Babangida on nullification of Abiola’s election of 1993: “The beginning of a journey, the end of which nobody knows” (2)

 

IN my own opinion, Nigeria has not fully emerged from the disappointment at the turn of events of June 23, 1993. Rather, most Nigerians have lost interest in political elections. It is a notorious fact that many people in this country do not participate in elections whether local, state or national elections. A large number of Nigerians who are eligible to vote in most elections in the country do not participate in any election.  Most professionals and average Nigerians are dissatisfied with our electoral system. I have the opportunity to discuss this issue at different times with highly placed professionals in medicine, engineering, accounting, law and so on. The common ground is that those who participate in elective positions at present are those who want to make quick money. Indeed, it is true that elective positions have been turned into money making venture.

A classic example was the case of a student who graduated with First Class Honours in Chemistry when I was the Chairman of Council and Pro-Chancellor, UNILAG.  After convocation, I invited him to my office. I congratulated him. I asked him if he was interested in Masters’ Degree. He told me that he was interested and I sponsored him for his Masters Degree. About three years later,he came to me. In fact, I did not recognise him anymore.He introduced himself and told me that he had obtained his Masters’ Degree in Chemistry. I congratulated him and told him that I would sponsor his Ph.D Programme.

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To my surprise, the young man responded that he was not interested in Ph.D Programme .I asked him why he was not interested. In his response, he told me that his interest was politics. To convince me, he told me that he would spendabout three years to complete the programme. Even when he obtained the Ph.D, it would take many years to buy a car.  He told me that he was the best student in his secondary school days in his village. He said that his classmate who was an average student stopped his education after obtaining secondary school certificate and went to politics. He was the chairman of their Local Government. He had built two houses, he also had two cars. Finally he said that with his Ph.D it would be a long time before he could buy a car. I allowed him to leave my office without any comment.

Honestly, he was right. In Nigeria today, politics has become the most lucrative business. Successful medical practitioners including professors in medicines, geography or any other subjects are not as rich as a political office holders even at local government level.  To make matters worse, the exchange rate of our currency is about N1,500 to 1$. Translated to dollar, the salaries paid to Professors are than what cleaners earn in hospitals in England.

We need to address the important issue of the purpose of election of people’s representatives into elective positions in the country. It is my belief that election into any elective position at any level from ancient Greeceis an honour.It is not a position for making money.

In the First Republic, members of House of Assembly appreciated this important objective. They saw their election as an opportunity to serve the people. They did not earn salaries. Rather, they opted for only sitting allowances. Today, the only lucrative business is politics. If you want to become rich, go with politics.

 

Solution

I do not believe that Nigeria is without redemption. The dying hope in the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process can be resuscitated. Between 1950 and 1960 our founding fathers including Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sardauna of Sokoto and others who believed in one Nigeria worked hard, travelled to London and finally agreed on a constitution that would unite Nigeria, a country of many nations and tribes and came up with the 1960 constitution. They believed that the ethnic and religious  differences should not be seen as a weakness but as a source of strength. They quoted United States of America as a fusion of 50 independent states with a weak Central Government. Each state has the freedom to self-govern while the centre is charged with matter that affects the whole country.

After independence in 1960, they put into practice the system of regional government. The system worked very well. It encouraged each region to strive towards achieving remarkable development. Section 5 of 1960 Constitution of Nigeria provides as follows: 5. —(1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution and the Nigeria Independence Act, 1960, the constitution of each Region shall have the force of law throughout that Region and if any other law is inconsistent with that constitution, the provisions of that constitution shall prevail and the other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.  (2) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the constitution of a Region may be altered only by a law enacted by the legislature of that Region.  (3) A bill for a law to be enacted by the legislature of a Region altering any of the provisions of the constitution of that Region shall not be passed in any legislative home of that Region unless it has been supported on second and third readings by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of that legislative house and shall not be presented to the Governor of the Region for assent unless it has been passed by each legislative house of the Region.

(4) No law enacted by the legislature of a Region, to the extent that it alters any provision of the constitution of that Region to which this subsection applies, shall have effect unless a resolution supported by the votes of at least two-thirds of all the members of that House is passed by each House of Parliament signifying consent to its having effect.  (5) Where a new Region is established out of other territories or parts of other territories, Parliament may make laws for the peace, order and good government of that Region with respect to matters not included in the Legislative Lists (including provision for the constitution of that Region) for a period of six months after the establishment of that Region but thereafter Parliament shall have only such powers to make laws for that Region as it has in relation to the other Regions: Provided that nothing in this section shall preclude the legislature of that Region from’ making laws in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution and the constitution of the Region.

(6) Subsection (4) of this section applies to any provision of the constitution of a Region relating to-  (a) the establishment of any of the following, that is to say, the office of Governor, a legislative house, a legislature, an executive council, the office of any Minister of the Government, a High Court, an electoral commission, a public service com- mission, a judicial service commission, the office of a Director of Audit and the office of a Director of Public Prosecutions;  (b) the manner in which the Governor’s functions are to be exercised;

(c) the appointment, tenure of office and the terms of service of any of the following, that is to say, the Governor, the judges of the High Court, the members of the commissions referred to in paragraph (a) of this subsection, the Director of Audit and the Director of Public Prosecutions;

 (d) the functions of any of the following, that is to say, the executive council, the commissions referred to in paragraph (a) of this subsection, the Director of Audit and the Director of Public Prosecutions. (e) the appointment and tenure of office of Ministers of the Government and the allocation of portfolios;

(f) the summoning, sessions, prorogation and dissolution of the legislative houses;

(g) the establishment of a Consolidated Revenue Fund and other public funds, the authorisation of expenditure therefrom and the imposition of charges upon any public fund or upon the revenues and assets of the Region;

(h) appeals to the High Court from subordinate courts; and

(i) the procedure of the commissions referred to in paragraph (a) of this subsection.

Please send your comment/ opinion to president@abuad.edu.ng

AARE AFE BABALOLA, OFR, CON, SAN, LL.D (Lond.)