We must get our priorities right – Sultan

Too often, campaign euphoria makes many citizens to lose sight of their civic responsibility and engage in acts that can be detrimental to the future of the country itself. Gatherings like this should afford us the opportunity to remind ourselves of our responsibility as citizens to keep our country free from breaches of the peace […]

Too often, campaign euphoria makes many citizens to lose sight of their civic responsibility and engage in acts that can be detrimental to the future of the country itself. Gatherings like this should afford us the opportunity to remind ourselves of our responsibility as citizens to keep our country free from breaches of the peace which, as we have seen has destabilized some sister countries in Africa; the more so, given the stature and leadership role of Nigeria in Africa. Undoubtedly Nigeria has a big and important role in Africa’s affairs and it is we as citizens that have a responsibility to help our country play this role.
Discussions on election violence are not new. The 2011 general elections have recorded some of the worst electoral violence and the Federal Government had instituted and received reports from a high powered committee on this important issue, with far reaching recommendations. It is important to follow up on such efforts to ensure that government, whose primary responsibility it is to implement these recommendations, discharges these responsibilities. But even more important is to look at the key sources and drivers of these electoral conflicts. Clearly the desperation of politicians and the bad political culture that has come to anchor our politics provide the main source of this violence. We must therefore turn our attention to this political culture and political behavior and do something about them, before they kill our politics, our people and indeed the country itself.
Without prejudice to what the learned experts would be saying here, I must hasten to draw our attention to the fact the emptiness in our politics would appear to fuel this bad political culture. Perhaps I should explain, politics anywhere in the world must be inspired and driven by the values of the wider society in which it is practiced. In our society here in Nigeria some of the values driving our politics are not in harmony with the values of our social cultural environment. Put in other words, the traditional values of some of our pre-colonial societies, precisely the values of restraint and accommodation, the values of discipline and dedication, the values of selflessness and commitment, the moral consciousness (or strength of character] and sense of community that defined some of our pre-colonial societies are conspicuously absent in this new volatile politics; power appears to be the only thing in sight and money the only means to reach it. This disconnect has not only weakened the moral fiber in our politics, but it has continued to undermine the ability of our politics to meet citizen’s expectations, thus threatening the utility of democracy itself. I am sure these issues form the subject of many of the books that the architects of the Sokoto Caliphate wrote some 200 years ago. It is my hope that these kinds of platforms will also pay attention to these issues as they address the problems of electoral violence.
Let me return to the more urgent segment of this important subject. How do we ensure the implementations of many of the good recommendations that have been given at earlier discourse and those that may come out of our gathering here today? I hardly need to say that our failure to implement earlier recommendations is one of those reasons why violence continues to be a feature of our elections. Implementation requires leadership, here specifically a sense of responsibility, courage and discipline. Politicians, it has been said, look forward only to the next election, while statesmen look forward to the next generation. We therefore need statesmen today more than any time before, who will look at the next generation, far beyond the elections. Obsession with elections to the disregard of the next generation, which politicians are susceptible to is often the greatest threat to electoral peace. We must therefore call on all politicians to look beyond the elections and ensure that the country not only survives but also thrives; for that is the only way they can contest and win power again.
Let me seize this opportunity to call on all of us as citizens to get our priorities right our country first, our communities in which we live our lives as citizens and our families that have to eke a living in this increasingly hostile economic environment. We must shun rumors and be prepared to be patient and accommodating. We must call on the electoral umpire, INEC, to ensure that they are not only just and fair but seen to be so by citizens. They need to cultivate the trust of citizens, not through radio jingles but through engagement and sticking to agreed rules and procedure. Ultimately governments at all levels have the greatest responsibility, for they control the instruments of governance. They must do their part and be seen to have done so; propaganda may have its immediate effect but it doesn’t translate to trust. Trust is key to governance and good governance and good political culture are pre-requisite to social peace.
Let me wish you the best as you deliberate and pray for Allah’s blessings and guidance. I thank you for listening.
Being a speech by Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar, CFR, MNI, delivered on his behalf by Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, at the 12th Daily Trust Dialogue at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, on Thursday, January 22, 2015