{"id":118822,"date":"2015-10-07T04:11:22","date_gmt":"2015-10-07T03:11:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/?p=118822"},"modified":"2015-10-07T04:11:22","modified_gmt":"2015-10-07T03:11:22","slug":"nigeria-55-years-later-and-not-a-moment-for-sober-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/?p=118822","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria: 55 Years Later And Not A Moment For Sober Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"

NIGERIA @ 55<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eme N. Ekekwe<\/u><\/p>\n

One does not easily remember the last time Nigeria\u2019s independence anniversary came around and we celebrated in joyful gratitude to the Creator and Ruler of the all the worlds, happy that, at least, we look like the giant of Africa, compete with all the necessary endowments.\u00a0 We have never used the opportunity of this anniversary to look back and to showcase what we had contributed to the humanity of which we are a part, and in particular, to the Black race whose potentials we carry in our national genes. Every anniversary Nigerian leaders more or less make the same bland but decent and familiar noises.\u00a0 They call for prayers in churches and mosques (it is not fashionable to include the shrines!).\u00a0 They urge Nigerians to be their brothers\u2019 and sisters\u2019 keepers. None of this is complete until they include the call for sober reflection. On the Friday and Sunday nearest the anniversary day the churches and mosques fill up and television cameras follow these leaders in their pious best as they perform that necessary ritual.\u00a0 Outside the mosques and churches, goodwill messages fill the pages of newspapers and magazines, complete with those pictures posed for effect. All this could have made good entertainment except for that small point about sober reflection which may even have been made absent-mindedly. It gets one thinking.<\/p>\n

Come to think of it, nobody sees any of those who call for it doing anything resembling sober reflection: not on television and not in either print or electronic media.\u00a0 Yet, this is what we need most, especially at the level of our leadership.\u00a0 One thinks that those who tirelessly call for sober reflection do so out of mere habit.\u00a0 Perhaps, they are sincere about it. But let\u2019s face it, what else could they reasonably say at such times? The phrase \u201cSober reflection\u201d sounds responsible and mature; it suggests a deep – or even a sophisticated – mind.\u00a0 Coming from politicians, it gives the citizens the impression that their leaders are capable of, or interested in, something deep and profound \u2013 the sort of thing that should result from reflection, especially the kind of reflection that is truly sober!<\/p>\n

In a country whose leaders are even faintly familiar with sober reflection, government would have been doing all that was necessary and possible to ensure that poverty was reduced to the barest minimum.\u00a0 Leaders who engage in sober reflection would have known that their best resource is in the people and they would have ensured that this resource was truly cared for and nurtured.\u00a0 And what better way to nurture it than to ensure that the youth were in some reasonable employment; to ensure that there would have been active policies to reduce poverty, and to pay salaries and pensions (such as they are) as and when due.\u00a0 But here, 55 years after the formal departure of our colonisers we are living with over 25% unemployment level, excluding the underemployed.\u00a0 It is a major news item when salaries get paid!\u00a0 A society whose leaders engage even only occasionally in sober reflection does not have about 70% of its population poor and hungry after many poverty reduction programmes have supposedly been implemented.\u00a0 Then there is that something cynically called \u2018stomach infrastructure\u2019 which appears to be the height of sophisticated policy that some of our leaders are capable of.\u00a0 Charity may begin at home but it makes a very poor substitute for policy.\u00a0 If this was a country where leaders do any sober reflection, it would not have taken 55 years for Nigeria to be declared polio-free.\u00a0 These are sobering thoughts, if ever we needed some.<\/p>\n

Over 30 years ago the late Professor Chinua Achebe explained very lucidly that \u201cthe trouble with Nigeria\u201d was the poor quality of leadership it has had since independence.\u00a0 Of course, we know the very serious damage that colonialism did to our national psyche; we know how Britain used the resources from here to help rebuild its economy after World War II. And, of course we can show that the damage done by Britain still haunts our development efforts.\u00a0 All that is true.\u00a0 All that is also what should have made sober reflection an on-going engagement of whoever had the privilege of ruling Nigeria.\u00a0 But even though they have occasionally identified periods for sober reflection, there is little evidence that our leaders take their own advice.<\/p>\n

