By Dr. Christopher Odetunde
Choosing leaders is a serious business. Like a run away locomotive, 2008 year is slowly but steadily rolling away. The battle we fought against the establishment in 2007 is still fresh in 2008. Like little children just looking to get candy but not understanding how candies are produced, we are at it again theorizing instead of seeking practical solutions that can lead to real development. Wherefore will Nigeria be when the bell ushering 2009 rings?
First we need to thank our God (Jesus, Allah, African gods or what have you) for giving us another year to perturb our political system, and for giving us another opportunity to think outside the box in 2008 in order to change Nigeria positively for good. When is it the right time for Nigeria to learn a good lesson on how to be proud citizen of a potentially great nation, in nation building and development?
In 2008, we should be seeking what is to radically shape our political thinking while establishing the important ingredients for strengthening the political instincts of our future leaders? As far as I am concern, the past and present leaders are selfish and we are going nowhere with them as a nation. We are still hoping that it not business as usual again. We should nudge our self-described servant leader to cause a paradigm shift in our thinking toward governance. I am of the pinion that our new set of leaders must:
- Respect human value and human dignity, protect our civil right and civil liberty;
- Be ready to create policies that are friendly, accommodating and caring;
- Embody what he believes in without godfathers changing his mind at every stop;
- Be prepared to seek national and international opportunities for fellow citizens;
- Make citizens sacrifice for future generation as well as strengthen Nigeria for the current citizens;
- Believe in the almighty, believe in something greater than himself without being hypocritical;
- Be willing not only to grab the power and the largess that come with it but also be willing to give his/her life up to move our nation forward;
- Be ready to set both national and international agenda in line with Nigeria’s well defined national interest;
- Be unwilling to sacrifice any citizen in order to satisfy his personal aggrandizements, curiosity and greed; and
- Pray but remember that all prayers without working is just a mere waste of time.
Nigeria of the sixties, seventies and even part of eighties was a nation whose citizens rushed back to at the conclusion of their oversea assignments so as to contribute their quotas. Today, Nigeria is a country where citizens are breaking out of instead of for survival – a shame indeed. Even at it, Nigeria with all types of educated citizens is manipulated like children by her leaders. What manner of power does Nigeria give to her often egotistical and god-behaving leaders? For instance, the nation and our constitution vested this uncontrolled power on her executive president while the senate, the judiciary and the citizens fail to perform their fiduciary duties that ought to resort to the needed checks and balances. By all accounts, a Nigerian president is the most powerful president in the world.
We trusted Chief Obasanjo as a man with national and international reputation. He was a member of Transparency International and was trusted to have the integrity to change our citizens’ lackadaisical attitude toward corruption but he failed in no small terms. The effects of corruption are incalculable as seen on the faces of citizens and on the nation's developmental measures. Who would have thought that during OBJ’s time many governors would become brazenly corrupt, that over 50 billion dollars would be carted away through highly inflated contracts, concessions, illegal duty waivers, mismanagement of the Federations’ Account and scandalous NNPC transactions? If we recall, OBJ was the de facto minister of the petroleum who will and deal on behalf of Nigeria. As if this was not enough, OBJ supported dangerous unpatriotic elements such as the Uba, Ibori, Adedibu and many Governors that were looting their states. Even, then, OBJ through many opaque privatization of public treasures (TRANSCORP, NITEL, Refineries, etc.) business dealing bought many parastatals for himself through third party surrogates.
In 2008 we are still at the crossroad of arguing whether to strengthen our institutions or to make our systems personality dependent. The way the nation, President and the National assembly resolve EFCC, the anti – graft institution which was used to carry out OBJ’s anti – corruption war and Malam Nuhu Ribadu, EFCC Czar will determine our seriousness as a nation. We cannot continue to build our social, political and economic institutions around individuals or on cronyism, nepotism and greed. No matter the accolades we shower on Malam Ribadu, he allowed himself to be used as a weapon of mass destruction to hunt down real and perceived enemies of OBJ and this should be factored into our overall decision on the EFCC issue. Whether Malam Ribadu stays in office or is replaced, what is at stake here is, our serious as a nation to reduce, if not stopping corruption in its tracks?” If Ibori, OBJ and other previous leaders are found to be corrupt, they should be made an example for clear and corrective action. Surely, the Ibori, OBJ cannot be greater than Nigeria. If Nigeria establishes stronger institutions that are not rapped around personalities, citizens will not not be bordered who who is heading our institutions. Not only will 2008 determine our seriousness as a nation, it can also be the defining moment for President Yar ‘Adua as a serious leader. If President Yar ‘Adua fails, the prediction of US intelligent agency that Nigeria would disintegrate within 10 years or so would have, by our collective inaction, come to fruition.
