Nigeria: “There is every reason to be thankful”

“It is imperative that all of us have confidence that the Court will make the right decision, and I certainly have decided to place my trust there. If the Justices declare the election valid, I will accept the result. If they annul the election, the Court and our country will become a model for all of Africa, but we will need solidarity within Nigeria and help from the world to turn the promise of such a decision into a real democracy.”
– Atiku Abubarkar, former Nigerian vice president and presidential challenger, Feb 25, 2008.

Despite the corruption craze in Nigeria and its several broken infrastructure; today is one of those few days I can say I’m proud of Nigeria.

Atiku Abubarkar in a statement issued by a public relations company in Washington DC (posted on the online on Feb 25, 2008): “Nigeria will soon confront one of the most difficult challenges that any emerging Democracy must face, whether the rule of law as set by the courts will prevail.”

That decision came today, and the court said “No to the plaintiffs; the presidential election holds, YarA’dua remains president” And all is peaceful across the land. Take a listen:

Nigerians could have used the Kenyan approach, but did not, despite the scale of fraud and lapses during the election which were greater and more profound than Kenya’s. The international observers even described the Nigerian elections as “scam”. If today, Nigeria is burning, no one would be surprised.

That the law courts assumed the position of a much needed neutral arbiter is indeed a blessing given Nigeria’s tumultuous past and extent of corruption. There is every reason to be thankful, people, if in doubt, just ask the Kenyans, read a Kenyan blog, read articles from the mainstream media on Kenya. Even Kofi Annan is frustrated that the warring factions are not ready to compromise. If all these fail to convince you, this video will.

Now that the president’s fate has been assured, one should start seeing some serious initiatives from the government. President YarA’dua has to demonstrate he has more to offer Nigerians than just being able to reverse contracts awarded by his predecessor. His legacy will depend on two factors.

First, the continuation of his predecessor’s anti-corruption drive, and I wonder how the removal of the EFCC founding boss, Nuhu Ribadu, speaks to this, because it is not just enough to continue the crusade against corruption, YarA’dua needs to take to a higher level. The corruption charges and legal cases involving Ibori and Igbinedion, the two former governors and influential members of the ruling party will be a reliable gauge of what to expect in this area.

The second leg YarA’dua’s legacy will rest on his ability to fix the nation’s broken infrastructure – particularly in the area of power generation and transmission. This is one department that has the most impact on the economy and standard of living, but one of the most difficult and expensive to fix. YarA’dua’s predecessor spent some $10-16 billion USD and implemented all sorts of reforms, but there hasn’t been much to show for those efforts.

By April, YarA’dua will mark his first anniversary in office. By the end of his term in office will Nigerians assess his tenure as “disappointing”, “satisfactory” or “exceptional”? It’s all a question of time.