Why This Government, The Next And The Next May Not Work In Nigeria.

Why This Government, The Next And The Next May Not Work In Nigeria.

To everyone reading this piece. Irrespective of your tribe, religion or political ideology or party affiliation, I am sure that we are all in agreement that our dear Nation is in a state of chaos with an urgent need for a rescue mission before it all leads to the land of ruins.

To start with, the party presently in government or the one in opposition is not the problem of this Nation but the people in general, from the politicians to the electorates and the “siddon look” ones in the society. 

A political party is just a platform for a group of people with similar ideology with the aim to hold the power in government – the factor here is the people make up the party and not the other way round, there is no party without the people.

The success of any government or political party is tied to the people. Now let’s analyse these sets of people in-depth. The first set of people are those actively pursuing the interest of “ruling” their people and they will do anything under the sun to remain relevant with power, another set is those who have the interest of the people at heart and with the right ideology but they are too limited in number to front a major party, we also have another group of people that care not about the state, governance, society or other people but themselves – unfortunately, these set of people are the ones that complain more when the government fail to meet up with targets or their responsibilities.

In all these, every set of people is playing a role independently rather than collectively, each and every one of them is on a different path which in turn is having a knock-on effect on the Country’s development.

I will pick on these group of people one after the other and relate them to our immediate environment for better understanding. The rulers – These people are very active in the politics of the land and they cut across all the tribes and religions in the land with no exception. These people have been around for a while; they have been part of nearly all the governments in the Country since independence, moving from one post to the other and in support or promoting one government or the other, be it a military or a civilian government, either directly or by proxy.

These set of people are among the richest in the Country and they are still around calling the shots, the majority of people contesting against them today or standing as their colleagues are either not born or they were toddlers when their careers began.

These people are now famously known as the “Cabals” or “AGIP –any government in power”. They are ruthless, power hungry, egomaniac and extremely desperate with a huge appetite for the state vault.

They have been known to be ass-lickers with a high degree of sycophancy to whomever is in government as long as they can have their way with the government of the day; they will say or do anything to remain in the good book of the government even if it means sacrificing an entire community for it. Sadly, these people have supporters among the general people. The interest of the people is not important to these people but that of their immediate family and allies.

The second set of people are those that are educated enough to know the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong. They have the desire to make a difference but this is a case of dropping a spoon of sugar in the ocean, the water won’t taste any different. They have the genuine desire but they are not only outnumbered by the people in government working against the people but the people in general are not giving them a chance either and finance is playing a major factor here as the people have been programmed to believe in power of money in playing politics.

These set of people have been forced to remain as pained, frustrated and angry politicians sitting in one corner lamenting at the strange and sectional policies emanating from the government. They have the will and desire to make a difference but the forces against them are as tall and strong as the wall of Jericho.

Now, the last and major set of people. They are the people in need of government policies and amenities provisions but they are the one that cares less about who is governing them or how they are being governed, all they care about is what they can get today and not what they could benefit on the long run.

They are not only selfish but most are “educated illiterates”, an average university graduate has no clue who the Minister of Finance is or how to register to vote. They count voting as politics and not as a civil right, they will spend 80% of the day on social media blaming the government that they have no right to blame in the first place, they didn’t vote and in fact, they never did in the past either.

All they desire is fun, party and “be happy” but whatever the government is up to is not their concern. An average teenager in this Country is more concerned about foreign country activities, social media or other vices such as drugs, prostitution, and fraudulent activities than to participate in their local election process. An average Nigerian youth see nothing wrong in watching the Premiership match over going to the polling booth to exercise their right. Yet, they have the audacity to blame the government that they had the chance to stop initially and collectively elect the right candidate with the desire for the job and the ability to deliver.

Now to address other factors that are making governance difficult in this Country.

Religion - Nigerians are so divided and attached to their individual faith and in turn, this has a major effect on their decisions and relationships with other people of non-similar faith.

The spiritual leaders of these religions are not making things easier by brainwashing their followers for their own personal gain. An average Nigerian would rather cast their vote for an unqualified and unsellable candidate over a qualified, popular and a marketable candidate simply because that candidate is of the same faith.

It’s democracy alright but common sense should be applicable still. This factor has been long-standing among Nigerians at most elections excluding the 1993 general election which was won by a huge margin by a south-western Muslim candidate. That election was the freest and fairest election in the history of this Nation till date.

