Unbundling voodoo politics

I sat quietly, meditating on the political atmosphere and the kind of people we have around our political circle in Nigeria today. When one considers the majority of Nigerian politicians, especially those that are visibly playing a role in the direction of our government from 1999 to date, one realizes that they have stayed in […]

I sat quietly, meditating on the political atmosphere and the kind of people we have around our political circle in Nigeria today. When one considers the majority of Nigerian politicians, especially those that are visibly playing a role in the direction of our government from 1999 to date, one realizes that they have stayed in the corridors of power way past any safe expiry date.
I am filled with embarrassment, disappointment and despondency at the middling incoherence of the political class. I am worried about the lack of leadership ideals in those who claim that they lead us; indeed I am appalled at the lack of perseverance, courage, self-confidence, competence, doggedness, principle and integrity in the character of those who hold sway in our country today, and also in the pursuit of what they believe in and good for Nigeria.
With the names of governors that have served for two terms since 1999 and subsequently served as ministers and senators returned as ambassadors, waiting impatiently for possible federal appointments, one begins to wonder and ruminate whether in a country of over 160 million only these select few have capability to serve the nation at that level.
The thing is, with this kind of people around our political system “old crop politicians” it’s almost unthinkable that they will bring Nigeria out of the woods.  They are not anywhere near the capacity of delivering Nigeria out of the woods. They nurse egos and a self-consciousness that gives them the belief that this country cannot proceed or develop without them.
The political party structure that we are operating gives our politicians comfort-zone. Indeed, our political parties are nothing but social clubs, where people acquire position through relationship to other people not on the basis of merit. They consider political appointment as a resolution of a dispute or a settlement for losing an election and see it as an opportunity to steal or avoid prosecution for corruption behind the cover of immunity.
We are coming to a time when we will ask ourselves whether this nation can afford this kind of political system. In Nigeria we have cancerous situation, you fight one problem and another one grows. I don’t want to sully this page or pigeonhole my piece by writing about manipulations and subjugations. But we must critically examine our political system in order to comprehend the emerging reality.
We need dignity and integrity in our politics. If we want development in all ramifications, we must be determined to live in peace. The politics of purpose, politics of identity and politics of development offer us a unique platform and opportunity to re-think, re-strategize and re-focus. We must predict, anticipate and prepare for the changes in our country’s desire not continue to respond to changes forced upon us by desperate politicians. We need change, different from our politics of vilification. The world is changing and we must see how to take advantage of these changes for our own good.
 
Mu’azu Jibril Mu’azu ([email protected])