Newspaper stands’ Assembly

Newspaper stands are the best places to be. They offer relaxation to distressed souls, apart from the fact of allowing the throng of Nigerians, who could not afford to buy a newspaper, free access to the dailies. The debates are usually as engaging as they are downright silly. If the discussions are about football, especially the English Premier League, passion and sentiment flow like hot lava. The discussants would flex muscles; they would threaten to shoot one another down if they are Gunners, as supporters of Arsenal FC like to call themselves. Such discussions about football, sometimes, end in foot-brawl and fisticuffs.

But the most interesting of the discussions is usually about Nigeria and its fast-sliding economy. I was a witness to one such discussion about Nigeria two days ago. The debate was heated and very engaging. It reflected the Nigerian attitude and why it may take the nation a very long time before it can get its act right. The rising cost of food items, especially rice, was the trigger of the debate that even known political economists would have marveled at, considering the dexterity with which the ‘free readers’ attacked the issue. Someone had begun by decrying the unsavoury state of things in the country. He lamented that the poor were increasingly finding it difficult to survive and that his dear country was becoming a tomb as a result of the increasing number of the living-dead Nigerians. He had ended the remark by saying that even in the days of Obasanjo, rice was sold at about N100 per bowl or less.

That remark was the fuel that was needed as supporters of the incumbent president, Umaru Yar’Adua, sprang into his defence, saying no one should compare the terrifying reign of Obasanjo with the human-faced government of Yar’Adua. They continued by pointing at the mid-boggling revelations from the power contracts and the fact that so much atrocities were committed under the watchful and stentorian eyes of Obasanjo. The debate became rowdily interesting as more people joined; statistics were reeled off and cooked at ease to buttress the facts of achievements of Obasanjo and Yar’Adua. To counter the supporters of Obasanjo, someone even mentioned General Sani Abacha,positing that his government was far better than that of Obasanjo. The person even claimed that Abacha was benevolent, justifying his claims with the recent release of General Ishaya Bamaiyi. He said it was Obasanjo’s cronies that painted Abacha in a dark hue to turn him into a devil, that it was for that reason Abacha’s right hand men like Bamaiyi were hounded by Obasanjo.

There was an elderly man who came to pickup his newspapers. After listening to the drift of the argument, he joined in the fray. Being an elder, the gathering listened to him. He told them point blank that he was not holding forte for anyone ,that he would only present the facts at his disposal. He asked how many years President Yar’Adua had been in the saddle. A loud yell greeted him in response that it was not years but only 11 months. Then he asked the next question: what has the government of president Yar’Adua achieved in the last 11 months that it took over the reins of the nation’s governance or what life-changing policy has the government made or far-reaching decision has it taken apart from the policies of reversing even noteworthy actions of the previous government? There were loud protestations but the man succeeded in bringing the crowd around. He asked them to be dispassionate in their assessment.

He said the last 11 months have been characterised by inertia. The government, he said, had been asleep since it took over in May 29, 2007. Whatever momentum that the nations was recording, the elderly man stated that it was caused by the National Assembly. He argued that the reason it had not become apparent that there was no government in Nigeria since Obasanjo relinquished power was because members of the National Assembly had issued a big blanket that had covered the inactivity of the executive arm with their vibrancy, even if some of their actions had been controversial. It is the ongoing probes into the activities and inactivity of the past administration that has created a false ambience that something is going on or that Nigeria is moving. Nigeria, insisted the elderly man, had been on standstill for good or bad since Obasanjo left.

Crucify Obasanjo for his anti-intellectualism and overrated impression of his own ability, he said, but you couldn’t say nothing happened in the first six months he took over the reins of power. It was at the time that he carried out the far-reaching reforms in the Nigerian Army which led to the retirement of many top officers. It was at the time that he laid the foundation of his economic reforms and tried to tackle the crippling problem of fuel scarcity. So many things happened in his first 11 months. And one of such was his prolonged fight with the leadership of the National Assembly and the Salisu Buhari scandal. Within that short period, Nigerians were given a ray of hope that tomorrow offered a better prospect. But it is not so with today’s Presidency. Thanks to the Senate President, David Mark, the semblance of activities in the country is the quality leadership and direction which that body has tried to give within its own limited powers.

The elderly man quelled other responses with his grizzled experience. All he said were issues I had never before thought about and which other listeners and most of the combative debaters had previously had no cause to ponder on. The man caused me to ask myself if indeed Nigeria has moved forward since May 29, 2007 and why Nigerians have not started querying the glaring absence of governance. Could the revelations or claims of probes be a deliberate design to take the minds of Nigerians from the halting movements of government and governance? Could it be a grand design of the ruling party at covering its own monumental failure to lead Nigerians out of their impoverished existence into a life of affluence? But the bitter truth, just as the elderly man concluded, is that Nigerians hardly think. They lap up whatever the so-called leaders feed them. By now, people should be asking questions why there is hunger in a fertile land like Nigeria.

REACTION

I agree with you that people like Chief Gani Fawehinmi, who put fought against military rulers, are gradually fading out to be replaced by thieving politicians. Efforts should be made at creating social crusaders like Chief Fawenhimi. I pray he lives long enough to witness the Nigeria of his dream. - ade; akinson10@yahoo.com.