By Lanre Ogundipe
Don’t ever promise more than you can deliver, but always deliver more than you promise. It is true that integrity alone won’t make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one. People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do. You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.
American former football coach
Let me stir the honey’s nest without necessarily sounding irksome or intrusive (presenting as trouble maker or) However, if that becomes the end result, then it would be the price of lining on the right side of history. Patriots are known to speak truth to power and the “Lords” who arrogate everything to themselves including the power of life and death. Men who are beclouded by passion for power, with little or no regard for those they govern. Men who in the secret chambers of their hearts and offices, deride the poor, …. as helpless and hapless. They are seen as pawn in the chess broad.
Note that power at any level of governance, to these sets of people, becomes absolute. Those opportune to hold it, wield it as the sword of Damocles. Imagining the enormity of the power conferred on them, they – consciously or otherwise – embrace the axiom that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Even in civilian or democratic garb!
Corruption must not only be seen in terms of misappropriation of public funds, it includes grabbing directly or craftily, everything or anything at one’s disposal due to greed, obsession with power and material acquisition and exotic lifestyle. Corruption includes moral bankruptcy, dishonesty of leaders in government, in the corporate world, public service, traditional rulers. community leaders and even in our homes. As the saying goes : “charity begins at home.“
The home issue brings us to the need to start examining the domestic lives of those who put themselves forward to lead. If this is done, one would definitely realize that majority of them are morally bankrupt right from their homes. The traces of indiscipline, waywardness and abnormal practices, dot the landscape of their lives. When such people find themselves in positions of authorities, their baggage of irresponsible conducts is sure to accompany them. The effect of such defective upbringing, is what we are suffering today in Nigeria- judging by the caliber of the people who are leading a nation like ours.
Again, one major fundamental issue to examine in Nigeria, is that of money politics. As that erudite scholar and most sought-after Kenyan Lawyer Patrick Loch Oriento Lumumba highlighted during the 10th memorial lecture of Late Dr. Olusola Saraki, former Senate Leader and foremost politician of his era, Africa cannot progress until we divest from money politics and choose the noble path of choosing our leaders based on integrity. He blamed Africa’s problem on poor and unethical leadership, warning that the continent would continue to face crisis until it resolves its leadership problem.
From Lumumba’s submission, it is evident that Nigeria is not the only country in Africa suffering from leadership problem and corruption. Economic hardship in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria is a testament to this claim. However, what marks Nigeria out is its huge population and enormous wealth that has been squandered through leaders who condone corruption. These unconscionable leaders have groomed corruption and promoted it to the level of culture now embraced by virtually all citizens. Her leaders act with reckless and impunity that seems to mock the docility of citizens.
Apart from this implication of this malady on the present, the impact on future generation is really foreboding. This frightful prospect alone should be enough to challenge our leaders to embrace new values and re-orientation. Our attitude to governance must unavoidably change from self-aggrandizement and corruption, to patriotic value system and selfless service. We need to shun our rent-seeking and materialistic mindset and imbibe attitudes that would encourage honesty, probity and productivity by the citizens in all spheres of life.
This write-up is not unmindful of the dust that this discourse may provoke. It should unarguably generate discussions that would engage the conscience of our leaders if still alive. How dishonest and corrupt leaders have ruined our nation and foisted warped values on the populace. How corruption have assumed eminence in our national affairs! Impunity have assumed eminence; even as uncanny leaders unabashedly inflict avoidable pains and anguish on hapless citizens. They are elected to serve but they elect to suffer their people.
At this juncture, I do not consider it salutary to hold back because of fear of backlash. Rather, I have elected to speak truth to the powers that be and damn the consequence.
If at this pre-dusk of one’s existence, one is afraid to denounce the wickedness of our leaders, in light of the anguish and horror that Nigerians have to live with, then, one needs to re-examine himself. For it is said that he that is silent about evil portrays himself an accomplice in the evil. I’ll therefore be guilty of corruption If I fail to speak the truth, which alone can liberate those who are reduced to chattel by selfish and cunning leaders who presents as democrats.
