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The Consequential Effect Of Political Mediocrity And Stolen Mandate By Prince A.O. Olukoga (princebisi2000@yahoo.co.uk) HNC and Dip. Business English & Management BA Hons. Business Finance & Management MSc Banking and Finance
The surrogacy that existed within the PDP hierarchy had exposed the level of ineptness, with which the government of OBJ plans to replace itself, and which is now proving disastrous thereby affecting both the lower and upper chambers of our executives and also our dear country (Nigeria) in general. This symbolises the fact that any administration that emerged from a flawed process would have problem of legitimacy.
With much reference to Bioastronomy News – a magazine published in 1995, referring to Ernst Mayr, one of the great figures of contemporary biology observation who says; “some reflections on the likelihood of success in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence among higher animals (i.e. human beings) is possible; though the prospects considered attracts a very low negligibility.” His reasoning had to do with the adaptive value of what we call “higher intelligence,” meaning, the particular human form of intellectual organisation. He estimated the number of species, since the origin of life at about 50 billion, and only one of which “achieved the kind of intelligence needed to establish a civilisation.” Therefore, it is generally assumed that only one small breeding group survived, of which we are all descendants.
He further speculated that the human form of intellectual organisation might not be favoured by selection, and also, that the history of life on Earth, refutes the claim that “it is better to be smart than to be stupid,” at least judging by biological success: beetles and bacteria, for example, are vastly more successful than humans in terms of survival.
Obviously, some newcomers to Nigeria political topography who are not acquainted with statements like this will be amazed, and also surprise about the caption used for this message.
In this circumstance I am equating who ever wants to head both the upper and the lower house of our legislatives to Prophet MOSES. After all, Moses was a prophet that rescues the people of Israel from the wicked king (Herod) and he was an ordinary human being. But the motive behind such caption is the work of deliverance Moses did to rescue his people. And in this concept, we need someone of Moses competence and dignity to rescue us from our present ordeals and predicaments, which is similar to that of the Israelite.
The notion of politicised society had been created by sudden shift in our political thinking and therefore, who ever seek equity must do equity and must come with a clean hand, says the law; but in the case of Madam Etteh the reverse is the case. But what she and her products in crime did not realise was that one cannot build legitimate governance on stolen mandate; and this means that whoever benefited from a stolen mandate lacks the moral authority to reform the electoral process.
The little time she spent on that throne had been based on a reign likened to that of Peter’s principle in Nigerian politics! Yes; Peter’s principle in deed, “when people are promoted beyond their level of competence."
One cannot forget to quote from our political sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo; (may his blissful soul rest in perfect peace) when the astute politician says; “There was never a time I regarded myself having monopoly of ideas; the trouble is that, when some men and women in position of rulership and leadership are carousing themselves in the streets and pubs with men and women of less virtues; I, like every other persons, always busy at our duty posts, looking at the country’s problems and ways of solving them. Only the deep, can call to the deep.’
In my own thinking I believe that “when love for power and money becomes greater than power for love and care, and people’s liberties and rights have been tramped upon, then democracy is endangered; and standing-by gazing at the irresponsibility’s of the few elites in our mist connotes same on our part. It is time for our politicians to realise that States are no moral agents, private powers are also not; but people are and can impose moral standards on a poor political institution like ours”.
The frontline in a resistance movement is to thwart the products of Etteh group’s plan of subjugating the entire population of the country to their own level of complete ignorance. It is uniquely evil and dangerous, and we will be doing untold injustice to our people, to fold our hands and allow executive lawlessness to permeate our nation polity.
But thanks to the Integrity Groups who consolidated their supports for the nation by hoisting the Nations’ flag so high wasting no time surpassing expectations of change; rescuing all Nigerians from the shameful Etteh-bite frost, while the other group were glorifying in absurdity, which I found to be an experiment in bad taste.
Madam Etteh’s scathing savagery and acid wit; display a characteristic of the weakest link in the Nigerian political persona; and it would be good enough for her and her comrades to take “the walk of shame,” preferably to political oblivion. This shows that what lies behind us and also ahead of us are tiny matters, compared to what lives within us; - corruptions and embezzlements which had become cancerous.
It is high time our politicians should be told that there is more to life than money; and not everything that is gold and silver that bears the face of royalty. It only provides an avenue to acquire material things. What we have isn’t who we are. It is you and me that hold the key to life. And Life is more than just TAKING; TAKING; TAKING, while thousands around you are dying, just waiting to be freed. Looking around, you could see the hunger and the strife for survival on peoples’ face; and wonder why people at the helm of affairs can’t see that, “Leaving a good legacy isn’t the end; but the beginning and that there is more to life than just money”. They should try and be patriotic in their political deliberations.
