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Nigeria's Quest For World Class Leadership By Anthony Okosun
Nigeria gained her independence on October 1st, 1960, upon a motion moved by Nigeria's most respected elder statesman Chief Anthony Enahoro. The founding fathers and their British partners envisioned a country that would be a global economic colossus and a political and social support corner stone for the whole of Africa and people of African descent in the diaspora. Nigeria lived up to this dream during the struggle for the decolonisation of all the countries in the southern quarter of the African continent thanks to General Murtala Muhammed and General Olusegun Obasanjo, as he then was. Unfortunately Nigeria's leaders have betrayed the dream of the founding fathers. This collossal betrayal have not been uglier and more embarrassing than in the last eighth years. The current elections going- on in Nigeria leaves every right thinking Nigeria with a sour taste in the mouth. Every one is wondering, when are we going to get it right. What type of government do we have in Nigeria. One would be right to call the Nigerian system of government kleptocracy. All the rulers for themselves, helping themselves to the peoples wealth and no one for the people. The desperation exhibited so far, by the politicians to cling to power is alarming. If this degree of desperation is put into solving the country's problems, Nigeria would have become a world power by now. The President must rise up to leadership and call all politicians to order. The President must rise above partisan politics and assume his role as the de facto leader and father of the nation and do all it takes to make the elections credible. What happened to the Olusegun Obasanjo that became not just an African statesman but a world statesman as the Chairman of the African Leadership Forum. Obasanjo the soldier turned Numero-Uno democrat has now become a pupil, a chela, a neophyte and a protege now being thought the basic rudiments of democracy, rule of law, supremacy and sanctity of the constitution, and sovereignty of the will of the people, who are the real grundnorm.
The shameless, dubious and diabolical manner the current election is being conducted is frightening. Nigerians are becoming more politically enlightened, sophisticated and mature. The political goons will only be scheming themselves into political disaster and oblivion if they insist on their current nefarious, parochial and treacherous attempts to mess with the political sensibilities of Nigerians. Elections gives the people an opportunity to elect leaders of their choice. Unfortunately, this has never been so in Nigeria. Politicians complain about the military rudely and violently truncating democratic experiments. Ironically, whenever the politicians assume power , their infantile and juvenile approach to politicking leaves even the most optimistic Nigerian believers in democracy perplexed and apprehensive. Then, one begin to wonder how come the western European countries and the U. S. seems to conduct their politics and elections flawlessly. What is the source of our problems. Is it in our genes. Is it in our environment. I guess Nigeria should learn a lesson from Japan. In 1962, the literacy rate in Japan was 98%. This easily explain, while things work easily well in advanced countries. The people are sophisticated enough to know what their rights are. With a highly educated citizenry, politicians will discover that they can deceive no one as a highly cultured and cultivated populace will demand and get the dividends of democracy from their leaders.
All Nigerian politicians who are engaging in all manner of subterfuge, devious machinations and surreptitious sharp practices to acquire political power must recognise the oxymoronic and incongruous effect of their greed and selfishness induced quest to torpedo the collective will of the Nigerian people. How do they expect to win the trust of the Nigeria people, with an electoral mandate they crudely acquired through naked and shameless bamboozlement and spurrious treachery. Any wonder the civilised and developed world call us third world and underdeveloping geo-socio-political amalgam. Where else in the world will you find those who are elected on the platform of a constitution, sworn on oath to lead by the constitution and to defend the constitution so ironically be the ring leaders in a clandestine, dubious, savage, weired, bizzare, obnoxious, ignoble, atavistic and nihilistic efforts to hijack the sacred and collective carte blanche commission of all Nigerians. Political thuggery in Nigeria has long assumed a very frightening dimension. Armed robbers and assassins operate very freely as political thugs. The police and other law enforcement agencies are hopelessly outgunned and underequipped to fight this violent crime dragon. Many nigerian citizens even complain that the police and other coerceive power wielding institutions are part of the problem. It was John F. Kennedy a late American President who said "Those who make peaceful change impossible makes violent change inevitable " Nigerians are tired of coups. We want democracy. However, those who are saddled and entrusted with the machinery of leadership on behalf of 150 million Nigerians must not conduct themselves in a mannerism that creates an enabling environment for a cabal of gun totting military desperados, goons and opportunistic- hoodlum- adventurers to prematurely draw the curtain on Nigerias nascent democratic experiment.
