15 December 2008
editorial
Lagos — The terrorist attacks by militants on Mumbai, India two weeks ago, like any other tragedy of that magnitude, present lessons that must be imbibed to prevent future occurrence and also help the cause of security and social engineering. That calamity in particular is a study in public service and accountability.
The public outrage that greeted the carnage that claimed 200 lives was followed by the resignation of the Indian Home Minister at the time, Mr. Shivraj Patil, who immediately took moral responsibility for it and was promptly replaced by the former Finance Minister, Mr. P. Chinambaram. Also the nation's powerful national security adviser, Mr. M.K. Narayanan, tendered his disengagement letter in reaction to the disaster.
What in reality is Patil's level of culpability? The 74 year-old head of India's internal affairs had been widely accused of inability to forestall the several bombings that have made India second only to Iraq in terms of such assaults in recent times. His ministry was criticized for not being responsive to the warnings from the United States anti-terrorist apparatus about the likelihood of the strikes that were eventually visited on the massive Taj Mahal Hotel and other targets in Mumbai. What further infuriated Indians and international security organizations was the failure of the National Security Guards (NSG), Indian Home Ministry's counter-terrorist organ set up in 1985, to prevent such incidents. The Guards, largely stationed in New Delhi, took seven hours to arrive at the scene of the blockade. By the time they did, the felons had overwhelmed the Mumbai Police, assumed defensive positions within the buildings and held hundreds of people hostage. The four-day horror that ensued called to question the capability of Indian security forces.
Rather than make excuses and spend much energy on exonerating himself, Patil did the honourable thing by quitting his position. By that, he accepted the shortcomings of his subordinates and the agencies under his supervision as his. For, to delegate authority is not to relinquish it. That action, although dismissed by the opposition in India as belated, portrays Patil as someone who saw his job from the point of view of service which would cease to be relevant in cases of blunder and incompetence, whether he is directly accountable for it or not. That is the stuff true public servants are made of.
Sadly, in Nigeria, such selfless acts are rare. In fact, since the Second Republic when Dr. Paul Unongo, the then Minister of Petroleum, resigned in response to his redeployment to the steel ministry on suspicion of graft, the nation is yet to witness any official at that level of government walk out in similar circumstances.
Instead, persons whose failure or inefficiency have led to heavy losses of lives and property; and those who perform below expectation or engage in sharp practices sit tight and make desperate efforts to prove their innocence. And as they do, the public suffers and the integrity of government is undermined.
But time has come for public servants in Nigeria to develop and exhibit the right attitude to duty. Rather than see themselves as tin gods, the positions they hold should be treated as what they are: platforms for serving the people and making the world a better place. They should be accountable to the people they serve and disappointment of the people should cost them their jobs.
It would, however, appear that many public officers cling to their positions for the fear of the life outside office or that it is not dignifying to resign over a crisis. To help in this regard, living conditions, such as basic amenities should be improved for all citizens - big and small. People should be able to live off their retirement benefits. That would help to change the perception of government jobs as money-making occupations and the temptation to cling to them at all cost. From Mumbai has come lessons for Nigerians to emulate - public service is a vicarious responsibility.
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