My Vision of Nigeria

Aminu Tijjani, David Williams

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781138432307
• eBook ISBN: 9781136281815
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

Published in 1981, My Vision of Nigeria is a valuable contribution to the field of History.

Chapter One

The Transfer of Power

RIGHT UP TO the formal transfer of power, when, on October 1, 1979, Alhaji Shehu Shagari was inaugurated as President, some people outside Nigeria doubted whether such a peaceful and well-organised transfer of power from a military to a civilian regime was possible. In fact, after the Murtala Muhammed regime, which overthrew the Gowon government in 1975, pledged return to civilian rule in 1979, most meticulous preparations began for that change (General Muhammed himself was assassinated in 1976, but his successor, General Obasanjo, honoured his pledge). A high-level and representative civilian committee was appointed to draft a new constitution, to be submitted to a largely elected Constituent Assembly. The popular demand for creation of new States was met by adding seven to the existing twelve; all State boundaries were adjusted. The site for a new Federal capital was approved. Electoral constituencies were delimited, a voters’ register was drawn up. Many reforms were undertaken in national institutions. National finances were also, on the whole, healthy; but here the civilians soon made improvements. The whole programme for return to civilian rule was completed with remarkable precision; and although, since the return to civilian rule, there has been growing criticism both of the concept of military rule and of many particular aspects of it, the President has always paid tribute to the soldiers’ planning for the hand-over.

ON THE EVE of his inauguration as President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari joined General Obasanjo at a dinner party. As he said then, it is rare in countries such as Nigeria for the leaders of an outgoing and an incoming government to be on such cordial terms that they actually entertained each other. He also gave a pledge that he would serve all Nigerians, without asking to see anybody’s “party membership card”.

It is not uncommon nowadays for any occasion of any significance to be regarded as being historic; but the event which we are all witnessing tomorrow — the peaceful transfer of power from the Federal Military Government to a democratically-elected government — is an historic event of unprecedented nature, an event of great portent not only for Nigeria, but also for the whole of Africa and the entire international community. By handing over power peacefully and in a thoroughly organised manner to a democratic government on this 19th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, the Federal Military Government has responded to popular will and has thus carved its name in gold in the annals of Nigerian history, and has left its footprints on the sands of time.

It is rare in the history of developing countries for those in power to organise their own retirement from government, and to welcome, indeed entertain, their successors. In similar situations elsewhere, the outgoing government would be scheming and plotting for excuses to disown their promises to hand over power. It is, therefore, a matter for legitimate pride for the Nigerian armed forces that despite all the temptations to cling to power, they, under the able and exemplary leadership of General Olusegun Obasanjo, have valiently kept the word of their beloved compatriot, General Murtala Muhammed of blessed memory.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to take this opportunity to salute them on your behalf and on behalf of the entire nation. Of course, for their exemplary conduct, no tribute can adequately reflect our gratitude. All we can do is to assure the nation that the new government will continue with the efforts to unify the country and build on the foundations which have been laid.

While it is right to pay tribute to the team, I think it perfectly justifiable to single out on an occasion like this, the achievement of the leader of the team, in the person of General Olusegun Obasanjo, the Head of the Federal Military Government, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He has, in the last three and a half years led this country and discharged his duties efficiently, effectively, loyally and with dedication. This nation cannot adequately reward him but I am sure that he is fully satisfied that he has done a most difficult job well and his country and his fellow citizens are deeply grateful to him.

General Olusegun Obasanjo and I share some things in common. Though in differing circumstances, both of us needed some persuasion before acceding to the leadership of this great nation. While the whole nation anxiously awaits the transfer of political power from him to me, people seem to forget that I shall be handing over “farming and hoe” power to him. With his hard work and industry, I have no doubt that he would succeed as a farmer.

Lest I should be accused by our good friends of the media of neglecting my constituency, Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to use this platform to thank most sincerely the entire people of this great country for taking the equally momentous decision recently to elect me as the Nation’s number one servant. While it is true that not every voter in the country voted for me, I would like to assure all and sundry that now that I have been elected in accordance with the provisions of the consititution and confirmed by the judiciary, I regard myself as the representative of the entire people of Nigeria. I shall serve them all with equal dedication and, certainly, without demanding to see their party membership cards. In this regard, I would like to further assure everybody that the government I will form to run the affairs of this country will scrupulously stand by all our commitments as elaborated in our party’s programmes and manifesto. Our domestic policies will be geared towards making Nigeria a united, peaceful and economically self-reliant nation.