Tribe - As if religion difference is not enough, we are still divided via the tribal line. This party is the party of the Hausa’s, that party is an Igbo party or the other one is a Yoruba party and so on.  An average Nigerian feels more comfortable and in a natural state to support fellow kinsman even though if he is fraudulent and incompetent for the post being aspired for. They will ignore the most competent and genuine candidate for the mere fact that this person is not of their tribe. 

This, in turn, will cost the Country and this particular tribe years of hardship simply because of a silly motive that could have been overlooked in the interest of the Country. No matter how we spin this, all tribes are guilty of this in Nigeria.

This is not only limited to politics but all sectors of the economy and services. An Hausa G.O.C heading a military college will find a way to enlist young men from his hometown and conveniently ignore the National quota system, An Igbo man at the Central Bank will repeat the same scenario, Just as the Yoruba man heading the Ports Authority will only deal with Yoruba contractors while ignoring the bidding from other capable companies because their C.E.O was born in a different part of the Country – all these are affecting the Country from harnessing the best minds and hands for these sectors of the economy and services. A case of putting a square peg in a round hole.

Corruption – If there is anything Nigerians have in common and will always unite about then that’s the language of corruption, all tribes are guilty and this is now so epidemic that it would take generations to wipe within the society. From local government to state and the federal government, bribery and corruption is a normal activity. You can’t get a job without “Do something”, you can’t secure a university admission without “Do something”. From the police force to the Army, from the hospitals to the Ministries offices, from local councils to the market women and men – bribery and corruption is the order of the day.

A court judge doesn’t see anything wrong in sentencing a 19ry old man to 50yrs in jail for stealing a mobile phone but that same judge will throw out a case of $100m corruption case against a wealthy politician for “lack of evidence” even when they are so evident to the public – no one needs a soothsayer to tell the story here that someone has done “something” behind closed doors.

It’s easier to blame our leaders for their corrupt activities and lifestyle but are the general people any different? Corruption is life for nearly everyone in this country and we don’t see anything wrong with it. It doesn’t make any sense if you can give a bribe but frowning at someone else’s taking a bribe. It was convenient for you to bribe your way to get what you desire but wrong for another to receive it for their own benefit? We are that messed up as people.

A policeman that lives on bribe day in day out is struggling to understand why a Nurse attending to his sick child is requesting for a bribe to attend to his child urgently at a state hospital? Ironic!

To be honest, to be a politician in this country is more challenging than elsewhere. We all cry out at how much money these politicians are receiving as allowances or salaries but when you understand what it takes to maintain the status. An average Nigerian from any constituency does not want good roads, electricity or favourable government policies but whatever they can eat right here, right now.

All they desire are foods and money, whenever these Abuja based politicians returned home, it’s always a carnival-like in their constituencies, everyone wants a slice of the Abuja cake, nobody is interested in how that cake comes about or the source but is the cake tasty and how big is it! People start coming around with all sorts of unrealistic demands on these politicians. Suddenly everyone has one business idea or the other, one party or the other to invite the leader to and of course with the expectation of donations.

Any politician with a conscience will do the right thing by providing social amenities and focusing more on delivering his manifestoes and promises would be tagged as “stingy” and “useless”. A second term is never a guarantee for such leader. They will run the government down by all means.

No leader can work in isolation. No matter how many dreams they have for this Country, they will rely on others to effect whatever policies or programmes and here is where all the factors above come into play. No leader is capable to monitor the progress of any policy or programme personally, they rely on reports from various ministries and guess what most of these reports are made up with what the leader intends to hear.              

In some ministries reports, most local government areas have regular pipe-borne water, 24hrs electricity and adequate security with standard schools. Of course, none of these exist! All the contracts have been awarded and “something” was done to and with so many stakeholders, so the fraud must be protected with whatever it takes. Why do you think government workers don’t care when they are not paid salaries? Daily “something” is more than the salary being owed!

Sometimes, if not most of the time – our leaders are not the problem but the system in place and the people in general. No matter how good a government policy is, those who are to sabotage it are also on standby and that’s them making a “living”.

Until we overhaul the system completely and a general re-orientation and sensitisation of the people. Put measures and policies in place side by side with their consequences as a law to fight corruption then I am afraid it’s just a charade of one failure of a government to the other for generations.  No matter how much time we change the bottle and redesign the bottle of an old wine, it won’t make it a new wine.

Before we aim to change the government – let’s aim to change the people and the system.

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.