Nigeria: Dates with reluctant candidates

Without subscribing to the pejorative tendencies of some who have misinterpreted the speeches of the late Sir Ahmadu Bello to mean that he was opposed to Nigeria’s independence in 1960, most of Nigeria’s so-called leaders are reluctant candidates. Under the military, a head of state did not have to campaign; he did not have to […]

Without subscribing to the pejorative tendencies of some who have misinterpreted the speeches of the late Sir Ahmadu Bello to mean that he was opposed to Nigeria’s independence in 1960, most of Nigeria’s so-called leaders are reluctant candidates. Under the military, a head of state did not have to campaign; he did not have to emerge based on his understanding of statehood or anything of that nature, nay, all he had to do was to be a senior or a favourite of the rank and file and the elite corps which torpedoes a leader to become one. One of such leaders, Ibrahim Babangida, took Nigeria on a roller-coaster ride for eight wobbling years and has contributed to the underdevelopment of the political process in ways and manners that would continue to be quantified by historians years after the likes of us are gone.

The government they toppled was led by Shehu Shagari whose lofty ambition was to become a senator. It has been said that while looting goes on, Shagari would take his kettle, perform ablution and pray. Laughable as such stories were, it underscored the notion that he was not ready to lead a country as serious as Nigeria. Obasanjo had no inkling that he would return even to his Otta farm after what Abacha did to him, but he was catapulted back to power and not only did he insult the democratic process for two terms, he imposed a third term on us by inflicting on our psyche the late Umaru Yar’adua. It was his third term project through the backdoor.

Yar’adua’s government has also imposed on us Goodluck Jonathan who, like others before him, had no ambition either to become President or a vice until he was fished out by the Obasanjo calculus. Today, virtually none of our so-called presidential candidates is prepared to lead Nigeria by virtue of any notable plan. Indeed, GEJ made no promises and if he delivered on none, who could blame him. Not long ago, our president went to Kaduna to say that his government would make power failure a thing of the past and force Nigerians to keep their generators in the antique room. Unknown to his audience, that government had sought the approval of the National Assembly several billions aimed at augmenting power supply even to the Villa.

And last week, Mr. President, on his courtesy call on the Emir of Kano, told Nigerians that his government would not make a promise to deliver on electricity which on the scale of developmental preference is as important as delivering a credible election. In a country that is advanced, that is enough to lose him the presidency, but posters are all over the place asking us to vote for a breath of fresh air. How we could de-pollute the air with generating sets offending not just our ears but emitting noxious fumes into our environment beats any rational imagination. But such is the irony of the lack of will by Nigeria’s leadership leading to the erection of the foundation for the failure of governance.

Yet, if we are to move forward as a nation, we cannot even think of making it without electricity. As it stands, life would become totally meaningless without energy. As primitive man was so-called because he did not know how to create fire and cook, so would our country continue in its morass until those aspiring to public office can deliver their candidacy on concrete issues and be held accountable to timed promises. This gesture of saying we will not make promises is a recipe for an imminent disastrous era of non-performance. Political aspirants who have no blueprint for the transformation of their society must be rejected for what they are – fraud. Leadership quest all over the world, except in monarchical environments are based on promises just as success and failure are measured by adherence or compliance to those promises made. We should compel political office-seekers to make and keep promises if our nation must grow.