₦airaland Forum

bawomolo:
arsenal since 99

mate

Welcome to Nigeria's busiest online community.

The current topical issue in Nigerian politics is Zoning. The same issue cropped up in 1998, shortly before return to civil rule. He wrote this article then, which can be taken as his mind on Zoning.

POWER-SHIFT AND ROTATION: BETWEEN EMANCIPATION AND OBFUSCATION

By

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi
sanusis@ubaplc.com
1998




Since the deaths of General Abacha and Chief Abiola, political discourse in the country has been dominated by talk of a power-shift, rightly or wrongly defined as producing a president from somewhere below the rivers Niger and Benue, but at any rate south of Ilorin which though geographically in the South, is politically and historically a component of the Sokoto Caliphate courtesy of the Kakanfo Afonja who played into the hands of the Fulani Jihadist Alimi- in the early 19th century.

There have been several arguments both for and against the principle of a rotational presidency, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. Being a topic loaded with a great deal of sentiment, politicians have been quick off the mark in positioning themselves as ethnic champions of rotation or of the status quo. As a consequence, Nigerian politics has become deprived of real issues leading to what at least one commentator has referred to as “the death of ideology”. Nigerian politicians are calling for a return to the First Republic, that long-forgotten era of tribal chieftains viciously attacking each other, fighting each other for their regions’ share of the nation’s depleting wealth rather than pooling human and material resources for the betterment of the nation.

The result is that the quality of political discourse has degenerated to the old level of calls for Oduduwa Republic and Biafra by another name. Although the old war horses are, in the main, dead, the next generation (which constitutes their supporters and goons) and which we all thought had had its turn in the Second Republic and was finished by the Third, has hijacked the mantle of leadership once more.

The experience of this country in the past decade or so but particularly the trauma and crises of the last five years seem to have had a lasting negative impact on our collective psyche. We seem to have allowed the “Abacha years” as they have come to be known, to block from our memory two centuries of Nigerian history, beginning from the links and contacts between the Sokoto caliphate and the kingdoms and tribes of the South, to colonial invasion, amalgamation, independence, civil war and successive periods of national pride and shame, hope and despair, success and failure. We have allowed our vision of this country to be shaped not by the dreams we had of a great, united country, which we hope to bequeath as a legacy to generations yet to come, but by the memory of a nightmare which is over. In a dawn full of promises and a ray of hope, we have resolutely pulled down the blinds preferring to remain in the darkness of suspicion and mutual mistrust. In this, Abacha, though dead, has earned a final victory. He has succeeded in reducing the best amongst us, the brightest of minds, to myopic, close-minded tribalists. In each part of the country, but particularly in the South-West and South –East, a small band of ethnic bigots seems to have assumed political leadership. The Awoists have manoevred their way back to political relevance in the South-West. Ojukwu has come out of political obscurity and Igbos have forgotten what he threw them into three decades ago only to run-away. He is becoming a hero once more. Perhaps in the North, soon, someone will raise the flag of Uthman Dan Fodio and call for a holy war against the ‘infidels’ of the South. So in the year 2000, Nigeria will be exactly where it was in 1960. Maybe another civil war will be fought and the whole process will run its course once more.

Will no one raise the alarm before it is too late? Shall we ask, or rather, are we permitted, dear tribal chiefs, to ask, what is the sense in all this? How can people present as progress the pursuit of a path that will lead to political disintegration such as the world has seen in Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda and Kosovo? Let us, if you please, address the issues on power shift and zoning. I shall argue in this paper that they are not the same thing, and are not even necessarily correlated.

For the sake of argument only, we will grant that the presidency is equivalent to power. It is a ridiculous dictum unless the president wishes to disobey the rule of law. In a democracy that works (even imperfectly) the president shall soon find that he can have no project sited, no ministers and advisers appointed, no ambassadors posted, no law promulgated without the support of the entire nation as represented by its elected legislature. But we shall assume all the same, that the presidency in a democratic system means power (of the sort wielded by say, Abacha).

