By Dele Sobowale

“I’ll hand over if I lose”, President Jonathan, during Media chat on February 11, 2015, at the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock.

“If you believe that,  you will believe anything.” That was my comment on five different occasions when Nigerian Heads of State, three military and two civilians have made categorical statements about their intention to depart. And each time, events have proved me right. I remain firmly convinced that “Skepticism is the first attribute of a good critic”, thanks to James Russell, Lowell, 1819-1891. It is always sad, when Presidents and Heads of State, in Nigeria make the same promises, at very critical stages in their tenure of office, just to buy more time, while planning to disappoint the people later.

They bank on the fact that most Nigerians don’t remember history. Stressing that the statement was made in the Presidency was designed to point out that the occupancy of that place is at stake. It is a fact that few people – Mandela, Charles De Gaulle of France – surrender power willingly. Most people, on reaching the highest office in the land, cling to it with all their lives – and the lives of many of their citizens. Africa is most notorious in this area.

Before Jonathan’s “dogs of war” start barking foul, permit me to lead thinking Nigerians down memory lane – in order to remind us that we have been fooled by such promises in the past. General Gowon, after seven years as Head of State, promised to hand over power to elected civilians in 1976. The politicians were jubilant; but not me. The reason was simple. Unnoticed by the ecstatic politicians, but easily noticeable by a born skeptic, was the fact that as we progressed into 1975, there was no plan for the transition to civil rule.

Then, the guillotine fell on the hopes of civilians. Gowon announced that “1976 was no longer realistic, because the politicians had learned nothing and forgotten nothing.”   Almost immediately, several groups emerged from nowhere shouting “Go On With One Nigeria (GOWON – if you don’t get it). It was the perfect political swindle at the time. Nigerians were being forced to clap for an Officer, but not a gentleman, who had broken his promise to the people. Thank God, Gowon did not last the year.

Babangida took over in 1985; waited two years, and started a prolonged transition to civil rule programme – which threw N40 billion down several drain pipes – called private pockets of those close to the regime. The destination, we were told, would be 1992. And, while delivering his annual budget speech in January 1992, IBB announced as follows: “For us in this administration, the year 1992 caps our political efforts in our attempts to lay a new foundation for a democratic polity within a new political culture.

I am happy to observe that our transition programme is on track.” (See my book PDP: CORRUPTION INCORPORATED, p 45). I was on of the few doubters then, and Babangida took a swipe at us. But, when he scuttled the transition, first in 1992, and finally in 1993, IBB was not gentleman enough to admit that we, who warned of HIDDEN AGENDA, were right after all.

Abacha took over in 1993, after overthrowing the Interim National Government, ING, headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan, installed by Babangida, as he “stepped aside”. In 1994, Abacha started his own transition to civil rule with a Constitutional Conference. On Monday, June 27, 1994, Abacha opened his own version of CONFAB, which I labeled “SHIP OF FOOLS”, despite the presence of people like Dr Alex Ekwueme, Ojukwu, late General Shehu Yar’Adua among the delegates. Section 5 of Abacha’s address to the delegates read as follows: “As you all know, we in the present government in Nigeria are committed to ensuring that there is speedy and unimpeded transition to a civil democratic rule in which we shall not be participants.” (PDP: CORRUPTION INCORPORARED, p 5).

The delegates gave Abacha a standing ovation. On July 3, 1994, on these same pages, I wrote as follows: “If you believe that bit i.e “we shall not be participants”, then you will believe anything” (p 6). The delegates went on with their collective delusion that Abacha meant what he said. I was picked up, the following Tuesday, and placed in detention for four days for calling the Head of State a liar. History would testify to it that Abacha was indeed a liar and Ekwueme, Ojukwu, Yar’Adua etc were indeed herded into a “ship of fools” captained by Head of State, Abacha….

LOST AND FOUND AND READY FOR DISTRIBUTION.

Under a pile of books and documents in my store, we recently discovered twenty copies of PDP: CORRUPTION INCORPORATED. Read about how Nigeria was looted under “Saint” Olusegun Obasanjo. Text your order today. It’s a matter of first come first served.

LAST LINE: Forget 2015, wait until 2017 said the same Ogapatapata who launched a ROAD MAP FOR POWER in 2011 promising 14,100MW of power. “If a man fools you once, shame on him; if twice, shame on you”.