Friday Sermon: Legacy of Shame: Unfulfilled Promises of Change

By Babatunde Jose

“Verily, what reaches the momin of his good works and good acts, after his death, is the knowledge (benefitted from)… and a righteous child which he has left (behind him), or a book which he has given to inherit, or a place of worship which he has built, or a house for the homeless which he has built, or a canal which he has caused to be dug, or an act of charity which he has done out of his wealth while in his health and life. (The good effects thereof) reach him (even) after his death.” [Bayhaqi, Ibn Majah]

With the current exposure of the true color of our leaders, one is at a loss as to what goes on in their minds. How do they want history to judge them and what legacy do they want to leave behind? Are they really leaders or opportunists, carpetbaggers, or fortune hunters, buccaneers, or freebooters? Are they conscious of the need to put their footprints on the sands of time or do they want to engrave their names in the black book of history?

Since the oldest times known to man, people and communities have been led by efficient leaders. Such men and women have been responsible for ushering their people into a new and more modern world as we know of it now. Although times have changed, the contributions of these great leaders cannot be forgotten and though practices and ways of doing things have changed as well, the ways of these great leaders cannot be overlooked. What made them great might still be applicable today as it was in the past.

Strive to live your life as a mensch, and you’ll have left your greatest legacy for anyone who has met you. Our leaders today do not fit this billing. They are not only selfish, but inordinate in their self-aggrandizement. They are cheats and liars and at other times knaves and scoundrels. They have no sense of history because they lack vision and mission. This being so, they are oblivious to the need to leave a legacy. As far as they are concerned, they live for the moment.

With all the promise of a better Nigeria 8 years ago, what really has changed? The power sector is still in a quagmire. Despite much rhetoric, insecurity still triumphs with its attendant kidnapping, herdsmen invasion, Boko Haram, and other terroristas.

Unlike great men of history, whose characteristics were resilience, knowledge, people-skills, motivational approach and leading by example; foresight, vision, strategic planning, and the ability to lead people to success; determination, persistence, beliefs, and courage. The historical trajectory of post-colonial Nigerian predicament is hinged on the emergence of various corrupt leaders (civilian and military). They have not only found it difficult to institute or run the semblance of a modern state but have also failed to build the country as a nation.

Over the years, the country has seen its wealth withered with little to show in living conditions of the average human being. One Nigerian political leader, late Obafemi Awolowo raised a salient issue when he said, “since independence, our governments have been a matter of few holding the cow for the strongest and most cunning to milk, under those circumstances everybody runs over everybody to make good at the expense of others.” (Awolowo, 1979).

After 8 years of ‘the change mantra’, there has been no review of the contentious revenue allocation formula. Only token attention has been given to the issue of restructuring which was a cardinal promise of the party on its road to power.

Nigeria society is not homogenous; diversity of cultures should be a source of strength due to the different variety of skills, abilities, knowledge, and large human capacity it brings with it. However, it has remained a source of tribal and social conflict. The political elites in Nigeria, since independence, have not managed this social complexity well.  Rather it has been weaponized in their quest for political power.

Under the atmosphere of ethnic struggle for control of the central authority, the quest for good governance is not only jettisoned, but lost altogether.

There exists an uneven wealth distribution in Nigeria, with the wealth residing in the hands of a few who mostly are not engaged in productive ventures. These few have access to government patronage which is consumptive and not productive in nature. That trend has not changed after 24 years of civil rule.

Economic reforms are designed to stimulate the economy and especially help the poor; unfortunately, these reforms have not met the expectations of the populace. For instance, the reforms are supposed to improve basic infrastructure such as electricity generation, potable water, and roads but, unfortunately, these public utilities are still inefficient. While relatively few rich people live in affluence, (most of which were acquired through corrupt means), the poor masses live in squalor and abject poverty.

Weakness of our institutions have continued unabated in the last 8 years especially the judiciary, police, education, and health.

The judiciary in most developed societies is the last hope of the populace for justice and adjudication. A society lacking in good values and an equitable justice system presents an environment for anarchy and socio-economic problems.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is the principal law enforcement agency in Nigeria with 36 State commands grouped into 12 zones and 7 administrative organs. The strength of this force is too small for a country of our size and population. Their crime fighting equipment is obsolete, which compels them to employ antiquated policing methods.

Hence, the country is largely under-policed. A police force that is poorly paid, poorly motivated, poorly trained, poorly equipped, and with meagre retirement benefits cannot be an effective organization. Even then, monies voted for the police still find their way into private pockets. Can we count on the incoming administration to ameliorate this situation?

“No bed space” is a metaphor coined by ThisDay columnist, Simon Kolawole to describe the poor state and gross inadequacy of our healthcare delivery system. This is nothing but a legacy of shame. The healthcare system is terminally sick.

Let it be said that the root cause of our problems is the elite. As for the average citizens of this country, all they ask for is their daily bread. As late Awolowo said: The common man is not concerned with who is in power; he is more particular about food, clothing, and shelter; of a wretched type.

A critical appraisal of the political environment in the country reveals that Nigerians do not have a problem with democracy, or system of government, but are tired of corrupt leadership and poor democratic values.

To maintain a stable and secure environment, the new administration must endeavour to provide an equitable justice system and most of all provide essential services to the populace.

The demands of the various political groups must be addressed within a holistic framework. The context must be inclusive to incorporate all the key political interests, social values, and economic interests of the various regional or ethnic groups.

The ills of the Nigerian economy should be urgently addressed to stem the current over-dependence on oil. Investments should be directed to revamping and expanding the moribund industrial base, especially in the less advantaged parts of the country, to address unemployment. The pay-off of this strategy will not only address the problem of unemployed youth but will substantially increase productivity, reduce importation, and reduce poverty in the country.

The fight against corruption is one that may have a political backlash, since a large majority of the elite groups are involved, but the consequences of not fighting the menace may be more atrocious in the long run.

Undue interference in the operations, processes and decisions of anti-poverty agencies should be avoided. There should be adequate funding of anti-poverty agencies and programs.

Problems in the education and health sectors must be tackled frontally. The rot in these sectors cannot continue. Enough is enough.

No doubt, Nigeria is one big crime scene: “Political actors behave like characters from pulp fiction Gangster Chronicles. . .. They have no political ancestry, being mostly political orphans with no solid convictions or even ethical moorings or moral qualms whatsoever. Most are in politics because there is nothing else to do: businesses have failed, professional practices have collapsed, and unemployment has often driven many to the limits of creative survival. All eyes seem to be fixated on the national treasury, the giant cheque book of oil royalties.” –  Chidi Amuta. These are not the men who would effect change in the structure of our political system.

One cannot see the present crop of political leaders, meeting or exhibiting any exemplary attributes. Singing ‘Ajekun iya’ or coining moribund slogans, ‘jeun soke’, ’emi lokan’, is not what historical legacies are made of. Men of outstanding contributions to society are never remembered for the magnificence of their mansions or the stolen wealth in their ‘bullion vaults’.

The legacy of leaders is measured by the quantum of change they bring to their societies and the index of human development.

An administration that spent billions on moribund refineries and which failed to construct new ones, and which superintended the continued importation of fuel, and which could not effect a transformation in the energy sector, and which continued to leave majority of us in darkness, can only leave a ‘legacy of shame’.

Can the new administration rekindle our hope of a better Nigeria? Can, it set out renewed values and visions for a better Nigeria? Can the new President look us in the eye and answer the question: Are you the ‘Promised Messiah’?