The argument is that with the exception of the brief periods when Ironsi, Obasanjo and Shonekan headed the government, Nigeria has been ruled since independence by the “north”. The time has therefore come for a “southerner” to be the president since “northerners” have failed to move the country forward and are responsible for the nation’s failure

Several opponents of rotation have proffered arguments to counter the position of pro-zoning politicians. It is my opinion that these counter arguments so far lack merit and have not addressed the fundamental weaknesses in the arguments of the pro-rotationists. Some have argued that “northerners” have never ruled alone and every northern leader had many “southerners” in his government as allies. To this, one would reply that in every society and polity, the leader is held responsible for the conduct of his officials. His selection of lieutenants is based on his judgement and if he selects corrupt and bad advisers he can not absolve himself of responsibility for their actions.

Others have argued that the very idea of zoning or rotation is antithetical to democracy. Again, although this argument is intuitively strong, it has technical weaknesses. If the majority of Nigerians choose rotation then it is democratic. Besides, quota system is not exactly democratic and the north has benefited from it at least in some respects.

For me, the issues in the current debate are more fundamental.

The first is the question of whether at all zoning the presidency is necessary. If one good thing came out IBB’s jump-start then aborted transition, it was that it presented us with multiple and convincing examples that Nigerians have matured beyond the ethnic/tribal politics of the First and, to a lesser extent, Second Republic. In the SDP primaries running up to the first attempt at producing flagbearers, Olu Falae, Yoruba politician from the South-West, defeated Shehu ‘Yar Adua, Fulani aristocrat from Katsina, in Kano and Jigawa States. Shehu ‘Yar Adua, on the other hand, roundly defeated his Yoruba opponents in Southwestern States. In June,1993 elections, M.K.O. Abiola defeated his opponent, Bashir Tofa in his home states, Kano and Jigawa nay, in his ward, Gandun Albassa. No one had to zone Abiola into Kano. No one needed to tell voters that he should be voted for because they felt he was less bad for Nigeria, for them, than Tofa. Now our politicians want to reward Nigerians by insulting their collective intelligence and urging them to return to the primitive era of tribalism.

The second issue is the formula for the rotation. Proponents of zoning are yet to agree on what formula to apply. Some say “North”and “South” Others want the nation zoned into six. Both of these matrices are purely geographical with the exception of the second, as it applies to the South-West and South-East. The citizens of the South-west, practically 100% of them, are Yoruba. Citizens of the South- East are Igbo. It is not by accident that in 1998, only two tribes still have tribal political organisations with an explicitly ethnic agenda – the Igbo (Ohaneze) and the Yoruba (Afenifere).

The presidency from the South-West means a Yoruba presidency. From the South-East it means an Igbo presidency. Citizens of those zones can then actually feel power has shifted to them if their zone wins. But would an Ijaw man feel the same if an Itsekiri or Bini or Asaba Igbo president emerged? Would a Tiv man feel the same if an Idoma or Ebira man emerged? Would the Fulani of Yola feel he has power if a Bachama, Jukun or Mumuye emerged? Would the Babur feel that way if a Bobole or Kanuri won the presidency? If a Fulani or Hausa from Zaria city won, would the Kaje and Kataf feel they have power? The answer in each case is no.

The intent here is to show, in clear and simple terms, the futility of defining power, a social and political category that is only perceptible in its historico-political context, in terms of “zones”, which are a spatial category devoid in themselves of social and political character. Power does not “reside” in a geographical area called the “north” and can therefore not be “shifted” to the “south”. It is and has always been possessed by a class, or if you like a group or cabal whose defining characteristic is their ability to gain and retain control of the means of production, the means of persuasion and the means of coercion – a characteristic that gives them dominance and control over all the social beings living in the geographical area called Nigeria.

