POLITICS AND DREDGING ABUJA

  Okello Oculi points to some areas where Nyesom Wike could direct his energy for the good of the people

Minister Nyesom Wike of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) earned legitimacy by a boomerang electoral route. His mandate was from campaigning for the electoral victory of Candidate Bola Tinubu under the toga of a rotational right of a ‘’Southern’’ contestant for the presidency.

He vigorously challenged Candidate Atiku Abubakar legitimacy under the ‘’Umbrella” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His rebellion met in a confluence with a rebellion by incumbent governors of Northern States. Both streams of political visions were animated by the goal of ensuring Nigeria’s post-election stability and integrity.

Wike invested in waving across Nigeria the power of ‘’Symbolism’’ in political dialogue with ‘’the people’’. In the election campaign he bought up television broadcast for ‘’infrastructure’’ projects for his State. There were weekly echoes of a strategy used by M.K.O Abiola in 1993 to win hearts and votes by spending money in visible activities ranging from funding air travel by a Handball Team in an Igbo State to building Mosques in Hausa States. His combination of appearing to be ‘’de-tribalized’’ with generosity to Christian youth showed a philanthropy which tickled public imagination.

A growing impatience by Christian elites with a seeming monopoly of rule over Nigeria by a so-called ‘’Hausa-Fulani Oligarchy’’ seemed to erode fear of a Moslem-Moslem ticket. Abiola’s running mate – Baba Gana Kingibe is of Kanuri ethnic label –a group also ‘’marginalised’’ by Hausa-Fulani rulers.

The political creativity that hauled Minister Wike to Abuja has high potential value. In his inaugural address to the Press on 21^st August, 2023, he was familiar in his generosity with microphone noise and intimidation of detractors. In threats against entrenched interests, animated by a habit of corrupt violation with impunity, he sounded like a copy of his predecessor: Minister El-Rufai. Some claim that El-Rufai was felled by roaring curses and incantations in shrines and graveyards rent by victims of his dredging a corruption swamp.

By 2022, taxi drivers did not wait to be tickled before they lavishly wished for a clone of Nasir El-Rufai’s regime of ‘’bulldozing illegal structures’’ – with seeming grit.  His critics rolled out evidence of his sins. This included his criminalizing a vigorous attraction to tourists of groups consuming fish roasted over open fire and rushed down throats with compliant alcohol.

African wisdom states that the goal of public administration is the welfare and elevation of ‘’Man/Woman’’. An urban space which gives priority to serving automobiles and cement structures; while chasing away ‘’hawkers’’ and vendors of food, snacks and beverages is misguided.  American tourists are unlikely to drop money on streets choked with gleaming and smoke-belching rickety cars and buses. Trekking on Ahmadu Bello Way from one end of shining tarmac to another end without a roadside snack to wash down choking Harmattan dust, cannot yield income from tourism.

The British beat rain and winter’s cold by offering rivers of pedestrians little bars and tea/coffee shelters where they can rest their feet and refuel their search for fun and soft knowledge in museums, art galleries, cinemas, ‘Trip-Teas districts’, etc.

Minister Wike met with journalists. They are knowledge workers. He could do well to help them to use their location to feed legislators and civil servants with high quality information built on ‘’Investigative Journalism’’ and library research. Capitals of highly industrialized economies also host top quality media structures. The NEW YORK TIMES, PRAVDA, THE TIMES, BBC, LE MOND, WASHINGTON POST, SHINBON are examples of top media flirting with practitioners of top most political power in their respective countries.

Minister Wike is funded directly by the National Assembly. His cultivation of Investigative Journalism for sounds of life inside individual constituencies would feed and tame National Assembly Members. As they say: ‘’Information is Power’’. Like unfortunate Sudan and Hawaii, fire can both feed and turn life to ashes.

Abuja is starved of knowledge. While politicians, the military and lawyers copied the American constitutional skeleton, they left out the simple data that the Library of Congress holds the largest collection of books and reports. Member of Congress are charged to use information for defending democracy against tyranny by the executive branch. Abuja has no NATIONAL LIBRARY.

Minister Wike could also nudge universities in the FCT to build high quality libraries. America’s top universities also hold the lead in the quantity of books in their individual libraries. A potential partner in this sector of growth is the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). One of its key  missions is funding RESEARCH by academic staff. A TETFUND LIBRARY located in the country’s capital would be a most valuable lake for academics and other researchers – including ‘’Consultants’’ – could swim in.

The two women ministers of CULTURE and TOURISM must have a thing or five under their ‘’GELE’’ for Wike to harvest.

 Prof Oculi writes from Abuja