Wole Olaoye
27 June 20, 2011
Perhaps one of the reasons for the all too prevalent degenerate behaviour in the society is the shortage of good examples. In those days, the youth could dream of hoping to be an Eyo Ita or Joseph Tarka in future. Ita was the Premier of the Eastern Region before Dr. Azikiwe came back to the East to mount the saddle. Both Ita and Azikiwe were cerebral people; in fact Ita was a professor. Both men were inspirational speakers. A young man growing up in the Eastern Region did not need to go out of his environment for good examples. The galaxy of politicians was a treasure trove of inspiration. In the same vein, a young person growing up in the middle belt area could never miss what Joseph Tarka's United Middle Belt Congress symbolized. Tarka was young and passionate. He didn't have degrees like some of his contemporaries but he more than made up for that with his peerless direction of the middle belt's quest for greater political space; he was one politician who showed that one could be entrenched in the trenches in one corner of Tiv land and still affect the lives of one's people and the nation at large.
I have highlighted Ita and Tarka because they both emerged on the political scene from humble minority groups. I could as well have started this piece with the obvious champions of the First Republic - Azikiwe, Tafawa-Balewa, Bello and Awolowo. Is there any politician in the land today that is fit to untie the political sandals of any of the four titans mentioned above? Last week when I saw the picture of the children of Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa with President Jonathan during their visit with him, I replayed the interview their father had with the British Broadcasting Corporation in London on his way to New York shortly after Nigeria declared its independence from colonial rule. Thanks to the internet, you can share the thrill of Balewa's golden voice at www.youtube.com/watch?v=4twfjk3hoA4. You didn't have to be in the same political party with Balewa to acknowledge that he was a well-spoken representative of the federal republic. Indeed, even if I say so, his spoken English was better than that of the English reporters who interviewed him.
What impact did the Balewas, the Awolowos, the Ahmadu Bellos, the Azikiwes have on the youth of their era? Stupid question. The only time we ever had leaders of Triple-A grading was in the First Republic; the survivors of that era who made it to the Second Republic (Zik, Awo, Aminu Kano) still kept their halo and were rewarded electorally by the people. But generally the quality of leadership on offer in the Second Republic was far lower than what we had in the First Republic. It says a lot that today we are looking back at the scandal-rife Second Republic as some of the most glorious years of Nigeria. There are no thinkers anymore. You can't even find one golden voice. Pray, where is the Balewa of the present dispensation? I mean can you show me one contemporary politician who could have been adjudged as capable of making a successful career in broadcasting just like Balewa? Is there any of them that can be described as a sage like Awo? Which of these so-called leaders in this bombing era could be credited with the political savvy of Zik or the organizational ability of Ahmadu Bello? When you consider the sacrifices made by people like Tarka, Aminu Kano, Mariere and others, you wonder if those who rule the pasture today deserve to be called political leaders.
In fact the more crucial question today is what do our politicians stand for?
In the area of theatrics we used to have people who profoundly affected the political space with the words they uttered: the K.O. Mbadiwes ("Man of timbre and calibre"), the Mbonu Ojikes ("Boycott the boycottables), the Adegoke Adelabus ("Everybody has his own peculiar mess").
Profound statements came from the direction of regional leaders like Ahmadu Bello (to Azikiwe: "Let us understand our differences. I'm a Muslim and a Northerner. You are a Christian, an Easterner. By understanding our differences, we can build unity in our country".) Today, there is no attempt at understanding anything or appreciating the differences between our different peoples. We have tribal champions who want to appropriate everything to themselves and their immediate families. We fail to realize that ethnic and religious multiplicity is beautiful and that all we have to do is understand where the other man is coming from so that we can provide for his sensibilities. The political space is being narrowed by the day. Nationalists of yore have crept back to their states and local governments and are venting views so narrow that one fears that eventually they might simply creep back into their mothers' wombs!
Awolowo told us the cold truth when he said, "Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression". Instead of working on cobbling out a nation our leaders prefer to live a lie, mouthing nationalistic platitudes when convenient and retreating to their village squares when the political chips are down. Had Awo been alive to witness the Boko Haram phenomenon, he would have reminded us as he did decades ago that "Violence never settles anything right: apart from injuring your own soul, it injures the best cause. It lingers on long after the object of hate has disappeared from the scene to plague the lives of those who have employed it against their foes."
This nation used to have thinkers as leaders. The great Zik once admonished politicians to learn from sports. In his words, "I may not be the fastest runner in my team nor its most cagey miler, nor its nimble hurdler, nor its most classical jumper... but it is certain that I can be the most obedient, the most loyal, the most faithful and the most friendly member of my team by not seeking by word or deed to gain an unfair advantage over my teammates".
Now, there are no quotable quotes; only verbal epilepsy in the name of speeches; only bombs as a means of attracting attention. The quality of leadership has nose-dived at every level. There is a shortage of good examples. This is not meant to sound crazy, but it seems we can make meaningful progress going forward only if we cast a reflective glance backwards.
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