Life And People
Atiku Abubakar And The Survival Of Democracy In Nigeria -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed
The Wazirin Adamawa has been a domineering figure in the Nigerian political space in the last twenty years. Clearly, if leadership qualities are about being charismatic, courageous, intelligent, sociable, honest, caring, altruistic and selfless, Atiku Abubakar has a surfeit of these qualities.
In advanced Democracies, people elect leaders of their choice based on their conviction. The people elect those with track records of performance that espouse the ideals of democracy and good governance; those that have the capacity and willingness to pursue and advance shared societal goals. It is generally believed that the greatest problem facing the country, Nigeria is bad leadership. Poor leadership has denied Nigerians the desired dividends of Democracy and brought untold hardship, inequality, injustice, poverty, corruption, culture of impunity, disunity, strife and violence. Nigerian’s quest for credible leadership has been hampered by a number of factors ranging from ignorance, poverty to adverse socio-political orientation.
Evidently, Nigeria has many with great leadership qualities but our harsh political environment bestridden by self-seeking generals and conscienceless political jobbers has made it difficult for the right leadership to emerge. Thus, when I read a piece recently in the online media entitled: Understanding the political philosophy of Atiku Abubabakar, I was touched deeply not because the writer articulated what was Atiku Abubakar’s democratic values but because it shows that many recognized the enormous contributions and the sacrifices he has made for the enthronement and survival of Democracy in Nigeria. Secondly, it shows that with people like Atiku with the right patriotic mindset, our sinking democratic ship can be rescued from the brinks if the people are allowed to make a choice about who leads them.
His Excellency Atiku Abubakar (GCON), the Wazirin Adamawa has been a domineering figure in the Nigerian political space in the last twenty years. Clearly, if leadership qualities are about being charismatic, courageous, intelligent, sociable, honest, caring, altruistic and selfless, Atiku Abubakar has a surfeit of these qualities. And if leadership style and skills are about attitudes and ability to influence people and forge mutually rewarding relationships, then Atiku Abubakar also has demonstrated that in both his private and public lives.
Nigeria is a heterogeneous nation with different tribes and tongues, with different cultural orientation and world views. Only a statesman with liberal mind and the right attitude that understand the plurality and the challenges facing the nation can lead the country out of the present precipice. Leading a country like Nigeria will require conceptual skills and mental toughness and the political will to rise above parochial and ethnic sentiments. It will require a detribalized patriotic personality that will build bridges across regional and cultural divides.
No doubt, Atiku Abubakar is a democrat. He is one of the few Nigerian politicians that have internalized the culture of Democracy. Right from the early days of his entrée into politics he has shown his preference for democratic ideals. Realizing the adverse influence of the military incursion into polity, he joined forces with progressive forces to fight the military from all fronts to restore Nigeria to Democracy. He abhors violence in all ramifications and that is why he preaches peace and unity everywhere he goes. He believes in the rule of law. He believes that in an environment like ours with disparate interests, dialogue and constructive engagement should be the procedure for conflict resolution.
Atiku Abubabakar is a statesman. He is patriotic and completely detribalized. He is at home in any part of the country. He thinks, speaks and dreams Nigeria. He puts the country first in his political decisions. As observes by a colleague, Atiku’s political philosophy revolves around building strong, united and economically viable Nigeria. And his greatest ambition is to make his contribution and impact on making Nigeria rise and work again. He does not play politics of bitterness. He does not play tribal politics that is why he is strongly advocating for restructuring even when the North the political bloc he belongs is opposed to it.
Atiku Abubakar is courageous and bold. He has the charisma and the clout to pursue his political ambition. He does not shy away from taking decisions. He is not afraid to speak his mind and he sees it as a bounden duty to criticize wrong and anti-people policies. This is why some misconstrue that for arrogance. He is an astute peoples’ manager who has mentored and economically and politically empowered many Nigerians. He has a network of friends and political structures across every political bloc in Nigeria. His political structure the PDM was the core group that formed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He has the maturity and the can-do spirit—something that has distinguished him from his contemporaries. This is why many believe that Atiku Abubakar can beat any Nigeria in this dispensation in a free and fair election. It is said that he is the only one capable of saving Nigeria from the strangle hold of oppressors and hence the sponsored campaign of calumny from his traducers.
He is altruistic and passionate about his countrymen. He has concern for the ordinary citizens; something he has demonstrated in his philanthropic gestures and advocacy. He has made enormous sacrifice and suffered personal losses for the country. He supports programmes and policies that will benefit the generality of the citizens. He opposed OBJ’s Third Term Agenda because it was anti-democratic even when he could be a possible beneficiary of it. And for his principle opposition to the tenure elongation plot, he faced persecution which he endured with equanimity.
He has a strong pedigree and track record of success. He is an accomplished business mogul with a thriving business empire with investments in different sectors of the economy, employing over fifty thousand Nigerians—one of the highest employers of labour in the private sector. So, obviously he is not one of the many jobless folks in the political arena that live on politics. He is in politics to make a mark, not to make money. He wants to invest his money, talent and live to better the lots of the average Nigerians.
Nigeria and Nigerians will benefit immensely if they chose a leader like Atiku, who is patriotic, detribalized and passionate about service to his father land and whose interest in politics is not to make money but to serve. Thus, as 2023 beckons and as the political gladiators and pretenders jostle for space, Nigerians must remember that their destiny is in their own hands. Nigerians should decide whether to repeat the mistake of 2015 or chose the path of unity and progress. With the current level of hardship and disillusionment in the land, it will be suicidal for Nigerians not vote for the country to work again. And I sincerely think that we need the likes of Atiku Abubakar to lead us out of the political quagmire into the path of prosperity and peace.
Hajia Hadiza Mohammed
An actress, social activist, politician
London, UK
