Nigeria and the bile against Queen Elizabeth II, By Casmir Igbokwe
Gosh! Anya’s hate speech went viral and has since been removed by Twitter for violating its rules. Not moved, the woman added that if anyone expected her to express anything but disdain for the monarch who allegedly supervised a government that sponsored the genocide that displaced half of her family and the consequences of which those alive today were still trying to overcome, the person could keep wishing upon a star. There are some other Igbo people who support Anya’s view.
True, Britain exported colonialism to the world. It also supported Nigeria against Biafra in the 1967 to 1970 civil war that led to the killing of millions of Igbo people. But, is it the Queen that should take the blame or the Prime Minister at the time? Even if the Queen was culpable, is it not time to forgive? Should we continue to bear grudges to the extent of exhibiting such bitterness against a dying old woman? We need to change focus.
Incidentally, the same Britain appears to have shown many Nigerians more love than their country, Nigeria. A Nigerian will most likely enjoy better privileges and human rights protection in the United Kingdom (UK) than in his own country.
As a postgraduate student in the UK in 2006/2007, I was able to vote in an election. I quietly went inside the booth, cast my vote for the party of my choice and left without any molestation or inducement from anybody. I enjoyed so many other privileges in the UK which I had narrated in my now rested column in The Punch. I do not need to enumerate them here again.
On the contrary, I could not vote in my own country in the presidential election of 2019. I was among those who queued up to vote in one of the polling units at the Ago area of Lagos when thugs emerged out the blue and chased everyone away. They destroyed the ballot boxes already filled with ballot papers. The policemen posted to man some of the polling units watched in amazement. The thugs were obviously sent by people who felt that the area is dominated by the Igbo, the majority of who had expressed support for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) then.
Even in the current political dispensation, the difference is still very clear between the UK and Nigeria. The UK’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, is a young woman. She happens to be the third woman to occupy the position. Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May were there before her. One of the new appointees of Truss is a British-Nigerian Member of Parliament, Ms Kemi Badenoch, who is now Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade. Badenoch also vied for the position of the Prime Minister as a member of the Conservative Party. She made it to the top five in July.
As a multicultural society, the UK easily accommodates people of diverse interests and cultures. Some Nigerians, for instance, had been Mayors in the UK. The current Chief of Staff to Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, Ernest Ezeajughi, made history by winning elections as the first Black Mayor of the London Borough of Brent in 2019. Another citizen of Anambra, Mrs. Kate Anorue, became the Mayor of Enfield the same time. Also in 2019, Mrs. Victoria Obaze from Imo State became the first Black Civic Mayor of London Borough of Tower Hamlets. In May this year, another British Nigerian, Pauline Akhere George, was elected Mayor of Lambeth Borough, London, for the 2022/2023 year. Ms George, who is from Edo State, is the first female British Nigerian Mayor of Lambeth Borough.
Apart from Ezeajughi, other Mayors of Nigerian origin are women. If I may ask, how many women occupy major political positions in Nigeria today? The only female governor Nigeria has had, Virgy Etiaba of Anambra State, emerged by accident. She was elected a deputy governor but became the governor between November 2006 and February 2007 when her principal, Mr. Peter Obi, was temporarily removed from office through the shenanigans of some political renegades in the state. Etiaba did not last in office as Obi returned to power after the Court of Appeal nullified his impeachment on February 9, 2007.
In Nigeria, we have different standards for different groups. You can call it internal colonialism if you like. In the recent presidential primaries of the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP, the rotation tradition was jettisoned to satisfy some selfish interests. A northerner is currently in power and will complete his term of office in 2023. The presidential pendulum is supposed to swing to the South after this regime. But what have we seen? The PDP gave the ticket to another northerner in the person of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. The APC went southwards, but rather than consider the South-East which has never occupied the position before, the party gave its ticket to a South-Westerner, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who claimed it’s his turn.
Yes, democracy is a game of numbers. The minority may have its say; the majority will have its way. But democracy also thrives on fairness and justice. To entrench an egalitarian society, certain parameters must be put in place to ensure peaceful co-existence among various groups in a diverse society like ours. We have failed to do that as a people. And that is why we have remained backward.
Even Kenya is gradually leaving us behind. The East African country had its presidential election on August 9, 2022. The election was largely peaceful and credible. After the poll, the outgoing deputy president, William Ruto, defeated veteran contender and main opposition leader, Raila Odinga. Ruto will be sworn in tomorrow, September 13, 2022, as the fifth President of Kenya.
The intriguing thing about the Kenyan election is that the outgoing President, Uhuru Kenyatta, supported Odinga against his deputy. He had fallen out with Ruto after their re-election in 2017. The power of incumbency, though, could not help him achieve victory for Odinga at the poll.
It could not also help him to manipulate the verdict of the Supreme Court of Kenya last week. In a ruling by the seven-member panel led by Justice Martha Koome, the apex court of the land unanimously upheld the victory of Ruto in the election. Justice Koome described the affidavit by the petitioner alleging cheating as nothing more than hot air and a wild goose chase.
The major lesson for Nigeria here is the independence of the judiciary which Kenya’s apex court has exhibited. It showed the same courage and independence in 2017 when it called for a rerun of the poll which favoured President Kenyatta. The swiftness of the current judgment, which came less than one month after the election, is also worthy of emulation.
The task before Nigeria’s judiciary is enormous. Democracy takes root with a strong and unbiased judiciary. Some of the outcome of the 2023 general election will definitely be challenged in the courts. The onus is for our judges to stand firm on the side of truth and justice. This is what we should focus on now.
Britain granted us independence since 1960. By forcibly bringing people of different cultures and traditions together as one country, it shares in the blame for our woes today. But, we need to move on. We need an unbiased and courageous judiciary. We need a strong legislature. Above all, we need an effective and unbiased president at this point of our history to galvanize Nigerians into taking positive actions for the betterment of the country. Let’s leave Britain alone and sort out our internal problems first.
