The Significance of Obama’s Election to Nigeria and its diaspora

INTRODUCTION

On November 4, 2008, a remarkable event occurred in the United States of America: a Kenyan-African-American named Barack Hussein Obama, aged 47, Federal Senator from the State of Illinois, was elected to be the 44th President of the USA in its 56th presidential election since George Washington was first elected in 1789. He is the first African-American so honored, and the second Illinois legislator ever to be elected president [after Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)].

This was a keenly-fought contest against white Senator John McCain from Arizona, war hero with a military family pedigree. Needing only 270 Electoral Votes to clinch the position, the result was a big national mandate for Obama: 64,975,682 million popular votes (or 53%) and 364 Electoral Votes for Obama to 57,118,380 million (46%) popular votes and 174 Electoral Votes for McCain. The Democratic candidate Obama won the highest votes EVER recorded by ANY president of the United States, winning in states like Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Colorado and Nevada that were considered too Republican for a generation now to attempt a win. He competed well in many other states even where he lost the popular vote, winning almost every demographic imaginable. To this writer, a Nigerian immigrant with five children all born in the United State, who has lived in the United States continuously since December 1978, who has now witnessed the last eight US presidential contests, who voted in last four of them, who actively participated in some little way in this year’s contest, and teaches in a historically black college (Howard University) right in the heart of the nation’s capital where one almost sees the Capitol and the White House on a daily basis, the outcome is of immense socio-cultural and political implications, both to Nigerian/African immigrants as well as to Nigeria/Africa.

OUR CHILDREN CAN ASPIRE WITHOUT NAME AMPUTATION OR ABANDONMENT...

Raised by his white mother and grandparents, and for a time living with an Asian step-father, Barack’s life trajectory is a remarkable one. His Black father may not have been with him all his life, but he (Obama Junior) knew where his father was from (Kenya), even his ethnic group (Luo) and visited with his extended family in Kenya. Yet he was American enough to love his country of birth, participate fully as a citizen and now attain its presidency WITHOUT changing his name to fit the majority White-Anglo-Saxon orthodoxy. Although he went by “Barry” for a while, a cultural epiphany made him to change back to his original “Barack” (for “thunder” in Hebrew but “blessed one” in Arabic/Swahili) – not “That One” as he recently joked in backhand reference to .

Obama joked throughout his campaign that whoever gave him his names obviously never thought that he should aspire to become the president of the United States of America. But we can all look at him now, and tell our children born in the US that provided you live a clean life, go to the best schools that you possibly can, do the best in school that you possibly can, even possibly become a mere community organizer somewhere before beginning your political career ANYWHERE in the United States – and along the way possibly marry a beautiful or handsome African(-America) spouse and loving partner - you too can become a legislator (state or federal), a governor of a state – or the President of the United States of America, WITHOUT amputating your family-given first and/or last name out of recognition.

OUR COUNTRY CAN LEARN (ONCE AGAIN) FROM THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS OF FREE, FAIR AND CREDIBLE ELECTIONS…

Participatory democracy is a desideratum for any country that wishes to develop socially and politically, and free, fair and periodic elections are a grund-norm for such a democracy. Although the United States unilaterally declared its Independence from Great Britain in July 1776, it did not become an operational (con)federal government with a ratified Constitution until March/April 1789, whereupon it elected its first president in George Washington who took office on April 30, 1789.

There have been periodic four-year terms for the presidents ever since each begun with an election - exactly fifty-six of them including Barak Obama’s. Ever since, no military coups, nothing…..unlike Nigeria where we have had more than dozen successful and failed coup attempts since Independence in 1960. One sincerely hopes that one has seen the last of military coups in Nigeria – the last successful one against an elected government was against President Shehu Shagari by Mohammed Buhari in December 1983, and the last successful one against a military regime was against Buhari himself by Ibrahim Babangida in August 1985. [Abacha’s coup of sorts of November 1993 was against a transition civilian government of Shonekan following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election.] In Obama’s election, no election-related violence, nothing…in eighteen months of a tough primary contest within each of the two main parties (Democrats and Republicans), and about four months of the general contest between Obama and McCain, to the best of the knowledge of this author, no one was knifed or gunned to death specifically over the campaign. Even the hint of an assassination attempt against Obama by a deranged pair of Neo-Nazis was quickly squelched.

In Obama’s election, no rigging, nothing…..For the first time, as many as thirty-four states out of the fifty and the District of Columbia in the US permitted early voting (distinct from absentee voting) in this year’s presidential election, with 31.7 million people out of the total of 124 million people that voted. There were fifteen candidates by the way, not just Obama and McCain. The various states had various closing times since America has different time zones, with each STATE secretary being in charge of their elections – no central INEC, no Maurice Iwu. By 10 pm EST, on November 4 election day proper, the election had been called by the TV networks; within an hour, Senator John McCain had conceded and sent his congratulatory message; soon after Senator Barack Obama had given his victory speech; and to cap it off, President Bush also sent his congratulatory message and pledge to ensure a smooth transition between now and Inauguration Day January 20, 2009.

To be continued...

Author: Mobolaji E. Aluko, PhD

WE THOUGHT HE IS SLOW...

