Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mr. Olisa Agbakoba recently engaged themselves in debate over the need for generational shift Associate Editor, Taiwo Adisa, examines the arguments on either side.
In July, the National Assembly gave the younger generation of Nigerians a good lift when it passed the ‘Not too young to run bill,’ one of the constitution amendment bills.
The ‘Not too young to run’ campaigners have been all over the place blaming the old guard for refusing to quit the stage even in old age.
They had insisted on the need to lower the age qualification for elective office to accommodate more young people and open up their access to power.
In the wake of that campaign, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Lagos lawyer and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) had engaged each other in heated discussions over the propriety of the younger generation to take over from the old brigade lead. Agbakoba had in a letter dated July 20, 2017 written the former President asking him to join the search for younger Nigerians to lead the country.
His letter came on the heels of insinuations that the former Generals including Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdusalami Abubakar and Theophilus Danjuma had kick started the search for Nigeria’s next President.
Agbakoba, had in the letter addressed to Obasanjo pleaded that the former Nigerian leader join hands with others to look for “young and vibrant leaders” to run the affairs of the country, adding that the class of aged political leaders had held the country back.
The former NBA President wrote: “Our country is held back by a crop of leadership that has outlived usefulness and effectiveness as a result of old age.
“If beggars believe that there is no culture among our political elite, to encourage younger people with new ideas to aspire to positions of leadership, in particular the office of the President.
“Your Excellency was 39 years when you became Head of State. Nnamdi Azikiwe was 40 when he founded the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). Obafemi Awolowo was 43 when he became Premier of Western Region. Ahmadu Bello was 40 when he co-founded the NPC.
Odumegwu Ojukwu and Yakubu Gowon were in their 30s when they took centre stage in Nigerian politics.
“It seems to me a great contradiction that after a young vibrant set of leaders got Nigeria off the ground in the early 60s, Nigeria has steadily descended into chaos and is probably now ranked as one of the most ungovernable countries in the world.
“I feel compelled to request your intervention because you are one of few past leaders with enough clout to galvanise the political elite to produce like in France, a Macron or in Canada, a Trudeau.”
While contending that the time for generational change was here,Agbakoba said that the likes of Obasanjo should play their part in bringing on the new order of political leadership.
He further wrote: “I believe it is time for our elder statesmen to give way to a young new vibrant political leadership.
“I am also convinced that with your support this can be achieved and expanded to become high policy amongst all political parties in Nigeria. Nigeria will greatly benefit.
“I strongly feel that a radical change in political leadership from old to new will be transformational.”
Exactly a week after Agbakoba’s letter was addressed to him, Obasanjo also put pen on paper to reply the eminent lawyer. The two time Nigerian Head of government lashed out at the younger generation for failing to seize the opportunities for leadership and disappointing the old brigade. He declared in his letter dated July 28 that the younger generation of Nigerians lack leadership qualities.
Obasanjo stated that he had been left disappointed in the lack of leadership initiatives by the youth, adding that many of them had wasted the opportunities thrusted on them to lead.
In the letter titled” RE: NIGERIA NEEDS A GENERATIONAL SHIFT IN POLITICAL LEADERSHIP, “Obasanjo said that rather than sit back to complain that the old brigade of leaders have held on to power, even at their old age, Agbakoba and the younger generation should seize the opportunities for leadership.
According to him, it was wrong for the younger generation to only wait to “inherit dead means shoes,” rather than take proper steps to gain leadership.
Obasanjo wrote: “I am actually not oblivious of the points you raised concerning how General Gowon, myself and some others you mentioned became prominent figures in the running of the affairs of the country at a rather young age. Be that as it may, what you must not lose sight of is the fact that some of us were thrown up and brought into limelight by circumstances which were not of our own making.
“Having been thrown into the deeper end of the pool, so to speak, some of us made great efforts with determination, commitment, broad national outlook, integrity and uncommon zeal to shoulder the responsibilities thrust on us. We recorded varying degrees of successes.”
He said that his generation, on assumption of power at relatively early ages made up for the youthfulness with dynamism, nationalism, commitment and lofty ideas.
He also stated that it is sad that the successor generation of Nigerians have in most cases resorted to “work avoidance” in the quest for leadership.
He wrote: “Most members of the younger generation of Nigerians are mostly contented with waiting for dead men’s shoes and are unwilling to beat an alternative path to leadership.
“In such a situation, it is to be expected and actually it is human that those with some head start in life will not concede such advantages freely and based on their innate goodness. The world, as I know it, is powered by shrewd hard-headed calculating individuals and the cornucopia of their mercy is decidedly thin and it is unlike God’s rain that falls on the just and the wicked alike.”
Obasanjo stated that the successor generations have failed to position themselves to lead, adding that he has seen many members of the younger generation miss opportunities to provide leadership.
“I look back at some members of the younger generation and I am miffed at the missed opportunities. I am equally saddened that although we the so-called older generation did facilitate some semblance of infrastructural development, today the gains made have been mostly pushed down the drain by some of those privileged young people saddled with similar responsibilities in the recent past,” the former President wrote.
He declared that the younger generation have in the recent past been a complete disappointment and failure in their various appointed or elected positions adding that some of the young people in public or private sector have frittered the prospect of being at the vanguard of sustainable development.
He also stated that whereas the earlier generation of leaders pioneered development, the youths are governed by crass materialism, self-centeredness and opportunism.
He wrote: “While these failed young men and women should not be a disincentive to support other young people, I don’t think that the older people should be excluded in our leadership recruitment process.
“For me, if I find men and women who have shown profound commitment and exemplary integrity in their various chosen careers or professions as well as zeal for the service our fatherland, I will, of course, give such both my support and inspiration, notwithstanding their age, circumstances or place of birth.”
He challenged Agbakoba to step out and face the issue of leadership, adding that the likes of Chief Awolowo and Rd. Nnamdi Azikiwe were younger than the Lagos lawyer when they threw their hats in the ring.
The former president wrote: “It is time to take the hard road. Elisa, it is time to jump down from the fence and the siddon look corner. It is your fatherland. The time’ is now. Let the young people organise themselves around positive core values.
“Let them become ideological in the sense of nationalism and patriotism in this struggle. This is a democracy. Politics is a game of numbers at the end of the day. The youth are in the majority. What is the excuse? So long as the older generation do not have the incentive to step down, for so long will they continue to reinvent and reappoint and resurface.
“The generational shift will need to be worked for and worked at. We did that before, but it was neither sustained by performance nor by commitment. But we should not give up.
“I personally hold myself available to mentor and to guide but I cannot jump over the democratic system or put democracy aside.
Olisa, I do hope you are doing well and understand my standpoint.”
It looks difficult to fault the arguments on both sides. While the younger generation has always argued about limited space offered them by the old brigade, the older political class has also insisted it will not be shoved aside in the leadership recruitment game. Like Obasanjo had said, the younger generation needs to show desire, capacity and responsibility to earn the confidence of the old brigade.