IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT THE MOMENT
Yemi Osinbajo is the man for the moment, contends Simbo Olorunfemi
“It is my respected view that to build a new Nigeria, we need a new tribe; one tribe of men and women of all faiths, of all tribes, of all ethnicities committed to a country run on high values; high values of integrity, of hard work, of justice and of love of country.” – Prof Oluyemi Osinbajo
Without a doubt, the moment presently upon us is weighty in many respects. It is so, not just for the calibre of political gladiators presently in the ring, the moment is weighty because of where we are as a nation, with opposite tendencies seemingly at par, each with equal chance of overcoming the other, depending on the direction the pendulum eventually swings. A wrong step can tilt the balance in the wrong direction, which might push the country down a fatal slope. Between the attendant challenges posed by the deteriorating security and climatic situation in the Sahel, the tide of terrorism and the inverted nature of globalization, managing the economic flank will become even more challenging, making it imperative that the leadership of the country, come 2023, be entrusted into a steady pair of hands.
Indeed, it is the monumental significance that a wrong choice can birth for the future of this country that compels upon us a close attention to what the moment portends, such that our choices can be led more by a consensus forged around what it says than sentiments that are largely primordial and we end up shooting ourselves in the foot. The weighty nature of this moment compels upon us the need to not let the moment slip.
I have argued, with political history as guide, that it is always more about the moment than the man. That no matter how prepared a man might be or how long he has been at it, success often boils down to what the moment desires at that specific time. A look at Nigeria’s political history, like that of other countries, tend to suggest that those who emerge as political leaders tend to be more of products of the moment than of their own ambitions. Indeed, so weighty is the hand of the moment on Nigeria’s political history that even in the era of military rule, most of the leaders who emerged, found themselves in power, not necessarily on account of their roles in the putsch, but based on consensus within the oligarchs around what the moment demanded.
No matter qualified a man is, he can easily be consumed by the conspiracy of wrong timing, if the moment is not in his favour. Just as the moment, on its own, can pick on a man who is not as keen, so can it turn down another simply because the moment does not favour him. Indeed, a man might be well-prepared, he might have sown seeds near and far, but if the timing of his quest does not coincide with the colour of the moment, it will most likely be a labour in vain.
The moment is usually a child of circumstance, flying on the wings of its own volition at a higher altitude than the wheeling and dealing of everyday politics. It is beyond that. It can find a way to sidestep the routine machinations and manipulations, except where there is a coincidence of purpose or objective. Without the moment opening its flanks, you can hardly force a man on the moment. Where force is applied, it is either he fails the moment, or the moment fails him.
The moment might have its eyes trained on the future, but it is a child of history. While 2023 is the future, its umbilical cord is tied to the political circumstances that played out between 2013 and 2015. While that moment might, at the time, have been taken as a stand-alone in Nigeria’s political history, the political geography of the 2015 elections would throw up future opportunities that neither gladiators nor strategists saw at the time of setting the table in 2014/15, and that has now become the defining factor for the 2023 elections. In the prelude to the 2019 elections, it had become evident that the trajectory of 2015 would influence the direction of 2023, so efforts were made to redirect the journey ahead of time, but they failed, as it is never easy to abort the moment once it takes on form. The moment always has a mind of its own.
Yet, this is not an argument that the moment is cast in stone, with gladiators expected to fold their arms and gaze at the firmament, waiting for power to be served on a platter. While the moment might be saying one thing, intervening variables or force majeure can force the hand of the moment in another direction for reasons beyond the original contemplation. Of course, there are always those who will choose to stand up to the moment in defiance, no matter how eloquently contrary, its tongue is. But the moment does find a way to accommodate legitimate defiance, either finding resolution for or around it within the larger democratic framework or having the last laugh with its verdict. But where the instrument employed in instigating a defiance of the moment is autocratic, the philosophy behind it is contrary to the spirit of due process or the result is anti-people, the consequences can be dire, as seen with the annulment of the June 12 elections. Defying the moment hardly has a happy ending.
Given the physiognomy of Nigeria, the geo-political contours that have become too familiar, the overbearing religious sensitivities we are contending with the current tide pushing people apart and the demands that the future is asking of us, it becomes imperative for the choice of the next President to not be reduced to a flimsy, whimsical one, founded on emotion. I believe that the choice of the next President must be made with eyes wide open, with consciousness of the character and characteristics of the battle ahead. I believe that the moment speaks to the fact that the presidency, especially at this time, should be carefully entrusted into the hands of a steward prepared by circumstances and experience for a time such as this, with quality eyes trained on charting a path that will birth the kind of future Nigeria and Nigerians truly deserve.
I believe that this moment calls for a new way of thinking and a new Nigeria. I believe that this is an eyeball moment between Nigeria and her power elite. I am persuaded that the moment is speaking to the political class in clear terms that it is time to die to self and step outside the rings of political gamesmanship. I believe that this moment is not speaking to the routine of rubbing one back in exchange for another. There comes a time when personal interest must give way for national interest, when that which comes across more as self-indulging for the political class must take a bow for the greater good of the nation. There comes a time when national interest must find a way to override everything else. There must be a coincidence between where a nation is, where it is headed, and the direction of personal ambition, for the sake of the country, especially at this moment. It should always be about the nation first.
For some reason, moves by a section of the political class reminds one of the 1998 World Cup finals where the Brazilian team which had worked hard to get to the final of the tournament got carried away in a bid to reward an unfit player for the contributions he had made to get the team into the final of the tournament. They put the interest of one player over and above that of the country. Insisting on playing Ronaldo, Brazil defied the moment and lost the final match to France.
The hope is that the emerging consensus about what the moment is saying will resonate at the right quarters and that the power elite will find the heart to follow through with what the moment is saying, especially given the untoward consequences that can come from defying the moment. The moment is speaking in clear terms. There is no arm-twisting the moment. There is no fabricating the moment to suit a predetermined objective. The challenge with seeking to subordinate the moment to a personal ambition is that the moment hardly yields itself as hostage to vested interests. The moment is not one that can be whimsically fabricated, for the force of personal ambitions. Indeed, it is in recognising this moment for what it is, accepting it for what it says and locking hands with fate to ensure that the moment delivers for the team what is best for the moment, even at the expense of self, that men get to exchange the jersey of mortality for political immortality.
I believe that this moment speaks to choosing a leader who transcends the pull and differences along tribes and tongues, one who embodies the vision and values of the new tribe that knows no tribe or tongue. I will argue that this moment demands that we stand for certain values and strengths in political leadership, for the sake of the future of Nigeria. I believe that for 2023, Nigeria needs a man who not only understands the times but is comfortable speaking the language of the moment and the future.
It is always more about the moment than the man. It is often up to the moment to choose the man. The reverse is hardly ever the case. No matter how good the man is, it is the force of the moment that ultimately determines the outcome. When the moment chooses the man, the forces align in his favour. He becomes the man of the moment.
I believe that the moment has a man in mind and that this man has been adequately prepared for the moment and the task at hand. He is smart, brilliant and unassuming. He is a bridge-builder, with ease of reach across the demographic and geo-political divides. He has the right temperament, sense of balance, humility, diligence and governance ethos best suited for this moment. I believe that Professor Yemi Osinbajo is the man for the moment.
Olorunfemi works for Hoofbeat Dotcom, a Nigerian Communications Consultancy and publisher of Africa Enterprise