It was Chief Awolowo who called Nigeria a geographical expression. In a fundamental sense, and from a particular perspective, he may have been completely correct. But no less so are such expressions as “north” or “south” as we have shown, with the exception of “south-west” and “south-east” which are in reality not geographical expressions, but a craftily employed diversion aimed at obfuscating and camouflaging essentially ethnic and tribalistic agendas for the Yoruba and Igbo. This is why the Igbo and Yoruba are the most vociferous elements in the clamour for a power shift. It is also why the most tribalistic elements in the two camps, such as Ojukwu and Nzeribe on the one hand and Adesanya and his Afenifere on the other, have assumed the mantle of spokespersons and raised once more spectre of Biafra and the Oduduwa Republic. Finally it explains why the proponents of the “Power-Shift” to the south are not likely to be satisfied in a complete sense. The Yoruba will never accept that power has shifted to them because Ojukwu, Nzeribe or Ekwueme, for instance, has won the presidency. Nor are the Igbo ever going to consider power as finally shifting to them with Ige, Falae or Adesanya as president.

To claim that the “north” has “exploited” or “marginalised the south is linguistically incorrect and politically nonsensical. It is the equivalent of claiming that all or most of the human beings who are from the “north” possess or control the means of production, persuasion and coercion which are the source of power, while all or most of those in the South are dispossessed of these. Only the most hypocritical of analysts would pretend that he holds this to be even possibly true. A group made up of people hailing from different parts of this country controls these means to varying degrees and the vast majority of Nigerians, northerners and southerners, have been dispossessed and exploited by this group. What we have on the political stage today is an internal conflict among various subsystems of this class of oppressors, each trying to drag us into his camp by appealing to native instincts.

Balarabe Musa, respected PRP governor of Kaduna State, is credited with introducing a novel dimension to the argument. He says the “north” has not benefited from northern leaders and for that reason he supports “power-shift” to the “south”. The logic seems to be that those in power are more likely to promote the interests and development of regions other than their own. But if this is so, then why would the south now be clamouring for a power shift? The answer of course is that neither the “north” nor the “south” has benefited from crooks in power. The solution is for good people to struggle to replace these crooks in the interest of both the north and the south. The logical step for Balarabe Musa, a man known for his credibility, should be to seek power himself and try to emancipate the Nigerian Talakawa in the true spirit of NEPU and PRP. Instead he reduces the political struggle to tribalism. Balarabe Musa is intelligent. But geniuses, it seems, are not beyond occasional bouts of banality.

The whole charade about zoning and rotation has provided a camouflage for discredited persons to gain acceptance. Even Abdul Rahman Okene’s Northern Elders Forum which endorsed Abacha’s self –succession has joined the chorus, because it is a ‘safe’ issue. If corruption were an issue, many Second Republic governors who were convicted by the tribunals set up by Buhari for corruption would today be explaining to the voters why they should be voted in again. Governors convicted include some leaders of all major political parties including the AD.

If service to the nation were an issue, Ekwueme who was Vice-President, Lar, Rimi, Ige, Gana, Adamu Ciroma, Wole Soyinka, Olu Falae, Bamanga Tukur, Jubril Aminu, Nwobodo, Ani every one who was a minister, governor, head of parastatal or public servant would today be accounting to Nigerians and telling us what he did when he was there to justify his having a second chance.

But these are not the issues because these are not questions politicians want to answer. The issue is not one of emancipating any “zone” from marginalisation. It is one of emancipating politicians from these disturbing questions and providing them with a cloak in which to raise their shameless heads. If Karl Marx were alive, he would probably recognise tribalism, rather than religion, as the opiate of the Nigerian masses.

Let me stress that criticism of the ‘zoning’ argument does not constitute opposition to the emergence of a southern president. Perhaps the most appealing of arguments in favour of a southern president is that a certain perception which by accident or design, has come to pervade Nigerian politics needs to be addressed. It is the belief that some Nigerians can not aspire to the highest office of the land on account of their ethnic origin. This is a perception which all Nigerians are willing to correct. Northerners are willing to repeat their feat of electing a southerner in 1993. However, this is to be achieved through dialogue, campaigning and the normal political horse-trading not through blackmail or constitutional fiat. A forced situation creates a winner-loser scenario fraught with instability. Those struggling for a change through threats and blackmail are not looking for a sense of belonging. They are looking for a victory and, worse, retribution.

