Between fighting corruption and keeping civil rule in Nigeria I have been pondering over the frequent reference to what the best military rulers did and what the present civil government has been trying to do. I have observed that there is the difference between what the military came to take away and what the civilians have struggled to keep with us, in terms of corruption and civil rule. Whenever we stand against the return of any former military ruler, the reaction has been that they came to fight corruption, they instilled discipline, they were incorruptible, etc. Their disruption of civil leadership has always been justified with such excuses. So, the question is, did the former military rulers take away corruption and indiscipline? Did any of them truly fought corruption? Did such a person defeat corruption or did corruption defeat the person? The point is usually credited to former head of state GMB. Did GMB fight corruption? What was the outcome of the fight? Did he defeat corruption or he was defeated by corruption? Was the battle stopped by a referee or he was knocked out? What may qualify his desire to seek a replay of the match under another platform today? Was he a good fighter and why did he loose? Will he succeed at this time and what new tricks of fighting has he learnt and who is his new coach? Where has he been training? These are issues we must consider deeply. Until 1999 when the military handed over to civilians after GMB disruption in 1983, corruption was with us and is still with us. So, I am unable to stand up to say that he took away corruption which he promised to do. He declared war against indiscipline but he left the central stage and indiscipline did not give up. So, what did he do and what was taken away for us? The civilians opposed military rule and insisted that we must sustain civil rule. Since 1999 until today, civil rule has remained and we can point to the fact that they have kept what they promised and we can build upon it to refine the process. Since 1999, no military officer has taken away civil rule and democracy is growing everyday to the extent that the nation has produced the first generation of citizens without experience of military rule for 14 years. I am therefore not carried away by the sermon of what was done and taken away for us anymore but tend to lend my support to what has been kept by the civilians with the hope that we can build upon what we have already. A bird at hand is worth millions away. If the military took away corruption, we should have been corrupt free today. The civilians came to keep civil rule and they have done so without interruption for 14 years now. So, who has lived by her main promises? The military did not but the civilians rather have? Just like the Christian prayers of God has taken it away and done it for us contradicts the reality of our world full of sin, I feel more comfortable with the Muslims stand that they have learnt how to pray together, do things in organized ways, have the design of a mosque and the direction to face during prayers, etc than to just accept everything has been done for us when all the things supposed to have been done are yet undone. Let us therefore recognize the difference between the promises that were never done but strongly promoted today and the pomises that have been kept which allowed us to be part of the work. I cannot rely on one holy man with millions of unholy followers but look forward to a good man that will involve others to create a better system together. If our present accomplishments cannot be inherited by the future, then it is sustainable and should not be desirable.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 05:14:50 +0000
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