‘No general as president’ after Obasanjo, Buhari
Hassan Kukah, reverend father and political commentator, has urged military generals, both serving and retired, to give civilians the opportunity to nurture democracy in the country.
Kukah said the military had taken away several years of the nation’s democracy since its inception in 1999, wondering how long Nigeria would keep depending on “generals”.
He was speaking at the presentation of ‘Destiny Calling My Name’, a biography of Alex Badeh, the chief of defence staff (CDS), written by Dotun Oyelade.
“After General Olusegun Obasanjo and General Muhammadu Buhari, how many more generals do you want to have as presidents?” he asked.
“The military has already taken away most of our years in this democracy, and as you have seen, they are still not yet through with us. Will civilians grow this democracy or will it be the duty of soldiers?
“This is not anti-military rally but please soldiers, retired and serving, give us civilians the chance to rule.
“Let those soldiers who have retired enjoy the benefit of their retirement and let the soldiers who are serving remain in the military and do very well what they set out to do when they joined the military.”
Kukah, who chaired the occasion, described the current transition from one government to another as a great moment for the country.
“This is a great moment for Nigeria’s democracy; we have made progress in our country,” he said.
“Nigeria is indeed truly in democracy and if you were ever in doubt look no further.
“I believe that most Nigerians must be very pleased that when it mattered, our military displayed a high sense of responsibility.’’
Kukah commended Badeh for ensuring professionalism in the military, saying his book was a story of what God could do.
He traced the CDS’ journey from a village school through the secondary school to defence academy to his current position.
Kukah also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the courage to accept defeat in the last election.
Jerry Gana, who was the guest of honor, also commended Jonathan for his political maturity, saying the president’s acceptance of defeat saved Nigeria from avoidable crisis.
He commended Badeh for the success made so far by the military in the fight against insurgency.
In his remark, the CDS said he was fulfilled having served for many years in the military.
Philosophically, I feel the well respected Fr. Kukah. The constitution, though, feels differently and grants everyone who is qualified, including those from the military stock, the right to their political aspirations. There is so much ‘weight throwing’ going on, and both ‘civilian civilians’ and ‘military civilians’ indulge in this. The CDS was able to progress from a village primary school to the apex of the military because the military institution enabled a framework that fished out the best, or even the luckiest, irrespective of their creed. What is needed to grow our democracy is for the parties to guarantee internal democracy, and the next level institutions including the military, the Police and INEC to make one qualified man or woman vote a reality. The institutions must be strong enough to guarantee that the hypothetical son or daughter of a palm wine tapper who is qualified can actualise his or her dreams, including rising to be president of Nigeria.
Kuka should also concentrate on church matters and leave the military and politics alone since it appears he is ignorant of the provisions in the Nigerian constitution. He hates everything military.