Values for African development (IV)

Continued from yesterday

5. Courage to do the Right thing for the good of the people

I quote here, extensively, excerpts from Chief Awolowo;s semi-biography, My March through Prison. These were his comments during his trial period:

I was satisfied that I had faithfully, dutifully and honestly kept my charge. As Leader of Government Business and Premier, I had served my time and the people of the Western Region well. As a political leader, I had conscientiously and relentlessly, done all in my power to advocate and promote the best interests of the peoples of Nigeria. In the circumstances, I deserved nothing but praise and a hallowed place of honour. But instead, I was being pushed around like a worthless chattel by those who had not contributed anything, as indeed I had, to the progress of Nigeria; and withal, I was now going to face charges of treasonable felony. Et cetera. How long the trial would last, I had no means of guessing. Whatever its length, it was the outcome that was important. If I were acquitted, it would be glorious. If I were found guilty, I might go to goal for life…

During the moments of this internal review, I regarded my oppressors, persecutors and political adversaries as a wicked and ruthless cabal. They controlled all the governments in the country, and hence all political powers. They did not hide their unbending determination to bring about my political destruction and if possible, my physical extermination as well.

The situation was unavailing and dreadful, and the immediate prospect looked utterly gloomy and dark. My adversaries were formidable and merciless. I had caused them too much offence. I had dared to advocate the practice of democracy throughout the country, and had carried my campaign into the lion’s own den.  I had dared to call on all the country’s political leaders to introduce measures which would rapidly lead to the liberation of the entire masses of lour people from the shackles of ignorance, poverty, and disease. I had also dared to call for the breaking of thee North in particular, and each of the other two Regions, into separate Regions. Above all, I had also dared to denounce, in no uncertain terms, feudalism and the ethnic hegemony under which one ethnic group arrogates to itself the right to govern the country in perpetuity, and to do what it likes regardless of the feelings of the other ethnic groups in the country.

What should I do in the prevailing and impending circumstances? Should I recant my standpoints, go on my kneel and beg for mercy? Perish the thought! This was the command from my true self and it cam clear and vivid… Having destroyed and banished from my mind that cowardly and negative thought intrusion, the only course open to me rushed into my mind with undimmed clarity. Relying on the justness of the cause, which God had, over the years inspired me to espouse, I was not in any doubt as to the ultimate triumph of that cause. In the faith of that ultimate victory, I made up my mind to go forward and fight, and do so every inch of the way with courage, grimness, resolution, relentlessness and defiance.

The injustice and impunity by one dominant tribe over others, in Awolowo’s time, which he decried and fought against, and the same Cabal which framed and punished him, still reigns in contemporary Nigeria. Might we say, it is one of the African calamities, that we kill our heroes and wish them the worst for daring to risk their lives to help people, societies and the nation.

6. Contentment, Humility and Endurance

Chief Awolowo was a successful man by all material means. He was clearly upper class by dint of hard work and industry. His twin degrees in Law and Commerce found confluence in his business acumen, political expertise, intellectual erudition  and leadership qualities. He was stoic in his approach to life. His expression of contentment is reflected in his interpretation of the essential values of life, when he was in prison. He contrasted his life as premier with that as a prisoner ‘of conscience’ and concluded that the affluence and flamboyant often associated with political office holders was ephemeral; what really matters to man are three needs : Food, clothing and shelter. What a view point from a former celebrated Head of Regional Government and head of a Political party, now incarcerated in a small , dingy, Spartan  cell at Calabar and at Lekki.

When he lost his eldest son, Olusegun Awolowo, due to an accident, while Chief was in prison, he was naturally devastated but bore the pain as a Christian. There is hardly any politician produced in Nigeria and indeed Africa who has had the huge impact of Awolowo but who had suffered betrayal and persecution not just from his political foes and feudal dictators, but from his Kiths and Kins. Herbert Ogunde’s record – Yoruba Ronu describes aptly the Yoruba attitude of betrayal of their kith and Kin. The melodrama attendant to Awolowo’s March through Prison reveals that the active participants, used by the Hausa Fulani leaders were fellow Yoruba. Awolowo recalls in his book that the Judge who sentenced him, Justice George Sowemimo, soon after sending Awolowo to prison, proceeded to Kaduna as guest of Sardauna of Sokoto. Sir Adetokunbo Ademola who presided over his Appeal case was an avowed Anti-Awolowo ‘Politicians in disguise’. We can see from his experience that another major evil plaguing Africa is compromised judiciary and miscarriage of justice. This situation prevails till today.

7. The Rule of Law, Justice and Fairness

Awolowo believed in the rule of law. Hence, in spite of all political and judicial conspiracies against his person, he persisted in subjecting himself to due legal process, exhausting all avenues of judicial redress until he was sent to prison.

