In the last few days, the media space has been buzzing with reactions to the recent interview, granted by our taciturn President, Muhammadu Buhari to award winning Channels Television and the analogue Nigeria Television Authority, NTA. As it has become customary after such media parley by Mr President, the brouhaha has kept on flowing in like a torrential rainfall from the heavens. Some of these `rain`, range from expert analysis of body language, factual communication, depth of knowledge, proximity to reality and the weird `out-of-touchedness` of our Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Republic.
The painful part of the interview for many Nigerians, was the fact put out by Channels TV, that they were constrained to send the interview questions ahead to Aso Rock Villa, as a pre-condition for agreeing to do the interview. This is an unbelievable anomaly for 21st century governance. This sort of arrangement sucks! It does because, in both his campaigns in 2014 and 2019 while soliciting for votes, the Nigerian people did not give Mr President any pre-condition for him to speak to them. The table has sadly turned. As Nigerians began to tail off from the `presidential interview`, we were awoken to another bash of broadcast, this time from our renowned `Kingmaker` and acclaimed leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress Party APC, the former Governor of Lagos State, the Jagaban himself, and Lion of Bourdillon, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Unlike the presidential interview, the highly rehearsed speech by the APC National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was nouveau. It was a masterclass in political packaging and marketing. The Lion of Bourdillon was neat, clean shaven, smartly dressed, decked, primed and oozed with the `confido` of an emperor. After a closed door meeting with Mr President, Bola Tinubu told Nigerians; “I’ve informed President Buhari of my intention to contest for president in 2023”. He went on, “It’s been my life-long ambition. There’s nowhere in the world where a kingmaker cannot himself be king. I have got the vision and capacity to lead Nigeria”. Fantastic delivery indeed! He deserves a standing ovation!! The Jagaban is well in his right to pursue his lifelong personal ambition. However, the curious angle for many Nigerians in this whole drama, is the seeming stage-managed posturing and grandstanding by the APC National Leader. He was visibly composed and exuded the air of a victorious war General.
In many parts of the world, the concept of reincarnation remains an age old religious belief. According to the Britannica encyclopaedia, “reincarnation also called transmigration or metempsychosis in religion and philosophy, is the rebirth of the aspect of an individual, that persists after bodily death – whether it be consciousness, mind, the soul, or some other entity – in one or more successive existences”. The ancient African, Asian, and Greek people believed so much in reincarnation. Major faiths like the African traditional religion, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism hold very strong beliefs about it. It has transmuted to a cultural practice up till this day. There have been stories of newborn babies, carrying marks etched on the arms and legs of dead relatives before interment in previous life.
Like reincarnation, the average Nigerian politician believes that political offices are their birthright and marks etched on their foreheads in their previous lifetime. They believe that political positions at local, state, and federal levels are theirs forever. They believe also that these positions must go to their loyalists, lackeys, wives, children, and other family members. As far as these political jobbers are concerned, Nigeria is and remains their private estate. They believe that it is their prerogative to continuously collect the `rents` from our collective patrimony and commonwealth. Sad! Sad!! Sad!!! The current Nigerian political elite and those before them, believe that they must recycle themselves al continuum. They are poised to keep opposing the physiological law of All-or-none. The all or none law refers to how the human nerve cells function. They either respond to a stimulus completely or not at all; there is no in-between. A simple example is when you place your hand on a hot stove top, the nerve cells in your hand respond by shooting that signal up to your brain to elicit pain and danger. The simple reflex is to pull your hand off the stove. Unlike the reflex action created by nature for the human hand to be pulled off the hot stove, generations of Nigerian politicians have consistently stunted the response of its citizens to all the adverse `hot` stimuli from their demonic `stove`. The same politicians have convinced themselves and their acolytes, that it is either them in Power or none gets in. Their sense of entitlement and hold on Power is hyper parasitic.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and the other names trending on our political stratosphere at the moment, as we march towards the 2023 General elections, are the same old brigade. They are jostling to take over from the current principal and occupant of the top seat at Aso rock. The question on the lips of majority of Nigerians is, “why is it always the same crop of individuals getting picked as political party flag-bearers or kingmakers from one election to another?”. Take Jagaban for instance, he was Governor of Lagos State from 1999 – 2007. He single-handedly picked his protégé, Babatunde Fashola who in turn ruled the state from 2007-2015. Like the peeling of the banana, The Lion of Bourdillon yanked off Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who succeeded Fashola after a single tenure (2015 – 2019). He single-handedly installed his loyalist and incumbent Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the current helmsman at Alausa. The anger for many Lagosians is the nauseating feeling that Ambode`s removal was not based on poor performance. Ambode simply was not `playing ball`. There are also numerous allegations of huge business patronage for Jagaban, his family members and associates. It has been a case of an individual having it all to himself, without minding whose ox is gored.
