Benin City, Nigeria. A lot has happened lately in the Nigerian socio-political and economic sectors.
One of the actions recently undertaken by the Federal Government of Nigeria is the posthumous conferment of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the former Are Onakankanfo of Yoruba and presumed winner of the free, fair and credible June 12, 1993 presidential election, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.
Two others are: the passage of the 2018 Budget and the Not Too Young To Run Law.
Martyr of Democracy
As a most talked-about and dominant core media and social media issue, the GCFR, Nigeria’s highest and ultimate national honour for President and military heroes and heroines, which President Muhammadu Buhari posthumously conferred on the late Chief Abiola has continued to generate reactions from citizens.
From the partial results that were released by the Professor Humphrey Nwosu-chaired National Electoral Commission (NEC), Abiola was coasting to a landslide victory when the military administration of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida ordered a suspension of the result before later cancelling the election after unsubstantiated allegation of corruption and rigging was made.
A pan-Nigerian from Ogun State, Abiola declared himself President at the famous Epetedo Square in Lagos Island after his return months later, following endless protests for the revalidation of the election. This writer, who had just secured his admission to a closed University of Lagos, participated in violent street protests that saw many citizens inhumanly mowed by military bullets.
The then Head of State, late General Sanni Abacha declared Abiola’s declaration treasonable before clamping him into detention. Abiola died in detention in 1998 in suspicious circumstances. While official autopsy reported natural causes, unconfirmed reports suggested either poison or torture. No official Federal Government enquiry has been carried out to determine what happened since 1993.
Apart from the recognition granted Abiola, a husband, father and family head; a social activist, freedom fighter, successful businessman and renowned philanthropist; President Buhari also conferred a posthumous honour of Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON), Nigeria’s highest honour for an ordinary citizen, on Chief Gani Oyesola Fawehinmi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights advocate; as well as on Abiola’s running mate in the truncated election, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe.
The legal propriety of the presidential pronouncement that now recognizes June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day (from May 29) made on June 6, 2018, has continued to generate debate and reaction from citizens with different interpretations, analyses and meanings.
A few commentators have also attempted to look at the socio-political intention and impact of the award that Abiola’s son, Mr Kola Abiola received on his father’s behalf, with regards to the presidential and general elections of February 14, 2019.
While observers have urged caution to avoid inflammatory commentaries on the annulment, it has notably taken 25 years for the contributions of both Abiola and Fawehinmi to modern Nigeria to be appreciated.
Considering that a National Assembly resolution to name the National Stadium in Abuja after Chief Abiola, martyr of the freedom being enjoyed by the allegedly greedy, corrupt, ungodly and inhuman rulers, leaders and elites of Nigeria had been tacitly rebuffed in the past and considering that a similar past attempt that re-named the University of Lagos as Moshood Abiola University was overwhelmingly rejected by citizens, President Buhari’s action is historic, commendable and appreciated.
Agreeably with the analyses of some commentators, it would have been noteworthy without being less significant, if ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had honoured Abiola as Nigerians popularly demanded after benefitting from Abiola’s death to ascend the presidency on May 29, 1999. Though it may look now like a chance he missed to etch his name in gold, it cannot be denied, however, that Chief Obasanjo will still be remembered in the future, whatsoever.
Worthy National Honourees
In the view of citizens, the hullabaloo over the legal propriety of the presidential pronouncement is not only distractive and avoidable but also needless. Beyond the ironies some commentators have identified, Chief Abiola and Chief Famehinmi are worthy honourees of Nigerian national honours, especially when accepted by their families.
President Buhari followed a precedent that had been set before now. A former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, as a mark of respect and recognition of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s contributions to the development of Nigeria posthumously honoured him with GCFR in 1983. It is the same footstep of history former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan followed in renaming the University of Lagos.
While it may be recalled that the University of Ife was re-named after Obafemi Awolowo, the Federal University, Bauchi was re-named after Tafawa Balewa as well as other institutions that were re-named after Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief S.L. Akintola, Michael Okpara, Tai Solarin and other statesmen by past governments, lack of consultation—a basic ingredient that differentiates democracy from military fiat—accounted for the unpopularity of the UNILAG name change.
Validity of Posthumous Award and Holiday
On the legal validity of posthumous awards and proclamation of June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day, a lot has been debated already with many citizens arguing to support President Buhari even as some others have argued to oppose him.
Two leading citizens that have openly backed the President are: Mr Femi Falana (SAN) and Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). On the other hand, a retired Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Honourable Justice Alfa Belgore, has questioned the legality of Mr President’s posthumous awards; even as others have criticised the proclamation of June 12 as Democracy Day without the consideration and approval of National Assembly.
Before delving into the debate of whether Mr President is legally limited or not, it is expedient to explain that President Buhari got his power from the National Honours Act and the Public Holidays Act. The applicable provisions of the enabling National Honours Act stipulates below.
