By WALE ALONGE
All politics end at the water’s edge is a global cornerstone principle in partisan politics. Water’s edge is a metonymy for “national border”. It is the unwritten rule that partisan domestic political disagreement must not cross the national border. It is a global norm that a true patriot does not go outside his or her country to trash and de-market his own country, talk less of calling it a failed state. That rule is observed by every self-respecting political figure to avoid doing irreparable damage to the international reputation and economic interest of one’s country.
So, it is especially sad to see a historic personality like President Olusegun Obasanjo, who fought to defend the sovereignty of this country, who in his own word has testified that not in his wildest dream could he have dreamed of twice becoming the accidental president of Nigeria, travel outside the country to declare to the entire world that his country was a failed state. Anyone who does not realize what a gross malpractice that is but instead applauds such a despicable act needs a deep examination. Many might not realize that the Yale meltdown was more of a reputational damage for President Obasanjo than it is for the target of its venom, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
It does not take a genius to know that the concept of a failed state is so specific in its usage in international development. In order for a country to be so classified, it must meet a specific threshold of total economic, political, social and security failure including inability to defend its sovereignty. Yes, our country is facing arguably one of its most challenging economic landscape, however, only a mind warped by pathological hate and bias will write off a regime that is less than two years into its tenure as a failure and of being responsible for turning the country into a failed state. A failed state does not hold elections and maintain a governmental structure for 25 straight and uninterrupted years. No one is claiming that Nigeria is a fully functioning state operating optimally. It is not even close to being that, which has been the source of our national disappointment. It is true that the country is facing very serious economic and security challenges but those challenges are not a new phenomenon. In fact some of it dates back to the tenure of President Obasanjo who himself tried unsuccessfully and unconstitutionally to truncate our fragile democratic governance with his third term agenda.
Given his antecedents and his choice in the recent presidential election which his candidate lost, it is no accident that President Obasanjo chose the occasion of a memorial lecture in honour of Chinua Achebe to launch his most virulent attack to date on President Tinubu. We have not forgotten that President Obasanjo opposed Asiwaju Tinubu candidacy, threw every ammunition in his armory at him only to fail woefully. So most people understand the Yale meltdown for what it is, the outburst of a frustrated old man.
It is so ironic and should not be lost on all of us, that as President Obasanjo was doing his best to bring President Tinubu into international disrepute, his global status got a huge boost. The G-20 will not invite the president of a failed state to its summit in Brazil. Neither will the international investment community be directing billions of dollars into a failed state. President Obasanjo is a global figure who has earned the right to be treated as an elder statesman in the mold of highly respected General Yakubu Gowon. The problem is that he has proven again and again that he is not able to control his insatiable and mind-numbing need to be the center of attention, to bring down anyone who he sees as a threat to it. Every single President since President Obasanjo left office after his failed third term agenda has been subjected to his biting, caustic, virulent negative assessment of their presidential scorecard including his handpicked protégé, President Jonathan. One can only hope that after the Yale meltdown, that President Obasanjo will finally realize that he has gone too far and will settle down to enjoy the grace that good fortune has bestowed on him and will finally retire as to his earned status of a respected elder statesman whose counsel is asked for and given behind the limelight. Everyone has their moment and President Obasanjo has had more than his fair share.
•Dr. Dewale Alonge writes from USA.
