Obama: Beyond the Excitement

Comfort Obi

The Rev. Jesse Jackson was not the only one in tears as Barack Obama was making his acceptance speech in Chicago after he was elected the 44th President of the United States of America on November 4, 2008. Even though I was not moved by his tears, which I quickly dubbed “tears for the cameras” (He was caught on camera months ago running down Obama and was forced to apologise publicly after his own son publicly denounced him), I understood where he was coming from. As I watched the excitement spread, as I watched the tears cascade down the faces of several people, including Oprah Winfrey, my tear ducts which had been threatening to burst loose did.
I had stayed awake all night. And those who know me know it is, on my part, a big sacrifice. I like my sleep. But on the night of November 4, I said I would keep a date with history. I know I was a bit nervous. I had some doubts that Obama would make it. But each time such thoughts crept in, I consoled myself by saying: whichever way, he has made history. He is, afterall, I tell myself, the first African-American to be the presidential candidate of a major political party in America.
I was a late convert to the Obama phenomenon. I was a Hillary Clinton fan. And it has nothing to do with my being a woman. In Hillary, I saw a total woman. Confident. Independent. Brilliant. Intelligent. Compassionate. And with a can-do spirit. Yet each time I watched Obama, and listened to him speak, there was something about him which screamed: “Child of Destiny.” I had bought Obama’s two books – The Audacity of Hope, and The Dreams of my Father, but they were decorations on my book shelf. The day he defeated Hillary at the primaries, I brought the two books out, and read them simultaneously. And I was smitten by him.
I know all the indices pointed to an Obama victory. But given the racial prejudices, which by the way is still strong in America, I was not comfortable. The polls which continuously gave him a lead, I dismissed, atimes, as wayo. But on November 4, Obama gave a lie to my doubts. And so did America. Obama won in style. And the victory resonated all over America. It resonated all over the world. The impossible became possible. The dream which the Rev. Martin Luther King had decades back became a radiant reality. In a spontaneous celebration, millions of people all over the world trooped to the streets in celebration. Thousands of Americans converged in front of the White House to celebrate history.
The excitement of an Obama presidency which will start on January 20, 2009 is infectious. But beyond the excitements, there are lessons to be learnt, especially, for us in Nigeria. I should begin by asking: Is an Obama possible in Nigeria?
Forty-eight years after independence, there are parts of Nigeria which natives cannot aspire to the presidency. There is, of course, no written law against such aspiration, but it remains just that: aspiration . A possible South east or South south presidency in Nigeria is still a dream. The ethnic lines in Nigeria is as thick as thickness itself. If Obama’s maternal home was Nigeria, and his father a Kenyan, Nigerians would have reminded him that he does not belong here, and cannot, therefore, aspire to the presidency. Indeed, in very minor things, say, appointment of State Commissioners, Nigerians would quickly point out who is from their state and who is not. A married woman still cannot aspire to the governorship of the state to which she is married. They will ask her to go back to her state, and it doesn’t matter for how long she has been married.
Indeed, an Obama victory is not possible in Nigeria. How could a sitting president allow his political party to lose the presidency? He would have pulled all stops. I only began to pick an interest during the 1993 aborted elections. It blossomed in the 1999 elections and matured in 2003 and 2007, especially in 2007.
Now, the American presidential election – from primaries – were not rigged. Nobody brought trumped-up corruption charges to stop anybody from contesting. It was, entirely, the people's choice. Nobody ordered, and/or forced anybody to step down and/or withdraw in a most humiliating manner. We never saw President George Bush Jnr., join the fray. He never went out on campaign. He was minding the business of running the state. He never released the presidential jet for his party’s candidate. No state governors left their states to travel with the candidates. They only showed up when the candidates visited their states. No secretaries (Ministers) showed up at campaign venues. There was no chairman of political parties. The candidates were left to sell themselves to the electorate. They discussed issues, they debated on issues, and the press had access to them and asked them questions. Here, it is the direct opposite. Example.
We never heard President Umaru Yar’Adua and/or his Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, talk on any issue. They never spoke to the electorate. It was not that they were dumb, but former President Olusegun Obasanjo never allowed them. He took over their campaign, and did more dancing and more yabis than telling Nigerians what the candidates had to offer. The campaigns were mere jamborees where money, wine and women held sway. In America, nobody is threatening anybody with court action. As soon as President Bush knew that Obama had won, he picked up his phone, congratulated him, and pledged his support. And so did John McCain. He was gracious in defeat, blaming nobody but himself, congratulated Obama and saying: “American people have clearly spoken.”
Obama was all humility and gracious in victory. He generously praised McCain, extolling his virtues and the sacrificies he made for America. He gave the victory to the people. He praised his wife, Michelle, acknowledging her as the rock of their family, his best friend and the love of his life. We cannot see that here because there are so many other women in contention. In deed, here, the winner is more likely to spend that night with a girlfriend, instead of his wife and children. They have so many loves of their lives that hell will let loose if they identified one.
It is easy for us to beat our chests and celebrate Obama. It is easy for us to bask in the euphoria of the American spirit which has risen beyond politics, race and colour. Let it also be easy for us to imbibe the things that make America great. A journey of a million miles begin in one day.