Truth, Trust and Nigerian Polity and Politics

By

Abdullahi Lamido Mohammed

ablamo03@yahoo.com

Truth and trust have become clichés, in Nigeria’s social and political parlance, to trust somebody, something, an arrangement, agreement or organization, has also become a folly of a kind. In the society people no longer, trust their elected representatives in carrying out their delegated responsibilities, so also in the market-place, transactions are carried out in distrust. This utter lack of trust in our activities is what makes people live in fear, intimidation and hostility towards others. These feelings of fear, intimidation and hostility contribute to the paralysis of the social sphere. The social sphere as an important avenue which moulds a people’s character needs to flourish devoid of factors that hinder free and truthful association of people. knowledge of a people obtained through social interaction, which makes a person aware of the culture, religion, mores and values, customs and costumes, senses and sensibilities of others, thus respecting or avoiding pronouncements  and actions that will impinge on these social desiderata’s. But when social bonds of truth and trust are broken, and people live in asunder, such a situation is the harbinger of a troubled Federation such as Nigeria.    

The major problem facing Nigeria and Nigerians is the lack of mutual trust between its leaders, individuals, ethnic groups and of Federating units that constitute it.

Confucius a Chinese philosopher once told his disciple Tsze-Kung that, “three things are needed for government: Weapons, food, and trust. If a ruler can’t hold on to all three he should give up weapons first and food next.  Trust should be guarded to the end. He concludes that, without trust we can not stand”  

The above saying though centuries old is more relevant and more contemporaneous now than ever, and more applicable to Nigeria than any other country, given its recent rating amongst corrupt nations of the world and the on going tirade of distrust and allegations of fraud between its two most important citizens, President Olusegun Obasanjo and vice president Atiku Abubakar.

Since trust is, philosophically saying, more important than food and weapons, there is the need to contextualize it within the prism of Nigerian politics and politicians, to see how those at the helm of affairs have toyed with it in their politics and general administration of people’s life and resources.  Not only from the perspective of the leadership, the led, also have their fair share in the waning of trust and its resultant implication for the nation.

This situation signals the imminent danger to the survival of Nigeria as a sovereign nation, 46 years after its independence. Nigeria goes beyond personalities, those at the helm of affairs should be wary of their action, because they represent different ethnic nationalities that people Nigeria. The distrust emanating from these distinguished Nigerians is also igniting distrust among Nigerians. The booing of Vice president Atiku Abubakar in Lagos clearly shows the conscription of the society in the flexing of egos by their representatives, which if allowed is capable of degenerating into hostilities between federating units.

The central point which trust holds in our daily activities is very profound. Its profundity is such that, denouncing it will imply being islands unto ourselves, which is utterly impossible. Each individual on daily basis trust, or is entrusted with some responsibilities. There is therefore, the need for some amount of reciprocity of trust in the conduct of our activities. We need to trust the security of our societies before venturing out of our homes to our work places.   To trust a bus driver an Okada rider, before joining them. To trust the safety of that pure water we buy, to trust your messenger, or your house help to carry out your daily domestic chores, In short, to trust everything that you would not afford to do yourself, but delegate somebody on your behalf.

Above all to trust the Government of Nigeria to protect you and to provide basic amenities of life, such as pipe borne water, electricity, affordable and good transport system. This shows the primacy of trust in our daily interpersonal relationships. The dilemma of Nigeria is that trust is lacking amongst those who are expected to give the nation a purposeful leadership and sense of direction.  

Some might argue that, Nigerians have no options, rather than trust whatever comes their way.  In a situation where people have limited choices, their actions inferentially show distrust, because trust provide for a wide array of choices between trust and distrust, likes and dislike a polarity which all Nigerians fall into.

Young Nigerians, who are not opportune to witness the leadership of our celebrated pre-independence nationalist, must have heard or read of their trustworthiness and are living witnesses to the untrustworthiness of contemporary leaders. As such, the case of Nigeria is both a culture of distrust and a crisis of trust. From the citizenry, it is a culture of suspicion, which is corroborated by the action of the untrustworthiness of some leaders.