A vey pertinent question that begs for an
answer is, why are nigerian pliticians so desperate for power. This
question becomes more pertinent when viewed a background of the fact that
politicians and military politicians only climb the platform of power to
help themselves. It is time Nigerians come to grips with the fact
that power is not about prestige and accumulation of wealth. Jesus Christ
was not a Senator nor a President. He was neither known for amassing
shekels nor denarii. Yet He is the greatest man that ever lived. In fact
He is GOD. The prestige of power and excessive wealth are ephemeral.
They are not useful or relevant in themselves but for the good that can be
done with them. What was the networth of Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther
King, and even now Nelson Mandela or Anthony Enahoro. Nigerian
politicians carry on like they are a special breed elected to lord it over
the people whose money they are stealing . They care less about the people
they are "elected" to serve. Every village in Nigeria at this time is
under the control of armed robbers, and the politicians are feigning
ignorance. Many of these armed robbers are servant body guards of the
politicians who equip them, use them for electioneering oppression,
rigging and intimidation of opponents and after the elections, such thugs
are released to terrorise innocent citizens. Who will rescue the Nigeria
people? . To whom should the people cry? It saddens my heart to think
about the reckless abandon with which violent criminals operate in
Nigeria. These people are part of the Nigerian society. Who gives them
protection? . Who equips them? To whom do they report? The very
politicians who have not been able to fight crime these past eight years
are still desperately rigging the elections to hold on to power and secure
their unlimited access to the people's wealth.
Criminologists say the society prepares the
crime and the Criminal merely commits it. Is this principle true for
Nigeria? If it is true, how has the Nigeria society prepared
Nigerian politicians for a criminal lifestyle? Any Nigerian appointed a
Federal Minister or a State Commissioner is expected to return home from
his duty of service super rich. If he serves transparently with a good
conscience without looting the people's treasury He is considered a
failure. At the local, State or Federal levels there are entrenched
political powers and principalities who see a portion of incoming revenue
allocations from the federation accounts as their birthright. I am talking
about politicians who see the people's money as their personal treasury.
This is especially true for Nigeria's crop of professional politicians.
These are jobless gangstars who camouflage as political leaders of the
vast majority of Nigeria's illiterate masses. The unfortunate part is that
an illiterate and a hungry man could be spinelessly unprincipled. They are
ready to fall and risk their lives for any political clown, like the
roman plebians. A school head seeks to get rich quick by defrauding his
school and the students. This applies to every sector of Nigerian life.
Who will save Nigerians from Nigerians?
I wonder how Nigerian politicians feel as they see the average Nigeria
struggling to survive amidst squalour, poverty, disease, ignorance and
preventable early death while the looter politicians and government
functionaries glide around in luxuries acquired by the peoples stolen
money. It is time the churches, mosques and federal and state ministries
of Education and Information introduce a massive campaign against looting
and the shameless flaunting of looted wealth. Our school children and
parents at home should be properly enlightened to question the source of
all sudden wealth by our politicians . Those in possession of stolen
peoples money should not be envied, rather they should be ostracised,
shunned with disdain and not be seen as role models. The EFCC should
employ more men, get them properly trained and go after the accounts of
all our local government councils, all the states and all the federal
government ministries, parastatals and departments. The people of Nigeria have suffered for too long. Nigeria is a blessed country. God in his infinite wisdom has provided all that Nigerians need to live happily ever after. But for Nigerian leaders who in their immature, animalistical and inordinate pursuit of wealth have rubbished Gods plans for our great country. It will take a very divinely inspired, courageous, determined and completely patriotic soul to clean the mess these looter politicians are creating
Anthony Okosun (tonyosun@yahoo. co. uk) writes from the U. S. A.
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