RE-INVENTING GOVERNMENT, LEADERSHIP AND CIVIC EXERCISE IN NIGERIA
A people, a nation, can only be as successful as they make up their mind to be, because nation, a people are only as successful and prosperous as their leaders are wise and visionary: Noting that leaders of a nation and or a people are product of, and chosen from the people. Nigeria’s example is plain and clear. As one of the most blessed nations under the sun: year-round arable farmlands, numerous mineral and precious metals deposits, crude oil deposit, sizeable human capital: well-educated and hard-working citizenry, healthy young population (200,000,000 +), one of the youngest global work force, optimal ethno-cultural mix/high cultural literacy, with the attendant blessings of strengths of diversity. Nigeria should be one of the permanent residents of the global economic finish-lines, not a notorious back-bencher among the global economic never-do-wells. Nigeria is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of per/capita income. And the culprit for this socio-economic under-performance is the since-independence leadership class, made up of rogue-minded, mediocre politicians, at our gates of power, accessorized with under-stimulated, as-in-the-books, and academic economists at the national economic planning and policy sanctuaries.
The leadership spreadsheet of the since-independence leadership class shows insufficient patriotism, lack of basic understanding of prudent investing of national resources and easy workings or alleviates of government bureaucracy, entirely oblivious of the blessings and strength of diversity: In place of leveraging the ethno-cultural diversity of the Nigerian citizenry, they successfully turn the presidency and the “rotational presidency” that was crafted seemingly in good faith to offset lopsided representation in the presidency, into “chop-make-I-chop” and “safe-chop” system. A system that bred a legion of political class and regional leaders who are more of interest groups with interests far removed from economic growth, development, socio-economic welfare, stability and safety of the nation; resulting in the vicious cycle of gangster-like regime after another, all with “our-turn mentality that squanders national inheritance and economic development opportunities, as they play their ping-pong game with the faith and future of the nation. This has given Nigeria an undesirable international “rogue-reputation” that also unduly reflects the individual character(s) of the citizenry, since the leaders were chosen from among the people. Remember, nationalism is derived from individualism: the sum of individual characters of the citizenry of a nation makes the national character of the nation. This is well reflected when the IMF disbursed $3.4billion RFI (COVID-19), which according to the IMF Director, Kristalina Georgieva, is the highest the Fund has given to any nation under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI). She warned that “Nigerians must hold their leaders accountable for the spending/investing the money”: Such is our reputation as a nation.
Sometimes, the government is not always so much the answer to the problem and decadence of a society as insurrection is an imprescriptible right of any citizenry: the indispensable duty to defend public order and sovereign integrity of the people of the land to ensure good government of the people for people. This is the basic foundation of a free, decent and transparent society: premised on the evident truth that “freedom is not a privilege endowed by the government and or fellow men upon other person(s) but rather an inherent right given by laws of nature”. However, mother nature made it that, with freedom comes responsibility: you are responsible to engage the spoils and largess of freedom and it requires constant vigilance, upkeep and fending-off possible encroachments, thus making it apparent that “freedom is not free”. It is therefore safe to invoke the inference that all the evils of Nigeria against the citizenry over the decades since independence has not necessarily been an exclusive product of perversity of the rogue leadership class, than it is the symptom of indifference and infinite tolerance of evil, incompetence, thievery, mismanagement, the compromises of conscience of the people of the land, insufficient patriotism, deficit of civic exercise and abdication of solemn duties by the people of the land. Paraphrasing one-time US first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt; No one can make you inferior, (subjugate you, undermine your dignity) without your permission”. We the people have for so long permitted our leaders to undermine our dignity, subjugate our well-being, our welfare, even worse the future of our children in this ever-competitive global community. And there is nothing as painful and sorrowful as a people being mis-governed, mis-represented and exploited in the hands of their own fellow citizens. If you don’t, I do feel the pain, every day, all the time.
Good and hopeful thing about the dark shadow, socio-economic excruciation and rogue-reputation Nigeria endured over the years since independence is that, there is more left to be explored and put to good use than has already been squandered: as in, there is nothing ruinous and wrong in Nigeria that cannot be righted by all that is still promising inside Nigeria: paraphrasing the boy from Hope town (Bill Clinton) to his audience about America. And even more so when only we the people can choose how and when to start the process of correction. Today is not too late, so long as we understand that the process of correction cannot be postponed indefinitely, because a people “cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading today”. Only cowards, fools and the inconsiderate push troubles and doomsday forward for their children and future generation to resolve. The wise and loving often times stand with any situation that spins right for their children’s’ future, and sit tight with it while it spins right, and uncouple with it once it shows signs of spinning wrong, in the understanding and conviction that: “If there will be trouble, let it be in my day, so that my children shall have peace”.