In a recent belated attempt by the Senate president Chief Ken Nnamani to rescue the Presidency from the cesspool of corruption allegation, counter allegation and distrust the Senate President Chief Ken Nnamani spoke unequivocally that, Democratic governance is a trust which binds the citizen and their leaders in an unbroken chain of mutuality and dependence (and) the citizens expect candor and good faith from leaders. The leaders on their part express their obligation to serve the peoples interest at all time. When this social contract is broken or stressed, the foundations of legitimacy of the state tremble (and) at such period the society need undergo a restoration of balance and truth is what restores the balance of societal harmony.

The foundation of truthfulness, loyalty and honesty was the basis on which Nigeria was established, therefore truth was the foundation of Nigeria, and not a recipe for restoration of societal harmony. Nigerians are in relative harmony with one another. It is the leaders who are not in harmony with one another because their interaction within themselves and towards the citizenry is not based on truth and trust.    Even if there is any level of disharmony among Nigerians it is a contrived one used as a smoke screen to cover up their corrupt activities and failure of leaders in managing state resources.

The senate president should not undermine the pulse of Nigerians regarding the inability of this regime to improve on the living standards of Nigerians and the failure of this regime and of the Senate in check-mating the Presidency, through collusion and passivity on issues of great concern to the masses, which has led to the attenuation of public trust on the law makers, majority of whom are of the P.D.P.

Suspicion of the Citizenry

Leaders are not masters of the led, but slaves and scions of them; as such the life situation of such leaders is not totally removed from that of other Nigerians. Their rise to affluence or stoop misery is known. They owe their ascension to a responsibility they are entrusted with, not because they are intrinsically leaders.

The cause for public suspicion is the over-night transformation of some leaders from what they were not to what they are.  The sudden transformation of public office holders or politicians, who in the last three years walk in tattered robes, suddenly begin to live a life of affluence and splendor, through unscrupulous and unaccountable means. It is such sudden transformation from misery to a life of affluence and splendor that dumb the imagination of the citizenry, which justify public suspicion, going by what such politicians and civil servants receive as their legal earning.

Justification for Mistrust

Responsibilities can be either personal or delegated. Delegated responsibilities are those reposed on an individual by his community or nation to represent various shades of their demands and aspirations, and it is required of such leaders to conduct themselves with apparent transparency, and accountability to the people. But the reverse is the case.

Public distrust for leaders and politicians are justified based on; ignoring public interest for the pursuit of personal greed and avarice, poor reward for employees, Lack of accountability deception and misinformation, are some  of the reasons that justifies public distrust on public and political office holders, which have far reaching implication on the credibility of leaders in and out office.

Instances are numerous where government officials and politicians have betrayed the trust reposed on them, thus becoming untrustworthy.  Before assuming political office the President, State Governors Chairmen and Councilors all made campaign promises, such promises are what the people look up to them to execute, they have also sworn to be truthful, loyal and honest, in their administration of duty, but they have refused to. This refusal as opposed to inability is applicable in a situation where there is financial constraint, but, at this time in Nigeria’s history, when the amount of revenue accrued to the nation is higher than any other time in its history, as such financial constraint is ruled out, and a lot is expected from the government.

The failure to impact positively on the lives of the people, with the abundant financial resources at their disposal, is thus enough reason for distrust for the leaders of this country.

Antidote for Distrust

The power of the powerless Nigerian citizens has its potency during elections; they are at will to decide whether to elect trustworthy or financially worthy leaders. In Nigeria most of the trustworthy politicians contesting are not always financially worthy, but Nigerians must try to do away with their greed, hunger, and poverty to vote without financial inducements.  The expectations of performance from a candidate voted based on truth and trust are higher than those financially worthy candidates who bought, rigged or emasculate the electorate to docility on their way to power.

As an umpire INEC should tame their greed and shun temptation, so as to exude with a shimmering transparency and hold the ring in the middle to win the trust of all, such that losers will be convinced that, elections were free and fair. Posterity will never forgive them for colluding to foist on the nation an untrustworthy candidate.

Legislators should support and closely monitor EFCC effort towards screening candidates who would contest or re-contest elections in 2007. All those found to be involved in any financial crime should be barred from contesting and subsequently prosecuted.

Power can be only enjoyed if it has some level of legitimacy. Legitimacy can only be attained through, the acquiescence of the citizenry and the judiciary which the society holds as a fiduciary.

Abdullahi Lamido Mohammed