Many of us must sincerely apologize to Okonjo Iweala for not discerning the different contributions she made to President Obasanjo and Jonathan’s government. As much as we lecture about political economy, we must also point out the difference therein. While Okonjo Iweala painfully stressed the delicate balance she found herself in OBJ Government compared to that of Jonathan, we did not get it. Sometimes, we are so blinded by narrow ethnic bias.
Okonjo Iweala, in one of her lectures, opened up the difficulties she faced serving Nigeria as Finance Minister in Obasanjo and Jonathan’s Governments. Many of us with a human heart and brain would empathize. Indeed, most of us could not have survived both governments. Okonjo’s ordeal and personal threat pointed to one hell of a strong lady under the surface with a little bit of luck she needed, but did not wait or rely on.
Mrs Okonjo-Iweala was proud of her accomplishments in the President Obasanjo Government, mainly because he was a strong leader on a mission to change Nigeria. Once she had the backing of OBJ, very few of her colleagues in the Cabinet or the Administration posed obstacles or dared challenge her. Most Nigerians, despite their reservation about OBJ dictatorial tendency in a civilian regime, still consider him the most successful uptodate.
Compared to what we have witnessed after Obasanjo, there was sanity in Nigeria during Obasanjo’s Presidency! This is what is wrong with most African countries because of the Culture of Corruption that must be brought to a minimum before we can experience profound change. Unfortunately, deterrent may not be enough for a culture so deep rooted and desperate to keep on trying or die!
Okonjo-Iweala experienced this culture of Corruption under the President Jonathan Administration where she could not pursue her mission as she did under Obasanjo. The colleagues she had in the Cabinet were implementing their dubious missions regardless of President Jonathan’s approval. It must be noted that she was like the Deputy President to Jonathan, a higher position than she had in the Obasanjo Administration. It was not enough!
There is no doubt that Okonjo-Iweala was not the only contributor, only one of many. But each of them had the support and backing of the President to carry out their assigned tasks that propelled the Administration forward. Nigeria was able to negotiate and clear the Paris Loan Club. Though some Professors including Soludo thought Nigeria could have gotten a better deal. The advantage of clearing that Loan, Okonjo stated then, was to use the interest payments otherwise, especially for more pressing needs.
Afterall, it is during the same OBJ Administration era that Nuhu Ribadu challenged anyone to name any other administration that created a body like EFCC given a free hand to go after any looter, including OBJ friends: Afolabi and Chief of Police Tafa Balogun to name a couple. Even the son of the former President Babangida was ordered to state the source of his wealth for his stake in Globalcom. EFCC brought a sense of discipline that has since disappeared.
El Rufai, the Administrator of Abuja under Obasanjo made his mark. He regularized and cleaned up Abuja, where high-ranking politicians obtained land and built houses anywhere, anyhow on unallocated plots. El Rufai got away with his draconian cleanup because he had the back of Obasanjo like the others.
By the time Professor Soludo took the reign as Governor of the Central Bank, the financial players within the Central Bank became cautious about the reputation of who was backing Soludo. Nobody dared the truckload of foreign monies moving out like we witnessed during the Military regime of Abacha or disappearance of a chunk in Foreign Reserve within 6 months of Abubakar’s reign. Recently, we realized that Emefiele, as Central Bank Governor, printed money for himself and his cronies.
African Moral Value remains the moral character needed to curb the culture of corruption that has plagued our sense of responsibilities as our brothers’ keepers. We cannot rest on the fighting spirit of those saviors that made Slavery dangerous and unprofitable on the sea and land. This is the reason Africans use any small fortune they acquire to travel by airplane to places their forefathers fought to escape.
There are many instances Africans could have used as opportunities to free themselves from the shackles of fellow Africans that put them back into the Dark Continent. These leaders are members of our families, communities, governments that were voted for out of parochial interest. Even when they seized Power by force promising to clean up the Augean Stable, we lately find ourselves in bigger holes.
Our distractors like Ian Smith of Southern Rhodesia and Pik Botha of South Africa ridiculed the idea of Africans ruling themselves progressively. Outside the Continent, the enablers that benefit from the loot kept by our leaders, some of whom died without realizing how much they stole or kept in foreign accounts, call us “fantastically corrupt”. Yet they dominate our markets siphoning precious metals, demanding taxes and royalties into their banks.
Africans in general and Nigerians in particular talk and point to Enabling Environment as the cure for all our problems. Indeed, we were lectured by Western Leaders that what Africans need is a strong System, not a strongman! Today, we have strongmen taking over governments, not only in Africa and Asia but in Europe and Americas. Oh yeah, seriously?
When numbers of voters work in favor of a political party, they can afford to practise liberal democracy and preach a civilized environment. Once the numbers of voters change, against strongmen, they improvise for anything that can propel them into Power. This is crucial before understanding or admitting how Africa got caught in arrested development. Especially since we lost our selfless and dedicated Activists that led our countries into Political Independence.
Farouk Martins Aresa @oomoaresa1