“3. Mode of appointment to Orders, etc…
(1) The President shall by notice in the Federal Gazette signify his intention of appointing a person to a particular rank of an Order.
(2) Subject to the next following paragraph of this article, a person shall be appointed to a particular rank of an Order when he receives from the President in person, at an investiture held for the purpose:
(a) The insignia appropriate for the rank; and
(b) An instrument under the hand of the President and the public seal of the Federation declaring him to be appointed to that rank.
(3) If in the case of any person it appears to the President expedient to dispense with the requirements of paragraph (2) of this article, he may direct that that person shall be appointed to the rank in question in such a manner as may be specified in the direction.”
While it is not in doubt even from the above lines that President Buhari has the legal and political power to award national honours, the question of whether Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi fall within the legal definition of persons to be awarded owing to their posthumous state—that is, that a dead person has no legal fibre since he can neither sue nor be sued—the issues are also resolved to an extent beyond reasonable doubt.
The issue of eligibility is clear stated for a member of the armed forces, whether alive or dead. As for the eligibility of a citizen, who is not of the armed forces, it is my understanding and view that paragraph 3 expressly empowered the President with the discretion “to dispense with the requirement of paragraph 2 in such a manner as may be specified in the direction,” which allowed the posthumous awardees’ family members to receive awards on their behalf.
On the other hand, Section 2 of the Public Holidays Act stipulates that the President has the power to appoint a special day to be kept as a public holiday in addition to the holidays recognized by the legislation. What this means is that the President may or may not seek the approval of the National Assembly to declare a public holiday.
A Call for Inquiry
Be that as it may, this writer’s point of departure is that even if the law seemingly supports the President in the award of posthumous national honours and declaration of any day as public holiday, it will amount to hypocrisy if not merely playing to the gallery, for the President to orally declare Chief M.K.O. Abiola as “the winner” of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election without properly establishing a panel of inquiry to look into what happened with a view to avoiding such monumental crisis in the future and, thereafter, cause the full release of results of the election. While it would have been more proper to do these before the award and holiday declaration, it is no less fitting to do them now before the President’s pronouncements should be gazetted as he has directed.
It is arguable whether the controversy that greeted the merited honours and holiday would have been if President Buhari had directed things to be done rightly.
But the debate has now moved to the chamber of law court for proper interpretation after a citizen, Dr Umar Ardo, approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside Abiola and Fawehinmi’s posthumous national honours. Particularly, Ardo is asking the court to strip Abiola’s running mate, Babagana Kingibe, of his award.
Evaluating Mr Ardo’s particular demand, it is understandable, even if the court may refuse to grant his reliefs in the end. It is deceptive, if not vexatious, to reward a man for immorally renouncing an electoral struggle that led to the death and destruction of many of his supporters. What legacy is President Buhari laying therefore?
The confusion and anger from a mix-up of what observers called litany of ironies have made the some opposition voices to construe Mr Kingibe’s honour as a subtle attempt by Buhari to airbrush him into a viable option in the event of Mr President being unable to re-contest. Others have also highlighted Buhari’s action as being fired by the need to land his arch critic and former supporter, Chief Obasanjo, a sucker punch.
Abiola’s GCFR and 2019 Election
In spite of Buhari’s commendable remembrance of heroes and heroines of June 12 struggle, it is preposterous of Mr President, his government and ruling APC to be dancing at market squares in celebration of an anticipated “capturing” of a sophisticated South-west on account of Abiola’s merited and overdue honour.
If truth must be told, much as the recognition for Abiola may be seen as a suave political masterstroke, Buhari’s re-election is neither granted nor guaranteed going by Nigeria’s present widespread insecurity and endless killing; poverty, hunger, joblessness; economic collapse, political intolerance, unaccountable governance and rising corruption, in spite of Buhari administration’s effort to tackle corruption.
Not even today’s convention that produced a new National Chairman for the APC, the unopposed Mr Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, can patch widening cracks in the government and APC or save the President’s vanishing popularity.
For a government that promised so much, rode to power on a popular mandate of change mantra, the question after three poor, painful, hungry, tortuous and lying years is: when will the government of President Muhammadu Buhari begin to get things right, do things right and get right results?
In another move that clearly portrays hypocrisy and desperation, President Buhari signed a Not Too Young To Run Law, intended to commit the youth into his re-election project, and jovially urged them not to challenge him in 2019: when he will be approaching 80 years old with a fragile health and after spending hundreds of days in the United Kingdom treating himself (and his son) with alleged huge, undisclosed sum of money, contrary to his pre-election campaign promise of stopping medical tourism.
The first problem the government has is the outright refusal to accept past mistakes. The second is the denial to admit resultant difficulties on the face of realities. The problems are endless.