The president who emerges from an open democratic process will have the support of the majority of Nigerians. No one, from either north or south, can win a national election based on an ethnic or sectional agenda. The south currently enjoys a tremendous amount of goodwill. Only reciprocity and assurances that a southern president will be a president for all Nigerians are required for a southern president to emerge. Such a president would be a Nigerian president, his victory a victory for all Nigerians.

Zoning stresses differences between peoples, and is based on a principle of rivalry rather than cooperation. The signs are already very evident. Afenifere has been making strident calls for a South-West presidency. The argument is that Abiola was Yoruba and the nation owes it to the Yoruba that the next president should come from the zone. The Igbos believe it is their turn because they paid the highest price for justice in this country and have been marginalised for too long. The South-South has joined the call and believes it is its own turn because it produces the oil on which all other Nigerians have be parasiting for three decades.

Meanwhile the north looks on in complete fascination, amused by this comical spectacle of politicians whose very utterances give the lie to claims on the positive impact of zoning.

It is time to return to issues, to go back to ideology and to discuss principles. “Zoning” is a can of worms, its potential contribution to national unity dubious and its negative consequences unpredictable and unmanageable.

Thank you all.

It was my little research to have ideas about views of Nigerian public affairs commentators on the zoning debate, preparatory to my write-up, 'Rethinking the Zoning Advocacy', that led me to opening my SLS folder again. Although, I have read all the over two dozens articles before, I found them refreshing again, and thought they will form an important subject of debate on Nairaland here; hence my decision to bring some of them here.

It is important to state that this is not a debate on Sanusi's banking reforms. It is an expose on the man's views on burning political issues at the period. It is no news to all of us that he was a radical, leftish, public affairs critic prior to his appointment as CBN boss, even as he continued his banking job.

And before questions arise about why his writings are not on economics or banking or finance, let me say, beforehand, that I have no answer to that, even as I personally see nothing wrong in a banker being a social commentator at the same time; after all, even this ignorant me contributes to national discourse from the corner of my office as Accountant in a corporate organization. In fact, this is why SLS remains one of my 3 role models - a banker from Monday-Friday, a public affairs commentator on weekends.


Having read over 30 of his articles, let me summarize here, my perception of the man:

THE IMPRESSIVE SIDE
-He is wide-read
-He is good with the pen
-He is very versatile(knows something about virtually everything. From politics, to philosophy, to history, to religion, and of course, his primary field - Economics)


THE UNIMPRESSIVE SIDE
-He has temperament issue
-He courts controversies
-He could be opinionated

THE MID-WAY SIDE
He is a core defender of the North from his writings I have seen but he doesn't spare his northern brothers in his vitriol too. I may be wrong, but he doesn't come across to me as somebody that can pursue some parochial agenda.

Now let's explore his mind.

Pls note that the SLS being discussed here is a Sanusi as a public affairs commentator, not necessarily as a CBN boss.

When one looks at LASTMA's lordly excesses at times, one will be tempted to say 'serves them right'.
The soldiers should have given them 'ferefe shi shi' though, not this 'maximum shi shi'.

unclebros:
I love this thread!

I can remember the last time i ever stole in my life, i was in SS2 then way back in 1990 (I guess).
My mum (blessed memory) told me to warm the soup, I thought i was alone in the kitchen and the meat really looked good, so with the spoon i just lifted the meat and straight into my mouth, just before i landed the meat in my mouth, I just heard my name (I can still hear it the way she called it then) My mum standing by the kitchen door. I felt like the ground should open and swallow me.

I returned the soup and was so ashamed to look into her eyes for weeks. She didn't tell anyone, didnt even discuss it with me and that was the last time I ever stole anything from anyone.

