On Wednesday, September 12, 2018, the nation woke to a news so shocking that newsstands were flooded by teeming Nigerians who wanted to catch a glimpse of what they had heard by mistake. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu had told Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, whom he supported so vociferously in 2015, point blank that he would not be getting a second term. And that is not unconnected to an issue that has continued to slow down Nigeria’s development: godfathers wanting to have the entire domain, which in this case is a state, in their pockets. And the largely obvious control that the Jagaban Borgu continues to exercise over the state is becoming harmful to Nigeria’s democracy.
ROOT OF THE SKIRMISHES
In an investigative article authored by Olalekan Smart, the Journalist revealed how the relationship between godfather and godson had gone smoothly, the former handpicking almost all of the latter’s appointees, dishing out instructions on developmental policies and projects, and other sundry exercise of control.
However, like most godsons are wont to do, the latter bit the hand that fed him. The problems that currently exist between Gov. Ambode and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has its roots in a certain multi-billion Naira contract for the procurement of OB-Vans and numerous cameras for use by the state-owned Lagos Television.
The said contract was awarded to a certain English company through a Lebanese and was overruled by Tinubu when he got wind of it. However, after several pleas, he decided to let sleeping dogs lie. The last straw that broke the camel’s back, according to the report, was a few weeks ago when it was discovered that the OB-van was yet to be delivered and the cameras delivered were way below standard. Being that the fund appropriated for its purchase had been withdrawn from the coffers of the state, the likelihood of a fraud was rife. This reportedly annoyed Tinubu to the extent of rejecting his son with whom he was ‘well pleased’.
WHAT OBTAINS IN LAGOS vs. WHAT OBTAINS IN REAL DEMOCRACY
The word ‘real’ was intentionally adopted because it is of a certainty that when, in 1999, General Abdulsalam Abubakar harbored the thought of returning Nigeria to democracy, he must have had developed nations in mind. However, 19 years down the line, it remains to be seen if he is disappointed or not with what the seed he sowed has borne.
In, say Canada or Germany or France or the United States or the United Kingdom, unless it is constitutionally established in the case of monarchy, hardly does one find what is playing out in Lagos play out there. There is no single state for which any single man handpicks the Governors (or Mayors as the case may be), controls the treasury of the state, owns a sizeable part of the economy, yet is not in any office of any kind. Perhaps it existed, it might only have existed in centuries past and not the 21st century. For countries that make the world tick, phenomena like this are past tense and for Nigeria to make considerable progress, her most developed state must come out of the pocket of one man.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO LAGOSIANS
The flurry of activities that took place on Thursday and Friday only goes to show one thing: quite contrary to the lip-service being paid to development in Lagos, it is not really about the Lagosians. What this means is that Lagos, like Kwara, is fast becoming the centre stage for a battle of egos that involves a certain monarch and a political lineage. And that is not too good for the fifth largest economy in Africa.
This latest showdown is one of many in a series of power-plays that have sought to undermine the power of voters in Lagos. This, and many more, has happened (and will happen) because the dramatis personae—which, in this case, are Tinubu and his cohorts—understand that it is who they handpick Lagosians will vote for. And when that becomes an established fact, the next port of call might be to brazenly and continuously trample upon the rights of Lagosians.
WHAT LAGOSIANS MUST DO
Thus, as Nigerians showed the Peoples Democratic Party how voters react when they feel insulted, it is time to show the overlords of Lagos that inebriety from power is a phenomenon that must stop in Nigeria, and indeed, Africa. If it remains that the incumbent remains the best man for the job by the next election, then by all means he should be elected. However, if the governorship continues to be won based on party affiliation alone, then the doomsday for the state is near.
Finally, the alarm bells have gone ringing for Lagos and, like in George Orwell’s classic, Animal Farm, if the animals in the farm do not take heed, the Napoleons of the land will take over and sell the commonwealth of the state for a table with the devil.
