Our low-expectation democracy

However, the will to change appears almost totally lacking.   Those in government, those in the opposition, even private citizens and daring forecasters seem to be resigning themselves to things continuing as they are. Our collective expectations seem rather low. Unfortunately, this does not augur well for our fledgling democracy.Most of the people I listen to […]

However, the will to change appears almost totally lacking.   Those in government, those in the opposition, even private citizens and daring forecasters seem to be resigning themselves to things continuing as they are. Our collective expectations seem rather low. Unfortunately, this does not augur well for our fledgling democracy.
Most of the people I listen to seem to believe the ruling party would field Jonathan and that he would win no matter what. The more optimistic ones believe a combination of South-South, the East and a majority of the northern Christian votes will see this project through, especially given the very substantial “war-chest” and the “incumbency factor” the PDP has. A faction of the northern elite appears to join the gravy train so as not to be left out. The opposition APC, while trying to sound optimistic, really seems satisfied that it could be the largest “other” block (if it could limit the rigging that it believes is bound to happen) and thus, has not bothered to come up with its flag bearer less than a year to the elections.
Yet it would appear the time is ripe for real change. A spectacularly incompetent leadership, such as we now have, is a rare opportunity, ready to be replaced, if only someone would articulate some genuine, patriotic and viable alternative. All we hear however is talk of money and rigging. When people fear to confront a problem they have little chance of winning.
Our “low-expectation” starts with the PDP. Party stalwarts seeking elections within the party, or on its platform, often seem convinced that to win they must secure the support of the bosses in Abuja. Once the centre endorses the then, victory is then certain. The case of Adamawa is a good example. Even Nuhu Ribadu, who made his name fighting corruption, and as presidential candidate for the opposition, moved to the “winning party”, though he failed to secure the governorship ticket due to factors staring him in the face. In the end the party lords in Abuja stuck to their policy of going along with the incumbent (acting) governor with little regards to the electorate or the party’s own constitutions and bye-laws.
The most striking case of low-expectation however, comes from the PDP governors themselves. But for Sule Lamido, none appears to have the gut to declare for the top job, as is their democratic right. They are all openly jostling to replace the second in command, Namadi Sambo, since they believe the Oga at the top has the cash and other “capitals” to ensure he gets his way. Maybe by becoming Vice-President they hope to do a Jonathan as the guy himself exits, Yar’adua-style. The alternative, they used to say, is for Jonathan to abide by an agreement he made with them to do only one term, but this he denied. They have such low-expectations of their capacity to defeat him because, we often hear, he has more money, greater control of the party machinery and total control of security agencies, which everyone believes, would be used to rig any future elections.
As for the propagandists, it would appear they have concluded that Nigerians should resign themselves to whatever little successes the government can deliver in employment, electricity and Almajiri education, or in empowering thousands of “Non-Governmental” groups to plaster our landscapes with posters praising Jonathan’s transformation achievements. Indeed, such groups seem to have replaced the fuel-subsidy scams as the surest way to smile all the way to the bank. Even though we have spent more money to provide less electricity, and have created more poverty alleviation and job creation agencies, with less to show for them than any other nation on earth, these supposedly non-governmental praise singers bombard the airwaves and televisions with songs of the “great transformations”. The message seems clear; lower your expectations and be happy with the little we give you. And resign yourselves to being ruled by us in any way we (the ruling elite) deem fit.
And don’t start me on APC. If that party really has high hopes should it not, by now, have inundated us with its own visions, plans and specific programs? Or does it really think it could defeat this atmosphere of ethnic and religious tensions without a better and more inclusive platform and machinery? In any case, when will it bring out its flag bearer? Are they planning to surprise us at the last minute?
Equally disturbing is our own collective resignation to mediocrity and purposelessness. We seem to be reduced to simply asking for a share of the looting that is going on. The women want a percentage of the political appointments. They are not articulating any alternative nor have they shown any greater degree of honesty, patriotism or competence than their male counterparts.
Much more dangerous however is the impression I am getting that the youth, to whom we must bequeath the future, is equally resigned to low-expectations of our democratic journey. Without jobs or hopes they seem to either wait for “their turn” or join the bandwagon of blaming others, of different ethnicities or religion for all their woes and misfortunes, as they dream of ever more innovative scams to outsmart the system. Forget about competing in an ever challenging and constantly changing globalised world; most of them cannot even compete here in Nigeria despite the very low educational standards they are asked to attain.
Hopelessness could be self-fulfilling, and therein lays the real danger to our dreams. Believing we could always muddle through could be dangerous. As we approach another Independence Day celebration, we must believe in our capacity to determine our destiny. To give up is not an option. To be frightened of the power of money or rigging by any elite group is to condemn ourselves to life imprisonment. To be satisfied with crumbs and tokenism would be fatal. Low-expectations would condemn us to even lower achievements. We must believe in the impossible. We must be the dreamers of great dreams if we are to get out of our nightmare.