ETIM ETIM FROM THE CABLE
I knew Peter Obi at the university, although we were in different faculties. He came from a rich family, drove a new Peugeot car and always turned out like a ‘bourgeoisie’ as we mockingly referred to kids from privileged backgrounds.
The civil war had ended a few years earlier and there were scars of the fight on the walls of some buildings in the campus. Alexandra Building, where we had our general studies, stood with a blown-out roof and darkened walls. Many of the students, like my roommate in the first year, were former Biafran soldiers, while others came from very humble backgrounds. The emotional toll of the war was still evident in their young lives. In this crowd, Obi and other few fortunate students who were born into wealth easily stood out.
Since his graduation in 1983, Peter Obi has gone on to achieve a lot: he’s made a lot of money from the importation of foods and drinks; became a bank owner (or part owner, to be precise); won election as governor and recently contested the presidential election. But what strikes me most in his trajectory is his gradual transformation into Nigeria’s main opposition leader since he lost the election eleven months ago. Can he stay the course and is he ready for the bruises that come with such struggles? Frankly, I am worried for Obi.
Last week, Obi addressed an early morning press conference in which he spoke about the challenges of the Nigerian economy; the deprivations of the Nigerian people and his avowed commitment to continue to speak on these and other governance issues. He challenged President Tinubu to bring down the costs of governance; travel across the country by road and visit a public hospital for his routine medical examinations just to experience what ordinary people are suffering.
He concluded his remarks rather ominously: “It is difficult to be in opposition in this country – extremely difficult because everything is against you. Your businesses and everything you’re involved in is being dismantled. What I have faced, what I go through; what my family goes through; you won’t even believe I could still be standing and going around this country. I see colleagues at the airport and greet them. But they don’t even want to reply because they don’t want the government of the day to see them talking to you.’’ He added, in a deadpan voice: “For me, I have decided that I will continue to stand by the Nigerian people and if this is the end, so be it.”
These are typically words associated with fiery, radical and left-leaning labour leaders or opposition figures under dictatorships, but coming from a member of the propertied class, it’s quite perplexing. The elite class has been so unconcerned with the Nigerian conditions that they’ve never contemplated its end. They have answers to every problem.
For poor roads, they buy cyber trucks; for poor electricity, they acquire generators and inverters; for kidnappers on the highways, they fly commercial or private and for noisome street urchins, they are protected by the police, who also carry their wives’ handbags and umbrellas. Obi can afford all these, but since has chosen to stand by the downtrodden, he should be told of the dangers that lurk ahead. Is he ready for the bruises? Africa is replete with many opposition leaders, freedom fighters and activists who have faced grave dangers for their convictions.
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