A cursory review of how we have spent 55 years of national independence suggests that many among those who have led Nigeria show they learnt and imitated much that was wrong from their colonial masters. Many, but mercifully not all of them, of course. The majority in that group simply appropriated for themselves the same instruments of political domination and economic underdevelopment.\u00a0 In changing nothing from the colonial past, these leaders simply became the new conquerors.\u00a0 They were our brothers and sisters with whom we worshipped in same churches and mosques and this masked the fact that they had merely replaced our colonisers but have not come to represent us. Even now, when any segment of the society does a little sober reflection, and argue that leaders have been capitalising on these primordial issues to confuse, that segment is dismissed out of hand.<\/p>\n

Just like the colonial masters, this majority in the leadership cadre has treated Nigeria as some real estate to be plundered. This plundering is often done legally, of course. Who has not heard of the mind-boggling figures about looted funds in foreign countries? Who has not seen the figures that represent the salaries and allowances of our national legislators and many other political office holders?\u00a0 All those figures were taken from the national treasury because the papers and contracts had been signed.\u00a0 Repeating the numbers here would just be an exercise in tiring the mind and courting frustration.\u00a0 Nigeria must be one of the few countries where a Governor, a Legislature or Local Government Chairman comes into office as poor as the next man without a godfather but leaves office rich enough to be a godfather in his own right.<\/p>\n

A little sober reflection would have shown those who grow filthy rich just from being in public office that all of this is eventually a waste of time and effort! All the wealth an individual amasses is eventually eaten by termites.\u00a0 So, why spend all that effort working for termites? There is an old saying that nobody in his right mind should busy her\/himself cracking palm kernels only to feed them to the fowls. A little sober reflection would show that those who use public office for self aggrandisement as opposed to giving the genuine service they promised the people are doing just what the elders condemn. Soon or late, here or there pay day will come.\u00a0 The Good Book says the Almighty is not mocked!<\/p>\n

Besides, being so rich in an environment where an overwhelming majority is poor is dangerous. It cannot be good for one\u2019s psychology to see so many poor and hungry in the neighbourhood while one and one\u2019s friends\/associates are the only ones who afford decent shelter and two or three meals daily. Who knows how far hatred, envy and frustration can drive those who are weak?\u00a0 And what if the many that, rightly or wrongly feel deprived, turn on the few who are rich?\u00a0 Some may be quick to dismiss this possibility on the ground that those rich and mighty also pay for security.\u00a0 True, indeed, but a little sober reflection shows that before the so-called Arab Spring, few could have believed that one day – and soon after the World Bank forecast a rosy future for their economies – political office holders in Libya, Algeria, and Egypt, that they would be attacked by mobs, some of which would feature women, the most deprived of segments in the Arab world.\u00a0 These, indeed, are days when the unexpected and even the improbable are happening with frightening regularity!<\/p>\n

From all that one has seen these past 55 years, Nigeria\u2019s ruling class has not shown any capacity for sober reflection.\u00a0 The political arm of this class (comprising both civilians and military) has been good at copying policies from others, and seems incapable of offering something original and new. It believed it was doing something new when it abandoned the Westminster parliamentary model and opted for American-type presidentialism.\u00a0 And it thought it was being original when it tried something called \u2018home grown democracy, when, in fact, this was the same dictatorship re-christening itself and making \u201chome grown\u201d look like a bad brand. In both instances, the result has been highly questionable. The Americans our leaders copied operate a passable democracy and strong federalism compared to what is happening here.\u00a0 What we copied from them has left us still clamouring for internal party democracy and true federalism.\u00a0 We bought the World Bank\u2019s structural adjustment even as we were pretending to be doing something original and new.\u00a0 And when it seemed that there could be and outbreak of real democracy, Babangida and his cohorts aborted it and stepped aside for full blown dictatorship to overtake the country.<\/p>\n

From America\u2019s constitution Nigerian leaders copied that great phrase, \u201cWe the people\u201d.\u00a0 But in the same breath they went right ahead and imposed a constitutional document on the people that was drawn up by a few.\u00a0 Recent attempts under Olusegun Obasanjo and later Goodluck Jonathan to review that document have been met by roaring failure because at each turn the rulers displayed their chronic inability or unwillingness to engage in sober reflection.\u00a0 This is a class that substitutes navel-gazing for serious contemplation.<\/p>\n

