The morning of 29th May, 1999 was
like the first day in a new recreated Nigeria after 29 years military tyranny.
Drumming, singing, dancing and jubilation filled the Eagle Square,
Abuja as Nigerians awaited the handover of power from a military regime
to a new legitimately elected democratic government under the leadership of
President Olusegun Obasanjo that morning. It was same in all the 36
federating states of Africa’s most populous country – celebrating a future full
of hopes for improved wellbeing of everyone.
The inaugural speech of President Obasanjo even re-enforced this
faith the more, as Nigerians at the Eagles Square and millions more who
werewatching live on TV or listening over the radio allowed
tears of joy to drip freely when they thought of the past and what the new
“messiah” was promising.
“Nigeria is wonderfully endowed by the Almighty with human and
other resources” Obasanjo reminded all.
“ It does no credit either to us or the entire black race if we
fail in managing our resources for quick improvement in the quality of life of
our people.
“Instead of progress and development, which we are entitled
to expect from those who governed us, we experienced in the last decade
and a half, particularly in the last regime but one, persistent
deterioration in the quality of our governance, leading to instability
and the weakening of all public institutions ”, he said
“Good men were shunned and kept away from government while
those who should be kept away were drawn near. Relations between men and
women who had been friends for many decades, and between communities that
had lived together in peace for many generations became very bitter
because of the actions or inactions of government.
“The citizens developed distrust in government, and because
promises made for the improvement of the conditions of the people were
not kept, all statements by government were met with cynicism”, he
pointed out.
“Government officials became progressively indifferent to
propriety of conduct and showed little commitment to promoting the
general welfare of the people and the public good.
“ Government and all its agencies became thoroughly corrupt
and reckless. Members of the public had to bribe their way through in
ministries and parastatals to get attention and one government agency had
to bribe another government agency to obtain the release of their
statutory allocation of funds.
“The impact of official corruption is so rampant and has earned
Nigeria a very bad image at home and abroad. Besides, it has distorted
and retrogressed development”. Of course, he promised to reverse all, in a rare
oration that pulled down the wary stand of pessimists.
Looking back these 13 years of democracy, those past leaders
that Obasanjo so disparaged, would be completely right if they asked for
an unreserved apology from Obasanjo, who left Nigerians arguably, worse
than he met them .Virtually everything Obasanjo said has remained the same, and
has even gone worse in some instances.
The tragedy of 13 years of Nigerian democracy is even more vexing
when looked through Nigeria’s earning for this duration. According to analysts,
the country has grossed in far more income between 1999 and 2010
than the prior 35 years before 1999. It has been estimated that Nigeria’s
GDP had jumped from $90 billion in 1998 to about $350 billion
in 2009 alone, about 300% and on an absolute value. Yet on Human Development
Index, Nigeria remains among the most impoverished nations on earth, with
an estimated 79 million of its 150 million populace living below the
poverty level.
The North Western part of Nigeria, according to recent UNESCO
rating, has the lowest literary level in the world.
Nigeria spent not less that $16 billion (N2.5 trillion) to
improve on the 3,500 Mw of power that civil rule inherited from autocratic
military rule. It is doubtful if Nigeria produces Imw above that
figure today. Yes, some roads, boreholes, hospitals and some schools may have
been built, but on the aggregate that falls extremely far from
expectation.
The story of Nigeria in the past 13 years is the story of
corruption finding a cosy, ripe breeding ground. Never in the history of
Nigeria had civil servants, politicians and even men and women in uniform
stolen so brazenly.
With a judicial system that is a caricature of itself, all the
billions spent on creating laws and institutions that should fight corruption,
lay waste. Since the Nigerian civil war, Nigeria has never been on the brink of
collapse and disintegration like now. After all these earnings, we have won
fewer laurels in sports than for the same period under military rule.
Our image abroad has gotten worse as Nigerians make the bulk of
thieves and drug criminals in foreign prisons. There is hardly anything to
cheer in the past 13 years of our democracy. It has been the story of looted
hopes by Nigerian leaders at all tiers of government, as Nigeria totters on the
brink of disintegration.
On MAY 26, 2012 · in SPECIAL REPORT
Stories by Chioma Gabriel, Taye Obateru, Luka Biniyat, John Bulus,
John Bosco Agbakwuru, Ayo Onikoyi
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