“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children”- African proverb
This is very likely to be my last
column in this great newspaper. Many times, I had asked to be allowed to stop writing, either permanently or for the duration of an engagement. I left when I needed to and returned without question. I am guessing here, but I think most newspapers respect columnists enough never to question their personal opinions or political leanings. Now that I have almost certainly come to the end of my column-writing days, I must thank the management and owners of papers that have provided me opportunities to write for their papers. I thank readers who read me, according to them, and others who flipped through my labour. I am grateful to critics, particularly those who understood me enough to take me up based on my opinions.
I learnt a lot more than those who spent their money to have me read to them, and I am grateful.
Three days ago, the political party I belong to held its Convention, primarily to elect new leadership. It elected me as its National Chairman to lead it, with colleagues and followers, and with the support of Nigerians, through the most difficult challenges to our broken democratic experiment. The Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, my Party, is over 70 years old, the longest surviving party in Nigeria. Its basic ideology, the emancipation of the poor from the impunity and greed of the powerful and wealthy, has never changed. It was not driven by stolen wealth or the desire of office, so those whose prime motive for participating actively in the political process steered clear of our Party.
The leader among our founding fathers, Malam Aminu Kano, was one of the most brilliant and courageous Nigerians. He and his colleagues took on a most conservative political elite armed only with political principles and the courage to change systems that sought to keep the poor and powerless permanently as supporting props. PRP had clear ideology and principles, something none of the Nigerian state political parties have. It was radical in comparison; stubborn in defence of its identity and unapologetic over an image crafted around it as the poor man’s party. While younger Nigerians, slaves to big-man parties and politics, laughed at our long history, our members, familiar with it and its ideology, wore it with pride.
More importantly, we boast of the largest proportion of young people in our party than any other party in Nigeria. We do not deploy our young to break heads and rig elections. We give them opportunities to stand for elective offices and help our party grow by being shining examples of good character and faith that real change is possible. Our party was founded by Nigerians from the North, but we are not a Northern party. I was profoundly moved by the number of delegates to our Convention who won contests to be delegates from Rivers, Plateau, Lagos, Adamawa, Kebbi and Borno states, and from all over Nigeria. Young people and professionals; women who shunned big political parties that use them only for public occasions, elderly professionals, intellectuals, businessmen and aged Nigerians who will not abandon nostalgia that struggles gave the weak and the poor hope, and who nurture hopes that Nigeria can be fixed.
Our Convention took place one day after a most insulting spectacle involving unshielded power and ambition which offend every value we hold dear as Nigerians and Africans. The APC, born of burning desire to be tough on corruption and elevate good governance, held its Convention on public property and spared no effort in reminding Nigerians that it represents everything wrong with Nigerian democracy. While thousands of citizens braved cordons, barricades, warnings and huge deployment of armed law and order agents paid by the public were being teargassed and shoved away, a President and his wife, 32 Governors, countless officials and delegates with pockets bursting with money sat comfortably to remind themselves that they have already won the 2027 elections. As Nigerians watched; many have wondered if the state of insecurity matters to those who are sure they will get another four years. Did our fat and confident landlords discuss the scandalous absence of electric power; the daily spilling of blood by criminals all over the country; the cost of living which looks like it is designed to deliberately squeeze the poor into humiliating submission as price for respite; the dangerous divisions and bitterness that look like the foundations of balkanizing the nation is an active agenda; the loss of faith that this administration will allow the conduct of free and fair elections; the alarming levels of alienation from the country; a broken political process, particularly the young Nigerian who turns loyalty into a commodity; the unbridled diversion of public resources into private pockets and partisan political ends; and the emergence of rule of the strong man in a fragile democracy.
We wait to see what the leading opposition party will do differently. But our party has a clear vision. Nigeria is in danger of being destroyed by a clique that sets us up to fight each other while they wine and dine without giving any thought to consequences. We believe this can change. We will work to restore the essence of the democratic system which gives people, not politicians power; leaders who are honest and accountable; citizens who chose leaders in free and fair elections. We will rebuild a Nigeria where the young have a sound and assured future; where crime and violence will be punished; where corruption will be treated as an assault on all our values; where state institution work as designed, where religion is not weaponized but is allowed to operate as fundamental value which demands justice and freedom. We will rebuild Nigeria into a nation of equals, where faith or ethnic identity is not a liability; where basic infrastructure is the right of citizens and not political commodities.
PRP does not believe it can do this alone. We will look for honest and Nigerians committed to changing our dangerous trajectory to submit themselves to the electoral process. We will work with individuals, groups and parties to build a momentum that will defeat politicians amassing our wealth to work their way into more misery for Nigerians. We have no illusions that this will be easy. We have seen how vital institutions that are central to a healthy democracy have been deployed against opponents. This is the time for all Nigerians who are alarmed at our decline and its trajectory to step up. Please join us. Nigeria can be fixed. It must be fixed. 2027 must be the year we say ‘No’ to weak and corrupt leaders. Let them all join the ruling party. It makes it easy to remove them.
Once again, thank you for reading me. Good bye.
The post A reluctant farewell, by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed appeared first on Vanguard News.