While on this subject let me also assure our foreign friends that while in all our policies and actions the interest of Nigeria must come first we will continue to maintain and even promote the existing friendly relations with them. The Federal Military Government has forged enviable and dynamic domestic and foreign policies for Nigeria. We are resolved to continue along that path.

Finally, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I crave your indulgence by asking you to stand and drink with me the toast for the health, happiness and prosperity of the leader of the group of the gallant officers and men of the armed forces of Nigeria who through courage and dedication have managed the affairs of this country over the last thirteen years, His Excellency General Olusegun Obasanjo, Head of the Federal Military Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

* * *

THE PRESIDENT WAS inaugurated at an open-air ceremony at the great Tafawa Balewa Square in the centre of Lagos. General Obasanjo and the heads of the armed services were seen to stand back, after an impressive military display, to allow the new Commander-in-Chief to enjoy the limelight. The ceremony was, at the new President’s request, “low-key”. There were very few foreign visitors; but Mohammed Ali was mobbed when he left the ceremony. In his speech immediately after his swearing-in by the Chief Justice, the new President outlined his policies.

We have just participated in a solemn ceremony marking an important milestone in the history of our nation. Before God and before you all, I have subscribed to a solemn oath of office to serve the country, defend her constitution and uphold the principles of justice without fear or favour. I shall do my utmost to fulfil the oath of my office and discharge its obligations faithfully.

I would like to assure all Nigerians and the whole world that I understand and fully accept the challenges and responsibilities of the office of President. I want to assure you further that I will discharge my obligations to my country to the very best of my ability. In the office of the President I have equal responsibility to all our people irrespective of their political, ethnic or religious persuasion. Accordingly, we should all regard today’s celebration as a national event.

I urge all Nigerians to join me in the onerous task of nation building. We all urgently require to harness our resources and energies and to devote them to the development of our country. God has blessed us in abundance with these resources. Let us use them to develop our country. Let us also help our fellow human beings who may be less fortunate than ourselves.

It is proper at this juncture to pay tribute to all those who have worked so hard in the past thirteen years, to keep this country together, and to strengthen the foundation for unity, peace and progress. Our military leaders who have been at the helm of affairs since 1966 have done their best for the country. They succeeded in a large measure in unifying us and making us think first as Nigerians. I pay tribute to them and salute them on your behalf.

We must pay our respect and give our thanks to the outgoing Head of the Federal Military Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Olusegun Obasanjo; to Members of the Supreme Military Council; to the Service Chiefs and to all the members of the armed forces, to the Police and members of the public service for their great contributions in fostering a stronger and more united Nigeria.

Today, we call on all of them again to rise and work with us for the greater glory of our fatherland. On my part, I promise that I will spare no effort to ensure the peace, unity, stability and progress of this nation.

This is not the time and place to spell out the programmes of our government. However, I think it is in order to refer broadly to the responsibilities before us. First, our immediate responsibility is to serve the best interest of Nigeria; to feed and house ourselves better; to educate our children and prepare them to make a fuller contribution towards the building of a more modern society. Next we have a special responsibility for Africa and the African wherever he may be. It will be the cardinal principle of this administration to ensure that all the oppressed peoples of Africa regain their freedom and dignity.

We will extend our whole-hearted co-operation to all African countries and organisations to bring about the unity of the African people and the rapid emancipation and development of all the countries of Africa.

It is our strong desire to contribute fully to world unity, peace, progress and co-operation. We extend our hands of friendship to all the peoples of the world.

At this juncture, let me thank all of you who have participated in this impressive and momentous ceremony. I should like especially to salute the school children for their endurance and patience in preparing for this occasion.

May I take this opportunity also to congratulate all the elected members of the National Assembly and to inform them that the proclamation to convene the first Session of the National Assembly as required of me by the constitution will shortly be made.

Finally, fellow citizens, as we depart from this arena, let us dedicate ourselves anew to move forward in peace, unity and with a strong determination to succeed in meeting the challenges ahead.

* * *

IN A BROADCAST during the evening of his Inauguration Day the President gave his people a much fuller account of his Administration’s intentions. There was no change from the policies he had announced during the election campaign and his pronouncements during the period when he was President-elect ; but now he was speaking as President and Chief Executive. There was the same emphasis on the need for national unity. There was no flaunting of victory or disparagement of opponents. Nigeria’s problems, particularly the sad state of agriculture, which was to remain a constant theme of the President, were emphasised; and no easy or early solutions were promised.

