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Dotun Oyeniyi
BSc.(Hons); LLB (Hons); LLM (Lond)
 Author, Economist and Practicing Attorney
London, England

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The best ambition of our youths is to become models, actors and actresses, no one wants to become a lawyer, an architect or an engineer again - these are some of the ‘old school professions.’  Our youths are picking their heroes not from the likes of Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Nuhu Ribadu, Balarabe Musa, Raji Fashola,  Abubakar Umar and other exemplary citizens, but from the band of treasury looters who live in ostentation at the masses’ expense.  If we think of this and other scary facts, too many to mention, we will agree with our Sultan that our leaders have failed and they should listen to the voice of the masses – His eminence, the Sultan.

 

RUNNING A SICK NATION FROM A SICK BED: BLAME NO ONE BUT OBASANJO
 by Dotun Oyeniyi
 

I have a fervent admiration for the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.  We have not seen any Sultan like him in our recent history.  Unlike most of our traditional rulers, the Sultan is not one to frequent the corridors of power or churn out chieftaincy titles to the men in power in pursuit of vain glory or monetary rewards in return.  His utterances, since asscending the Sultanate, have always been incisive, frank, non-patronising of those in government and clearly pro-masses. 

The Sultan is arguably one of the most revered traditional rulers in Nigeria.  As the head of all Nigerian Muslims, he also doubles as the Ambassador plenipotentiary for all Nigerian Muslims across the globe.  His office does not only confer prestige and authority, it brings wealth – I mean wealth that he doesn’t need to solicit for nor corner by any dubious means.  Those who are close to important monarchs will understand what I mean.  Endless variant of people and governments coming to pay homage; seeking royal support; requesting blessings and asking assistance or merely wanting to identify with royalty – they will never come empty-handed.  In a nutshell, the Sultan is living in comfort and affluence and he is certainly immuned from the widespread poverty and injustice that pervade the land.

To one’s utmost dismay, given the fact that our society appears ranked next to none in our chauvinistic, sometimes gullible approach to religious issues; this Sultan has conducted and comported himself with commendable liberalism and broadmindedness, appearing to see himself not only as Muslims’ leader but a leader of all and more importantly not only as the Sultan of Sokoto but as the Sultan of the people.

In spite of the trappings of his office, this youthful Sultan has become the voice of the people, telling those in government, at every opportunity what their failings are and what needs to be done, yet no one seems to be listening. 

Talking about the recent crisis in Jos, the Sultan said, “The recent crisis in Jos is genocide in my own opinion, because the amount of massacre that took place was not witnessed during the Boko Haram crisis in Maiduguri in particular and the Kala Kato crisis in Bauchi of recent. The crisis in Jos, Plateau State kept erupting at regular intervals simply because of the failure of leadership at all levels. If there is good leadership, problems like this could never occur. There are so many people all over living together despite religious divide, ethnic divide. In a century where a migrant   black American is the president of the world’s greatest power, we are now talking to ourselves here as ethnic minorities, as settlers, as non indigenes. I think it is time we put an end to all these if we really want to move forward. Enough is enough; because we cannot just keep turning back the hands of the clock of progress and development of our country backward because of the action of some misguided murderous killers in our midst.”

There is no religion that encourages the killing of fellow human beings and those who are killing in the name of religion certainly have a quaint, awkward and lopsided understanding of religious doctrines.  This in itself, as rightly observed by the Sultan, is largely due to failure of leadership.  More than any other part of Nigeria, the north is the home to jobless youths with no formal education.  The gap between the elite of the north and the talakawas is implausibly massive.  The Almajiris, with no means of livelihood and no hope for their future are ready tools in the hands of religious fanatics.  Their ignorant and constricted minds are so amenable to manipulation towards violence by religious and tribal bigots.

The failure of leadership also has its own effects in the south, especially the west, where politicians and jobless youths turned thugs are attracted to each other like iron filings to a magnet.  The former arm, then use the latter both as a shield and an arrow.  A shield to protect themselves from attacks and an arrow to crush the opposition decisively.  Resultantly, no other democracy in the world carry as much risk to life as Nigeria’s does.  It is that failure of leadership that makes the politicians look, not to the side of police, but thugs for protection.  And when hired assassins strike, as they frequently do, Nigeria police is always caught napping.  What should we expect from an ill-equipped and less trained police that continues to be a shame in terms of bribe taking and lack of even basic professional skills in say rifle handling or carrying out a lawful arrest?  

The failure of leadership in Nigeria portends a great danger not only for today but for coming generations.  The north is at the mercy of Almajaris, the west at the mercy of area boys and the east at the mercy of kidnappers.    Our elective offices are no longer for the refined and the eggheads but for the uncouth, moneybags and gangsters.  Our students either bribe or sleep with lecturers or do both to graduate from the universities.  Secondary school students prefer the ‘special centres’ where they are sure to pass all their subjects at one fell swoop.  Our traditional rulers, especially in the yorubaland, coin titles, historically unheard of, to confer on men in power in return for cash.  Our pastors are all in a frenetic race to acquire jets as cars are no longer in vogue.  The best ambition of our youths is to become models, actors and actresses, no one wants to become a lawyer, an architect or an engineer again - these are some of the ‘old school professions.’  Our youths are picking their heroes not from the likes of Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Nuhu Ribadu, Balarabe Musa, Raji Fashola,  Abubakar Umar and other exemplary citizens, but from the band of treasury looters who live in ostentation at the masses’ expense.  If we think of this and other scary facts, too many to mention, we will agree with our Sultan that our leaders have failed and they should listen to the voice of the masses – His eminence, the Sultan.

 

 

 

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