British PM’s resignation: Lessons for Nigerian leaders
On Friday last week British Prime Minister Theresa May declared that she would step aside having failed to come up with a BREXIT agreement to lead her country out of the European Union. In deciding to relinquish office because of her failure to deliver upon a campaign promise and the results of a referendum, she […]
On Friday last week British Prime Minister Theresa May declared that she would step aside having failed to come up with a BREXIT agreement to lead her country out of the European Union. In deciding to relinquish office because of her failure to deliver upon a campaign promise and the results of a referendum, she set an example which Nigerian leaders should emulate. Indeed, there are many lessons for Nigerian leaders to learn from the episode. The British Prime Minister said quite correctly that in a democracy if you give people a choice you have the duty to implement what they decide. To her and all principled political leaders it follows logically that if you can’t deliver, you step aside. Many Nigerian political leaders will pour scorn on her for giving up the comforts, protocol and prestige of Prime Ministership without losing an election.
Constitutionally she didn’t have to go, it was simply the right thing for her to do. Theresa May isn’t the first. On the whole British Prime Ministers tend to resign rather than see out their term in full or wait to be disgraced out of office. They react to obvious public disapproval as expressed by opinion-poll ratings, and the disaffection of their appointees and the media. Nigerian leaders on the other hand ignore public opinion and sit-tight no matter their failures. They get carried away by the pomp, pageantry and protocol of office and pay little attention to the substance.
The outgoing British Prime Minister made it very clear as to what leaders are supposed to do. She said that the unique privilege of high office is “to use the platform to give a voice to the voiceless, and to fight the burning injustices that still scar our society”. May’s downfall could never have happened in Nigeria. Firstly, because her Ministers deserted her and resigned on principle. In Nigeria Ministers don’t resign on principle merely because they disagree with their boss, invariably they resign to move upwards not downwards. They resign so as to contest elections for governorship or take up lucrative foreign appointments. If a Minister does dare to resign and show open disapproval of their leader’s ill-conceived policies or actions he or she would most likely be “finished”.
It’s more than likely the various corruption and security apparatus would ensure that they end up in prison where they would have ample time to reflect upon their stupidity! In Nigeria once appointed as a Minister it’s your duty to defend the indefensible and play the role of “yes man”. Prime Minister May’s speech inadvertently revealed a major reason for her failure. She said that she believed that it was right for her to persevere even when the odds against success seemed high. She now knows better! In Nigeria there is a long history of leaders pushing through policies which from the onset had little or no chance of success simply because they have no principled opposition from within. Recognising that she had lost the moral battle Prime Minister May went on to say that her successor must seek a way forward, which would involve finding consensus in parliament which she was unable to do. In true democracies it simply isn’t possible to govern successfully without consensus.
Nigerian leaders must imbibe a culture which accepts that politics is about managing disagreement, not about bulldozing your way through regardless of the consequences. Although Theresa May’s said that she was advised never to forget that compromise isn’t a dirty word and that life depends on it, she couldn’t bring herself to reach an acceptable compromise. The inability of Nigerian leaders to seek compromise unless faced with violent opposition is legendary. Upon assuming Office, the purpose for which they were elected recedes into the background and campaign promises aren’t considered as binding.
Another lesson for Nigeria is that similar to our situation Theresa May said her country is a union, not just a family of four nations, but a union of people. She further said “our politics may be under strain, but there is so much that is good about the is country. So much to be proud of. So much to be optimistic about”. However, in contrast to Britain the things that tend to make Nigerians proud have little or nothing to do with good governance, while those things which make us ashamed tend to revolve around our politics. In conclusion May said “I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold. I do so with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country that I love. Nigerian leaders are renowned for their ill-will against their successors.
When outlining her achievements Prime Minister May referred to protecting the environment, eliminating plastic waste, tackling climate change and improving air quality. In contrast Nigerian leaders focus their attention on purely economic issues forgetting that there are so many other factors that can improve the quality of life even in depressed insecure environments. There are so many lessons about principled leadership that Nigerians can still learn from our former colonial masters.