Salisu Suleiman
Some responses to my blog have been enlightening, for which I am thankful. However, there has been a growing herd mentality and intolerance to differing views. The prisms of north/south, ‘us and them’ stereotypes were clear. When this blog censures Ibrahim Babangida or Umaru Yar’adua, patronizing responses like ‘this is the kind of northerner we like to relate with’ flood in. The moment a similar or even subtle criticism of Goodluck Jonathan is voiced, one is swarmed by accusations of bias and other meaningless comments. For opting to engage with the public, that is my privilege. If in the process, some people offload bile built up over decades; I am at your service.
The danger is that blind, obdurate abhorrence for simple truths may be clamouring to colour the essential shades of reason and decency. What is the point of being ‘educated and sophisticated’ when you refuse to see beyond the prism of intrinsic intolerance or pent up prejudice? Why it is perfectly acceptable for a writer to carp people from one part of the country while another part is sacrosanct and off limits? Is this another case of ‘if you are not with us, you are against us’?
I once wrote a piece about Nigeria’s former first lady, titled ‘A week without Turai’ (I had no idea she was gone for good) and got enthusiastic support for my ‘objectivity’ and ‘dispassionate approach’ to writing. In a later piece, I made restrained references to the current first lady, Patience Goodluck’s way with English language and got hate mail. The point made is that Turai Yar’adua is a ‘go-go’ while Mrs Jonathan is a ‘no-no’. What is the difference between the two, except that they are from different parts of the country?
The first time I marched on the streets against the authorities was as an idealistic 16-year-old university student in company of other students opposed to General Babangida. I have been in consistent opposition to injustice — sometimes at personal peril, but it took more than 20 years to bring me out to the streets again — this time, against late Yar’adua. That was last year when I took an early flight to Lagos to march with members of the Save Nigeria Group who wanted due process to be followed and power handed over to then vice president, Jonathan; and then flew back home by the last flight. In the sweltering heat and humidity of Lagos, I said to myself, if Wole Soyinka in his 70s can do it, so will I. I had known Yar’adua personally for years, but had never met Jonathan at that time.
Again, a week later, I joined demonstrators from the Unity Fountain to the gates of the National Assembly in Abuja. I personally prepared the letter (with the same computer I am writing this) which was submitted to then vice president Jonathan stating the need for a constitutional resolution to the crisis. Within a week, the famous ‘doctrine of necessity’ made him acting president. The point of this background is not to prove anything; I owe no one that exertion, but to show why it is droll to label me anti-south or anti-whatever. Not that it matters.
What matters is that Jonathan has been president for a year now. Where are the strategic plans and programmes that will take Nigeria to the next level? Have we shaken off the Yar’adua-like lethargy? Are we not alarmed at his choice of friends — Olusegun Obasanjo, Tony Anenih, Ibramim Mantu, Jerry Gana and others that contributed to the institutionalization of corruption and deceit in our country? In retrospect, it is obvious that he thought he needed them for his election as president. (Turns out, he didn’t). But having won the election, will he have the liver (and lever) to quietly ease out these toxic personalities from his inner caucus? The danger is that, for as long as these people remain in government circles, the president will not achieve anything beyond winning elections this year and, possibly, re-election in 2015. Then what?
In the meantime, after the post-election euphoria, are we not entitled to questions about unemployment, poverty alleviation and corruption? Or that government proposes to spend N2.5 trillion on recurrent expenditure this year, but much less for capital projects? What happened to the Excess Crude account? Which serious government approves a multi-billion naira package to revive local textile industries, then lifts the ban on importation of cheap textiles (and toothpicks) a week later?
You see, truth has no colour. And there is nothing I can do about that.