It is gratifying that, our Special Guest at this year’s Obafemi AWolowo Foundation Lecture is the same leader who released Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison and immediately deployed his talent to use in service of the nation, as Vice- Chairman of the Federal Executive Council and Minister for Finance. Imagine that a military Hear of State was wiser and more pragmatic than a civilian government. This says so much about African model of democracy ! We celebrate His Excellency, General Dr. Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State in the glorious era of Nigeria. Iam personally pleased to have him attend this lecture and sustain his loyal support for the family and legacies of his former Deputy, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. It was my distinguished honour as Vice-Chancellor of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, to confer on General Gowon, the University’s honorary doctorate degree of Doctor of Laws. That opportunity afforded me opportunity to come personally close to our Hero and host him for a while. That was a lifelong ambition fulfilled for me. With General Gowon still alive, Nigeria and indeed Africa should utilize his wisdom and expertise to check the drifting of the nations of the continent of Africa. It was actually on account of African cause that, while attending a meeting of the Organization of African Unity that his regime was overthrown. Like Awolowo, Gowon was philosophical about his fate and proceeded to Europe to develop himself and with  doctorate degree, proved that life does not end with government appointments.

8. Strategic Planning and Foresight for Development :

Sub-Saharan Africa, home to more than 1 billion people, half of whom will be under 25 years old by 2050, is a diverse continent offering human and natural resources that have the potential to yield inclusive growth and eradicate poverty in the region. With the world’s largest free trade area and a 1.2 billion-person market, the continent is creating an entirely new development path, harnessing the potential of its resources and people.

The region is composed of low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income countries, 22 of which are fragile or conflict-affected. Africa also has 13 small states, characterized by a small population, limited human capital, and a confined land area.

The African economy remains underdeveloped despite decades of conceptualizing, formulating and implementing various types of economic policies and programmes, the African region contains a growing share of the world’s absolute poor with little power to influence the allocation of resources. The development challenges of Africa are deeper than low income, falling trade shares, low savings, and slow growth. In addition, they include high inequality, uneven access to resources, social exclusion, insecurity, environmental degradation, HIV/AIDS pandemic, among others.

African countries need to build transformative, good governance and democratic institutions. A crucial component of such institutions is strong leadership. Leadership in the developmental State aims at defining an agenda that meets the needs of the people and puts national interests above personal interests. In this vein, leaders should own a development strategy, expressed in a vision to overcome underdevelopment. Towards this end, the leadership needs to be committed to Africa’s industrialization and the creation of more productive and high-income opportunities in the formal sector, but must also be inclusive. Central to inclusiveness is that the State needs to ensure that people have opportunities to acquire assets and have access to sustainable employment” (Jean-De-La-Croix Nkurayija)

Chief Obafemi Awolowo was a clear leader in political engineering, statesmanship, innovation and planning . He was also a master craftsman in governance and developmental projects. These are too well-known and documented. His political thoughts published , including on constitutional reforms, development projects, justice and equity, investments, education and healthcare. He liaised with foreign countries and got them to invest in Nigeria’s agriculture and industrialization. He was  a man ahead of his generation. He was indeed Prophet Awolowo, for his prophecies about Nigeria’s future are coming to pass today as we struggle to get out of the political and social quagmire of unimaginable proportions today.

Thirty-five days before the transition of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he reflected on what the north was and what it could turn out to be. “I don’t believe that the north is destined to be educationally and socially backward. It is their people that make them so…,” Chief Awolowo said in an April 4, 1987 discussion with Professor Moses Makinde of the then University of Ife. He deplored the refusal of the north to embrace education for all and the consequences of what he called the ranka dede mentality of the poor majority in the north. The question has always been whether the north will ever catch up with the south in education. Awo answered that question: “How can you catch up with somebody who is running while you are crawling? See the way people in the old western region are contributing money to build one classroom or the other in the villages….But in the North, people are yet to put a premium on the education of their children. …But I think sooner than later, the leaders of the north will see the repercussion of their selfishness and carelessness in their attitude towards western education. But the time will be too late, and if they don’t regret it or blame themselves for lack of foresight, the northern youth may ask their leaders some questions when they see the rate of development that goes with education in many parts of southern Nigeria. They may then wonder whether it was in their stars or in the selfishness, carelessness, and lack of foresight of their past and present leaders…” (see Awo as a Philosopher by Moses Makinde (2002); page 281).

Challenges of Leadership and Development in Africa Today

The basic challenge of genuine nationhood in Africa is encapsulated in a stanza of th e Nigerian National Anthem :

Arise, O compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey

To serve our fatherland

With love and strength and faith

The labor of our heroes past

Shall never be in vain

To serve with heart and might

One nation bound in freedom, peace, and unity.

Good people who can make good use of the nation’s plural religious nature and ethnic diversity are needed to take charge of the ship of state that floats adrift at the moment. We are all in a colossal mess and at risk of  capsizing inside the  boat Nigeria. What we need is a good pilot. And it does not matter what religion or ethnic group the person belongs. A sick man on life-support who is in dire need of blood transfusion will not care if the blood to be donated to him belonged to a person of different religion or ethnic group. When we fly in Airplanes, the religion of the Pilot matters not; what matters is his or her expertise. And all our lives are actually in the hands of the God and the Pilot once we are air borne!

To be continued tomorrow