SSS 2 in 1990? Iba o

Been there

[quote author=hot-angel link=topic=413742.msg6395822#msg6395822 date=1279283113]Indeed oo, Na me,

How una dey?[/quote]we dey fine o.
only that when you were reigning, me I be newbie then

Yes.

"Are you reading magazine?"  when you already see magazine in her hand.
"No, I'm sleeping" the lady answered

That's how all the lines wey our man don cram disappear

spikedcylinder:
"You looks familiarly".

muhsin:
When will you come to Kano? I too missed you. I also miss other Muslim and non-Muslim friends and foes a lot that used to be here.

Salam Muhsin,
I should be coming to the north on official assigment anytime soon. Sure to visit Kaduna, but not sure of Kano. If I come to Kano, I'll see you insha Allah. Last time I came, I was in a hurry, we only talked on phone, couldn't meet.

Enle niyayin eyin omo kaaro ojiire, aajibi?

Balogun:
Jarus, may I intervene quickly here. Ignore omnislife comments. Appendicitis is an acute condition. Not something that goes on for 4 months. Ignore the colon cancer thing as well. First thing is how old are you. Do you have problems with passing urine if the pain goes to your back. You can easily be describing kidney problems like a stone. Have you had a urinalysis done. This is where they test your urine for proteins, blood and nitrates

Thanks Dr Balogun. omnislife's comment appeared very strange to me, and I never took it in the first place. Thanks to her for offering her advice though.
I did urinanalysis twice in the last couple of months, at different clinics, and they all came out good, according to the doctors. Also went further to do abdominal scan four times in the last five months, at two different scan centres, the lastest being three weeks ago, but all show 'clean liver and kidney conditions'. So I don't know the source of the persistent abdominal discomfort. Age: I'm 28. No problems passing urine.

And by the way, pls let's talk off-NL. I'm PMing my email add to you right away.

VPersie:
@OP



Why is that Nairalanders always have an excuse to go on an ego-trip. Everyone looking for excuse to big-up themselves or their friends. People living their real-life fantasies on NL. You should thank Seun for the opportunity to feel important.

Or maybe I am just bitter.

Is thsi the Vpersie that is begging to be popular on NL or another person?

tkb417:
Chairman relax o

u and i know the game: nella wants u

ill try to get her info and forward to your chambers

and of course u be legend extra stout mehn

Omolulu:
congrats, politics of decamping now is it? when assassins start to chase him he'd be back to his former party

lol

ok, blacksta, I don see u

Olaolufred:
Very fair and True rating.

Ghana 7th

South Africa 15th

Coted'Ivoire 17th

Nigeria 27th

Algeria 28th

Cameroun 31st

It is a true reflection of what happened in S.A.

How can SA be 15th when they did not get to round of 16?

daffur:
Jarus tanx 4 the gud work, you can now move over to the next approved project. UNSUNG BIG BOIZ/GURLZ

Thanks my oga.
How do I go about the project sir

'The roof did not be careful, the roof fall', by Ajirebi
Aja o fura, aja ja

FBS:
Mo ki gbogbo omo orile ede 9ja. (and friends of 9ja). Se daada le wa?

ede wo leleyi?

Breakfast: 2 pieces of doughnut with juice.

chakula:
Salam,

I have posted to the thread (qur'an verse of the day) day before yesterday and yesterday also, but to my suprise i have not seeing the post. Kindly help and check out what's the problem.

Ma'assalam.

Wa alaikum salam,
Your posts were caught by spambot. They are visible to me. I have asked Seun to release them and make visible.

Becomrich0:
That law is young in york university. So he may be the first african in law at york university but NOT IN CANADA.

Most reasonable and logical argument I'm reading from my teacher, BCR.

