By Toye Olori
LAGOS, Nov 10 1994 (IPS)

POLITICAL GROUPS IN THIS WEST AFRICAN NATION HAVE STARTED PREPARING FOR THE DAY THEY WILL BE ABLE TO FUNCTION OPENLY EVEN THOUGH NIGERIA’S MILITARY JUNTA IS YET TO LIFT A BAN ON PARTY POLITICS IMPOSED MORE THAN A YEAR AGO.

THROUGHOUT NIGERIA, GROUPS HAVE BEEN MEETING IN SECRET, FEARING THAT OPEN DEFIANCE OF THE BAN – IMPOSED WHEN FORMER MILITARY STRONGMAN IBRAHIM BABANGIDA ANNULLED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS HELD ON 12 JUNE 1993 – WILL AROUSE THE WRATH OF THE COUNTRY’S CURRENT RULERS.

HOWEVER, FEARLESS POLITICIANS WHO HAD BEEN PROMINENT IN FORMER CIVILIAN GOVERNMENTS HAVE BEEN MEETING OPENLY IN THE CAPITAL, ABUJA, TO MAP OUT STRATEGIES TO PERSUADE THE REGIME OF GEN. SANI ABACHA TO STEP DOWN.

THEIR CLARION CALL HAS BEEN UNITY, PEACE AND THE SALVATION OF THIS POLITICALLY EMBATTLED COUNTRY OF 88.5 MILLION PEOPLE.

“IF WE FAIL TO COME TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RULE THIS COUNTRY DEMOCRATICALLY,” SAYS LEMA JUBRIL, A POLITICIAN FROM THE MIDDLE BELT REGION, REGARDED AS AN AREA THAT PRODUCES POWER BROKERS BETWEEN THE NORTH, WHICH DOMINATES POLITICS HERE, AND THE SOUTH, WHICH RESENTS NORTHERN DOMINATION.

SUNDAY AWONIYI FROM THE SOUTHWEST, WHO CHAIRED A RECENT MEETING IN ABUJA, URGED ALL POLITICIANS TO “AIM HIGH AND WORK TOGETHER AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN EVERY SPHERE OF OUR NATIONAL LIFE FOR THE GOOD OF THIS POTENTIALLY GREAT COUNTRY”.

“THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PROBLEMS THAT BESET OUR NATION NOW AND IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE ARE OF SUCH MAGNITUDE THAT THEY CANNOT BE ADDRESSED SUCCESSFULLY IN A CLIMATE OF DIVISIVE, SELF-CENTRED AND UNFORGIVING POLITICS OF THE PAST,” AWONIYI SAID.

BUT THE RESURGENCE OF THE OLD POLITICAL GUARD HAS ATTRACTED THE ANGER OF YOUNGER ACTIVISTS WHO BELIEVE THE OLDER POLITICIANS HAVE FAILED THE NATION SINCE INDEPENDENCE.

“WE ARE IN A DEEP SEA IF THESE GROUPS OF OLD POLITICIANS CAN START REGROUPING SO SOON WITHOUT FIRST LAYING TO REST THE ISSUE OF JUNE 12. THIS ROAD IS LEADING NIGERIA TO NOWHERE,” SAYS DOMNIC OIGBOCHIE.

OIGBOCHIE, A YOUTH WARD LEADER IN IWAYA, A LAGOS SUBURB, TOLD IPS: “HOW CAN THE SAME PEOPLE WHO FAILED THE NATION SEVERAL TIMES COME TOGETHER AGAIN TO FORM POLITICAL PARTIES. THIS IS A MESS AND ONLY GOD CAN TAKE US OUT OF IT.”

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