A Plea for Understanding
By Soji Akinrinade
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Governor Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State, meeting with some British political leaders in London, seeks their co-operation to ensure the growth of democracy in Nigeria
For Governor Abdullahi Adamu democracy gives vent to expressions of pent-up views and emotions, which is not necessarily a bad thing. This is why, according to him, democracy is still on course in Nigeria despite some anxiety over the 2007 elections.
The Nasarawa State governor, who met some top flight British politicians in London told them that what might be misinterpreted by foreigners as a heating up of the polity over the 2007 elections should really be viewed as the necessary teething problems of a new and growing democracy.
Governor Adamu, met and had discussions with Diane Abbott, member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, and Baroness Valerie Amos, leader of the House of Lords and a member of Prime Minister Tony Blair's cabinet, the meeting held separately on January 11 and 12, at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
The Nasarawa governor told both politicians that with Nigeria just coming out of dictatorship in the last few years, it was not unlikely that when general elections are near, different groups would jockey for positions in their eagerness to press their claims for power. But he added that the third term debate going on in the country was being blown out of proportion by many of the same people who have done much damage to Nigeria. He described some of those people as political jobbers who have lost their relevance under the new dispensation and are ready to do anything to rubbish the federal government.
Furthermore, he said Nigerians themselves are vociferous people who, with the advent of democracy, have once again found their voice and are unafraid to express their views. In that wise, he added, it was not unlikely that those who are unappreciative of Nigeria's past problems may misinterpret current debate and disagreements as signs that democracy is in distress.
At the meeting with Baroness Amos at the House of Lords, he said: "We know President Obasanjo has not told anyone he is running for a third term and has said both here (London) and in Germany that he would keep his oath of office and abide by Nigeria's constitution. The president is very much in the saddle and knows what he is doing."
Baroness Amos, who is the first black woman cabinet member and third woman ever to become Leader of the House of Lords, told the governor, the British government was watching developments in Nigeria with keen interest and would be hoping that Nigeria continues to be a beacon of hope for democracy on the African continent.
Nigeria should continue to ensure the system prospers in Africa's most populous nation.
Both the Baroness and the governor listed areas of cooperation between the two countries, including political and economic reforms and agreed that the cooperation must be strengthened in those areas. Governor Adamu emphasised that Nigeria has taken giant strides in the fight against corruption and would continue to need the help of the British government to tackle the cankerworm.
During lunch at the House of Commons with Ms. Abbott, the fiery left wing Labour Party politician who in 1987 became the first black woman to be elected MP, what to do about the grave situation in the Niger Delta was trashed out. Ms. Abbott had expressed concern over the plight of the inhabitants of the oil producing areas and wondered what the Nigerian government was doing to address their concerns. Governor Adamu explained the steps that had been taken by the government, including the setting up of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the 13 percent derivation agreed for the oil producing areas. But he added that what needs to be done by the federal government now is to try to neutralise the impact of the nation's dependence on the oil sector by shifting attention to other resources which are ready to be tapped. He said one of the ways to address the situation would be to empower state governments to be partners in the endeavour. At the moment, the constitution vests the power to tap mineral resources in the federal government. Governor Adamu, who has returned to Nigeria, used his meeting with Baroness Amos to invite her to the 10th Anniversary celebrations of Nasarawa State in October this year.
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