I wrote this article for The Scoop and it was published on September 17, 2014. You can find the link here
The first time I heard the word ‘nascent’ was sometime in 2000. The then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salisu Buhari, had been accused of forging his age and certificates (due to his zeal to serve his country, he claimed), leading to his unceremonious ouster. As I watched the news, I saw as politicians took turn to provide explanations for the show of shame but one phrase was repeated several times: Nigeria’s nascent democracy. It became the most commonly used phrase whenever there was a mess in the polity as politicians readily pointed to it to explain their irrational behaviour, as if it was some sort of uncontrollable demon. Whether it was lawmakers throwing chairs at one another, the legislature and the executive getting involved in unnecessary public spats, politicians stealing public fund or downright rigging of elections, they had the same excuse. When Lucky Igbinedion was presented for re-election as Edo State Governor in 2003, his dad was quoted as saying: “the first term was for learning. A child who failed an exam is entitled to a resit”. Yeah, classic case of our nascent democracy in action. It was the most abused word in Nigerian politics.
Fast forward to 2014, and there are still excuses for the nonsense being dished out to Nigerians as governance. The only difference between what we used to have back then and now is that, while excuses used to be provided by politicians to explain their misgovernance, these days Nigerians do the job for them. My social media interaction has exposed me to the degree young Nigerians are willing to go to provide rationale for politicians’ failings, however ridiculous such rationale is. And that is the crux of this piece.
We have continually set the bar so low that politicians now know they only have to do the barest minimum (which they hardly do anyway, but that’s another matter entirely). It is particularly sad to see young Nigerians, who work in organisations where they are required to produce world class results, make excuses for elected public officials. So when you point out the fact that Stella Oduah bought two cars for N255 million, her supporters are quick to say she did well in her airport remodeling projects hence should be spared any enquiry. When you raise the issue of the plethora of corruption exposé involving this government, some of them traced to Aso Rock, his supporters say he should be praised for allowing the information get to the public in the first place. When you cry out about the annual flooding of Lagos during the rainy season without the government being able to find a lasting solution, government apologists say the issue is not peculiar to Lagos. None of the high profile criminals who got subsidy funds without lifting a litre of oil has been successfully prosecuted and jailed, but government apologists say the law should be allowed to take its (snail-speed) course. Presidential aides tell lies and make obscene terrorist allegations against private citizens but are not relieved of their jobs. The alleged sponsor of Boko Haram is a member of the ruling PDP and was recently seen with the President in full glare of the public. A serial pedophile is a member of the main opposition party. The Federal Minister who arranged a botched recruitment exercise that directly led to the deaths of at least 18 Nigerians was not reprimanded – he is still a serving minister. A former governor convicted and jailed by the UK Courts for stealing public funds in Nigeria got a presidential pardon by the Nigerian government and was part of the recent National Conference to discuss the future of Nigeria. A former public officer who was jailed for embezzling funds belonging to the Nigerian Ports Authority is an ever-present in our President’s political tours. The other day, I saw a Facebook advert suggesting ‘Honorable’ Ikuforiji might be interested in becoming Governor of Lagos. Farouk Lawan, he of the Cap Banking project, is still an honorable member of the House of Representatives, making laws for Nigerians. One cannot complain about all these anomalies without their supporters providing excuses of places where things are supposedly worse. The most depressing part of it is that these excuses are provided by Nigerian youths.
I will never understand why anyone would provide excuses for government failings, except when it is his/her job to do so. Nigerian politicians are some of the best (read: highest) paid in the world and like I have always argued on social media platforms, they must be subject to the highest possible standard of governance. A lot of Nigerians think it is foolhardy to expect Nigerian politicians to perform as well as their counterparts in more developed democracies. I do not understand. If I am subject to the same standard as fellow accountants in the US, I expect my President to be subject to the same standard as the US President. If a governor promised to build 50 schools during his election campaign but managed to build only 49, he has failed. Our grossly overpaid leaders have been getting away with murder, literarily, and we need to collectively put a stop to this.
The President (like his predecessors, it has to be said) has promised multiple dates for Nigerians to enjoy the long overdue stable electricity, none of which has been met. We need to let him know he’s run out of excuses. I hardly read motivational books but one of the best I’ve read is titled The Enemy Called Average, by John Mason. That is the problem confronting Nigerian youths now. We seem to have been programmed to accept mediocrity as a norm. Individually, we believe we can be better people but we don’t think we should expect our leaders to be better than they are. People have hailed the remodeling being done at the various airports but let’s face it – it’s nonsense. The MMA roofs are still leaking. I use the recently renovated Benin Airport a lot and I always have to fetch my checked-in luggage almost on the tarmac as there is no baggage carousel. We need to urgently do away with this mediocre mentality.
Next time you want to provide excuses for any public official (keyword is ‘any’, not just the President or your favorite Governor), pause and consider this scenario: You are the owner of a Company. You recently fired your underperforming Managing Director and appointed another one. You provide him with all the best working tools and a very generous remuneration, above the industry average. If he fails to meet the most basic target you both agreed prior to engaging him, will you provide him with excuses for his failure or give him a tongue-lashing and ask him to ensure he gets the job done, failing which he will get fired?
Whatever your answer is, that is what we need to start doing to our overfed politicians.
