There is no denying the fact that contemporary Nigeria’s political crisis is a two-pronged peril. Not only is there a shortage of true political leaders, but some somewhat political hailers, in a beggarly manner have continued to drum support for corrupt political leaders for pecuniary reasons and also seem to have completely forgotten what it is that qualifies a politician to be called a genuine political leader.
In fact, the prevailing political culture is so preoccupied with the ideas of celebrity, popularity, and status so much so that whenever a true leader comes on stage, he or she is hardly recognized to be a leader that should be supported to win in an election.
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is not an exaggeration to say that since Nigeria transitioned from military to civilian rule in 1999 that the somewhat heroes across all political constituencies and wards in the country have been to some degree entertainment figures, comedians, and other media creations even as some of them are notably money bags that have the clouts and charms to attract a huge number of followers. Not only that, not a few of them utterly lack character, rational thought processes, and objectivity. Slowly but surely, with the level of primordial sentiment and partisan mindset that some of their followers are neck deep in, from one electoral dispensation to another, it cannot be pooh-poohed that the retrogressive political culture is worrisome as it is depriving Nigerians the golden opportunity of having genuine political leaders with questionable backgrounds are more often than not literarily recycled from one political dispensation to the other as they know nothing other than partisan and “Roforofo” politicking despite respectively been professionals in diverse fields of human endeavor.
Aptly put, the people that are been regarded as political leaders in this part of the world are moneybags, socialites, and self-acclaimed philanthropists, merely admired for their charms and deep pockets rather than having what it takes to demonstrate good leadership skills for the betterment of their constituents.
Against the foregoing backdrop, not a few Nigerians were shocked, and rightly so, when former Secretary General of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and five others in 2021, charged by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) with 10 counts bordering on fraud, criminal conspiracy to diversion of N544 million belonging to the federal government under the guise of cutting grass. But that kind of scandal should not really surprise us as political observers. When street-wise talent, prestige, grassroots popularity, glamour, e-go-dey-pain-dem, and off-the-mic kind of politicians or anything other than blameless character and ideal leadership skills become the criteria for political leadership, a political landscape exists in which false political leaders will prosper as been observed today.
As if bad leadership has not done enough damage to the Nigerian economy, 28 new governors that were sworn in on Monday, May 29, 2023, across the country have been lamenting over the huge debt burden left for them by their predecessors. Against the foregoing backdrop, there have been questions on how governors like that of Kano, Kaduna, Abia, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Enugu states will deliver the dividends of democracy and on infrastructure with such humongous debt overhang. The reverberating question is: “How would they deal with the debts, and to what extent would the debt burden impede their programmes?
Without resorting to a campaign of calumny in this context, the failure of governance in Nigeria manifests in the declining capacity of political leaders to recognize systemic risks such as election fraud, terrorist attacks, herder-farmer conflict, armed banditry, and police brutality and put in place the necessary measures to navigate these challenges. In contrast with the current system in which leadership is attained through bribery, intimidation, and violence. Given the foregoing, there is no denying the fact that Nigeria needs a system of governance that is founded on the pedigree of its political leaders and the education of its voters.
In fact, in the face of the declining living conditions of not a few Nigerians and the failure of political leaders to deliver the promises of economic prosperity they made to encourage the acceptance of development, there is an urgent need to mount overbearing pressure on leaders for them to repent from the sin of corruption and bad leadership as been done in this context by this writer.
In fact, it is hard to keep up a front for long when the fragile facade called governance is by each passing political dispensation crumbling to the detriment of the socioeconomic well-being of the people. It should not be forgotten that every time a so-called political leader fails, it compounds the cynicism with which political observers; both at home and in the Diaspora views the Barometer of our democracy. Never have true and patriotic political leaders have been more surely needed than in this democratic era that kicked off in 1999.
At this juncture, it is expedient to ask, “What is it that makes a real political leader?” The answer to the foregoing question cannot be farfetched when seen from the perspective of the fact that what makes a good political leader cut across that being a good communicator and being a man of integrity and honesty coupled with being a good decision maker and having the ability to inspire others and above all being a promise keeper.
Given the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to declare in this context that genuine political leaders across the three tiers of government in the country are wanted as Nigerians are groaning under seemingly endless bad leadership.