A quote from Nelson Mandela thus says ‘A patriot is one whose heart bleeds at the sight of millions of people starving to death, or living under the bridge in a land literally flowing with milk and honey; He/she is one who holds that torch of truth at all times and all circumstances; He/she is one who declares war against oppression, and the abuse of human rights in his or her motherland; True patriot is one who fans the flame of justice, equity and fair-play; He/she is the one who is driven by a just anger over what may be perceived as systematic subjugation and pauperisation of the multitudes.’
But something very profound has happened in the past decade. (The Integrity Group) A movement so significant had been established, which will register among the greatest achievements in the history of Humanity, National Assembly’s and our Polity. Also, the horrors of Yugoslavia, Iraq and Rwanda, have forced the world to accept that leaders would be made accountable for their behaviours and the orders they give.
Politicians throughout the world have the myth that corruption, embezzlement, genocide and war crimes are merely the consequences of atavistic and/or instinctive birthright but this had to some extents been exploded. They should be made to realise that it is uncivilised.
In fact, the behaviour of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Madam Patricia Etteh, shows that probably, the wearing of wigs doesn’t contribute to the most modern images for barristers. If there is wonderment and shock and even some disbelieve at her insistence to step aside for proper procedure in the =N=628m contract scam report, there should be no mystery because earlier generations of Nigerians believed that “honesty is the best policy” and so, children were brought up to protect the home, honour, image and integrity of their families, but Madam Patricia Etteh does not belong to that school of thought, hence she refused to throw-in the towel until she was disgraced and forced to resign. After all commonsense requires tolerance and disciplined magnanimity from every public official. Your actions were deliberate or intended to impugn the democratic progress of the house and thus the nation.
It is high time we rise above gestation by challenging our political entrepreneur, who could be characterised as the embodiment of evil that have been milking our resources dry, in an inflammatory environments. To build a very strong frontier against future occurrence, the government should take a formidable stand to fight the financial indiscipline within our society, by creating an avenue whereby those involved in embezzlement should be brought to book to serve as deterrent to others in order to justify a stable society for the benefits of generation that awaits’.
Conclusion
Many Nigerians were anticipating positively that evolution of a new Nigeria would begin May 29, 2007. We must not loose sight of sycophancy as the metaphysic of diametrical falsehood embosoms as a congenital allergy of a platonic hatred of reality, an aversion for facts and avid propensity to celebrate falsehood. Most of our present crops of politicians are ontological aberration and a perfect embodiment of all that is bad, false and ugly. They remain in the lowest expression of all that pedestal human nature as well as the dark grottos of human insincerity and wretchedness.
“If some sarcasm is justified, despair is definitely not. From now on, everybody will know that one cannot flout with impunity, the essential values of human dignity, and that the decision of the authority, is a major contribution to affirmation of right and justice in a country.”
Leadership is valuable only when it is geared towards guaranteeing social felicity to the citizenry.
Like corruption; sycophancy has eaten deep into the fabric of our national life. No leader is being told the truth about his immediate constituency rather inglorious cheerleaders in the mould of advisers and hangers-on massage their (leaders) ego to get their spoils of office. Sycophancy is hypocrisy with clothes on and smiles on its face. The ultimate motives of these people are always the satisfaction of their own unfulfilled needs or will to power, not for the common good of all Nigerians.
Looking back at the history of the destruction and rapacious plunder of our politicians, many contemptible characters have arisen as a summary of all that is politically vile, inglorious, hypocritical and sycophantic. As you match through the arms of these cheerleaders, most of who were found to be in the corridors of power, we should remember that their ultimate goal is to prove to Nigerians and the committee of nations that even in a faulty electoral process a great leader can emerge. We saw it happen in Anambra state (Ngige’s saga) where a stolen mandate became the people’s mandate, and performing efficiently. You must pay attention to the voices on the streets; they are the voices of wisdom.
Today Nigeria is groaning and suffocating in pains simply because we lack visionary leadership, purpose driven lots and true patriots to pilot our affairs with great sense of duty. The time has come to see Nigeria beyond an amorphous collage of looters whose private pocket is god. When a political party sponsored a candidate with bereft of ideas; that party lacks men of honour and decorum to help pilot the affairs of Nigeria to greatness.
It is the duty of the media to stand by the truth and to set agenda and act as the conscience of society. The truth is that many competent people (like me), do not want to go into politics or elective office, because it is too risky.
However, smiling is what Nigerians desperately wants under any administration. Please provide the avenue for such smile.
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