I was somewhat impressed when NTA aired a random opinion poll before President Yar’Adua’s speech on 29th May 2008 to mark this year’s “democracy day” General opinion about this former lecturer-turned-politician were majorly and impressively positive except for the fact that Nigerians are unanimously of the opinion that our embattled president is slow. Listening in-between the lines through his chat with the media I could see an intelligent and sly president. I take that for granted because afterall, he was a lecturer and not just a lecturer for that matter, a lecturer of analytical chemistry. It takes a smart head to hold that position and hold it well. I’m not surprised; he has done well so far in his new career.

That Yar’Adua is a “sme-sme” president is nothing but a delusion of the Nigerian populace fuelled and nurtured by the press. Babangida was a nice president until “Dele-Giwaism” and other atrocities started coming to light. That was a president that would put a knife at your neck and still hold the smile. He was indeed “nice”.

Recent revelations by Sahara Reporters reveal that our dear president may actually not be what/who he portrays himself to be afterall. It is tempting to speculate that the voice, though that of Jacob, the hands may be Esau’s considering the powers that enthroned Umaru in Aso-Rock but relationship with his predecessor and acclaimed god-father makes it crystal clear that Yar’Adua has attained political adulthood to be able to make up his mind contrary to speculations and fears before Obasanjo stepped down.

One characteristic of the president that tickled my fancy is his ability to stay cool and calm even when his roof is on fire. When rumours went round that he was dying in Germany and probably may not be able to address the nation on 29th May, Yar'adua’s demeanour when he eventually broke his silence did not show that of a man who was ruffled by public saying (Nothing less can be expected of a president anyway). He likes letting matters “cool off” before responding/reacting which I’d say is a virtue worthy of emulation because by then you’re in a better frame of mind to make “objective” decisions. Yar’Adua is off to Cairo to attend a meeting of the African union but one would wonder what thought would dominate his mind on his way to and during the meeting. Certainly, if he is not thinking of any of the plethora of controversies and issues calling for his neck at home, he would be thinking about Mugabe and his coronation as Zimbabwe’s new president and also about what to do concerning his “very close” friend, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, Nigeria’s Minister of Transport and recent allegation of her involvement in a N30billion scandal.

Investigations of the Obasanjo government took another turn when the National Assembly revealed massive withdrawals by Mrs Allsion-Madueke’s ministry late December 2007. Unsurprisingly, Mrs Madueke has been said to blame this revelation on an on-going plot to strip her of her current portfolio.

Behold some of Yar’Adua’s shady deals as uncovered by Sahara Reporters;

1. Obasanjo gave away import duties worth N1.6 trillion to political associates, businessmen, traditional and religious leaders as well as many female “friends”; there are revelations that Yar’Adua’s regime has given out concessions worth N85 billion to his business and political associates for the importation of cement and fertilizers in the last one year.

2. There’s a fresh PDP memo at the National Assembly calling for the extension of Yar’Adua tenure to 7 years – an official follow-up to senator Turaki’s campaign; a modified version of the third-term agenda you’d say.

3. Current minister o Agriculture, Alhaji Abba Ruma, is angling to become the next energy minister in a cabinet reshuffle due to be effected very soon. He is to re-invest “profits” from fertiliser concessions to play his role in the current PDP/Yar’Adua version of the third-term agenda.

4. Mrs Mdueke’s recent fashion transformation (to dress more like a Muslim woman) may not be unlinked with her “very close” relationship with the president.

5. In a sharp contrast to the case of former Minister of Health, Adenike Grange, and Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, Yar’Adua is not keen to call in the EFCC to investigate the N30 billion scandal that has rocked the ministry of transport although reports say he is troubled by security reports that Mrs Madueke had purchased a multi-million naira house in Abuja in the name of her youngest son

6. Yar’Adua went against his transparency policy when according to Sahara reporters members of Adamawa state’s State Assembly were offered a mouth-watering N25m bribe each to drop their impeachment motion against the governor Mr Murtala Nyako.

7. A House of Representatives source also recently revealed that, contrary to his public posturing, Yar’adua did intervene in a failed effort to stop the impeachment of former Speaker, Patricia Etteh. His front was Dr. Aminu Shuaibu Safana, Yar’Adua’s former secretary when he was Katsina Sate governor, who slumped and died supporting Etteh during a rowdy legislative session. His death paved the way for Etteh’s eventual removal.

He may appear slow there is certainly more about this regime than meets the eyes.

These present revelations just leaves one wondering when the era of self-aggrandisement will end among African leaders.

Many opine that political office holders’ greed and selfishness which has been the bane of growth in Africa is actually an “African thing” but thank goodness for the likes of Nelson Mandela. The grandeur at his 90th birthday aired live by AIT is indescribable; it leaves me with the consolation that all hope is not lost in Africa.

Robert Mugabe and Nelson Mandela belong to the same generation (Mugabe is 84, Mandela is 90) It is actually a mater of choice whether this generation would choose to be agents of positive change or vice versa. I refuse to be heart-broken by our leaders’ lack of direction for Africa and Nigeria in particular. Rather, I will position myself to be that agent of change which the world has been waiting for.

What about you?