Mr (Alhaji) Hakeem Baba Hamed is not your run of the mill character or individual, rather he is a privileged person backed up with pedigree and a successful career. Mr Baba Hamed is not the archetypal Nigerian who has had to really struggle and having to prove his brilliance and capacity to earn his/her stripes. Mr Baba Hamed is also lucky to be associated, probably by default with the privileged power structure of Nigeria, which continues to have its way, even if it is perceived that it isn’t having its say in the power calculus of the country, sometimes.
So, Mr Hakeem Baba Hamed’s recent ‘’outburst’’, should be seen as a reflection of the way the Nigerian state is. However, the reaction that might ordinarily be elicited would be that of anger and disdain. What Hakeem Baba Hamed displayed was taking our politics to another level, but what Nigerians are faced with is the need to have a frank debate about which direction Nigeria should take. The days of name callings and catcalls are over, rather the main question we Nigerians should ask ourselves is, do we want the country intact, as the founding fathers/mothers of the country hoped for?
What Baba Hamed brought to the limelight has always manifested itself in form of the governance structure of the country and politicking, going back to pre-independence Nigeria. The only difference before now, was that the puppeteers and their collaborators were quite wily, knowing fully well the implications of being brazen. Fast forward to 2021, the sons and daughters of the puppeteers have come out to dance in the open in the proverbial market square with theirs robes of grandeur and a smirk of arrogance to boot.
In a democracy, freedom of expression is allowed but of course this needs to be balanced against the backdrop of an established secular and multi-ethnic/religious society. In a multi-ethnic or multi-religious democracy, the respect of diversity requires balancing of sorts, it’s not negotiable. This should be the ideal picture of a functional democratic Nigeria. When Baba Hamed is referring to the north, he presented the fudged image of a monolithic enclave, purportedly speaking for the ‘’old north’’, I presume. What brought about Baba Hamed’s angst was the fear of perceived attack on privileges taken for granted for close to a century. While Baba Hamed enjoyed the privileges of state and still obviously does, what was his position about the fate of the other minorities of the north who for no fault of theirs don’t fall under the ‘’much favoured’’ class, who continuously wish for a peaceful life in their various domains. Baba Hamed and his likes haven’t played the role of the good gate keeper for them, or have they?
Back to the basics of democracy, Baba Hamed said ‘’we (the old north), will continue to lead Nigeria as we have always led the country, because we have the numbers’’. Under the political philosophy of the old north, things could have been done in a way which slowed down the progress of the whole country and the rest of Nigeria couldn’t or wouldn’t summon the courage to speak against it. In 2021 Nigeria’s reality makes the philosophy antiquated and, presents a clear and present danger to holding the fabric of the country together.
In 2021, a band of foreign legions under the tutelage of ethnic hegemonists are rampaging through a vast swath of the country disrupting people’s livelihood and even indulging in what has been described as ethnic cleansing. To lead Nigeria the way it always has been led, and having the numbers, in 2021 gives Nigeria some unenviable statistics such as Nigeria being the poverty capital of the world, the country with the highest numbers of out of school children. Nigeria also falls within the top five most terrorised country globally. While Nigeria still reels under the yoke of being led the way it has always been, because there is the perceived advantage of having the numbers, by ‘‘its owners’’, the currency the Naira, has been plummeted with high inflation levels in over a decade. The country’s debt profile has rallied up back to pre-1999 levels and there are no signs of abating. The phraseology of, ‘’there is hunger in the land’’ is fast becoming absorbed into daily discourse.
Despite the riches that Nigeria has been blessed with, the country has continuously witnessed phenomenal migration over the past four decades and this has no intention of stopping anytime soon. What makes the migration issue worrisome is the lack of fate of the youth population who now constitute the largest percentage of those leaving the country, without the hope of returning. They are the productive population. The young minds are the future of the country or any country.
In the absence of a strong and vibrant youth population, who curiously happen to be in the majority presently, what type of society does Baba Hamed and his ilk want to superintend over, in five to ten years? The youth are certainly not in agreement with Hakeem Baba Hamed’s governance philosophy. If they are, they wouldn’t have the strong urge to jump ship. So, does Hakeem baba Hamed believe in an inclusive and truly democratic society, where everyone feels a strong sense of belonging or does he just see Nigeria as a fiefdom and him, one of the royal princes? Without waiting for an answer, the blunt reminder is, this is 2021 and somehow signals the beginning of the future of the entity called Nigeria. But why would Baba Hamed worry, when he can easily get on the next available direct or indirect flight to Nouakchott.
© Copyright, Olugbenga Adebanjo
Ojuriblog 