By ABDULRAHMAN AGBOOLA
Action speaks louder than voice is a maxim that can best defi ne the superiority of action over intention. Oftentimes, people align with promises based on hope, derived from trust and belief in the personality reeling out promises either at inter personal level or social contract level.
Trust is the major premise for friendship or alliance among partners. When relationship is rosy and promises are kept in good faith, partners acknowledge trust and when otherwise, betrayer of trust becomes the slogan. Trust is the core link that connects leadership and followership in terms of governance and relationship, especially in a sophisticated political clime where there is absolute priority for trust, as a premise to hand over mandate to political offi ce seeker just as we witnessed at the 2015 Presidential Election in Nigeria.
Th ere are diverse factors across our divides that determine emergence of political offi ce holders in diff erent domains ranging from affi nity, fi nancial inducement, mobilization strength and strategies. Governance in Nigeria since 1960 has divergent views, considering peculiar circumstances of emergence and abortion of previous republics till we attained the great feat of uninterrupted democracy since 1999. 18 years of continuous nascent democratic rule, mistrust among nationalities has replaced the hitherto collective urge for an egalitarian society where welfare of citizens will be the hallmark of governance in Nigeria. It is easy to apportion blames to the old political juggernauts that foisted off shoots of dictatorial era on us since 1999, their young collaborators and accomplices also deserve thorough probity for misrepresenting “unsere leute” under democratic era. Coining dubious tactics by former governors to hold on to power through cronies under the guise of continuity, has ruined the fortune of several states in Nigeria, while those that equally defeated the odds through crafty ideas are worse for deceptive dealings with the people even though we cannot rule out exceptions. Nigeria previously had romance with strong economy, there were era of boom before and after discovery of crude oil, but our leaders were crookedly wicked with self-serving policies and actions at the expense of the future of the Country.
At every point in time, when associates of people in power had business interest, limitless opportunities were off ered to them to ruin public owned industries, which accounts majorly for death of most government owned businesses now limitlessly controlled by private business moguls richer than the Country. Th ere are few exceptions among former Nigerian leaders and political offi ce holders whose wealth is commensurable with their career earnings and legitimate profi ts on businesses. Majority among them siphoned public funds and abuse their offi ces to create exceeding luxuries for their families and ruined the economy through disorderliness, lack of foresight and profl igacy. Mentioning names merely amounts to opening of cans of worms; private public partnership scheme and privatization through dummy organizations were their design for infesting Nigerians with abject poverty.
Th e trust that necessitated the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria Presidency in 2015 was not a façade. Under his watch, the middle class now dedicates proper value to their money and earnings, the downtrodden are opportune to combat their oppressors, while the affl uent aristocrats hide their dubious possessions, unlike previously when treasury looting, sharp practices and naked power misdirected people in power towards profl igacy and high handedness which account for the current economy recession and polity negativities.
If the downtrodden had bothered to take seriously the exigent need for crushing corruption at all levels in Nigeria, probably the fi ght against corruption would have repositioned the country for greatness as targeted by Mr President at the early hours of this administration. Nigerians ignored the sign that the top echelons of both the illiberal ruling party – APC and the bewildered opposition PDP are populated with men and women of questionable characters with corrupt past. Th ese demagogues pride as role models and mentors yet the downtrodden expects them to change without detachment from power.
Th e perception of young people towards leadership has to be properly sharpened towards understanding of service to humanity without raping the treasury; they must be equipped with knowledge of consequences of impunity and corruption as a guide to a rewarding economy as we prepare for the 2019 general election. If circumstances that abound in our polity are properly weighed, it will be correct to state that the ruling party has not done enough to correct the ills of the past and achieve a green economy. Despite this, the prevailing occurrences expose the fact that we didn’t build our institutions to function eff ectively through standard regulations.
Rather we reposed confi dence in individuals to perform magic, which is responsible for the slow recovery rate of the economy from recession. We still have about 17 months to the 2019 General Election in Nigeria, the present administration can still achieve monumental feats if the Presidency will be proactive to issues of national importance and build mass movement against corruption, with real and genuine intention to rebuild the country.
To be proactive is to sack any minister or offi ce holder within the ruling party with records of corruption. To be proactive is to concentrate eff orts towards a home grown economy through manufacturing, industrialization and agriculture. To be proactive is to grant autonomy to local governments/state houses of assembly. To be proactive is to reduce cost of running government and abolition of selfserving policies inherited from previous administrations. Th ere is no doubt that a proper consideration of these proactive measures will not only add value to the image of Buhari Presidency, but also positive eff ects on the acceptability of APC in the next general election. Comrade Agboola is Vice Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa Chapter. E-mail: goodcitizen4gg@ gmail.com