Next is the northern Hulk, Atiku Abubakar. The former Vice-President (1999-2007) has been around forever. Not many remember that he was actually elected Governor of Adamawa State in 1998, before being picked by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo as his running mate in 1999. He never got to be sworn in as Governor. Prior to that, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was a presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party, SDP in the lead up to the 1993 elections (nearly thirty years ago!). Atiku has repeatedly picked the presidential ticket in elections. He was a presidential candidate of the Action Congress, AC in 2007. He contested the presidential primaries of the People's Democratic Party during the 2011 presidential election and lost out to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2014, he joined the All Progressives Congress, APC ahead of the 2015 presidential election and contested the presidential primaries losing to Muhammadu Buhari. In 2017, he returned to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and was the party`s presidential candidate during the 2019 presidential election, again losing to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. This veteran who will be Seventy-five years old this year is again gunning for the presidential ticket of the PDP. This is not about age discrimination, but it would have been more profitable for this septuagenarian to take a back seat.
A significantly disturbing aspect of our democratic evolution since 1999, is the behaviour of state governors, and legislators at both state and federal levels. State Governors complete their constitutional permitted eight years (two tenures) and pronto, they pick up Senatorial tickets of their political party and become a senator. Some Senators and House of Representatives members serve terms in the hallowed chambers and with gusto, they want to be State Governors. Members of the State Houses of Assemblies jostle to move to Abuja either to the green or red chambers (senate or house of reps) of the National Assembly. The merry-go-round circus of exchanges extends to ministerial positions, boards, agencies, and other parastatals. As if that is not enough, another ugly trend has been the handpicking of sons, daughters, wives, and concubines for key positions. Governor Akeredolu of Ondo State has his biological son heading a carved up fathom agency. He also appointed his younger brother`s wife as a High court Judge. Governor Diri of Bayelsa State appointed his second wife as a High Court Judge recently. Owelle Rochas Okorocha insisted that his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu must take over from him as Governor of Imo State. Rochas is a serving Senator now as is former Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson. Orji Uzor Kalu too. All of these men have done full terms (eight years) as Governors. Habaa! na only una waka come? The aforementioned scenarios are just a handful of examples amongst many across the country. Family members ascending professional and careers ladder is not wrong in itself. What is wrong is the system of cherry picking that sacrifice better qualified, competent persons on the altar of greed and nepotistic tendencies.
A nation that constantly `reincarnates and recycle` a few set of individuals and their proxies in its politics, can never make progress. Nigeria is at a crossroad due to the misdemeanour of successive leadership. The people of Nigeria are in dire need of a new crop of selfless, visionary leadership capable of taking her out of the mud. All that Nigerians ask for, are the basic necessities of life – uninterrupted electricity supply, good roads, healthcare, education, pipe borne water, affordable housing, and the security of life and property. People in other countries enjoy these basic amenities of life without asking for it. I do not believe that Nigerians are asking for too much from its leaders. On the other hand, it is the leaders (rulers) who are doing far too little. Fellow Nigerian people, as we navigate into 2023, we must rise up to change our peril. The destiny of this blessed country lies squarely in our hands, and we must savage it together. Yes, we can!
Dr Agbons is founder of the Institute of Good Governance