The picture of school children lining the streets holding the green-white-green flags of newly independent Nigeria tells the story such pictures tell; a million stories, of contentment, happiness and hope in an endless tomorrow and a faith that the political leaders of the time would keep them safe, happy and progressive. Somehow the dream was truncated barely a few years after with the military coup of 1966, the power play, the counter coups and the three year civil war that brought the country to its knees.
As the then head of state, General Yakubu Gowon declared after the war, ‘No victor, no vanquished’. As it turned out, his promise of the three Rs; Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction was not only vacuous given the events that continues to date, it has been a promise not kept. It is often seen as contradictory and a mark of personal flaw that Gowon who claimed there were no victors and no vanquished in one breath promise the three Rs in another.
Most political analysts describe him as not only immature given his age (32 years at the time) also as one with weak sense of personal judgment considering that he had boastfully but tactlessly said that ‘Money was not the problem of Nigeria but what to do with it’ given the petro dollars that accrued to the country during the oil boom era. The extravagant exuberance of his time in government seems to have laid the foundation for the profligacy with resources that persists till date. The coups and counter-coups ushered in different military governments that violated the democracy that came with Nigeria’s independence.
A flawed military incursion into Nigerian leadership has been the albatross of Nigeria’s development. It’s been a case of one step forward and three steps backward. The military governments clearly corrupted the political class with some seeming authoritarianism that revels in lack of accountability and leading with little recourse to the core tenets of democracy.
Because political power is next only to that of the almighty God in any religion or language, Nigeria’s issues about development have been a product of the mismanagement of power given the dominance of the military goons that had seize power through undemocratic means for a better part of the 65 years since independence. The legacies left by the military dictators are at the root of Nigeria’s underdevelopment. In a way, it is not a misnomer to conclude that Nigeria’s political class has not been weaned from the examples the military left in their trail.
Nigeria has had an uninterrupted 26 years of civilian democracy. Even though there have been many developments in the economy across the country but many analysts believe that without military interregnums, the country might have made much higher progress. However, the Roundtable Conversation is not excusing the political class in any way because all political actors are adults and have the opportunity to make better choices. However, the military system of command and control, their total disregard for democratic processes keeps rearing its head in the politicians’ modus operandi.
That certain key sectors like education, health, gender equity and agriculture have received below United Nations’ benchmarks are all signs of political class that are disconnected from the people since 1999. In a way, politicians often display the nonchalance copied from the military. The need to please the people because of elections often does not matter.
The violence during elections in Nigeria since 1999 is surely a by-product of military leadership. Coups are not cocktail parties. They are planned and executed through violence and without recourse to the wish of the people. Nigerian elections have become one of the most litigious in the world because the political class bring with them the military mind-set of ‘merely grabbing power’ for its own sake.
The misuse of security agencies is one legacy of the Nigerian military. The violence during elections is often done under the supervision or protection of the military who are often invited to provide security during elections. When elections are won and lost, the elected leaders often revel in the extra security protection they can avail themselves which often includes soldiers. This right there is the zenith of the military mentality displayed by Nigerian politicians.
The Nigerian political space in the last 65 years has continued to suffer from military hangover. The violation of electoral laws with little consequences for the violators is one of the legacies of military rule that the politicians fin attractive. The ‘do or die’ mentality that often translates to violence from ward, state to federal elections might appear as non-issues but it has dented the democracy Nigeria practices.
On the face of it, this analysis might appear as though the military is to blame for the woes of Nigeria. The truth is that sometimes, solving any problem starts when the truth about the causative factors is told. If Nigeria must make progress, the political class must look in the mirror. Mind-sets must change; there must be introspection and a readiness for reorientation that reaffirms patriotism and commitment to the tenets of democracy as government of the people by the people and for the people.
Nigeria is blessed with rich national and material resources and there must be a willingness to maximize both. Nigeria at 65 must wean itself from the very destructive style of the military aberration in leadership. The political elite must realize the value in investing in the human capital that the country is blessed with. Political participation must be about service and not an opportunity for self-aggrandizement and influence-peddling that has stagnated development.
Despite the developments since 1999 in many sectors, the Nigerian story can be different with better focus by the political elite. Nigerian politicians must look beyond the immediate and begin to behave in ways to reassure the people in ways that can diminish the trust deficit in the political class. The political parties must be seen to be structured to be functional and viable. Taking excuses with the presumed nascence of Nigerian democracy is self-defeatist. At 65, Nigeria is no longer a baby.
The political parties must be run with standards befitting of the system we have chosen. The present style of fluidity must be discouraged because it makes the people very sceptical of a class without principles, oscillating between several political parties just for political expediency does not tell a good story about the integrity of our politicians. There must be clear ideological lines that political party members can be identified with as is the case in most developed democracies. There must be an inclusivity that caters to all demographics. For now, it seems to be about male dominance. The poverty index an underdevelopment challenges tells the entire story about Nigerian democracy.
The political party leadership must be inclusive in ways that no one gender dominates or has exclusive privileges. There should be a level playing field that affords every citizen the opportunity to participate in a functional democracy. For now, political parties appear as a male exclusive club in terms of party administration. Women still see themselves as outsiders with, ‘Women Wing tokenism’. Competent women and men must be allowed to try their chances at political party administration.
Political campaign funds must be strictly monitored in ways that no individual or group takes financial advantage of the system. For now, Nigeria has not got it right. The word; party chieftain, party financier, god-father etc., are all indicators of a flawed system of running political parties. There must be a structure that can moderate campaign funding returning power to the people.
Democracy being a government of the people, by the people and for the people must be run according to the rules of engagement and those who breach the rules must be made to face the consequences as deterrent to others. Presently, many people get away with blue murder literarily. Democracy without the rule of law will only produce a dysfunctional system that impedes development.
Make no mistakes about it, the journey has been very challenging and progress being recorded in some areas but we must evaluate whether the development is satisfactory given the human and material resources available to the country. The fact that other countries keep creating incentives to take out our resources an even our human capital must tell us something. The fact that citizens that were trained with tax-payers money can so easily seek jobs in countries outside Nigeria must tell us that only the best brains get to be ‘drained’.
Nigeria at 65 is no longer a toddler. It is time to stop and re-evaluate how far we have come. We can acknowledge the challenges of colonialism, slavery, coups and military incursions into leadership over some decades but we must have little excuses after 65 years. The human capital development must be an urgent priority as ideas and technology, now rule the world.
There must be a renewed effort to meet the UN benchmarks on key areas like health and education. Insecurity is affecting, foo security, investment and tourism. While we celebrate our anniversary, we must introspect and like legendary Achebe said, learn where the rain started beating us as a people. Happy 65th independence anniversary, dear readers.