The evident paresis of leadership in Nigeria has become a numbing reality for true meaning citizens who unfortunately have no immediate solutions other than watchful waiting. The long wait to 2019 is foreboding but also a source of hope. Now past midpoint of this administrations journey Nigerians live by shear providence. Only few are equipped for the rather bumpy ride people have been subjected to by the wilful neglect of the electorate in stark contrast to the promises made. Very few are spared hardship and this would probably be because they are not subject to the diktat of a beleaguered civil service.
It is fortuitous that there is a similitude of sanity in the person of Professor Osibanjo the vice president. Majority are grateful for the sensibilities he brings into his role. However this is now a case of steering an embattled ship hopefully to shore for a drastic overhaul.
It is saddening that significant elements in Nigeria's leadership are blinded by selfish interests that they fail to see the wealth and opportunities that abound for all should decorum prevail. The only African leader probably demonstrating wholesome leadership currently is John Magufuli, the 5th President of Tanzania. It is difficult to name progressive governance across the continent without hesitation, deliberation or deep ponder.
President Buhari by all accounts has being unable to fulfil his role due to questionably, unforeseen circumstances of his health. Yes, there is room to doubt the veracity of the onset of his health predicament. It is unlikely to have arisen overnight. However it is also probable that the stress of office against a pre-existing condition may have unravelled his debilitation. Unfortunately there is no known evidence of a detailed medical clearance prior to nomination and eventual election into office. Hindsight would suggest he was not particularly as fit as would have been expected in the run up to his election. This pattern of disregard for essential health checks makes the national electoral commission derisible given the semblance of current state of affairs with events predating previous government's inauguration, two terms ago.
Whilst President Buhari may be forgiven and allowed the benefit of doubt, others around him cannot honestly be counted as well meaning. There has been little effort to consolidate on this government's singularity of purpose. In a country where multiple voices claim authority, it is no longer obvious who really has the last say in matters of national interest. The regions continue to be embroiled with threats of separation and violence. Yes we are in a democracy and freedom of speech is one of the joys of this dispensation. However where such freedom espouses sentiments bordering on violence and anarchy, there must be measures to curtail and bring proponents of unrest to order.
Unfortunately law and order in today's Nigeria is neither seen nor heard to be upheld. Yes there are efforts by a minority to uphold the law but of course this continues to be ineffective and will remain so until leadership by example takes root. The evidence is that the nation is currently held hostage by its own so-called lawmakers who constitute the national assembly (NASS). The ignominy demonstrated by these select few with regards to integrity and service to their constituents was laid bare from inception. They presumed significance and insisted on salary structures that no other well meaning Nigerian would earn in their life time whilst pursuing any normal civil service roles. It is reported a number of them continued to draw salaries from previous government appointments in the form of pensions whilst also in NASS. These were people who could not be considered poor by any standards and in the spirit of service to the nation could very comfortably function without the munificent appropriation currently embarked upon. Little wonder corruption has only spawn its progeny and no good thing can be expected from this group as long as the status-quo remains. Similarly I do not expect the poorly remunerated civil servant or policeman on the street to suddenly abandon old corrupt practices in the face of hardship when true stewardship is not seen in higher quarters. What is good for the goose is good for the gander - as they say. Until the majority of elected leaders choose to serve the needs of their electorate by collective action, the nation stands no chance of breaking out of its current slide into irrelevance.
The burden of corruption is reflected in its impact on services and resources. Transparency International Chair José Ugaz aptly stated:
"With corruption, there's no sustainable development" and
"... people are deprived of their most basic needs and go to bed hungry every night because of corruption, while the powerful and corrupt enjoy lavish lifestyles with impunity".
The folly of self-delusion that things would be better without extirpating these elements, past and present, from the fabric of the nation may have indeed engendered the confidence of these impostors. More so when these same groups would insist they are the answers to Nigeria's problems despite the stack reality of the decades of degeneration and disproportionate co-existence.
Exploiting the ignorance of the gullible via sectional, religious or linguistic divides has been the hallmark of anarchists. The reality however is that governments by enacting practices or policies that flagrantly promote the hegemony of certain groups over others inadvertently foment subversion. There are occasions when silence may not be golden and it would be necessary that a clearly articulated position is communicated and subversive acts are promptly addressed rather than given room to embed. Again it is sadly true that such insurrection exist by virtue of the failure of state machinery to provide, protect and promote its citizenry, instilling purpose and belonging.
The latest deliberation by NASS to enact a bill essentially granting amnesty to all alleged to have engaged in corrupt practices is of course not surprising and further drives the point of the futility of leadership by example. It is literally making the statement crime pays and yes, people in government who steal can be certain their cronies who come after them will be there to set then free. Like begets like. And what we have is the futility of hope and faith in these self-serving miscreants who in my opinion are yet to represent truth or justice in any shape or form.
Whilst many may be clamouring for restructuring which of course has its pros and cons, the reality is that between now and 2019; it may not be possible to achieve this goal. It would however sadly be another detractor where these same political actors rather than focus on their everyday responsibility to the poor and needy, continue their puerile intrigues that has in the last twenty-four months added nothing to the quality of life of the people. That the president of the country is accessing healthcare in a foreign land with no indication of the facts of his health or his fitness to continue in office says it all. That individuals through the office of state have amassed untold wealth beyond the resources of some state governments or establishments describes the enormity of this ill. That NASS and probably other arms of government continues to justify their self-abrogated prodigious allowances in contrast to the average wages of Nigerians and indeed their counterparts globally, in my opinion breeds no hope in this dispensation. That the three arms of government remain in competition with each other rather than collaboration is sadly worrying. That the safety of Nigerians across the country is now a subject of 'Prayer and fasting' is an indictment on the rule of law and the potency of governance across the nation.
The issues are endless but the solutions are self-evident; equity, justice and altruism. Rewarding excellence and not mediocrity. Promoting creativity and not indolence. Encouraging self-determination and not depredation.
