WHAT PETER OBI CAN LEARN FROM AWOLOWO

JOSHUA J. OMOJUWA challenges Peter Obi to draw a blueprint on how to govern Nigeria

There are many ways to lose a game, your opponent is so good, you are so bad, a combination of both or you were indeed just as good as your opponent, but you were unlucky to lose. In the context of Nigeria’s 2027 elections, the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) is building a formidable base whilst the main challenger, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) must navigate a primary election process that is certain to bring its brewing differences to the fore. Atiku Abubakar is the man to beat in the ADC whilst Peter Obi is his main challenger. Things aren’t as clear in play. The APC is stronger than ever, but the ADC cannot even speak of strength yet.

Some APC politicians insist Peter Obi already agreed a deal to be Atiku’s running mate again, but the angst amidst his supporters against such a proposal suggests that he’d be navigating a crisis were that to be the case. Peter Obi, in essence, is the main opposition in the ADC whilst being a major opposition figure to the incumbent party, the APC. Playing such a dual opposition role ought to be an opportunity. Obi on his part has chosen to play the game how he has always played it; project every negative news that isn’t from the South-East, amplify every perceived or real failing of government and insist on not seeing progress. These would all be fine if he also developed the habit of proposing his own ideas for development.

He recently posted what he called, ‘A Distressing January for Nigeria’, on his X account. Expending almost 400 words to say what Nigerians are so used to hearing, songs have been sung about them for decades. What he could have done differently is the only thing he never does. What would he do about Nigeria’s insecurity challenges? No one knows. More importantly, he doesn’t either. What is his blueprint on Education? He could not answer Seun Okinbaloye on how he would fix Electricity, so here one can be certain he has no clue. He wrote of “failing infrastructure,” when in the same breath he was condemning the construction of bus terminals and repeatedly knocked the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road.

Peter Obi is as much in denial of reality as he seems to have no clue about the things that are objectively problematic, for instance, Insecurity. This January, Nigeria closed billion-dollar deals in the oil and gas sector whilst big deals were consolidated in the power sector. Shell’s $20bn, Exxon Mobil’s $1.5bn, Seplat, Geregu and the likes. Not to mention Coca-Cola’s new $1b commitment to the Nigerian Economy.

Nigeria locked in partnership with the United States on multiple fronts having turned a seemingly perilous situation into profit; the same country Peter Obi said he’d be happy for them to invade our country. The IMF listed Nigeria amongst the top 10 contributors to Global GDP in the same month. This wasn’t a prediction or an honorary mention, it was a report based on what has already been achieved. Had the IMF listed Nigeria amongst the top 10 worst contributors to Global GDP, you most likely would have heard about it via a Peter Obi post. Here, he was decidedly so quiet, one could hear the echo of his silence.

The Economist conceded that the Nigerian economy is beginning to show good results from the reforms, etc. How can The Economist be more optimistic than you about a country you publicly claim to love? The Naira had its best month against the Dollar in over a year. Investors are speaking the language of objectivity by putting their money behind their optimism in the Nigerian economy. Nigeria is on the go. That is why Obi and his likes can never say that they will reverse the subsidy or forex reforms. Despite knocking it initially, with elections now closer, he cannot commit to stopping work on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road. He condemned all these at the start, but he has since abandoned his advocacy against them.

As an ADC member, Peter Obi cannot campaign against ‘the structure of criminality’. Because if he was right about any such structure, he is now firmly established as part of it, as he always was before his latest party sojourn. Like he said, his ADC leaders are his brothers and friends. He cannot differentiate himself as a good man by contrasting them as the bad guys. The wind sailed with that as soon as he left the Labour Party for the ADC. What he could do differently is the one thing he has never learnt to do; let Nigerians know how he’d govern better. He can learn from Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s template here.

A lot has been said and written about Awo’s generational leadership in the Western Region. Having taken time to read about his service years, I discovered that people hardly ever speak about the practical and often arduous ways he had to raise the money to fund his projects and programmes.

There is hardly talk of the stern opposition he faced in parliament. The nostalgic renditions of Awolowo’s exemplary leadership often start and end with the outcomes; the new free schools and expanded school enrolment, teacher training and school teaching reforms, Frigidaire policy, the then unprecedent infrastructural development, health, local government reforms, etc. To achieve these, Awolowo expanded the region’s revenue base exponentially. That included raising taxes, a move that was so unpopular, it cost his party elections.

If you hear the Awolowo stories told by those who lived under his government, you could inadvertently get deceived to think he was a populist. Awolowo was anything but. He was also so clear about his ideas, you always knew what you would get with him. These days, we know what opposition politicians like Obi do not like about Nigeria. It is the same things every sane Nigerian does not like. But anyone who tells you that he knows how they’d fix these problems wants you to believe in what doesn’t exist.

 Omojuwa is chief strategist, Alpha Reach/BGX Publishing