Fellow Nigerians

We have witnessed today the birth of the Second Republic of Nigeria. With the Swearing-in Ceremony this morning, I have formally assumed office as your first executive President. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your patience and support throughout the period of transition.

The second Republic has come after almost fourteen years of military rule in the course of which we went through a civil war. Today our new constitution comes into effect; a constitution carefully drawn up by ourselves for ourselves. We are assuming office as a result of a free, democratic and peaceful election. We must be proud of this, and we must be grateful to God and to all those who have worked so hard to make it possible.

This is an occasion which calls for sober reflection on the problems of the first Republic in order to appreciate the magnitude of the tasks ahead.

The problems of creating a national government, a viable economic base and the integration of the various ethnic groups in Nigeria in fairness and without acrimony, overwhelmed the first Republic. These problems are still with us. And it is our determination to do our utmost to contribute to their resolution. This second Republic is a great challenge and a new opportunity for all of us.

A typical crowd for Shehu Shagari during the Presidential Campaign Tour.

The challenge of change – on 1st October 1979 at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, with General Obasanjo during the handover ceremony.

This administration is determined that the slogan of “One Nation, One Destiny” shall be translated into reality. We are not so naive as to think that nationalism is a natural phenomenon which comes about automatically as we grow. It has not been so in any part of the world. National integration requires hard work. There is need for a dedicated leadership and citizenry imbued with faith to cultivate a wide-spread national feeling for “One Nigeria”.

I am convinced that these goals are attainable because we are at this time operating in more auspicious circumstances. Surely, we have learnt great lessons from the past and we have no need to permit divisive factors to continue to undermine our national well-being.

I urge all Nigerians to join me in working with resolution for the attainment of these goals. The first thing is for all those who have participated in the recent elections to work together whether they won or lost.

Now that the elections are over, we must act as good sportsmen, set aside differences and harness our energies to the task of nation building. I would like to enjoin all our State Governors to bear in mind that regardless of their party affiliations, the interest of the nation is supreme. The State which each of them governs is simply a part of Nigeria and a part cannot indeed be greater than a whole. I congratulate them on their new position and sincerely urge them as well as every other citizen of this great country to join hands with me in facing the great task ahead. For my part, I assure you all that the Federal Government will give equal treatment to each State of the Federation regardless of the party in power in that state.

Fellow citizens, great challenges and opportunities are before us. While noticeable achievements have been made, the problems of our economy have become even more complicated. There has been a steep rise in the rate of inflation in Nigeria as is the case all over the world. Nevertheless we are dedicated to building a viable economy by fostering broad mass participation and the utilization of local resources. This way we shall enhance our economic independence.

Our key domestic programmes are in the sectors of agriculture, housing, education, health, industry and the new Federal capital. Our first great challenge is agriculture.

Throughout the election campaigns, our party, the National Party of Nigeria, made strong commitments to the people of this country, rapidly to develop and improve agriculture. For centuries, generations of Nigerian farmers have struggled with technologies invented by our ancestors to meet the demands of a long gone age, and to wrest a living from a weary and exhausted soil. I personally spoke many times on our policy for a “Green Revolution”. There is need to provide adequate food for every family. There is need to stop the current drain of foreign exchange on the importation of food. We are determined to transform Nigerian agriculture to the point where Nigeria will be self-sufficient in food production, and ensure that the money is more effectively utilized. We shall devote more manpower and technological resources to increase our agricultural productivity and expand our agro-based industries. We shall immediately map out strategies to encourage Nigerians to engage in fruitful agricultural activities. In addition, we shall encourage joint ventures with foreign partners to establish farms as commercially profitable enterprises to produce food as well as raw materials. New emphasis will be placed on modern methods of food storage, distribution and processing.

Because of the importance we attach to housing we shall establish a Ministry of Housing and Environment. Good shelter is recognised by our government as the right of every Nigerian. There is no doubt that to meet acceptable human standards, Nigeria will requir...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• A Personal View
• 1. The Transfer of Power
• 2. The Making of the Presidency
• 3. Nigeria and the World
• 4. The Programme of the President
• 5. Finance for the Programme
• 6. Nigeria and African Unity
• 7. Farmers — the Economic Backbone
• 8. Development is for People
• 9. Industry Begins to Take Off
• 10. The People are in the States
• 11. Parties, Politicians and People
• 12. The Armed Forces Serve the Nation
• 13. The Law Now Rules
• 14. The News and the Nation
• 15. Honesty in Public Life
• 16. The Nation at Play
• 17. Speeches of a Private Man
• 18. The Bed Rock of Religion
• List of Speeches