Another dem-all-crazy day

It isn’t difficult to imagine him having followers amongst the underprivileged and disillusioned who hung on to his every word. Even if calling him a prophet is a bit farfetched there is no disputing Fela was a reflective social critic and keen political observer. One of his most appropriate observations was his assertion that Nigerian […]

It isn’t difficult to imagine him having followers amongst the underprivileged and disillusioned who hung on to his every word. Even if calling him a prophet is a bit farfetched there is no disputing Fela was a reflective social critic and keen political observer. One of his most appropriate observations was his assertion that Nigerian politicians suffered from “Dem-all-crazy” syndrome.
Reflecting on how poorly they had imbibed the culture of democracy, Fela predicted that if they didn’t change their ways we would all be in deep trouble. Last week’s public holiday in “celebration” of Democracy Day marked another year in our perpetually “nascent” democracy and provided an occasion for sober reflection. Disappointingly for the nation, Fela’s prediction has come true as PDP the one political party which has been in office since the military stepped down, has failed to build any of the strong and stable institutions necessary for democracy to flourish. Elections are still far from free and fair, citizens continue to be disenfranchised and the insistence that there must be no work or movement on election days is myopic and economically disastrous. In fairness our problems with elections and democracy didn’t start with the present administration and clearly won’t end with them. Unfortunately for all of us, instead of concentrating on solving our problems and trying to deepen democracy, current leaders occupy themselves searching for more ingenious methods of amassing personal fortunes.
With scant regard for the rule of law, corruption has become pandemic and executive impunity routine. Judging by their actions the only logical conclusion which can be reached as regards our political class, is that they have only a superficial belief in democracy and ascribe to its principles only to the extent to which it serves their selfish interests. Breaches of the constitution, scandalous election rigging, unprincipled intrigue and corrupt practices are their stock in trade. Political parties have overtaken the Road Transport Union “agberos” in brutal and bloody resolution of disputes and it’s pretty clear that the interest of average citizens is the last thing on the minds of major actors and political sponsors of the fracas.
The sad truth is that our preference for democracy and our expressed desire for it not to be truncated is more a reflection of the abysmal performance of the military in governance, than due to any outstanding achievements under “dem-all-crazy”. Nigeria is a rich nation full of poor people and the responsibility for this rests squarely with the inappropriate nature of our democracy. Despite being the sixth largest producer of oil worldwide, the World Bank ranks Nigeria as the fifth poorest Nation. The percentage of our jobless youth ranges between 50% (National Bureau of Statistics) and 56% (World Bank). It’s increasingly apparent that our current democratic structures can’t solve our problems. Government is overwhelmed and can’t guaranty security of lives and property, job opportunities are scarce, the standard of living is abominably low, and there is no enabling environment for industrial growth and economic development.
Our oil wealth over which there is so much dispute, has only translated into mass poverty. All efforts to enhance social welfare of the people have failed woefully. Despite applauding themselves for their management of the economy, the ill effects of government’s failed planning and failure to respect the budgetary process are all too evident. Perhaps the most glaring symptom of the “dem-all-crazy” syndrome is the penchant for political office holders to pass laws aimed at permanently feathering their nests. A report in Britain’s The Economist Magazine expressed serious concern over the disproportionate cost of Nigerian democracy caused by the outlandish remuneration of our ministers, legislators and political appointees. It said that politicians are milking our nation dry.
Regardless of our poor economy Nigerian political office holders are amongst the highest paid in the world and members of the National Assembly are paid far more than their colleagues in all other African countries. Any detailed examination of their work load and concrete achievements can only lead to the conclusion that their remuneration is offensive and unjustifiable. Under “dem-all-crazy” public office is no longer a call to service and sacrifice; it’s simply the best guaranteed means of amassing wealth.  Whenever the political class has been given the opportunity to govern, they have abandoned the call to service and fallen to the temptations of abuse of privileges and misappropriation of public funds.
Political observers have put this down to the calibre of individuals seeking political office. Today’s “democrats” aren’t the least bit interested in following the footsteps of our founding fathers. In the past political leaders never made a fortune in office and were not even remotely concerned about providing for their welfare afterwards.  Nowadays they enact laws in their self-interest. The Governor of Akwa Ibom State recently surpassed all other political office holders in licentious greed by arranging for himself an outlandish and immoral pension. Fortunately for him and his co-travellers the war against corruption is moribund. Anti-corruption agencies have refused to investigate, let alone arrest or prosecute corrupt officials and appear to spend their time investigating perceived enemies of government.
The body language of the current President who sees nothing wrong in keeping the company of corrupt and disgraced individuals leaves the nation with little hope that things will improve in the immediate future. Perhaps the greatest impediment to deepening our democracy is the judiciary’s failure to live up to high standards. They have been of little help in either enforcing human rights or ensuring equality before the law. Fifteen years down the line, good governance continues to be elusive because financial accountability, freedom of information, due process, and the rule of law have been thrown to the wind by politicians who act as if truly “dem-all-crazy”!