9th September, 2013
By OLa
Just had a conversation with a friend who has lived outside of Nigeria for more than 20 years and has only visited Nigeria no more than six times since then. His average visit lasted no more than four weeks at a time.
My friend was ranting and raving about how bad the politics, polity, policies and every other thing in the country are. He kept focusing his arguments on how the “common people” are mistreated and taken advantage of.
After asking him several times if he pays attention to the politics in the country and how the dynamics work between the people (leaders and followers)? His answers to my pointed questions were dismissive at best. After getting him to admit that he doesn’t know anything about politics in Nigeria and that he has no clue on how “leaders” are selected and/or how people get nominated to positions, then I told him to listen to me – so that I can analyse and explain to him how the system really works.
Whether you want to agree with me or not, my contention has always been that an average Nigerian living in Nigeria is not a good person! Please understand that I didn’t say ALL. With that said, I personally don’t feel bad for people living there and how they are treated by their so-called “leaders”.
In Nigeria, we deserve our leaders and our leaders deserve us. We are all one of the same. Examples are all over the place. I’m sure someone reading this would have had negative experience(s) – directly or indirectly – in the hands of a “trusted” someone in Nigeria of betrayal on monetary issues. How many times have you or someone you know have sent money home to get something done, only to find out that you have been duped – by friends, relatives, etc!? This is something you hear everyday.
Regarding leadership, believe it or not, no one becomes a boss or leader in a public domain in Nigeria without knowing someone that knows someone. It is having “connection” that gets you places in that country – not what you know but who you know.
We all have to admit that our politics is so entrenched in godfatherism – which means that to even become a councillor in your neighbourhood, you will have to spend money and grease some pockets. If you don’t believe me, try running for councillorship as an independent (‘cus no major party will field you with your “I want to help people” attitude) and see how many people will actually vote for you – that is even if you get on the ballot.
Before I digress, let me get back to the reasons why I don’t feel sorry for an average Nigerian – most of whom have knowingly and systematically sold out their rights and conscience for peanuts. Before anyone reading this comes at me using the “poverty” argument, let me counter that point of view with one right now. I (as with many others) was raised to believe that you can be poor and still have pride and self-esteem! Just because one is poor would never justify stealing, being dirty, cheating, etc. I once knew a college mate that only had six sets of clothing to his name. This guy was one of the most neatly-dressed persons I had ever known. Every night, he would wash the clothes he wore for that day and carefully iron and store it till he needed to wear it again. He was a brilliant student too. Never once did I notice him behave in any way that would tarnish himself. I don’t know where he might be today or what he’s doing but I bet if he continued in his ways, he may still be struggling to make ends meet. Every time I think about him, I always wish we have a country full of people like him and maybe our country would have changed for the better.
There are two distinctive groups of people in Nigeria; The ones that are “Chopping” and the ones that are “Waiting to Chop”. Neither group is better than the other. Both groups have the same genetic make-up and are one of the same. Collectively, most Nigerians are selfish, self-centered, inconsiderate and lack empathy – which translates to not caring about others.
Whenever I’m in Nigeria, I hangout at pepper soup joints and drinking places frequented by average Nigerians. As usual, the topics of discussions always centre on or around how the country is run and managed. Everyone always had an opinion of what could be done differently and/or better by the leaders. These same people that are clamouring for a better government/leaders are the same people that will NOT allow you to switch lanes and get in-front on them while driving; will NOT stay in lane when you get to the Ajah toll-gate; will drive in the wrong-way to avoid traffic; will scheme to defraud you if the opportunity arises.
These commoners are only begrudging the powerful because they themselves are not in a powerful position. Give them a chance to have any type of power, no matter how limited, and you will find out that they are NOT better than the people they are criticizing.
I periodically fantasize about conducting a socio-political experiment: which will allow me to randomly choose people from different walks of life (in Nigeria and abroad) to form a Local Government Executive (Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Councillors, etc) and leave them in place for a 4yr-term. I am willing to bet my life and any amount of money that 1 of 2 things will happen:
1. All the randomly chosen people will become so rich and power-drunk, they will in time abandon any/all their previously held belief systems and turn into a typical leader/politician that they always decry.
2. Let’s say that one or two of the randomly chosen people actually stay true to the ideology of good governance – by providing socially necessary services (good road, water supply, healthcare, etc.) to the people. I will tell you that you WILL be impeached before two years. The same people that you are striving to provide services for are the same people that will be gunning for your removal. Why?? Because you are NOT giving them CASH to send their children to school, you did not buy ram/goat for them to kill at Christmas nor did you send them “envelopes” for the weekend.
Has any of you ever had the chance to visit an elected official’s office on any given day and witnessed the number of people that are there to see the official for their own various personal reasons – bordering around personal favors? Our people and their constant demands for selfish gains and interests encourage the leaders to embezzle. Based on the amount of demands that are placed on the leaders by ordinary citizens, there’s no way a leader can expend such amounts without dipping his hands into the public funds.
To all my people living outside of Nigeria, you folks need to understand something first, and then use it to frame your arguments regarding corruption in the country.
No One, ABSOLUTELY No One, can ever become an elected official in Nigeria without first spending his own hard-earned cash to buy his way through political machinery, so as to be validated as the party’s candidate. You should also note that many others spent money and never got the candidacy. However, once the person becomes the party’s standard bearer, he/she will not need to start spending additional money to “settle” the people on the ground – which are the common people that you usually advocate for. These common people are the worst! Their known strategy and mentality has always been to “bleed you dry” leading up to the election – because they always feel that once you are elected, they will never see you again! In a way, they are right. Why would the person come back and see them, when all you always ask for is MORE money and personal favours?
From the leader’s point of view, he/she has paid you off and there’s noe need for him/her to pay for more when it is unnecessary.
I always read with disgust how most of us living abroad get on social networking sites to criticize and write about the level of corruption in Nigeria. As a leader who paid through his nose to get elected, how else do you want him/her to recoup spent money …… and then loot more to finance his/her next campaign? The bigger the office, the more money you will spend to get elected.
None of you social commentators said anything about Anambra PDP charging governorship aspirants N10 million to collect forms. That’s N10 million more that the eventual winner would have to steal.
In 2010 and 2011, I was personally involved in two separate campaigns for seats in a State House of Assembly. In one campaign, my candidate spend no less than N3 million and he didn’t get close to being nominated – on the account that the leadership of the party and the voters thought he was “too Christian” – which meant he will be too honest and not “treat them right.”
The second campaign was an eventual winner. The candidate is a typical politician – who knows what to do. On average, the election (from accounting) cost him over N55 Million – not taking into account money he used to settle party machinery and how much others spent on his behalf.
Again, before we start calling politicians names and raining curses on them, we need to familiarise ourselves – those living abroad, that only go home for vacations – with the operational dynamics of our political and entire rotten systems.
Leaders do not drop from heaven, they are fellow human beings like us. My point here is, stop feeling sorry for the commoners, they are as much to blame as their leaders. The only revolution needed in Nigeria is for people to start doing the right thing and every other thing would follow!
•Ola wrote from Lagos. E-mail: [email protected]