“State of the Nigerian Nation” Symposium: A Personal Narrative

May 29th 2009 was the so-called Democracy Day for Nigeria. I spent the day not only attending the “State of the Nation Summit” held at the London Metropolitan University, but filming for the pioneering online investigative journalism website Sahara Reporters.

I arrived with my colleague, Sukanya, a day before the summit hoping to land an interview with Wole Soyinka, the 1986 Nobel Prize winner in literature and one of the world’s most well known human rights activists. Within an hour of our arrival, the founder of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, informed us that Professor Soyinka had agreed to grant us an interview. We had to meet at a secluded location, aware of the dangers that lurked for both the renowned professor and Sahara Reporters.

Prof. Wole Soyinka

The interview lasted for a little over 30 minutes during which Soyinka eloquently described the irony of Obasanjo’s declaration of May 29th as Democracy Day. For Soyinka, Obasanjo’s self-serving choice of May 29 as the emblematic date for Nigeria’s democratic dreams amounts to an affront on the sensibilities of the Nigerian people:

“...since this particular post-military dictatorship phase came about as a result of again, quote on quote, "elections", and civilians that are supposed to be running the government, but I think you and I know there's no democracy in Nigeria.There was a feable pretence at it for the first year, second year maybe, but then it began to unravel...”

It’s been a long time coming…

As we were rounding up the interview, in walked Nuhu Ribadu, the exiled former chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Right behind him was Okey Ndibe, the Nigerian novelist, political commentator and professor of fiction and African literature at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Prof. Soyinka, Nuhu Ribadu, Okey Ndibe

For a moment I was in awe of the presence of four of Nigeria’s greatest crusaders for democratic renewal and transparency in governance. And then the significance of that moment hit me. This encounter was not only important because these forward looking activists were in the same room, and held the same convictions in their hearts; it was important – and might I add – sad, that the four men standing in front of me were from three different generations, four different geo-political regions of Nigeria, and started their activism at different times. Yet, here they were engaged in the fight for liberty and democracy in their country 50 years after Nigeria’s independence from the UK.

I have always been somewhere in the middle when it came to ‘fighting the cause’ - as they call it. Sometimes I leaned towards the activists’ side and sometimes I felt the need to ‘stick-up’ for the government; but this very moment, on 28th May, 2009, I knew which side I needed to be on.

There are many people who would regard activists as trouble makers always ready to stir up a fight, and to be honest a part of me was expecting to witness something along those lines at the summit. But as the attendees trooped in, and the venue got filled to the brim, the only thing I saw stirring up was the unmistakable and collective desire for a better Nigeria.

Democracy: ‘A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them’.

The summit exceeded my expectations – and those of the organizers. It was by far the largest, most orderly and enrapt gathering of the Nigerian Diaspora in the UK that I had ever witnessed.

I couldn’t help but relate this assemblage of Nigerians and their supporters to that of the Pan-African conference that took place in London in 1900, marking the first phase of the Pan-Africanist movement. The aim of that conference was to bring together people of African descent and promote a unity of thought and ideals. There were no geographic restrictions, only the proclamation that Africa had begun the steps to make her voice heard. As a result of the conference, the word ‘Pan-Africa’ was inserted in the human lexicon for the first time.

Likewise, the ‘State of the Nation summit’ sought no boundaries on participation. It was a day when Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and all the ethnic groups that make up Nigeria came together in one voice and asked for one thing and one thing only: ‘a better Nigeria for Nigerians and their future generations’. Participants came from all over the UK, from Europe, from Nigeria and even from the US.

Okey Ndibe: Speaking at the summit

The summit was not like many other activist gatherings, often filled with the rhetoric of blame and anti-government slogans. On the contrary, each speaker as well as members of the audience focused on ways of getting Nigeria to take a step in the right direction.

Proud to be Nigerian...

The day of the symposium, as I listened to such speakers as Soyinka, Affiong Affiong, Femi Falana, Josephine Amuwo, Nuhu Ribadu, Kayode Ogundamisi, Ndibe, Omoyele, Sola Adeyeye and Kennedy Emetulu, I saw parallels again with the Pan-African movement.

Soyinka berated the Nigerian government for attempting to undermine the symposium. He noted that he talks to nationals and groups from a variety of countries, but the Nigerian government begrudges him the ability to speak to a predominantly Nigerian audience. After enumerating many instances of national disappointment, the laureate called on progressive Nigerians to start identifying sound candidates for electoral offices, and to resolve to make their votes count.

In a passionate message, Affiong Affiong, a former University of Lagos student activist who is an internationally renowned organizer, traced the role that women must play in achieving democratic vitalization and development.

Femi Falana treated the audience to a detailed account of the country’s desultory performance in electoral politics as well as the delivery of development. In his view, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party has already concluded plans to rig the 2011 elections – despite its rhetoric of electoral reform. Falana contended that Nigerians ought to awaken to the fact that they must battle to rescue themselves from the clutches of a ruling party that steals mandates and plunders public resources with violence.

Amuwo spoke of deep pride in her Nigerian heritage as well as her strong faith in the nation’s redemptive promise. She said the energy at the symposium buttressed Nigerians’ desire to take their country to its rightful place.

Nuhu Ribadu: Speaking at the Summit

Ribadu gave a heartfelt, and warmly received, presentation. He defended his record as the helmsman at the EFCC and regretted that the nation’s most corrupt elements had entrenched themselves under the Umaru Yar’adua dispensation. He reminded the audience that it is up to Nigerians to realize that they are one, and that they must stand up and say a loud no to those wrecking their lives and nation.

Ndibe challenged Nigerians living abroad to help develop a long memory regarding the treachery of their politicians. He stated that, as a matter of moral principle, he has refused to identify Yar’adua as Nigeria’s president. For him, Nigerians in the Diaspora have a role to play in combating politicians’ manipulation of language and God to mask their depraved conduct.

Omoyele Sowore: Publisher, Sahara Reporters

Sowore’s address was in the form of a challenge to Nigerian journalists to identify with the popular will of Nigerians or risk being condemned to irrelevance. He described the evolution of his career as a citizen reporter who established Saharareporters.com as a forum to enable Nigerians to report themselves.

Emetulu and Adeyeye functioned as moderators of the morning and afternoon sessions respectively. Emetulu, a frequent commentator on Nigerian affairs, articulated the role of enlightened citizens in the reclamation of their country. Adeyeye, a former member of the House of Representatives, spoke about his experiences in politics, including his threat to use violence as a means of protecting votes cast for him in his Osun home state.

In all, the symposium was a rich harvest of perspectives, groups and visions. It showcased the Diaspora community of Nigeria saying, “It is time.” It is time to initiate a collective consciousness of democracy so that for the first time in the history of Nigeria, the word ‘Democracy’ can be inserted in the dictionary of the country’s leaders.

I had never felt more proud as a Nigerian, and more hopeful for the country’s future, as I did on May 29. I was in the midst of patriots whose singular wish is to generate ideas that would enable their nation to fulfill its promise and realize its potential.

By Yemisi Ogunleye

Watch Prof. Soyinka's interview here...