Nigeria: Politics of fire - Cocoa House inferno
"Africa never ceases to amaze," they say, and one might add, "and Nigeria never ceases to confound."
I suppose for a country that prides itself on extremities and lives by the axiom that large or big is beautiful, it should not be surprising that even when it comes to destruction, it is on an equally massive scale.
When the NET building was burnt to the ground in January 1983, it seemed to stun even the unshockable Nigerians. The pride of the nation, the tallest building in Africa fell victim to that most peculiar of Nigerian diseases - arson.
It is difficult to say what there is in the Nigerian psyche that turns a person's thoughts to the burning down of official buildings that the entire population boast about.
The reaction to the NET fire demonstrated the outrage of most people. It was enough to bring out university students onto the streets of Lagos who vented their anger on Senators and members of the House of Representatives by chasing them out of their offices and meeting halls.
Ex-President Shehu Shagari was roundly criticised for presiding over the destruction of the nation's assets. There were some who believed that he should have cancelled his trip to India instead of stopping by to inspect the inferno on his way to the Airport.
When the government was overthrown, one of the reasons cited by some commentators in justification was the burning of NET.
Now, Cocoa House in Ibadan might not have the same international prestige (the tallest building in Africa syndrome) and might not have been as tall - only 25 storeys compared to the 27 storeys of NET, and yet in many ways the burning down of Cocoa House must surely rank as a greater tragedy.
For, it was built in celebration of the production efforts of the country and not the conspicuous consumption tendencies exemplified by NET.
As is normal in these cases in Nigeria, everybody seems to accept that the building was deliberately burnt down and nobody is unduly agitated by it. There is a deja vu atmosphere about it all.
Another big building has been burnt down, a committee of enquiry will be appointed, there will be the inevitable flurry of official pronouncement and after a decent interval there will only be the hulk of the once magnificent building left standing to mock everybody.
When Decree 20 (Miscellaneous offences) prescribed a mandatory death sentence for arson of public buildings, even those who felt it was a bit of an overkill, had hoped that it would deter the re-occurence of another NET. With Cocoa House following in the way of NET, it is obvious that it is going to take more than Decree 20 to cure this most peculiar and unnerving Nigerian disease.
There is one very unsettling aspect of the fire which possibly is a bigger indicator of a sign of the times. As expected, Chief Obafemi Awolowo went to the site of the fire, Cocoa House, was after all his brainchild. It was him as the first Premier of the then Western Region that conceived the idea and construction work started in 1959. Apart from his personal involvement, Chief Awolowo has in a most distinguished political career always sought to be the conscience and mouth of his country.
Most uncharacteristically, however, journalists could not get the Chief to say a word on the incident. The Nigerian Tribune captured the atmosphere most vividly:
Tribune: Sir what is your reaction to this fire accident?
Awolowo: No comment.
Tribune: Having seen something built by you for years to have gone on fire...
Awolowo: No comment, no comment.
Tribune: What is your message to the people of Nigeria?
Awolowo: I have no message for them.
Tribune: Do you have any reaction as to what might have been the cause of the fire incident?
Awolowo: No reaction.
Tribune: Can you recollect how this place was built by your labour and the people of the former Western Region?
Awolowo: I can recollect but I am not talking about that now.
Tribune: Then, what is the purpose of your visit?
Awolowo: Seeing is believing. I want to see things for myself.
It is hoped that it is the enormity of the tragedy that has struck the normally forthright Chief Awolowo mute.
It is difficult to recollect any other period of Nigerian history when he has been unwilling to comment on a matter of national importance, let alone when he has not had a message for the people of Nigeria. One can recollect that at every time of crisis in Nigeria, Chief Awolowo has always waded in with his opinions, criticisms and suggestions, the last memorable one being at the congress of his Unity Party of Nigeria in late 1983.
Why will the Chief not speak anymore? As the legal people would have dealt with a similar situation, it might be necessary to empanel a jury to determine if Chief Awolowo is mute of malice or by visitation of God.
What is the public to make of his silence? It cannot be for want of nothing to say and when the acknowledged leaders elect to keep silent, are they not abdicating their leadership?
Or might it be that it is a case of his silence speaking volumes? But then these are murky times and people are better served with clearly articulated positions than coded messages.
If Chief Awolowo will not speak now, when will he speak?