Amidst an almost misplaced hope of electoral victory next year, a litre of petrol, promised to be reduced to N40.00, a price that was to be enhanced with an end to subsidy, has not only increased officially to N145.00 under Buhari’s direction but has also seen subsidy hitting the roofs with discordant government tunes and palpable confusion over the operational capacity of Nigeria’s refineries.
Kerosene remains beyond the reach of the common man at over N200.00 a litre and often unavailable.
Buoyed by some flimsy statement of a serious government fixing electricity within six months, ascribed to former Lagos State Governor and now Works, Power and Housing Minister Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), President Buhari promised during campaign to provide 20,000 megawatts of electricity in his four-year term. Over three years later, power generation, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has dropped by 1, 087.6 megawatts, resulting to the shutting down of about 8 power stations by last week. Electricity distribution, which is already yoking common man to death with crazy instead of metered billing, fluctuates between 3,800 (pre-election level) and 4,900 megawatts under Buhari leadership even after injection of some yet-to-be-disclosed huge funds.
A trip round the country would show in realistic pictures of death traps called roads that the much trumpeted construction policy of the Buhari administration is mostly visible on the government’s press releases, much like the claim of exiting a national recession caused by the long delay of forming executive cabinet. The cumulative effect of bad roads, inflation, devaluation of currency and weak purchasing power is the high cost of foods beyond the reach of the common man.
For example, the smallest ball of coconut goes for N150.00 and above while a sliced piece that was just N10.00/N20.00 before Buhari assumed power in 2015 now sells for N50.00 and above. Today, fresh and ripe tomatoes in markets are well beyond the reach of housewives and mothers, who apologetically buy unripe, rotten and smelly ones.
While the Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed and his Agriculture counterparts, Chief Audu Ogbeh and Mr Heineken Lokpobri, have been boastful of the success of Federal Government ‘agricultural revolution’, evidence and realities show contrary.
For the government to be planning at this time to punish legitimate businesses by shutting Nigerian border with any neighbour: not on account of Ebola outbreak or any other mortal risk but merely for combating rice smuggling, a job security agencies can effectively do, simply confirms that the reported bureaucracy and corruption clogging the Anchor Borrowers programme is true.
Moreover, President Buhari signed the 2018 Appropriation Act and lamented that the National Assembly tampered with the budget proposal he sent for legislative approval. Notably, his lamentation has now cast a huge doubt on Federal Government’s ability to achieve the intended socio-economic growth the budget was, ab initio, prepared to achieve in the last year of his political term.
Considering that the two chambers of NASS are under the majority leadership of the ruling APC, political scientists are of the view that the executive organ should explore a more cordial relationship with the legislature for a more positive oversight duties on future appropriation activities.
The Meaning of June 12
Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Chief Famehinmi as well as many other citizens dead and alive were inspired to fight for the realization of the free, fair and credible June 12 election mandate in order to achieve the Nigeria of their dream.
Acknowledged heroes and heroines of June 12 struggle just like many daring youth that abandoned their poor parents and families and sneaked out to join up with the protests on Nigerian streets dreamed to live and thrive in a nation of freedom, equality and opportunities. Not a nation that is ravaged by poverty, hunger, joblessness, penury, sicknesses and corruption or one which elites chase its youth away to die in Mediterranean waters searching for the good life it cannot provide or one that is overrun by gun-wielding terrorists secretly funded by people in power or even one, which law-abiding citizens are menacingly subdued and killed daily by herdsmen and other criminals enjoying open-secret protection of government.
Based on a simple, truthful, honest, fair, humble and respectable analysis of realities today, President Buhari would count himself lucky to be re-elected in a free, fair and credible election on February 14, 2019.
Addendum
The reply of the Government of Edo State to the concerns raised by this writer to the sack of an entire workforce of the College of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi, Edo State and the closure of the same school for the purpose of “revamping” its dilapidated structure and curriculum is noted.
The only point worth emphasizing by way of advice is that it is hoped that internship, network, partnership and cooperation with “world class agricultural companies” beyond Edo State will become part of the curriculum and administration of the “New College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi” after the “tough and reform-oriented decision” by the government of continuity that has been supervising the same school with budgetary allocations for the past 10 years during which the school’s graduates could not participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
While it is hoped the state government’s renewed plan would be extended to the scattered basic educational structures still in virtual ruins, this is one sure way of sourcing quality personnel that can fulfil the bulk of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s 200,000 promised jobs from agrarian sector.
The encompassing vision of this writer remains the making of a better Edo State and Nigeria that all citizens can be proud of, live in and thrive in to pursue their dreams for prosperity.
Meanwhile, congratulations to the Super Eagles of Nigeria for the emphatic trouncing of Iceland. May the team have better luck against Argentina’s Abiceleste. God bless Nigeria.
Written by Sebastine Ebhuomhan, an award-winning journalist.
usie007@yahoo.com
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