Severally, I’ve heard voices saying that the most pressing need in the Nigerian polity is the restructuring of the constitution to create a national environment that fosters economic development and prosperity, but the leaders of the nation and incumbent interests that benefit from the unstructured and chaotic state of the nation are formidable impediments. One of numerous such voices is former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Kingsley Moghalu that calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria “to commence a far-reaching restructuring and repositioning of Nigeria’s economy to make the economy more productive”, in the caption (May-01-2020): “Nigeria’s Covid-19, Oil Price Crash and Fiscal Crisis Calls for a More Fundamental Response”
Frankly I’m not as ignorant of how powerful a clog incumbent powers and interests could be as I am certain that “We the people” are the rightful masters of the Senate, House of Reps, Presidency, Central Bank, and all the institutions of the government of the people of the land of Nigeria. “We the people” own the economy and all that exists within our territory. We the people have the sacred duty to ensure good government and equitable distribution and utilization of our resources, our laws, our constitutions and the amendments thereof, as of and when necessary, and to overthrow whoever perverts the constitution and impedes national progress/prosperity. And as Abraham Lincoln, will say:
“This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it”.
Knowing that if it is democracy, “it works only when the people act”. And if it is autocracy, or any other form of government whatsoever that the people welcomes not, it stops when the people act. Remembering that autocrats act accordingly whenever the people of the land rise and demand that they surrender, and stick to their “guns” and demand come rain come shine. Often times a people dwell in complacency of being in a democratic territory because they cast their votes in the process of choosing who governs the territory: a process that complies with who receives the highest number of vote cast, a game of the majority. In as much as this process of electoral campaigns and vote-casting is part of the process of electing leaders in a democratic society, it is only a marginal/peripheral part of the real workings of a democracy. In a real functional democracy, all the decisions and policies of the nation is made with the input from the citizenry and at all times reflect the aspirations of the people. Noting that, no man is good enough to govern and make laws that govern the next man without the clear consent of the governed: The Leaders must at all times derive their mandate and legitimacy to govern from the governed.
Nigeria’s socio-economic situation is already a dangerous problem, and no doubt, the accurate solution to a dangerous problem facing a people is for the people to face the problem head-on. And in so doing, must act fearlessly in the absence of any recognizable wrong-doing for which to be fearful, nor will the people be fearful for no reason. A fearful people are easily controlled, dominated and stripped of their basic human dignity and decency.
The most rankling part of Nigeria’s socio-economic situation is not the proliferate hostility nor improved efficiency of wickedness and thievery of the since-independence leadership class; but rather, due to the fast evolving global geopolitics and ever improving intellectual capital based global economy, Nigeria’s leadership class are fast losing relevance, once propped by oil-nation status, in the international arena. And the entire citizenry is losing their power at about the same pace, and this is far more dangerous. But the erosion of the basic civic power of the citizenry could be countered when, we as a people, come together in a mutual and sincere outreach to overcome the tyranny of tribal holier-than-thou finger wagging: the tyranny of pitting tribe against tribe, religion against religion, culture against culture, prejudice against prejudice to the point of almost criminalizing ethnic differences to elicit differential sensibilities. All for the sole purpose of entrenching the “we and them” mindset to divide, confuse and conquer. We must enlist shared sensibilities that will encourage common trust that glue our communities and society together. No doubt this will help develop a common pattern of response and approach to our common problem: Recognizing that in the midst of our ethno-cultural difference is the spice of our common nationality: in the midst of our differences is the power of having a good and formidable nation where every region does not have same everything but rather a nation where the weaknesses of one region is stood in, complimented and supplemented by the strengths of the other region and members, making the nation deficit of no trait. That is why there is strength in diversity, and only fools fail to employ this blessing. In light of this, we can build a new modern One Nigeria, where no person(s) claim any higher liberty of citizenship and meritocracy is the legal tender.
No doubt, the most critical ingredient in the functioning of a government is Leadership. Leadership that focuses not only on the matters of the moment to score political points, and win the next elections, but one bent on engaging and resolving structural weaknesses that negates prosperity in an economy, and potentiates damages in an emergency/crisis: and Crisis erupts often in government. To engender this hoped-for good accountable transparent government of the people and the ensuing functional society, Nigerians need to know and be shown that the national resources are being spent, invested and utilized judiciously. Once this is feasible, lots of ethno-tribal suspicion and animosity will evaporate. This can only start in earnest by forbidding the entire since-independence leadership class, their cronies and prodigies from our gates of power and influence. In the business of solutions, losers must exit the scene. They had their chance, they failed, we thank them for their service and we will live with the ghosts of their dis-service, correct and nurse the wounds of their mismanagement as we forge a new modern Nigeria.
Without doubt, Fighting the Tyranny of "How it has always been" requires to discard the psyche of "it has always been like this" and wear a new askance psyche: How dare they conduct the business of the people in such a reckless and incautious manner? What Can be Done and How can it be Done? Remember, the death of the human soul and spirit begins when he fails and stops contributing in whatever measure and relevance to the general good of the community and society. If and when every Nigerian shows what he feels, what she thinks and demonstrate the same through civic exercise. And in so doing accept any burden, embrace any danger, confront fear and inertia devoid of any other interest other than public advantage, liberty and welfare it will bestow on the citizenry present and future, we as a people will be free and saved. The inept since-independence leadership class, their cronies and prodigies must go. Hope is coming to Nigeria. Nigeria must be free. May God help Nigeria and May God Bless Africa.