If past lessons is anything to go by, Nigeria will do itself a lot of good by sticking with a lasting solution, not a deceitful and a “buy time” alternative.  Right now those hell bent on abandoning rotational presidency at this moment in time, for their self-serving reasons, are doing that without recourse to the consequences of that on the nation.  Northern Nigerians have already been pushed too far by events, within the past decade, including indiscriminate killings by people in authority.  With another maneuver that glaringly denies them their right, no one can predict with certainty what will follow. 

For those who can recall events that gave rise to Nigerian civil war, it was denied justice that was the major instigator.  When the authorities who took over from the civilians after the gruesome murder of Northern Nigerian leaders exhibited unwillingness to prosecute the perpetrators, Northern Nigerians and their leadership gave them respite for six full months, urging the leadership under Major General Aguiyi Ironsi to act.  When nothing happened, the result was the tumultuous string of revenge attacks that set in motion a chain of events which culminated in the Nigerian Civil war.  While we pray the nation does not go back to that jungle justice, we urge those in position of leadership within the nations Courts, Legislature and other pockets of authority to wade in on the issue for Nigeria’s sake.  And as for the Party, they need to seriously weigh their decisions carefully before they impose them on the nation.   

To the Muslims, The Quran gives us a scenario of what a “Just Judgment” is.  It draws from the story of two Prophets, Dawud (AS) and his son Suleiman (AS), or the Prophets David and Solomon. To non Muslim readers, the two prophets in Islam are true to their prophetic work and service.  The Islamic Solomon and David are clean.  Islam did not attribute to them foul manners such as adultery, sorcery, tyranny and cultic practices.

You may be aware of the story of the two judgments given by two Prophets of God; one mature (David) and the other while still a lad (Solomon, David’s son, before his Prophethood was conferred).  In it, Allah teaches us, that he gave the wisdom of better judgment to the lad (Solomon), and in the usual non arrogant nature of the people of God, the father (David) settled the issue using his son’s judgment as the more just one. 

The Quran revealed: [Chapter of the Prophets, 21:78-79] “And remember David and Solomon, when they gave judgment in the matter of the field into which the sheep of certain people had strayed by night: we did witness their judgment. [79] To Solomon we inspired the (right) understanding of the matter: to each (of them) we gave judgment and knowledge;” To Solomon, the verse said “we gave the right understanding of the matter.”

Briefly, some sheep strayed into someone’s farm during the night and ate up the tender plants that the owner has planted.  The owner of the farm and that of the Sheep both went for judgment to Prophet Dawud (David) on him be peace, their ruler.  The farmer said he had lost his entire crop for the year.  Dawud passed a judgment that the sheep owner had to surrender his flock to compensate for the loss of harvest.  Solomon, then a lad of about eleven years old (by some narrative accounts), advised his father on a better solution.  The judgment is too harsh on the owner of the sheep, he explained.  The farmer did not lose his farm but only the crops for that year, but the sheep owner was losing his herd.  He therefore advised that the farmer keep the sheep on his farm for a year, using their wool, milk and when necessary some of their offspring to recoup his loss for that year, then turn them over to their owner the following year. In such judgment, both retained their capital and means of livelihood.

The nation will surely do itself a lot of good if they go with the most fair and just settlement that rests the issue for good and diffuse the tension it has generated.  No one person should impose himself on a nation in a way that is glaringly unjust to millions of its people, and in a way that makes a mockery of his party’s integrity. In recent history Nelson Mandela has demonstrated to Africans and the world in general that leaders could remain statesmen with their integrity intact, when they do the right thing.  Realizing the nation comes first and weighing his options, he chose to surrender the reigns while on the seat of power, the nation’s number one citizen, even though he has all the rights and authority to run for a second term.  His nation today has remained a respected nation not only on the continent of Africa, but to the world in general


(c) The Optimist Voice. Al rights reserved

 

NIGERIA NEWS

 

A Just Settlement to Rotation

Hadiza Wada, DBA ...July 24, 2010

In any legal tussle, there is a judgment that settles the issue, and one that settles it justly.   The first resolves it temporarily leaving the tension intact only to resurface later; and the other ensures that the settlement is just, allowing the matter to rest for good.  And as one can rightfully discern from the two situations, there is a tremendous difference between them.

Denying the nation a just and lasting solution to rotational presidency by any individual, institution or group of people is not only unjust, but hypocritical and unbecoming of any one bold enough to call himself a leader. Why should the nation be confined to the two alternatives the politicians are imposing on the nation, i.e. between the abandonment of rotational presidency and its continuance?  Why can’t the nation benefit from a just and lasting solution to that obviously confusing and unjust arrangement?  

It is amazing indeed how the issue has deliberately diverted from the most obvious and just solution.  Of the two PDP camps that appear with comments as to how their thought pattern is, it is hard to pitch camp with any of them without having some difficulty in the final analysis.

One camp insists that rotational presidency is unconstitutional, and should therefore be abandoned now.  The camp however, is filled with people whom one can easily see what their ulterior motive is.  We hear that the camp is led by former Plateau State governor Solomon Lar, the newly appointed Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Senator Isaiah Balat, former Information Minister Prof. Jerry Gana, former PDP National Chairman Chief Barnabas Gemade, and former Kogi State Governor Prince Abubakar Audu.

To be candid, even to themselves i.e. the Solomon Lar camp, it has never been an issue of giving Nigerians the best, the most just, and/or the constitutionally upright alternative.  If it were so, we should have heard from the same group, in the same desperate voice we hear from them now, urging for its abandonment since 1999, when the issue was first tabled.  The truth they leave us with is, it served their purpose then, so we did not hear from them.  It is not going to serve their purpose now, so we keep hearing from them.

To the other camp, who say the nation should not abandon the rotational presidency issue, they also leave us with half truths.  The group is obviously canvassing for the continuance of the arrangement in order to recoup their rightful and deserved turn.  They should know however, that rotational Presidency has no stability, for it has no foundation in the law of the land. The hard truth is they did not use that obvious truth to canvass for its abandonment since 1999 when it surfaced, and that leaves a lot of question mark in the minds of their constituents.  To that camp the papers lead us to believe, belonged most current Northern State governors. Other names mentioned include M D Yusuf former Inspector Gen of police, former Senate President Iyorchia Ayu, former Governor of old Kaduna State Alhaji Lawal Kaita, Action Congress (AC) chieftain Prof. Ango Abdullahi and former Federal capital Territory (FCT) Minister Air Vice-Marshal Hamza Abdullahi.

The just solution, we all know, should be the solution that rests the matter for good in a completely just and fair way.  And that solution is; to confirm without any hesitation that rotational presidency is illegal, unjust and unconstitutional.  The constitution in any nation is the main document upon which any other legal issue draws guidance from. No law or policy of any group should contradict it. That rests the legal aspect of it. The other issue is, one party has enjoyed it and is desperately trying to prevent the other party from enjoying it too. To be just, in a way that leaves everyone fully compensated, the North will have to complete its term before the arrangement gets dissolved. This is the most just settlement of the issue. 

One sure way to derail justice or deny it, is to either innocently or deliberately refuse to understand the real issues involved, dwelling instead on some of the issues and using them as basis for resolution.  The rest of the issues remain unresolved and unattended to by authorities.  And because they are genuine and exist in reality, such problems tend to seek other uncontrolled channels, most of the time with catastrophic consequences. On the issue of rotation, either the two camps within the ruling party PDP are not deliberating as serious and as meaningful as they should, or the press is manipulating the debate and giving us half truths.