Emi ni iyeru okin olofamajo,
omo abisujooko
omo ijakan ijakan tiwon ja l'ofa n'ile olalolmi
won l'osoju taani
osoju pooro l'oko
ibaju soju oloko seeibal'awon
omo laare buure ikan ogbodo jukan
bikan baju kan l'ofa, ogun londasinule baba won

memories of my growing up years if offa, oh deja vu

[quote author=sd-6 link=topic=478192.msg6381421#msg6381421 date=1279061278]I have once opined in my philosophy that all men are bad. That men are only good when they do good and are seen as bad when they do bad to the same men to whom they did good. Consider another element in this scenario: an activist says while making a speech that he can give his life to ensure that justice is done and suddenly gun shots are heard all over the arena. Would he for the sake of being an activist not scamper for safety? And if he does, does that change his activist inclinations? People dont realize the "human" in humans.[/quote]Abiioo.

Jarus:
Aisha2, I'm with you on this. I just finished penning this article for publication in Nigerian papers.

Kidney Centre: A Better ‘Nigeria @ 50’ Gift
By ********
For start, let me state that the above is not my original idea. It was suggested by a concerned lady that opened discussion on the subject on Nairaland.com, Nigeria’s largest online discussion forum. Aisha2, as her moniker goes, is a lady with an uncommon passion for humanitarian services. I find her suggestion above not only laudable but also worthy of trumpeting to the outer world.

Nigeria is a nation of jesters. It baffles me when we brazenly celebrate mediocrity. Ghana celebrated 50 years of independence three years ago. They had something to show for it, yet they did not go on spending spree like this. Now three years after, Ghana is gradually becoming a lesson in what good governance can earn you – from politics to economy and even to mundane aspects like football, the country is getting it right.

Now, Nigeria is 50. The state of things in the country is currently in its all-time low. Our politics is in shambles and economy hovering on the valley of death. Even in less serious aspects like sports, we continue to disgrace ourselves at the global scene.

Given this shabby situation we are currently, rolling out drums to celebrate one anniversary is the last thing I expect a serious government to do. More surprising is the bogus amount set aside for the litany of unproductive events lined up for the anniversary.

Splashing 6 billion naira on independence anniversary, is wanton display of profligacy in a country where thousands of people die on daily basis due to lack of adequate healthcare facility. I read in papers almost on daily basis cases of poor parents begging for assistance in raising funds to finance the treatment of many Nigerians, especially children, suffering from renal diseases. This is why I am backing Aisha2’s suggestion. Kidney disease is now prevalent in Nigeria and due to the unaffordable cost of treatment, many people have already died of the disease.

I am made to understand that there is no single kidney centre in Nigeria. Setting up one, equipped with modern facility, I learnt, costs about 500 million Naira. Putting up four in different parts of the country will cost 2 billion naira, just one-third of the amount about to go down the drain in the farce called Nigeria at 50 anniversary. This is a better gift for Nigerians, especially the children.

Aisha2’s suggestion was prompted by the story of the death of a brilliant boy, who died earlier that day. The boy, said to be the best physics and mathematics student in his school, died after 3 years efforts to raise 10 million naira to undergo treatment abroad proved abortive. Within a couple of hours after the discussion was initiated, two other contributors narrated how they lost father and sibling respectively to kidney problem, underscoring the prevalence of the disease in our midst today.

Do we even need to remind our government of the importance of this? Having just lost our number one citizen to the disease, I am surprised the new government did not even deem it fit to look along that line. This is another wake-up call for Jonathan government.

Published on Nigerian Village square this morning.
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/guest-articles/kidney-centre-a-better-nigeria-50-gift.html

Will post here as other media also publish the piece

Dr Kit, pls take it easy, as a NL elder and legend, pls rise above all that
Nellaluv, e don do 2

Eziachi:
Are you really sure he chose ANPP? Because all I can see is that his belly with ANPP, while his leg are inside PDP.
Are sure that is not Orji Kalu inside an Octopus outfit?

[quote author=onye_ngbu link=topic=478435.msg6379832#msg6379832 date=1279043121]Trust naija, even octopus can be rigged![/quote]

@BCR,
Where do BCR get all these crazy pics?