The title of this piece is inspired by the popular children’s program on Nigeria Television Authority, NTA. Indomie generation please step aside. This very highly edutainment program was anchored by the legendary Aunty Nkem Oselloka-Orakwue in the 1980s and early 90s. It was a much loved storytelling program that taught morals and ensured that children were not only seen but also heard. What made tales by moonlight spectacular back in the days, was the power of truth, fairness, and justice. Heroes and villains got their just rewards in those stories told.
Globally in the murky realms of politics, it is generally acknowledged that politicians, campaign in prose but govern in poetry. Pre-election politicians are the nicest breed you can ever find on the planet. They are humble, accessible, and gentle. In our clime (Nigeria), politicians are often on subtle overdrive during campaigns. We see optics of politicians eating corn (agbado) on the street with electorates, dance with them, cuddle them, plait their hair, take ice cream with them, ride in keke napep with them and the list goes on and on.
Fast forward to when a politician gets into office, the game changes. The politician (now an executive) become unreachable, unseeable, ‘unhearable’, and untouchable (adjectival emphasis mine). The politician who promised on the podium to serve the people as President, Vice President, Governor, Deputy Governor, Senator, House of Representative, House of Assembly, Chairman of Local Government goes AWOL. Same goes for their appointees like Ministers, Commissioners, Heads of Parastatals etc. The vehicle of service-hood in use pre-election suddenly goes into reverse gear. The one who is supposed to serve the people will now be the one being served by the people. Chants of ‘Your Excellency! Your Excellency!!’, starts to rent the air and overzealous sycophancy becomes the norm. Before long, the one who campaigned to serve becomes an `Imperial Lord on the Throne`. What an irony! We look at four cardinal and critical aspects of our democratic tales by moonlight in Nigeria.
First, the process that births political office ascension as presently operated is programmed for failure at the beginning. Until that garb is removed, the current democratic inertia will not abate. Nigeria democratic problems actually kicks off at political party primaries. Aspirants with requisite credentials and good intentions do not get a sniff in. The process has been heavily ‘dollarized’ and often goes to the highest bidder. The current party delegates system (like many things Nigeria) has been largely abused and bastardised. All an aspirant requires is a war chest and the ticket is procured like a commodity from the supermarket. No need canvassing or pushing ideas to party members. The formula is simple - share the wades of millions or billions of Naira notes and victory is secured.
The second aspect for consideration is our election proper. Nigerian elections have become a sham. Democracy in its original form is ‘Government of the people, by the people and for the people’. In Nigeria, at the local government level, the party of the State Governor wins all seats. Results are pre-written and announced with impunity. At the State and Federal elections, results mutilation, and manipulation at collation centres, is the order of the day. Victory is directly proportional to your level of aggression, brute force, snatch it, grab it, and run with it techniques. For democracy to work, it must be about the triumph of the will of the people and not an imposition by a filthy political class. The average Nigerian politician believes in ‘smash and grab’. They do not believe in democracy. They practice ‘selectcracy and riggingcracy’. The vote of the people doesn't count. The ‘moral damage’ done to the psyche of the Nigerian people, due to the manipulation of the electoral system in the recent elections is incalculable. It is zillion! Politicians who get into office via the back door will not serve the people anything good. Like a round table, everyone will be served a bowl of toxic bile.
The third dangerous tale of our democratic conundrum is cost of governance. Nigeria borrowed the Presidential system from the United States of America. Like in so many other sectors, this Presidential system of government, that has served the Americans so well for over two centuries, have been turned upside down in Nigeria by our rogue political class. Analysts fear that what may eventually bankrupt Nigeria, is the high cost of maintaining the affluent and ostentatious lifestyle of politicians. Every four or eight years, the club of ex-presidents, vice presidents, governors and deputies, senators, representatives, state legislators, local government chairmen and councillors is increasing in membership.
Bar one compassionate soul - Mr Peter Obi who has conquered greed and graciously declined the stupendous cash out, our commonwealth is bleeding profusely from the pension these hawks have allocated to themselves. As if that is not enough, those currently in office are collecting mind boggling sums in different disguise and fleecing the treasury at both state and federal levels. Recall the recent sending of ‘prayers’ to ‘mailboxes and purchase of SUVs for each Senator and House of Reps. member at a whopping cost of N160 million each. Both the senate and house of reps have 469 members. N160,000,000 x 469. You do the maths!
Now to the Executive arm of both the federal and state governments. They are running bloated cabinets with retinue of advisers and aides at the expense of the taxpayers. The brazen figures of millions and billions of Naira we hear for buying of luxury cars, new building construction, old building renovation, meals, honorarium, I.T facilities et al. is earth shaking. For a country with a huge debt burden and nearly 70% of its population (133 million plus) in multi-dimensional poverty, one would expect a measure of frugality in recurrent expenditures. Not in Nigeria, our politicians are carrying on as if the country is only meant for them to enjoy.
In America, from where we copied the Presidential system, their President pays for food, drinks, and even peanuts he and his family eats. Only the rent, and staff are paid for by government. Many are asking how our own presidential system has metamorphosed into a monster where the poor pay for everything our President and Governors eat. As we speak, the US has 15 Ministers (Secretary of State as they call them). Nigeria has 48 Ministers and counting. The Nigerian Senate has 74 committees. The Nigerian House of Representatives has 134 committees. Meanwhile the US Senate has only 24 committees. If our National Assembly (NASS) is legislating for about 220 million citizens, the US Congress is doing the same thing for about 340 million Americans.
The fourth and perhaps most worrying aspect of our democratic tale is the rule of law. There cannot be democracy without a strict adherence to the rule of law. The courts must be a pillar of truth, fairness, uprightness, beacon of moral rectitude and forthrightness. Justice should and must not be a ‘shop item’ for auction. In her 1957 classic book, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand shows clearly without equivocation How To Tell When Your Society is Doomed, “When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion. When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing. When you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favours. When you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you. When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice. You may know that your society is doomed.”
The Law is a living organism. A society that has no consequence for breaking the law is heading towards anarchy and implosion. Empirical research shows that the difference between the poor and rich nation, does not depend on the available natural resources. The difference is based on the level of compliance to ethics as basic principles, integrity, responsibility and respect for laws and regulations. For the records, let it be said that the Nigerian people are not asking for too much from government. All they want is to get their lives going with steady supply of electricity, quality education, access to healthcare, affordable housing, good roads, and other basic necessities of life. The grammy award winning song by every new government in Nigeria; ‘we are doing reforms, be patient, take baby steps, future will be good’ cannot fly anymore. Enough of all the fables and tales by moonlight by our over fed, bloated politicians. Happiness in Nigeria should not just be for a s(elect) few in the corridors of power, their families, friends, and associates alone. Every Nigerian citizen deserve to enjoy a descent standard of living. Res ipsa loquitor (the thing speaks for itself).
Dr Agbons is Lead, Institute of Leadership and Good Governance @www.twin2.org