As Anenih Retires, Who and What Next?

AS ANENIH RETIRES, WHO AND WHAT NEXT?

        The last time I checked, the renowned political gladiator – Chief Tony Akhakon Anenih – had graciously retired from active politics. The Edo-born 83-year-old statesman disclosed this penultimate week, precisely on Saturday 26^th November 2016, in Abuja during the public presentation of his autobiography entitled ‘My life and Nigerian politics’.

       ‘I am persuaded that I have no more ambition nor any point to prove in politics. I am, therefore, glad to declare that, from today, I shall be withdrawing from active partisan politics. I shall, however, continue to avail the country of my experience, give suggestions and offer advice, as a statesman’, he rightly stated. He went further to seek support and prayers for President Muhammadu Buhari to steer the country away from recession to prosperity, saying the present difficult situation is a national plight that must be tackled in unison, regardless of affiliations.

        Chief Anenih served as the Minister of Works and Housing from 1999 to 2003 during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, and was subsequently appointed as the Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In his early political life, he was state Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) from 1981 to 1983; later, he emerged as the National Chairman of Social Democratic party (SDP) between 1992 and 1993. He was a member of the Constitutional Conference in 1994. He was the Deputy National Coordinator of the Olusegun Obasanjo’s Campaign Organization in the 1999 and 2003 Presidential elections respectively.

       Considering his age and the level attained in politics, there’s obviously no gain saying that the recent decision taken by him was not just timely and commendable but well informed. Asserting that he has made history, and succeeded in doing what Napoleon couldn’t do wouldn’t be an overstatement, because retirement from political career is one thing an average Nigerian politician sees as a bad omen and forbidden. It appears this is the time to address the anomaly.

       In every profession, one ought to be ready to retire at a ripe age, and politics isn’t an exception. It’s indeed baffling and mind-boggling when we realize that the Nigerian political terrain is awash with men whom are supposed to be acting as grandfathers, or what have you. It becomes more troubling and pathetic to acknowledge that they still nurture ambition to vie for one political position or the other when they are supposed to act as reputable advisers. Some of them who see the country as their farmyard would be of the view, albeit ignorantly, that they are meant to be life president.

        Worse still, some of them would arguably be unhappy that Chief Anenih had gone for a rest at 83. I wonder if such set of persons wanted him to retire at 100, or perhaps when old age has told on him. If truth be told, at 83, Chief Anenih ought to be resident in the clan where he hails from, with a view to acting as an elder kinsman. His gray hair shouldn’t only be a blessing to Nigeria, but his people in particular.

        It has become conspicuous that everyone in the contemporary Nigerian society is afraid of retirement. Those in the civil service are not left out. But, it’s very understandable why on the average, a civil servant in the country is profoundly afraid of going for rest; they are not sure of gratuity and pensions after retirement. When they retire, the politicians sit on the pensions accruable to them as if they need to beg to have their entitlements. It’s only an uninformed mind that’s yet to realize that pensions are cumulated contributions made by a worker while in service.

         Since it’s clear the reason Nigerian workers are invariably filled with fear each time they overhear ‘retirement’, we are yet to know why those in the political circle equally exercise fear. Is it that they are also afraid their pensions wouldn’t be paid, or afraid of taking a sound rest having served meritoriously? Pension payment shouldn’t be their plight, because theirs are intact, even when we think they have been officially deprived of such entitlements. Although most of them aren’t constitutionally eligible to receive pensions, the unofficial pensions they receive on a weekly basis in the name of ‘royalty’ or what whatever is numerically twenty times greater than the wages of a professor in a certain Nigerian university.

        They keep telling the youth that they are the leaders of tomorrow while they are not willing to vacate the seats today. How do you reconcile this? Won’t the youth come in and settle down today before they could lead tomorrow; how possible can they emerge as the leaders come tomorrow when virtually all the positions are presently occupied by these gladiators? Yet, the youth in question seem so myopic to realize that things aren’t at ease. An average Nigerian politician intends to taste all the available political posts, and if he eventually emerged the president of the country having tasted all the lower positions, he would want to remain there till he kisses the ‘six feet’.

        The teeming Nigerian youths have been pushed to the wall to the extent that the few who are politically aware have begun to see revolution as the only option. They shouldn’t be allowed to dwell in such obnoxious mindset, else, soonest we might be colossally taken aback. It’s only in this part of the world that you would see a politician who would never train his aide to become a leader someday; rather, he would wish he remains his aide for eternity. And peradventure, if he eventually decided to rest owing to inevitable old age, he would import his child from nowhere to fill the position.

        As Chief Anenih takes a bow, who is the next person? I expect many others to follow suit. In the state where I hail from, Imo to be precise, there are countless of them. The funniest thing is, most of the existing socio-cultural groups across the federation, such as the Ohaneze Ndigbo, are dominated by these old politicians. If such observation holds water, you may begin to wonder the correlation between culture and politics. Really, things have fallen apart, and this cannot be the arrow of God; rather, manmade. In other words, fixing the problem lies in our bare hands.

        Inasmuch as I candidly bid Chief Anenih farewell, as well as wishing him success all the way in his future endeavours, I would want him to conscientize his allies to join him. Since we are ostensibly in the era of ‘change’, let the change start taking place in every facet, and such change ought to begin with the elders. They must be prepared to lead by example so that we will celebrate them many years after their eternal exit here on earth. Unless there’s something they are not telling us; if so, it’s high time they let the cat out of the bag because time really is ticking.

       Chief Anenih truly deserves tremendous applause for this step taken by his person. But, come to think of it, has he really retired from active politics? Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

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