Jonathan and the politics of conceit

When we don’t know something, we assume. That is another way of saying, ‘we make things up’. Uncovering conventional wisdom may be the key to solving our problems as a nation. Nothing tells the truth more than hard data and the capacity to accept it. When was the last time you sat down, searched and […]

When we don’t know something, we assume. That is another way of saying, ‘we make things up’. Uncovering conventional wisdom may be the key to solving our problems as a nation. Nothing tells the truth more than hard data and the capacity to accept it. When was the last time you sat down, searched and collected facts about President Jonathan’s administration, even if you do not believe in him? If you did, did you gladly change your belief? Or you simply cling on to your pre-conception due largely to functionally irrelevant bias?
We must begin to question unquestioned truths, we must demand that they be proven with data (some absolute truths are absolutely false). When we are told that Diezani (or any serving minister) is corrupt, we don’t just sit and accept what we are fed with without questioning the validity of such claims. When we ask questions like that we are not aiding misconduct, we are simply giving legitimacy to civility and the rule of law.
Think about it: every successful government policy is backed by hard data. All the data provided by the Jonathan administration in order to articulate its policy thrust has not been contradicted by contrary hard data. Why then shouldn’t we ask for hard data when allegations are levelled against the president or any member of his cabinet? As I said earlier, doing so would only apportion responsibility appropriately. This is responsible citizenship.
When the PDP is blamed for our nation’s problems, have we seen it fit to question the fact that a great number of members of the Opposition were members of the PDP? Have we asked for convincing reasons why these people left the PDP? In this group of people are those that were in key government positions, including former governors, principal officers of the National Assembly, ministers etc. Have we really thought over the fact that the conduct of many of them while in office continue to stir suspicion?
I do not believe there is any evidence that suggests that having people of the same faith or ethnicity in leadership roles makes us better or worse off. I, just as everyone else, know that being led by one of same faith as ‘us’, either Christian or Muslim, can never make God to overlook our sins or answer our prayers quickly. What we all need is leadership with a purpose, the burning desire to make a difference in everyone’s life.
It is quite sobering that our politicians resort to demagoguery in order to score political goals. It is said that politics is the demagogue’s natural ecological niche. That is most regrettably true in Nigeria. Demagoguery is nothing other than fanning the flames of ethnic and religious hatred. Thank God, most Nigerians have come to realise that cultivating hatred and fear on the basis of religion or ethnicity is only a cheap and quick way of tricking people into destruction.
The National Conference is an opportunity for our nation to create a national identity and define our common values. As a nation, we must have a powerful set of national values which is aligned with the purpose of our existence as a nation. The delegates to the conference must see themselves more as architects whose responsibility it is to design and build strong and enduring institutions than as representatives of any ethnic, religious or interest group. It is my candid opinion that a great number of the delegates are people of unquestionable character whose integrity has never been in doubt and are held in high esteem by a vast majority of Nigerians.
I know that people get uncomfortable when their long held beliefs are challenged. But that is exactly what we need when our values that bind us together are becoming irrelevant. Many tend to believe that our diversity is at base of our problem. No! Our diversity is our strength, but diversity without inclusivity is useless. Critical thinking is really essential in a nation that is as diverse as ours.
I urge all Nigerians not to shy away or be intimidated from exercising what is perfectly constitutionally their legitimate right, the right to be members of any party of their choice. In exercising their right, they must be prepared to defend the right of others. The true test of a democrat is when objectivity comes calling.
Lest I forget
Has the APC asked one of its governors why he sought to make some Nigerians, particularly those from the North, second class citizens? Governor Rochas Okorocha, you need to engage in productive thinking. “Rarely do we find men who engage in hard, solid thinking…Nothing pains some people more than having to think,” Martin Luther King Jr.

Sale Hassan is a former member of the House of Representatives