Okey Mbonu
11 January 2009
opinion
Fresh from campaign stomping for President-Elect Barack Obama, across the United States, I recently got an opportunity to peruse the euphoria from Nigerians among other people from around the world. The euphoria among ordinary Nigerians is touching and understandable, because the election proved before their very eyes that transparent elections actually do happen around the world.
However, to appreciate this event better, Nigerians need to imagine an Itsekiri, or Ijaw, or Ibibio, or Tiv, or Edo, becoming the president of Nigeria, on his own merits. Since African Americans are only 12 percent of the USA. Sometimes, the three large Nigerian ethnic groups of Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo, think that only they have the right to the presidency of Nigeria, this is the kind of flawed thinking and ethnic intolerance that has kept Nigeria underdeveloped for almost 50years.
I applaud the few Nigerian states, especially Lagos state, that has quietly taken the lead in political transformation by appointing a non-Yoruba cabinet member (Ben Akabueze).
However, the focus of this press statement is the elation displayed by many Nigerian leaders, past and present, including governors and other past and present elected officials, some of whom should be hanging their faces in shame, for plundering and stealing their peoples mandates, via vote rigging, intimidation and murders, while inciting hate and intolerance.
Thanks to modern advances in multimedia, including an active Nigerian press corps, the world also sees what goes on in Nigeria-the bad, the very bad, and the incredible. I commend some in the Nigerian media, for doing their part in holding the political leadership accountable. The likes of Ruben Abati of the Nigerian Guardian easily come to mind, though there are probably others.
The political parties also need to understand the lessons of direct democracy by opening up their primaries to all party members, not delegates that are bought off before elections (by the way party membership should be free). Monetary endowments of wealthy individuals should not have influence on elections, because Nigeria should not be for sale to the highest bidder.
FCT should have an elected Mayor or other elected official in charge, not an appointed minister, and any Nigerian resident in Abuja whether they are Itsekiri, or Nupe, or Igbo, should be able to run for the Mayor of Abuja. In fact, Nigeria needs to consider changing the country's name to: the Republic of West Africa. Nigeria of today has such huge negative connotations, that even Nigerians in the Diaspora sometimes suffer the fallout, though they did not create the problems.
As we all know, the whole world lives in a fishbowl today, and events in Nigeria also filter out. Therefore, where Nigerian federal officials or governors actively participate in stealing millions and billions appropriated for the people's welfare; the world is also watching. Some of these recent thieves obviously have no conscience, for in full view of the people, the thieves use these same funds to maintain wildly ostentatous lifestyles, in full view of the now-watered down EFCC, it bugles the mind.
Growing up in Nigeria over 20 years ago, I can confidently state that the Nigeria I saw in my recent visits between 2006 and 2008 has actually retrogressed from the Nigeria I grew up in, in almost every category. 20 years ago in Nigeria, it was perfectly normal to flag down and settle into a clean taxi, in any street across Nigeria. Now such routine aspects of life in a modern society may not be imaginable to a kid growing up in modern Nigeria.
Anti-corruption efforts, which got a boost via the EFCC during the past regime, appear to be in shambles, thanks to the active or passive restraint of the officials in charge. In-fact, Nigeria of today does not have the moral rights to imprison a robber, who steals Ten Thousand Naira, where it can throw away the files of a governor or federal official who steals 10 Billion Naira, and instead invite them to join the government again. If the president thinks these people will hesitate to undermine his government to save their skin, let him think again.
Accountability in Nigeria is now about zero, while the current federal government's lack of performance is totally inexcusable, alarming, and mind bugling. It has taken six months to change ministers and advisers, while the ministries apparently remain in limbo, and the citizenry continue to wallow in horrid conditions.
Public health issues such as typhoid fever have taken an alarming turn in Nigeria. The reason is not farfetched, because most Nigerians, including the upper class that have private water-boreholes at home, are basically drinking fecal matter, derived from the mixing of their borehole water and their sanitary-soak away pits, because of insufficient water treatment. No wonder average lifespan has dropped below 50 years.
Nigerian newspaper reports indicate that generator fumes kill innocent citizens every week, something a public health or environmental campaign can take care of.
I gathered recently that various Nigerian-American experts from the Diaspora, including my humble self, who offered the President some free Technical Assistance in certain development related areas, were apparently rebuffed; a nice gesture to a group of people who according to the Central Bank of Nigeria, contribute about 12 billion dollars into Nigeria, more money than Nigeria receives from all foreign aid combined. Well, some of us can only wish the Nigerian federal government luck, in handling the massive development challenges facing Nigeria. Some of us are doing quite alright in the USA.
In addition to their lack of performance, Nigerian leaders may actually think they are riding high on high crude prices, which fuel the ostentation of the few, however I have news for them; consumer countries are busy working hard to wean themselves of the dependence on foreign oil, including actively searching for alternative energy.
The efforts of the consumer nations, coupled with global recession, have succeeded in driving crude prices down. As at today (November 18, 2008), Crude Oil has crashed from a high of about 120 Dollars per barrel, to 54 Dollars per barrel. But are Nigerian officials working on developing alternative sources of revenue? Yeah right!
Having previously served in a senior government role in the US, I can confidently state that at the pace and under-performing manner Nigeria is being run right now, massive riots or a mass revolt may not be farfetched in the near future; especially if the ills of the citizenry is not addressed directly, by those currently at the helm. The problems associated with overpopulated cities, obvious lack of planning or execution, a massive housing deficit, and poor infrastructure, will eventually cripple any government any where, and Nigeria is not immune.
And for Nigerian leaders, from federal officials to state officials, who think they can plunder the nation, then comfortably jet away to the US, Europe, and lately Dubai (where some of them pay upwards of Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars per night for hotel rooms); we will keep our eyes on them in this fishbowl called earth. As they continue to wreck Nigeria for the unborn generations, there won't be a place to hide, just like Charles Taylor of Liberia does not have any place to hide anymore.
In conclusion, any nation's problems can be traced to leadership, and leadership is about actions, not positions. Enough said.
Mbonu, Esq is former commissioner, Housing Authority of Prince George's Maryland, Washington, DC, USA.
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