For according to the scriptures, it’s the truth that makes free. More importantly, I need to enforce my fundamental right of free speech, especially when it really matters. Now to the real issue: The hunger protests may have come and gone, but the message it conveys will continue to resonate and re echo across the land. Regardless of the scale of success, it has opened up a vistas of critical issues that have been buried under the rubbles by those that hold the cudgel. Most worrisome was President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s supposed broadcast, which instead of offering hope, bestowed despair. Instead of assuaging frayed nerves, he rubbed salt on the wounds and peppered the eyes. Many critical minds have scored the speech low, for glossing over the main issues, that affect the people and Nigeria as a nation. It was simply an exercise in self-glorification and triviality.
Even those who had been on “sabbatical” seized the moment to add their voices to the burning discourse. It was evident that many were no longer at peace with their conscience and had no option than to speak up. Many challenged the President, for a somewhat belated speech, that failed to address the problems that plagued the nation.
Without aiming to sound melancholic, the verdict of all is that Nigeria is at its lowest ebb and its people on the throes of death.
In Nigeria today, there is virtually no critical sector, that has not been crippled, aside the air we breathe. The poor can hardly feed and if they do, it is to eat “food meant for swine”. Even the most basic food item such as popcorn and groundnut, mostly identified with the poor, have become a luxury. The purchasing power of Nigerians have been so weakened, that the 1000 Naira of pre-APC government, has become equivalent to 600 Naira of today.
Parents have become ‘irresponsible’ in their homes, for lack of resources to cater for their children feeding and general welfare. Even some previous basic food items have become luxury foods in some homes, except for those who have access to public funds or have acquired riches through whatever means.
While a negligible few live in affluence, the masses, which include the working-class wallop in abject poverty. Despite this sordid state of affairs, our leaders appear not to care about the welfare of the people they claim they came to serve. Rather they Self celebrate ‘sustaining’ 200 million Nigerians on questionable and impactful palliatives.
Nigerians have been putting up with this deceit, for close to four decades. The nation’s economy has been battered and its currency so devalued and it now weighs close to ordinary paper, due to inept and deceitful leadership puppeteering for foreign overlords. While the economy is kept on oxygen mask, our drunk leaders, continue to live in affluence on borrowed money. They squander the nation’s financial resources as if there would be no tomorrow. Meanwhile, Nigerians are living on despicable crumbs that an average white man would never feed to his dogs.
The suffering of Nigerians has reached a crescendo that must compel change. It is no longer sustainable. Courageous people in the land should come out to speak the truth to the hearing of the leaders.
As muttered in many quarters, nothing can be worse for ordinary Nigerians than the hardships they are currently going through. Nigerian lives no longer has value. Crime is at its peak, while those in authority, sit at their tables dining and whining. They must continue to eat while the masses ‘stupidly’ protest.
Interestingly, some may query my sincerity in this matter. “For after all he doesn’t belong in the pack of those afflicted by government policies.” Don’t be deceived! We are all together in this ship that must sail or sink. Hopefully it should sail because virtually all are feeling the pinch. Even the fairly rich are not totally spared.
At this point, the question we should start asking ourselves is how do we arrive at this destination as a nation? Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, while on the saddle, instituted two anti-graft agencies ICPC and EFCC, to curb the monster call corruption. These agencies, according to him, are to fight corruption and restore Nigeria’s image globally.
But let us ask ourselves again, has these agencies lived up to expectation? Have they successfully deterred corruption? To me and many others, the answer is No. The supposedly no-nonsense EFFC poses no viable threat to our corruption-skilled politicians. Afterall, the EFCC is still under the grip of the most powerful President in the global democracy. You only need to be in the President’s good books or be a loyal party member. You are forgiven. Only go and sin no more.
Our leaders’ tolerance and love of corruption has done unquantifiable damage to our values and psyche of our young people.
