PR stunts have commenced in earnest for political gladiators. Some are “forwarded as received” from purveyors of loud pontifications, while others are hidden under sobriquets from cowards who can’t own their hatchet jobs.
We have also started dismissing any outlier who ventures to step out to challenge the status quo. We are dismissive of intellectual engagements since we’ve resigned to politics of murky waters. Nigerian Politics is in the streets, don’t talk about it on social media. Roforofo fight, a social bastard has become our adopted “doctrine of necessity”.
We hail on our Lords of Manor. We threaten bold positive deviants and cause them back in. Therefore, credible, not necessarily perfect candidates hold back in their cocoons for fear of being felled. Especially, since no one will mourn over a leadership choice apple cut down. This is why we keep recycling. Not that Nigeria is in dearth of capable candidates. The nation is just held hostage by entitled oligarchs who are so desperate they would even kill to protect their dynasties. Have we pondered…when the stats amongst us show face to contest office and are assassinated, do we ask questions? When capable hands are shoved aside and told to “go and queue”, do we insist on capability instead of hegemonic hierarchy of merchants ?
Because we don’t ask questions, sound outliers among us are not protected.
As a people, we’re also not ready to take to the streets to challenge these marauders. We’re cozy within our comfort zones of social media lamentations. That’s why ENDSARS shocked our leaders because they haven’t seen it’s type in a long while which is why they exploit our docility.
And when some of the people out there queue behind leadership sub-standards, whipping the emotions of “nobody is perfect”, just to create passageways for selfish pretenders in the corridors of governance, then you know we have a serious calamity as a nation.
We love to go to developed nations, but we hold in abhorrence the transparent processes that evolve in the kind of leadership those nations always come up with. Finland, New Zealand, etc are all throwing up a combination of intellect and energy. Sanna Marin of Finland is 36 and a Lady, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern just clocked 42, a lady.
But in this country, even citizens who are led by the scourge of horrible, imprudent leadership are quick to condemn new faces who want to contribute to governance space. We criticized Tope Fasua, we criticized Omoyele Sowore. They are “bad children and lack home training”. Their crime is for daring to challenge the status quo.
Our nation boasts of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, sitting at the zenith of WTO, but she must not become Nigeria’s President. We sent Akinwunmi Adesina to AFDB but he must not lead Nigeria. Pat Utomi is a Professor of Political Economy and management expert, but it’s forbidden for him to become Nigeria’s President. The list is endless.
In a nation of over 200 million people, we only throw up the dregs amongst us who have
mind-boggling baggage and yet we confer the RIGHT TO RULE WITHOUT QUESTION on them.
2023 is here but we’re not interested in asking the hard hard questions on how do we get out of the quagmire? We want to hush-hush and sweep critical interrogations bordering qualitative and innovative leadership under the carpet, just so our anointed Heroes can become President. We will pay for it. Afterall, a nation gets the leadership it deserves.
A decent engagement is welcome. But If you are a politician’s foot soldier and impervious to the truth, we cannot feed your ego or that of your paymaster. On this wall, only civility is accommodated.
Have a rewarding 2022, friends.