BY:
MOHAMMED BELLO
Recent happenings cutting across the political, Judiciary and economic spectrum, indicate that democracy is at work, no matter the Cynicism. The take off point on the heightened national anxiety is the President’s absence from the country due to health problem. This later dovetailed into what the President ought to do but did not do, WHAT the Constitution says and the interpretation of the National Assembly. Before then, on economic front was the crusade against the deceitful, corrupt banking structure embarked upon by the Central Bank of Nigeria. This has led to many cases in various courts in the land. There was also the saga on the swearing-in of a new Chief Justice of Nigeria.
And for the first time, there was an out going CJN swearing-in the incoming Chief Justice of Nigeria. The bottom line in all of these, is – “IS THE MACHINERY OF THE NATION RUNING? Once upon a time, in o ne Nigerian folk lore: There was a drought in the land, and villagers were asked to gather at the village square to pray for rainfall. On the appointed day, all villagers gathered but only one person came with an umbrella. THAT IS FAITH. And that is the Nigerian person. Faith is an item on the crest of our Coat of Arms. Our history as a people, as a nation amply demonstrated that our faith in the God we proclaim to serve, and our faith in the system that some day, somehow, we will get it right had remained a pillar too big and too strong, to be weakened now. We keep moving on dreaming big dreams. Every night an average person goes to bed without the assurance of waking up the next morning, but still plans for tomorrow.
THAT IS HOPE.
In all the, stages of our development, no matter the idealogical divide based on ethnicity, religion, class, and location, there is the HOPE that someday, the better life promised the people by our founding fathers and leaders since Independence will one day be fulfilled. Majority of Nigerians if not all, HOPE, that if tomorrow comes, it will be better than our ‘Yesterdays’ and our today. WHY? Because in our complex and intricate Union, trust is fundamental. This trust is likened to that of a one year baby, who, when thrown into the air, LAUGHS because the baby knows you will catch him or her mid-air. At any critical point in our nationhood, the trust that the unseen hand will give the Nation safe landing will always predictably suffice. Of these tripod, FAITH, HOPE AND TRUST, TRUST is the weak link. And as commentators say, an establishment is as strong as its weakest link.
Every single step our leaders take are not only prone to different interpretations but sometime outright misrepresentation. Often in our naivety, good counsels are analyzed based on premordial factors. This is due to lack of trust. The conduct of participants and security agents during the recent series of peaceful demonstrations embarked upon by the Civil Society, pro-government bodies and Youth Organizations are commendable steps in our democracy. Both sides were allowed free access to their destinations and given police protection. That is democracy and the rule of law at work. That should create room for trust between leaders and the people. People should hold their leaders accountable for their actions or inactions. However, there are dangerous political trends creeping into judicial matters. In politics, it is a common place for the losers to allege rigging and other forms of electoral malpractices: real or imagined.
The recourse to the rule of law which should be obeyed and respected by parties in a dispute often now creates further controversies after court pronouncements, especially from the supposedly loosing side. This should not be allowed to continue. The Media as agenda setters obviously has role to play here. Thus the interventions of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Guild of Editors, Nigeria. Union of Journalists are needed. Given the right atmosphere, based on our leaders’ constitutional oath to lead people aright, our collective faith, hope and trust will see us through these trying moments.
Source: recorded live from FRCN daily commentary
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