Good and well intentioned as the Naira redesign policy of Federal Government is in truth and reality, the political motive ascribed to the policy by Governors Umar Ganduje of Kano and Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna states is quite disturbing.
The two governors have been shouting loudly with the allegation that the policy was deliberately designed and hatched purposely to ensure that either the general elections do not hold so a way may be paved for the emergence of an interim government or even a coup detat, or in the alternative, to ensure that if the elections eventually take place, the APC candidate loses at the polls.
However, from all indications, there is nothing on ground yet to make one to conclude that the elections wouldn’t hold. More so as the President himself has specifically mentioned the holding thereof in his national broadcast of Thursday 16th February, 2023. Also from all indications, Asiwaju Bola Ahamed Tinubu and Shettima are most likely to win the race. So as earlier predicted quite rightly by Dele Momodu, only God can possibly stop Asiwaju from winning.
But then there is still this palpable fear in the hearts of all lovers of Nigeria, including my humble self. My fear is grounded on the fact that history tends to always repeat itself, because it is in the nature of human beings to be grossly impervious and unamenable to the lessons of history. And once beaten, twice shy. Exactly thirty years ago, this was how we made this positive prediction about the victory of Abiola and Kingibe at the polls, and the prediction came to pass, but the victory was aborted.
Then we began to hear so many versions of the reasons for that treasonable act. These include —- That some military cabals who had threatened to kill IBB if he dared to consent to the swearing in of MKO as president, were behind the blue murder of that safely delivered democratic baby, the MKO/Kingibe’s electoral victory. That some northerners who didn’t want power to shift to the south, were the architects of the national crime. That the fear for MKO’s life in the hands of his military haters was what informed the act by IBB. That IBB was not honest about his promise to leave office. And so on and so forth. Whatever may be the real truth of the matter, the fact remains that till today, this nation is yet to exit from the setback brought upon it by that act of indiscretion. These facts are quite evident in our daily life.
My fears become intensified because today, the air is once again filled with some of those factors whether real or imagined, said to be responsible for that 1993 Abiola debacle. As it was thirty years ago, the nation’s commander in chief today is a man with a military background. Like IBB, PMB is an Army general and a war veteran. By these qualities, these people can be very daring without minding the damaging consequence of their action. As was the case in 1993, the Incumbent president today is a northerner of the old stock. As it was with the muslim/muslim pairing of MKO with Kingibe in 1993, BAT and Shettima of today are also both Yoruba and Kanuri muslims respectively. As we were hearing of the devious machinations of northern and military cabals in 1993, so is a similar noise of villa and northern cabals renting the air and fouling the polity today. As we heard of the unwillingness and opposition of certain northern leaders to power shifting to the south in 1993, so we are also hearing a similar sentiment quite loudly today. As it was in 1993 that MKO/Kingibe campaign trains and rallies were pullers of mammoth crowd of their fanatical admirers across the land, so it is today with BAT and Shettima. As we all know that both MKO and IBB were bosom friends, so are both PMB and BAT too. So, everything considered, there are overwhelming striking similitudes between 1993 and 2023 Nigerian political situation.
Now, it is good that the leaders of today think back and borrow a lesson from history, so they may use that to shape their acts of today in order to secure a better tomorrow for the nation. So far, there is nothing to indicate that PMB is a poor student of history. I also know that the president loves Nigeria so intensely. This is a nation for which he has made huge sacrifices in the course of his adulf life, and he is still making the sacrifices till now. So, there is no reason for one to suggest that PMB would want to do anything to scuttle the progress of the nation. But how about these ravenous wolves and furtive hawks who are hovering relentlessly over the president with their mischievous schemes to derail the good intentions of the old man in favour of their own selfish objectives? General Gowon it was, who was reported as saying that there wasn’t bad leaders, but bad advisers. As it happened with IBB, wouldn’t these faceless fellows ill-advise PMB and once again plunge this ever fragile nation into another abyss of perdition? I have my fears !
My name remains Dauda Adesina Joki-Lasisi esq.
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