It sometimes becomes necessary to speak ‘the home truth’ to Nigerians if only to advise them to td injuries in the process of nation-building. It is not clear why Nigeria has become a nation of selfish self-denial where momentarily unsustainable gains are preferred to long-lasting and durable benefits.
One of the prayers of the Yoruba of West Africa is ‘Olorun konije ki aje aiye awon omowa mo aiye’ which is a prayer directed at leaving the world better than we met it. It is quite easy to lament the situation in which we have found ourselves today but for which none of us can be exonerated.
The post-election political skirmishes are becoming choking to the masses of our people. There are two prongs to the intrigues. The obedient comic angle and the Atiku factor. The whole process looks like what the Nigerian would refer to ‘Bi ko ba ki o pa, bi o ko baba bul’ese’. That is ‘If you close on him, kill him, if you cannot, then, injure him to demobilise him’.
In all these, the interest, well-being, and overall interest of the Nigerian people are sacrificed as if the political gain of an individual should overshadow the collective interest of all and sundry. In all these melee, the person in Aso Rock is being distracted from offering the best service to our people.
The former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Azikiwe Ebele Jonathan captured the picture vividly when he said, “My second term is not worth the blood of any Nigerian”. Why are some Nigerian leaders so selfish, self-centered, and mean to the extent of not minding if the walls of the nation are in embers?
The wild goose chase of one of the candidates of the 2023 Presidential election to a court in the United States of America to compel the Chicago State University to seek for the disclosure of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s academic records can simply be described as desperate, vengeful and a tendency for destruction rather than for mere fact-finding. The continuous public releases by the University affirming the authenticity of the studentship of Tinubu seemed to be insufficient to satisfy the political thirst of those involved.
What, if one may ask are those concerned looking for in this meaningless exercise? Is it to know the number of carry-overs that Tinubu had or to suggest that the university senate has awarded an undeserved degree? There is certainly more to this than meet the eye. Is it that the university didn’t do its homework before admitting the student or that the student graduated in error? How do you indict Bola Tinubu for errors in his certificate after all he did not issue the document to himself?
Therefore, irrespective of the discrepancies, the point remains that if the University has confirmed repeatedly that Tinubu attended its programs and was genuinely awarded a certificate, then the probe instituted by Tinubu’s rival is mere academic exercise that would have no bearing on the Nigerian political space and therefore, it would be a waste of time and resources unless they can prove that he issued the documents to himself.
The continuous shameless and childish blackmail of the bench by some politicians on a daily basis leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Some are pre-empting and even blackmailing the judges to direct the judgement to their advantage, thereby, intruding into a decision that are still in the pipeline of the 2023 Presidential election and in the process continue either to ignore the facts or expose their naivety about the judicial process.
Indeed, some are already suggesting preparation for re-run as if there is no opportunity for appeal by those who are likely to be displeased with the outcome including the President. While everyone in a democracy has freedom of expression, it is important to note that such freedom should be accompanied by responsibility.
In many other realms of the world, this responsibility that is couched in decorum and decency are fixed standard that national leaders don’t bypass and its lines are never crossed because of the political consequences that would befall the deviant from the anger of the larger society.
This is one culture that Nigerian political leaders should imbibe and this is one tendency that the masses of our people should sternly punish and reward in strict negative form whenever any leader deviates from the standard. How for God’s sake would a leader with his intellect in fact threatens a whole nation of dare consequences because he lost an election and still have followers? Are Nigerians able to decipher right from wrong through the utterances of their leaders?
Do our people have parasuicidal behavioral tendencies that makes them follow sheepishly and blindly the negative behavior of leaders even when it is obvious that the outcome would be unfavorable to them, their future and the national at large?
Can one really understand the leadership psyche in a nation where three people ran a race and the person in the third position is claiming to be the winner? Yet, followers run amok and prophets who claim to have the eye of God are assuring him on the pages of newspapers that he would be declared the winner of the election by the Presidential Tribunal? These prophets are so shameless that the repeated failure of their predictions does not humble them rather they make more imprecise predictions to the gullible followers with the presumption that they lack memory.
In many parts of the world, leaders of the opposition will work in tandem with the government in power on policies that are beneficial to the country and the generality of the people. In Nigeria, the opposition work the masses against the government even on issues that the opposition itself cannot do otherwise. The Subsidy issue is a case in point. How on earth would any right-thinking leader of our nation talk against the removal of subsidy when it is indeed obvious that its retention as an economic decision would eventually render the entire country prostrate, weak, and lifeless.
The President who is the driver of the new policy on subsidy would not deceive himself to think that the losers in the game will not fight back. What is sad however is that the masses of Nigeria that he is trying to rescue from annihilation are simply unappreciative, ignorant, and unwilling to offer time bound sacrifice for the future. In one word, they are being used against their own survival. It is a pity that many of these people don’t even understand the meaning and essence of the removal of subsidy on petroleum product. Similarly, the forex policy of the administration is being criticised as if it is normal for a country to sell its dollars to the Mallams and bureau de exchange before giving it to its manufacturing industry and all those who needed it for industrial development.
Ojikutu is a retired Professor of the University of Lagos.