Obasanjo recently said that Nigeria is sitting on the keg of gunpower. Why? Because the youth who will take over the mantle of leadership, in the nearest future have been orientated with a mindset of corruption as means of survival and success. Since people naturally look up to their leaders including parents as role model, our leaders have sown corruption into the minds of Nigerians, who have embraced corruption as a norm.
Now, because the nation is not well coordinated, the fringes continue to be in the hands of elements whose main intentions and ambitions have made the country and the people unproductive, which is detrimental to the development of the nation and well-being of the people as well.
Foundations of evil laid germinated within time and the spread was like harmattan fire, when Buhari took over. The so- called repentant military bigots- turned politicians came into power and stake its leprosy fingers in every facets of Nigeria’s life and brought a airtime recharge card seller into seat of power to greatly dehumanized Nigerians.
This powerful young man was so intoxicated with power, to the extent of dishing out order to Ministers and departmental heads to carry out his bidden and other sacrilegious acts, tantamount to pilfering public funds, while some of his Ministers went on as father Xmas, spending tax payers’ money, the way they like.
What is still worrisome to Nigerians, is that the man they believed with his integrity while in uniform would liberate the people,and put Nigeria into the path of greatness by eradicating corruption as civilian President, became incapacitated to act and it was under his nose that the nation witnessed high profile corruption.
Mr. Gasikiya look the other way when the officials of the Nigeria National Public Corruption centre otherwise known as NNPC were awarding frivolous payment on crude oil not imported to their cronies, the centre was alive to its numerous games of corruptions while the corporation is bedeviled with award of indiscriminate salaries and contracts.
Isn’t it ironical, unimaginable and ridiculous to know that the so-called people representatives of the most impoverished people on earth – are the most renumerated parliamentarians globally? How irksome, how insulting to the sensibility of Nigerians? How unconscientious for a Senator to receive a monthly income of N21 million Naira, while his lower house counterpart pockets N18 million monthly. This is the height of selfishness, wickedness and insensitivity!
The same goes for the states, that are running budgets of trillions of Naira yet could hardly perform up to 35 percent of the budget annually or provide the most basic amenities for its people. There are allegations that the helmsmen in most states, use phony or real companies to siphon funds, then launder them under the disguise of investing abroad. To add salt to injury, public resources were carelessly expended to import grains at exorbitant prices to dish out a bowl to feed hapless Nigerians; while our leaders continue with their usual lavish spending on self and cronies. Yet, we are repeatedly asked to sacrifice for a government that lacks compassion for its people.
Many Nigerians have actually expressed dismay at such senseless importation of goods that could have been produced locally in sufficient quantity to feed the people, if only we are serious as a nation, and “cursed” with leaders who seize every opportunity to exploit their people. They brought in their Asian and Lebanese friends as contractors and award them juicy contacts on importation and duty wavers as compliments. Yet, they keep on singing to the dying masses to bear with the government.
The President, in a seeming move to appease angry Nigerians, recently trimmed the numbers of officials accompanying him on foreign trips. How do we relate that to the large retinue that accompanied his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila to his UN trip. Who is fooling who?
Minister re not exempt. Many of them conduct spend lavishly as if Nigeria is in the Gowon era of “we have money we don’t know what to do with it” All these in a country where Professor, held in high esteem globally as the bastion of knowledge, are paid peanuts as salary. The police and other security agencies, are not barely better off and stand no comparism with their counterparts in other climes.
With this parlous state of affairs, one would know that Nigeria is in grave danger. It is to avoid the looming danger that many good-willed Nigerians have counselled President Tinubu to act now to give Nigerians the assurance that he is prepared to govern and redeem the nation from abject poverty, which has bred all forms of vices.
To cap it all, as citizens we owe it a duty to hold our leaders accountable at all levels of governance in order to prevent further slide into self-destruction, and bring probity and accountability to the front burner in all sectors and facet of our lives.
‘Lanre Ogundipe
Former President Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Africa Union of Journalists (AUJ) writes from Abuja .
August 23, 2024
