of religion or ethnicity. He appealed to citizens to consider the importance of national unity, stressing that the country is more than a sum of its many parts and its diversity which is valuable to the nation. Nigerians are already getting frustrated with the system and are losing faith in the continued unity of the country. There is pervasive cynicism even among patriotic Nigerians about the destiny of this country, but breaking up, Osinbajo said, was not an option.
Unfolding events in our dear motherland, Nigeria, over the last few years are threatening to unravel the nearly century-old labor of our founding fathers and subsequent generations in building a strong, united, peaceful nation that can accommodate and cater for the needs and aspirations of our diverse communities. Internecine crises are raging across the land unabated with damaging consequences on the social, political and economic lives of the nation. And in the process, untold hardships are being visited on all citizens in one form or another on a daily basis. The loss of innocent lives being experienced by the day across the nation is simply unbearable. Currently, the nation is gripped by a regime of fear and uncertainty that virtually all citizens have difficulties going about their normal day-to- day lives without great anxiety and trepidation. This cannot be allowed to continue.
When a sitting vice-president comes out in this manner, the nation must listen. Any initiative that can rid this country of terrorism and insecurity deserves to be supported. However, the current deterioration of Nigeria did not happen overnight. They are the result of a succession of errors of commission and omission by past leaders of this country. For instance, since the Buhari-Osinbajo administration came to power in 2015, key appointments into the commanding height of authority positions in the military and public service have come only from certain regions in the country. Some of these appointments which violate the federal character principle have become an invitation to antidemocratic forces, including political parties, to come to the table determined to thwart free and fair elections by any means possible. Again, under the Buhari-Osinbajo administration, no real effort has been made to combat corruption, which is now a monster. The edification of ruling cabals in Aso Rock to unacceptable and unreasonable levels has been raised to a high pedestal by Buhari; to such an extent that it has become an embarrassing issue on governance.
As for Osinbajo, he must accept that he helped set the compass Nigerians are following, first by accepting to play second fiddle with his office, and allowing himself to be maligned and marginalized out of the power equation in the presidency where he has been reduced to a mere observer and cannon fodder for the Hausa-Fulani Islamization agenda. His six years in office has featured many malfeasances ranging from graft allegations in poverty-alleviation schemes like Trader Moni to appointments of his church members into lucrative positions; all of which rendered majority of Nigerians helpless and hopeless. The lesson to be learned from all this is that future leaders must be scrutinized in detail, as is the case in the United States of America, before being presented to the Nigerian voter. Civil society groups must begin to act as watchdog to ensure that only able and committed persons assume leadership roles in Nigeria.
On the way forward, Osinbajo noted that it is essential for all to establish a culture of tolerance, open-mindedness and acceptance of people of all cultures and creed. “There is a Nigerianness that binds us all, there is a shared commitment– no matter how suppressed – to build a better Nigeria for ourselves and future generations. It is who we are, it is in our very beings, that love of country, that aspiration to do better,” the VP said. The optimism of the Vice-president that the country should overcome her difficulties is worth sharing. But this can only happen if governments at all levels embark on a total mobilization of the people. The Federal Government must show the way forward by addressing unequivocally the issues of social injustice, corruption, insecurity and terrorism.