Some responses to my blog have been enlightening, for which I am thankful. However, there has been a growing herd mentality and intolerance to differing views. The prisms of north/south, ‘us and them’ stereotypes were clear. When this blog censures Ibrahim Babangida or Umaru Yar’adua, patronizing responses like ‘this is the kind of northerner we like to relate with’ flood in. The moment a similar or even subtle criticism of Goodluck Jonathan is voiced, one is swarmed by accusations of bias and other meaningless comments. For opting to engage with the public, that is my privilege. If in the process, some people offload bile built up over decades; I am at your service.
The danger is that blind, obdurate abhorrence for simple truths may be clamouring to colour the essential shades of reason and decency. What is the point of being ‘educated and sophisticated’ when you refuse to see beyond the prism of intrinsic intolerance or pent up prejudice? Why it is perfectly acceptable for a writer to carp people from one part of the country while another part is sacrosanct and off limits? Is this another case of ‘if you are not with us, you are against us’?
I once wrote a piece about Nigeria’s former first lady, titled ‘A week without Turai’ (I had no idea she was gone for good) and got enthusiastic support for my ‘objectivity’ and ‘dispassionate approach’ to writing. In a later piece, I made restrained references to the current first lady, Patience Goodluck’s way with English language and got hate mail. The point made is that Turai Yar’adua is a ‘go-go’ while Mrs Jonathan is a ‘no-no’. What is the difference between the two, except that they are from different parts of the country?
The first time I marched on the streets against the authorities was as an idealistic 16-year-old university student in company of other students opposed to General Babangida. I have been in consistent opposition to injustice — sometimes at personal peril, but it took more than 20 years to bring me out to the streets again — this time, against late Yar’adua. That was last year when I took an early flight to Lagos to march with members of the Save Nigeria Group who wanted due process to be followed and power handed over to then vice president, Jonathan; and then flew back home by the last flight. In the sweltering heat and humidity of Lagos, I said to myself, if Wole Soyinka in his 70s can do it, so will I. I had known Yar’adua personally for years, but had never met Jonathan at that time.
Again, a week later, I joined demonstrators from the Unity Fountain to the gates of the National Assembly in Abuja. I personally prepared the letter (with the same computer I am writing this) which was submitted to then vice president Jonathan stating the need for a constitutional resolution to the crisis. Within a week, the famous ‘doctrine of necessity’ made him acting president. The point of this background is not to prove anything; I owe no one that exertion, but to show why it is droll to label me anti-south or anti-whatever. Not that it matters.
What matters is that Jonathan has been president for a year now. Where are the strategic plans and programmes that will take Nigeria to the next level? Have we shaken off the Yar’adua-like lethargy? Are we not alarmed at his choice of friends — Olusegun Obasanjo, Tony Anenih, Ibramim Mantu, Jerry Gana and others that contributed to the institutionalization of corruption and deceit in our country? In retrospect, it is obvious that he thought he needed them for his election as president. (Turns out, he didn’t). But having won the election, will he have the liver (and lever) to quietly ease out these toxic personalities from his inner caucus? The danger is that, for as long as these people remain in government circles, the president will not achieve anything beyond winning elections this year and, possibly, re-election in 2015. Then what?
In the meantime, after the post-election euphoria, are we not entitled to questions about unemployment, poverty alleviation and corruption? Or that government proposes to spend N2.5 trillion on recurrent expenditure this year, but much less for capital projects? What happened to the Excess Crude account? Which serious government approves a multi-billion naira package to revive local textile industries, then lifts the ban on importation of cheap textiles (and toothpicks) a week later?
You see, truth has no colour. And there is nothing I can do about that.
Yes malam the truth has no colour, no tribe and no ethnicity. Nor does it reside accross the Niger bridge. I used to believe in the Nigerian project myself; but the amount of hate being bandied about makes one to lose hope completely.
ReplyDeletePerhaps our lot is more of the same ineffective, uncommitted and visionless leadership that we have been saddled with since the fall of our first republic? Neither our leaders nor the people of our nation are willing to rise above negative primordial sentiments in our collective quest to maintain our slumber in the comfort zone we know and are totally comfortable with!
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