BURNING POT BY PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON
Abuja, Jerusalem, Mecca, Good Governance And Prayers
pcdbooks@gmail.com
...As we left for Jeddah, "close your eyes let us pray", the pastor
said. And the driver closed his eyes...he was driving with his eyes
closed...
During the week, I had an interesting conversation with two
Nigerians, one on good governance, the other on prayers.
My first friend I call M'hmmed, was of the take that good governance
was/should be just a sentence by definition. He added by his
father's theory anything that couldn't be defined by a sentence and
understood was not worth it.
In the end, he said to me, good governance was to do things--like
that NIKE ad, 'just do it'. (My addition)
My take was good governance is still an evolving subject matter,
meaning quite a whole lot of different things to different
persons/nations too.
It is not something you can just define in a sentence like M'hmmed
wanted. It is complex both in governance and government. It is one
word--'good'.
Like in my previous entreaties and admonishment to Nigerians, good
governance is the only guarantee to peace, progress, stability,
infact it is the only passport to delivering the dividends of
democracy, just as credible practice of democracy should be anchored
on good governance.
Most of our leaders that pride themselves as operating under the
parameters of good governance cannot explain how.
What we have is a battery of contradictory description or
proposition as to what good governance is, as a matter of fact the
term good is difficult to define and in the essential contexts of
the Nigerian condition.
Defining good in relation to governance has often been a difficult
task, to categorize it for decision makers and policy executors, so
we say in political science that good is that to which everything
tends, and in that regard indefinable and a naturalistic fallacy.
In the Nigerian context, our situational ethics sets the tone to the
effect that we have a relative dysfunctionality, what is good in one
place may be bad in the other, there must be a given situation, time
and space.
Under this little intellectual exercise we can say that the talk of
good governance in and for Nigeria, past, present and future is
idle, not lending itself to any objective and precise analysis.
So until good governance is viewed as the process of decision-making
and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not
implemented) we are still far off.
We will continue to lack good governance because despite political
activity under the guise of democracy we are yet to find the
balance; we still operate a political economy of state robbery,
rather than popular democracy.
Good governance within the confines of a popular democracy should be
anchored on two things, one, a constitution suited to the special
needs and circumstances of Nigeria as multi-dimensional ethno-socio
and econo-political structure: and two a leadership suited not only
to the exigent needs of Nigeria as an unlawfully under-developed but
also to the smooth operation of the same constitution.
We have refused to cultivate a regime of leadership that has shown a
knack to develop a mental magnitude, as clear as our problems are,
there seems a lack of ability in appreciating and grasping the
salient details as well as most of the temporal and practical
implications, of a given situation or problem, and in our own case
the problem is a lack of good governance.
In my honest thinking while we keep debating on the morals or
otherwise that good governance cannot be attained or not definable I
say part of the problems will remain because good is platitudinous
rather than obligatory on our leaders.
There is the problem of political in-direction, thus an economic
morass in the polity, our lack of anything good is premeditated on
our inability to have an ideological notion of destiny. We have no
coherent body of thoughts; we have no heroes, nobody to look up to,
good governance exists only in a vacuum.
Prayers
Finally to my second friend--his name Godswill, he is a governor, he
tells me with the prayers that has been offered in Israel and by
those who went on hajj all will be well.
I called his definition of prayer the combination/use of words in
waffles and babbles. I argued with him, whether it is the church of
annunciation or the kaba, the fact is our rate of clowning on
important matters is ever increasing.
State resources expended by government apparatus in a 'prayerdom'
won't bring good governance. Bringing government to a standstill
because a state governor has gone to pray, is only an interlude, as
the stealing ala carte continues on his return.
Prayers, prayers and prayers. The more they pray, the more good
governance erodes us. Infact while they are gone, we are inundated
with more tales by moonlight of mind-boggling fraud.
Ever wondered how organized Mecca is, how it manages its affairs
despite all the hitches. Imagine all the imbroglio of Israel and
Palestinians, yet the University in Jerusalem is not on strike.
While Lagos has more churches than Israel, the taps in Jordan runs,
while cholera devastates several praying states in Nigeria.
How can our prayers be answered as a nation, when we choose the
time, purpose, and type of 'amen' we say.
After all the prayers, ASUU still strikes on, the system and
institutions of government still operate at best in an epileptic
manner. And my friend Godswill wants me to accept that all is well
because they prayed.
Prayers are no bribe, miracles are no magic I told him. The amount
of prayers in Owerri or Benin is proportionately equal to the
kidnap, and rape, so also is the case in Damaturu, and Maidugiri.
Synergy
We cannot continue to close our eyes and bow to issues that should
by all sense and purpose be tackled by standing straight with our
eyes opened.
Nigeria can be made to work if we correct our political leadership
deficit, if followers open their eyes and grasp the issues of
'good'!
There is governance and government but there is little or no good in
it. Yes, prayer is good, but there is no good in prayers if while
driving you close your eyes, how the journey ends and who says
'Amen'--only time will tell.
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