At the economic and technical levels, this ruling class has fared no better.\u00a0 The vast graveyard of economic waste speaks to this.\u00a0 Industries that could have employed thousands of people have been abandoned.\u00a0 If this nation had leaders who engaged in sober reflection, it would not have gone for decades without investing in electricity \u2013 yet, it was building industries and its population was growing.\u00a0 These same leaders repeatedly announced their intention to have Nigeria join the league of economic power houses in the world.\u00a0 They apparently believed that one could run an economy meaningfully by relying on imported generators and petrol.<\/p>\n

But make no mistake; there is hope for the country. Even as it is, some progress has been made. As the country lurches from one confusing situation to another, experience that was not there is being gained.\u00a0 It only seems nothing or very little has been achieved because there is so much confusion among our leaders that the rest of us tend to despair.\u00a0 For instance, our democratic experience is much higher today than it was in 1990, even though our legislators still run out of debating points and have to resort to using their fists occasionally to drive their points home in the hallowed chambers.<\/p>\n

On their own, our leaders appear to have failed in moving the nation forward by much \u2013 to use their favourite and popular phrase.\u00a0 From all indications, circumstances will force them to look for critical ways to improve in the difficult task of sober reflection.\u00a0 The contradictions of uncritical engagement with neoliberal economic policies are becoming more glaring by the day.\u00a0 The corruption that has fed their private wealth has also driven the economy down on its knees.\u00a0 This, along with unforgiving and harsh international economic environment, will force some degree of sober reflection at least among a few of these leaders.\u00a0 This few will realise the need to think along more progressive lines, and to clamp down on some of their obvious excesses.\u00a0 This condition will be fraught with the danger of reaction and backsliding. However, it also holds the promise of once more opening up the political space just that much wider. Already this is happening even though a relapse cannot be ruled out.\u00a0 All said and done, the majority of the people are a bit conscious of their rights today than they were yesterday.\u00a0 It is a very gradual process.<\/p>\n

When it is obvious that the status quo cannot be sustained, sober reflection will no longer be just an option; it will become an imperative for the very survival of the ruling class and the rest of the society.\u00a0 That is when the possibility of genuine and sustained progress will be once more within reach.\u00a0\u00a0 This is where we are now, and that is the burden of the Buhari administration. As was pointed out earlier, this is indeed the season in which the improbable and the unexpected happen.\u00a0 Only some sober reflection can help the country move from the slow to the fast lane of development.\u00a0 As this same Buhari once reminded us, this is the only country we have and we have to salvage it. Doing so will be relatively easy once we take stock of where we have been, where we are (and why we are here), as well as where we intend to be in a clearly defined time frame, with realistic milestones.\u00a0 This will be the result of continuous and sustained sober reflection, and it is bound to yield a better future for everyone. Already one can see in some segments of the youth, evidence that they are fully aware that business as usual is unsustainable, and they are beating new paths to the future. It is still the case that most youths are imitating the bad habits of my generation, but these are the ones who will be left behind.\u00a0 All is not lost and much can be gained.<\/p>\n

Eme Nwachukwu Ekekwe is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Port Harcourt.\u00a0 He holds a PhD degree in Political Science from Carleton University, Canada.\u00a0 He is currently the Director, Claude Ake School of Government of the University of Port Harcourt as well as the occupant, Claude Ake Chair of Political Economy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ekekwe has wide ranging work experience in both the public and private sectors of the economy as well as in international development. He is a teacher, public speaker, researcher, mentor. He has written several books and journal articles in his area of specialization.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NIGERIA @ 55 Eme N. Ekekwe One does not easily remember the last time Nigeria\u2019s independence anniversary came around and we celebrated in joyful gratitude to the Creator and Ruler of the all the worlds, happy that, at least, we look like the giant of Africa, compete with all the necessary endowments.\u00a0 We have never […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,16,72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-independence-special","category-news","category-special-edition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=118822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118822\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=118822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=118822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=118822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}