Nigeria of today aptly fits into the local adage that says “a goat jointly owned by all members of a community does not have a goat pen, but sleeps out under the rain at night”. The present breed of Nigerian leaders behave as though they have no stake in the Nigerian project. By their actions and body language, they project the image of hired hands or scavengers whose primary function in government is to assemble relatives and cronies with strong hands to hold down the cow while they get busy with the business of squeezing hard on the udder to milk the damn beast dry. The leaders show absolutely no sense of ownership of the entities called Nigeria. For as long as they and their cronies are super rich, comfortable and have everything good on this planet earth at their beck; then, the Masses should be happy and proud that God has enormously blessed their leaders while they patiently wait for their turn. Thus, Power crisis, Energy crisis, Fuel scarcity, price of basic food items skyrocketing, insecurity across the entire length and breadth of the country –all combined are not capable of making our leaders lose sleep even for a night. Rather, in the midst of all these, the president is in London, his wife is in Dubai, the IGP is on his way to Dubai today 16th March, 2022 and as at the last count two governors are abroad seeking medical attention. Meanwhile, the entire political class across all Parties is engrossed in 2023 party politicking that centers on positions and positioning. So, who cares for the man on the street?
The reasons for this are not farfetched. Most Nigerian leaders have done little to improve the welfare of their people, who are very poor, while they and their cronies live in opulence. The rot goes all the way through the political chain of elected and appointed public officers – starting with political parties. Party financiers and godfathers dictate who holds what public office without regard for competence and internal democracy. They ultimately dictate how state affairs and funds are managed with barely a distinction between public and private funds. So, elections don’t seem to help, mainly as the politicians are the same. Despite Nigerian political parties espousing slightly different ideologies and launching welfare manifestos, nothing really changes when governments change.
Corruption is prevalent throughout the country. Tied to this is the fact that anti-corruption efforts fail because of a lack of honest and accountable leaders. In most cases, those involved in the anti-corruption fight are them neck deep in corruption –the case of Ibrahim Magu the anti-corruption Czar readily comes to mind. Behind it all lies an insatiable appetite for money, and the realization that power can deliver untold wealth. In these scenarios, played out across the states the people are sacrificed on the alter of greed. Politicians brave enough to stand up and be counted are driven out –either literally or figuratively.
It was discovered recently that in Zamfara State, Nigeria, corruption facilitated the spread of radical ideology and induced about 70% of the youth to join groups of Bandits/Fulani Killer Herdsmen that are believed to have killed or kidnapped over 12,000 civilians between 2019 and 2021. Whereas the ubiquity and repercussions of corruption in Nigeria have been widely articulated, the fight against it seems to be a fleeting illusion. Anti-corruption measures mainly revolve around legislating to tighten loopholes, strengthening anti-corruption institutions, and empowering the media and citizens to report or stand up against malfeasance. But the success of these measures depends on the often overlooked but crucial role of good leadership. Willing, able and visionary leaders are required to push through sweeping reforms to curb corruption and augment public accountability. Unfortunately, such leadership is lacking in Nigeria, especially in the present fourth republic.
Politics in Nigeria is synonymous with wealth, easy money, whether acquired legally or otherwise. Hence, the scramble for power can be intense and sometimes dangerous. It is usually considered a-do-or-die affair. The expectation of quick riches increases internal competition for party candidature or flag bearers , which often requires deal making and in most cases vote buying. Failure to appropriately align with the party establishment, often call Party Structure can prevent a member from ascending the party hierarchy. Party members are socialized in the same way, mainly to do whatever is necessary to win power by fair or foul means, and those who dare to think or behave differently are sidelined, sabotaged or expelled.
At the core of Nigeria’s corruption and leadership problems is the opaque or none transparent party financing. Parties in Nigeria rely heavily on private funding from individuals and organizations. Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Godwin Obaseke of Edo State brought this fact to the fore in their ongoing nasty war of words. Governor Wike switched on his bragging right two days ago when he told Obaseke point blank that his financial contributions to the building and sustenance of PDP have been enormous. He called Obaseke, a “tenant” in PDP. But regulations on financial disclosure though in place but ineffective, which allows wealthy individuals and State Governors, known as godfathers, to wield significant influence, mainly for their benefit but to the detriment of the state. Even leaders perceived to be strong-willed do find it hard to withstand the pressures. In an interview in 2016, Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari, stated that her husband does not know all of his appointees, which shows how a president can be the face of mightier but invisible forces. These examples attest to how African leaders can be controlled from behind the scenes by vested interests and crooked godfathers. In some cases, the leaders are incapable of addressing the excesses of their sponsors, leading to anarchy and recklessness.
There is a popular idiom: “do not bite the hands that feed you”. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that this is true for Nigerian leaders. There is a high chance that leaders who act against the interests of their party establishment, financiers and godfathers, even for the benefit of the state, will not last long. The same applies to their policies. So what’s the way forward? Nigeria must regulate political party financing and strengthen state institutions such as electoral commissions to enforce compliance. Until then, most leaders in the country will continue to be prone to capture and control by powerful and parochial godfathers. And the looting of public funds won’t stop to the detriment of the suffering masses..
