OPINION: Nigeria Needs Statesmen Now and Not Politicians

 

The state of the nation Nigeria means what the country needs now are statesmen and not politicians. We have been perpetually politicking since 1999. It's been 26 years of unbroken civilian rule, but we can hardly point out democratic gains. The so-called dividends of democracy is just in the imagination of the politicians. 

The so called dividends of democracy include mostly infrastructure: roads, schools, bridges, hospitals, electricity among others. But hten if those are dividends of democracy, the military should also receive a standing ovation for delivering the dividends of democracy- if not better. 

The truth is that the dividends of democracy are hardly tangible things: respect for rule of law, free and fair elections, independence of arms of government, periodic elections, representative government are some of the yardsticks to measure a democracy. How would you rate the governments since 1999? My honest answer would be it got worse. 

President Olusegun Obasanjo took over the mantle after a prolonged military (mis)rule in May 1999. Rather than consolidate on the gains of democracy as laid down by the military, through the general Election- flawed though but still far batter than what civilian regimes have been organising since then- Obj- as he was fondly called- organised a shambolic election in 2003 and 2007 was even worse. We hnow have off cycle elections in Nigeria today because the courts- when they still had a modicum of self respect- nullified the shenanigans of INEC and the ruling party then PDP.  Thus Anambra  State was reclaimed followed by Edo, Osun among others.

OBJ handed over to Umaru Yar'Adua in an election where the president himself admitted was very flawed. Upon inauguration the President set up an electoral reform committee headed by the late retired CJN Muhammed Uwais. The report is still gathering dust as I type this. The former Katsina State Governor lasted just over two years before he died and his then Deputy Goodluck Jonathan took over.

the 2011 General Election was fair enough but the problems still persist. And in 2015, the unthinkable happened.  A ruling party lost power as Jonathan lost his seat to Muhammadu Buhari, who finally clinched the presidency at his fourth attempt. The problems still persisted as government after government papered over the cracks. And President Bola Tinubu is in power but high-wire politicking has commenced just less than two years into the next General Election in 2027.

It was thought that the self avowed democracy activist would exercise restrain and even strengthen democratic institutions int he country, but we've rather seen on the contrary as the three arms of government at the federal level have been fused into one. It is now a popular joke  that the heads of the three arms of government in Nigeria today are: Tinubu at the Executive, Senator Godswill Akpabio at the legislative and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike at the Judiciary. That's how bad Nigerians perceive their leaders and they don't seem to care.

Nigeria needs leaders who see the future, not these current set of politicians who look forward to the next elections. Tinubu and his gang must wake up. They have failed Nigerians so far, having not even been able to feed them with the infamous Agbado and Cassava he promised during campaigns. Growing up, garri used to be the food for the poor, not anymore. Many households now go to bed hungry as food inflation rises to unprecedented levels.

Transportation cost is worsened with high fule prices while the minimum wage of 70k which many are still yet to pay, especially in the private sector, is barely enough for weeks. The government has also failed in the area of securing lives and property, its primary responsibility. The Benue massacre of recent is just the metaphor for the failure of governance in Nigeria.