While Chief Obasanjo was in office, he blackmailed all sorts of corporations and individuals into contributing money, billions of Naira, towards the building of a Presidential library. No one complained about the conflict of interest inherent in OBJ’s action as a sitting president nor have the stakeholders asked what he has become of the funds or where the library he promised to build is located? I ask, where was Nuhu Ribadu and/or the EFCC when OBJ was performing his disgraceful act reminiscent of self-centered human beings?
The case of the formal IG of police, Tafa Balogun brings tears to one’s eye. Within the confines of the budget of the Nigerian police, one cannot phantom a 16 Billion Naira which Tafa Balogun was supposed to have embezzled. What would have been the total budget of the Nigerian police for an IG to embezzle 16 plus billion Naira? Reasonable people will not be wrong to conclude that OBJ knew the operation of the IG and enabled the brazen corruption. Many Nigerians will tell us that we should not complain about OBJ because he made remarkable progress in the nation’s life, Res Ipsa Loquitor. Yes, let us appreciate OBJ’s achievements on one hand but on the other hand, ask how does the small progress he made account for the colossal amount he expended, the growth of corruption and the extra – judicial killing that resulted? When compared to the leaky faucet, the changes are not worth the price our nation paid. Why are intelligent citizens acting unintelligently and cowardly, always willing and quick to sweep the dirt under the carpet, the horrible formula for the nation's stunted growth?
If, for example, a Chief Executive Officer, CEO of a corporation invests =N=1.0 trillion on a venture such as energy or electricity with the energy sector performing worse than before the money was invested, shareholders would have demanded an answer from the CEO for the fund but not in our Nigeria where a President is seen as god, an untouchable, if you please. Why do we choose a president as if we are choosing a senior prefect? Because our president and the executive governors are this powerful, not accountable and responsible for their actions, we have a do-or-die election every four years. A do-or-die election always brings with it dishonest and hypocritical leadership whose political intention is not to serve but to loot. In 2008, where do we go from here as a nation? If anything, the recent Iowa caucuses results in which Sen. Barack Obama bedding as a black man for the presidency of America, and Governor Mike Huckabee won must be our guiding light towards governance. A leader is born not forced on a nation. Whenever a true leader is freely chosen by the people, a lasting democracy is achieved.
When President Yar ‘Adua visited his colleague in the US White House, he did not ask how he could get his country to the crescendo of development that he observed in the White House or around Washington, DC. Instead, he was star gazing and uncontrollably thanking God for his own Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum: Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum (Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace((AFRICOM): Because my eyes have seen thy salvation [provided legitimacy of my government]). I ask a rhetoric question at this point, does Nigeria really need an experienced leader or just a patriot? All the experiences that our leaders claim to have never benefited the nation nor have positive impact on the lives of citizens and the nation.
2008 will spell out why we tolerate the cabals to control our lives. Greed can make the best of us act in a servitude manner and praise worship the slave masters, the cabals. The leaders we choose from now on should be made to understand the fiduciary duties we expect to get from them. Our usual expected actions to serve the leaders rather than to be served is symptomatic of a greater problem in our people, that is, everyone trying to acquire wealth individually at all cost instead of judiciously using the resources we have and contributing to making our nation wealthy with our God given talents and contributions. Surprising, I might say, the pogroms that have been visited upon citizens of Nigeria is not the fault of the leaders but the fault of citizens that willingly allow these leaders to go unchallenged.
Nigeria does not have any monuments to point to nor can she point to a building that is more than hundred years old that has not been turned down. Each leader breaks down the monuments built by previous ones in order to create avenues for embezzling and transferring funds out of Nigeria. Who are we as a people and where are we going as a nation?
2007 was the worst of the years because a do-or-die election was achieved with the help of OBJ and Professor Maurice Iwu. Iwu could not have been shamefully be laundering his image without the support of the servant leader who needed legitimacy. Unfortunately for Iwu, President Yar ‘Adua has given his mea culpa to the nation for the flawed election. Let us make 2008 a year to remember, a year when Nigerians say we are tried of directionless leadership and we can’t take it anymore more and mean it. If the citizens of Nigeria can bring Yar ‘Adua administration to actually serve instead of serving the cabals and the rogues, Nigeria would attain her epochal development. This is a simple Verbum Satis Sapienty.
So, here we go again perturbing 2008. At the conclusion of 2008, we hope we’ll not be reviewing Nigeria’s missteps as in years past. Let us allow what unites us to be greater than what divides us in 2008. Happy, prosperous and productive year. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dr. Christopher Odetunde wrote from Houston, Texas, USA.
