For patriots who are concerned about the fatherland and can read the situation on ground correctly, later this year, and perhaps, early next year, will be crucial for the fate of the country. Unless an act of fate beyond the imagination of the average citizen happens, these two years will determine whether on the political front political leaders will do something that will give a signal that Nigeria will hold together as a progressive nation that has rediscovered her destiny or they will do something that will cause Nigeria to fall apart as a good- for- nothing giant. As a developing nation, politics is so critical to our very survival. It determines almost everything. Everything rises or falls with politics or what political leaders do or fail to do.
I say this because these are the times that the politicians will choose, or be close to choosing, their candidates for the various political offices in the land. Some of us are waiting with a sense of apprehension to see which direction our political leaders will go. Will our politicians demonstrate that they are capable of re-inventing themselves or will they continue in the same old way of choosing the worst among us to govern the rest of us or will they realize that the ruinous path of politicking for politics ‘sake and not to drive development that they have been traversing nearly 50 years after Independence is driving us down a precipice and have a change of heart?
The history of most nations that have become successful today shows that some of them started by embarking on the path of destruction, the way Nigeria is headed but at some point the political elite realized themselves, called themselves together, had a conversation and decided that they must draw up a clear rules of engagement by which everyone must obey that will propel their nation to greatness for the benefit of everyone in the polity.
But in our country, the political elite are the most divisive and irresponsible. They act as if there is nothing at all at stake. You do not see in their attitude or disposition that they have a mission to build the country. What matters to them is to occupy office and scheme for themselves, their townspeople and tribes people to also be in juicy offices. They play the game of politics as if they do not want their country to survive. They say what they like and do what they like as if they are on a suicide mission. Many of them will not think twice about selling a part of the nation to any foreign willing buyer who offers the right price if they can pull off the deal. They select the worst among us to lead as if leadership has no great role to play in pushing a society forward.
The question is: towards the end of this year or the beginning of next year, will our politicians stop their usual business of playing politics for its sake and for their own selfish interest and change to become statesmen who are concerned about the wellbeing of the nation? Will they indeed go for change as the time clearly demands or will they stick to continuity with the same old, jaded ways that have kept us in stagnation, despair and hopelessness?
Everywhere you turn to whether at the federal, state or local government, what you see and which depresses many of us, is the level of sheer incompetence that assails you. Many of our officials are not only incompetent, they do not appear to care a hoot about what happens to the whole nation. When I grew up to meet politics as a young man some 40 years ago, genuine efforts were made to recruit knowledgeable and public spirited individuals to contest for or occupy public offices. They may not have been the best of the people around but you could see that efforts were made to get those who were a notch above the usual rung either in character or learning to represent the people. The guiding ethos for public recruitment is no longer so. Now the reigning mantra seems to be that you go for the worst who is loyal to a cabal, a godfather, a party leadership or a tribe or who is articulate in espousing a regional cause. If you dare suggest a man of merit, they will shout you down that that person is not likely to be ‘loyal’ or that he is not a ‘’team player’’ by which is meant that he is not likely to agree to join in sharing the loot.
In fact it looks as if our ruling elite have conspired and agreed that merit, suitability and character have been expunged from the guide book of qualities for public offices. Thugs, knaves, rabble-rousers, thieves of various hues, muscle men of all kinds, stammerers and other incoherent speakers, bootlickers, pimps and other low quality men and women now seem to be the preferred choices for recruitment as leaders.
This state of affairs is what some of us are looking forward to for urgent change as the various parties begin the critical duty of selecting men and women to run for offices in 2o23. We have hurt ourselves and our nation for too long. Whatever it will take to have a Damascus conversation, our politicians should come together even across party lines to decide that from 2o23 onwards, it will no longer be politics as usual. It should now be politics of service. Once they come to this agreement or basic understanding, who they choose to fly their party flags will not be the kind of disreputable persons I have earlier mentioned. We have suffered for too long in the hands of bad people. Let there be a change.
