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Our Nigeria, Leaders And Led-A Dance Of Perception, Can Everyone Be Wrong? By Prince Charles Dickson Jos, Plateau Nigeria
“Apart from the known and the unknown, what else is there?” Harold Pinter, The Homecoming, 1965
Some days back I was guest to the “association of free newspaper readers” at a popular Newspaper vendor in town, to as usual sample the opinion of the ordinary Nigerian. Not like our leaders that judge economic improvement by the number of cars they see from the windows of the plane they fly in. it was a discussion of life full of its difficulties and obstacles, such that I wondered what actually has our leaders done for the nation. Referring to our leaders, one of the discussants made the assertion “he came from prison poor, he is now rich, he is leaving us poorer, turning us to robbers, I sure say the man go see prison again…” I wondered who the “it” he was referring to was.
It is not unreasonable to argue that there is no such thing as reality-only the individual’s perception or interpretation of reality, the known and the unknown. That is why I always add that part of Nigeria’s problem lies in perceptual differences. Because over the years the leadership of the nation has not made any effort at giving us a strong positive perception of who they are, answer correctly the questions that cause the present dysfunctional perception that the experiment called Nigeria has become, what they have achieved for us as a country and who we are as Nigerians.
The significance of individual differences is particularly apparent when focusing on the process of perception. We all see things in different ways, we all have our own, unique picture or image of how we see the ‘real’ world. Most of us do not passively receive information-we analysis and judge it, one Prince Charles Dickson, one you, ‘one it’ and one ‘them’. We all have our own world, our own way of looking at and understanding our environment and people within. For example a small HONDA utility car may be expensive to some of us, while for a Senate President an over 30million Naira car is just OKAY in a nation where people live on less than a dollar a day, and a product that is user friendly may be seen as too simplistic and basic for another.
For our leaders and politicians, an understanding of perception is essentially important so as to ensure that they are aware of problems which can arise from the process of perceptual selectivity. However, as has always been the case, the leadership careless about the perceptions the led have of them and their ‘people-antagonistic’ policies. It’s the same I do not care attitude, and nonchalant what can they do stance that has brought us to this point of indecisive crossroads. The perception process of the ruler-ruled class is disorganized instead of being innately organized and patterned.
The poor masses perceive the leaders by attributive characteristics, like no matter what the EFCC does, why are the li kes of IBB walking free…if the ordinary recruit in police uniform is a thief, Tafa Balogun has proved the bigger the better, any how you see it. The ordinary Nigerian judges the behaviour and intentions based on past knowledge and compares with the examples they have seen. We have seen the ‘ex’-Governor Ladoja saga take a ding-dong route even when we do not need a (Boca) native doctor to tell us that what has transpired in Oyo State is wrong. Adedibu said he will remove Ladoja and with two third of four one nine of eighteen members he has achieved it. Do not try that math, or else. The President said it is a Judicial matter and the Nigerian Bar Association is saying the Stat e Chief Justice gaffed, so what perception is the common man left with. The principles of perceptual difference reflect with a tilted balance to one side of negative government action on matters that affect the masses and positive action when it affects the power players and this will continue to remain a source of problem.
One of the major perception dances is that of communication-true talk that, it is mostly a thief that always does things secretly. Naturally when government and leadership do not carry followership along, we breach the law of learning via knowledge and forget that communication and perception are inextricably bound. When there is no communication-the rumuor mill works extra and over time, it thrives, everything t he government does is suspicious. In Nigeria we abuse transactional analysis, as the dynamics of interpersonal communication between the government and the populace is not exploited, instead we transact communication based on lies, half truth, propaganda-so the knowledge to deal with potentially difficult situations is non existent or at best adulterated.
The perception of Nigeria has suffered from features which have given rise to perceptual distortions or erroneous stereotyping, halo effect, and continuous perceptual defence. The perceptual process is selective and subjective. This has taken us very backward, because in some cases we simply stereotype and then on the other hand the whole matter is subjected to a halo effect, taking stand just because of one simple favourable or unfavourable action or inaction of government or the populace.
The Obj administration has engaged itself on perceptual defence through its tendency to avoid or screen out certain stimuli that is perceptually disturbing or threatening. Like corruption, of which the recent Gbenga Obasanjo ‘discuss’ with Mr. Sowore has simply nailed the coffin of everyone’s perception that this government is a façade. That all the EFCC’s, El-Rufais and co are doing is tantamount to grandstanding, a tendency to select information which is supportive of their point of view and choosing not acknowledge the truth or contrary information.
We truly have a misbalanced social situation further helped by an inexperienced political field-so there is inconsistency of action causing a possible manipulation of perception at the slightest edge-thus as much as there never will be one perception, there is never a large perception of positivity regarding government action. So we have to stereotype often despite the dangers inherent in doing so. However can we all be wrong?
We all cannot be wrong- a doctoral professor could not salvage the aviation industry and he is there saying he met decay and bla bla bla, while two self acclaimed 100% illiterate men in Chris and Adedibu are moving rocks in Aso Rock and getting presidential approval for their mission impossible stunts on the polity.
We all cannot be wrong- Ribadu has done a good job, but is the EFCC not beginning to be corrupt with several of them now requesting bribes an d extorting money from accused persons.
We all cannot be wrong-Poverty is on the increase, despite the increase in number of cars, does not mean that the economy has improved. That with the exception of few States, most Governors are thieves and only the handfuls in Obj’s black book are chased.
We all cannot be wrong, as I end with this puzzling yet painful true analogy of two different events. First, Erelu the Osun State Deputy Governor was in a phone-in programme in London when a Nigerian friend of mine asked how about health services in Osun State…she answered that Health services in Nigeria was second to none world over. The following morning she was in a London hospital checking her BP blood pressure to be sure it had not gone up. She must have had her head examined too! Only loyal psychiatric patients can govern in this garrison called Nigeria. A dance of perception!
We all cannot be wrong-whatever you say, she was a lawyer and she lived several thousands of miles from Britain. She knew, like me, nothing would happen to her if she did not return the money. It would be government palaver. She rightly informed someone earlier and that was noted on the system. Her reason for returning the money in her own words 9this beats any classroom lesson, Friday tafsir or Sunday sermon). “IT WAS NO T MY MOTHER’S MONEY. IT WAS NOT MINE EITHER. IT WILL GO A LONG WAY TO HELP SOME OTHER POOR SOUL”. Perception, we have a thieving government and likewise stealing populace, each with a perceptual difference as to his/her reason, but the truth is that it is slowly and steadily killing the nation. Allah help us out of the depths of disgust which we are falling into daily.
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