THE ACT OF LETTER WRITING

One of the first things one learns in a secondary school is on letter writing.

We were taught that letter writing is the act of communication between two persons.

There is a sender and a receiver.
It is the best way of putting one's thoughts, requests and other ideas into writing.

It is meant to be a private communication between the people involved.

It is rare for letters to be for public consumption.

When letters are therefore meant for public consumption, it therefore means that the writer or sender wants such a letter to be for public debate.

Reading letters from our leaders especially former and current presidents provides an insight into how our leaders work.

It also exposes some of the things ordinary citizens may not be privy to.

When Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the second republic, wrote a public letter to then President Shehu Shagari about the collapsing economy, it was like a bombshell on the nation.

Chief Awolowo in his usual meticulous manner, reeled out figures to show that the economy was in tatters.

President Shehu Shagari in his reply mocked Chief Awolowo and likened Chief Awolowo to the shepherd who was crying wolf where there was none.

The banter between President Shagari and Chief Awolowo provided enough ammunition for beer parlour discussions.

Andy Akporugo, then editor of Sunday Times turned the epistles of both leaders to a satire.

Chief Awolowo became the villain who never saw any good in the NPN led federal government.

The import of his letter was lost on the nation.
Few months after Chief Awolowo's letter, there was austerity measure declared by the federal government to arrest the dwindling economy.

Today, the nation has not recovered from not heeding Chief Awolowo's letter.

The economic storm has not abated.
It was therefore with the same curiosity that one read Chief Obasanjo's letter to the president.

Chief Obasanjo's open letter to the president was surprising since he had unhindered access to him.

Moreover, GEJ is his godson.
What would have gone amiss to necessitate the writing of such a venomous letter to the president? Was it because the son is no longer a baby and is indirectly telling the father that he can find his way in the murky waters of Nigerian politics without being led by the father? Was the president becoming too independent? Was it true that GEJ never replies nor acts on the previous letters written by the former president? What was OBJ trying to prove by making his letter public? That he is a statesman? Does one become a statesman by writing letters, more so when the writer was in a position to correct the ills he was accusing the president of? As stated earlier, letters between leaders gives the led an insight into the workings of government.

Such is OBJ's letter to the president and the reply.

OBJ's letter has explicitly done so.
Nigerians are becoming aware of how elections are being organized in this country.

How else can one construe this portion of Chief Obasanjo's letter: 'I worked for both President Shagari and President Yar'Adua to succeed me not just because they are Moslems, Northerners or Hausa-Fulani, but also because they could strengthen the unity, stability and democracy in Nigeria.

We incurred the displeasure of ethnic chauvinists for doing what was right for the country.

'? Could it then mean that the votes of Nigerians never counted in all the elections organized by OBJ? In other words, all elections organized by OBJ were rigged in favour of his preferred candidates.

Chief Obasanjo states further that 'with leadership come not just power and authority to do and to undo, but also responsibility and accountability to do and undo rightly, well and justly.

'   I do not know if Chief Obasanjo practiced these while he was in office.

On the issue of corruption which Chief Obasanjo accused President Jonathan of not doing enough to curb, the president has this to say: 'that corruption is an issue in Nigeria is indisputable.

  It has been with us for many years.
You will recall that your kinsman, the renowned afro-beat maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti famously sang about it during your first stint as Head of State.

Sonny Okosun also sang about corruption.
And as you may recall, a number of Army Generals were to be retired because of corruption before the Dimka coup.

  Also, the late General Murtala Mohammed himself wanted to retire some top people in his cabinet on corruption-related issues before he was assassinated.

  Even in this Fourth Republic, the Siemens and Halliburton scandals are well known'.

  The president is indirectly informing Nigerians that some of our leaders have been accused of corruption a very long time ago.

Some of them may have found themselves in the corridors of power and must have continued in their corrupt ways.

What better way to know our leaders than through such open communications between them? Nigerians are now better informed about the workings of government and our elected (or rigged) leaders.

Such banters from them help making us the led have an informed opinion about them.

One hopes that such letters among our rulers be more frequent.

What will an open letter written by Chief Ibori to Gov Uduaghan and Gov Uduaghan's reply look like? What will the Aviation's Minister's letter to various chief executives in the ministry's parastatals and their reply look like? I hereby sincerely plead to our elected officials to get busier by writing more open letters.

It is part of democracy.
The electorate must be well informed.
It is through this information that we can now vote them back to power so that they can write more letters.

Nigerians do not care about the grammatical errors but the facts as presented by the letter writer.

Written By Eddy Aghanenu