The process and the complex; the dynamics of leadership in Nigeria

That the nation is almost 54 years old is a story whose weight falls lighters as the years roll by, the relevance of the number that does not add up to the reality of the present leaves a lot of questions at the heart of concerned Nigerians. Nigeria is a country where perhaps all that is needed to dissect and proffer solutions to the issues in the country could as well be any platform to talk, and of recent, social media platforms been the most potent. Many people have attributed the problem of the Nigerian State to corruption, some to the foundation of the entity called Nigeria, while a few others see leadership as the main crux of the matter among several others. While all the aforementioned issues aren't a deviation from the issues confronting the nation, and while I am not putting the entire problems of the country at the doorstep of leadership, a closer look at leadership itself in Nigeria may not be an exercise in futility.

The foundation of our independence itself is much rooted in leadership crisis, we began a new country with a deeper sense of regional patriotism at the expense of National integration. Nigeria is perhaps one of the few countries in the world where different ethnic groups and tribes believe in different heroes of the country, same country, same Nigeria! To the Northerners, Ahmadu Bello, Aminu Kano, Tafawa Balewa will ring as their heroes, to the Yorubas, Obafemi Awolowo leads the pack, to the Easterners, Nnamdi Azikiwe remains the leader. The Mid Westerners then, Now Niger Deltans, may pitch a tent with Dennis Osadebay. Every tribe with its own heroes. On an issue as simple as that, the nation couldn't agree.

While the first reaction, the usual reaction to every problem is putting the blame at the doorstep of politicians, we should question the processes that produce our leaders. “Nigerians forget easily” is one slogan that I am beginning to get used to, Dino Melaye served in the house of Representatives as a member, after he was defeated and he couldn't return, he became an activist, complaining about the jumbo pay of House of Representatives members, something he saw nothing wrong with as a member and what happened, I saw a vanguard of youths, disregarding that he was once there, to them, he is now on the side of the masses. Chief Obasanjo calls President Jonathan a dictator, and a vast majority screamed “Baba dey talk sense”. To them once he is against the President, he is already on their side, regardless of the motive. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu called President Jonathan one of the most corrupt leaders he investigated as EFCC Chairman, and now that he is in the PDP with an ambition, no one bothers anymore, once he is in the PDP, his words as an APC member were for the moment and in the past. We elect our leaders with a deliberate veil, a veil that covers us from peeping into the past and projecting into the future, we elect for the moment, and when the moment is passed, we whine for the tenure forgetting that we elected them.

While our process itself maybe flawed, ruling in Nigeria itself is complicated. A ward councilor is expected to contribute at every funeral, if he doesn't, he is said to be ineffective. The people have forced the leadership into making choices not on the basis of merit but on the basis of how many people it will please. Instead of providing a hundred kilometer major road in a particular local government area that can open the state up, the Governor will rather do ineffective 10kilometer roads in 10 local Government areas because the Governor knows that when elections come, he will not be judged by the people on the effectiveness of his policies and programmes on the aggregate but rather, each group of people will ask for what he did for them specifically. He will be asked if he attended their functions, if he donated at their launchings, to mention a few and so, in other to survive, leaders have been condemned into pursuing cosmetic ideals rather than real deals.

The process of producing leaders in Nigeria is extremely flawed, just like leading in Nigeria is. A friend once told me he wouldn't vote for a Governor because he imposed a legally justifiable tax, should that even be an issue at all? What was supposed to be his own civic responsibility? To be the kind of leader that could appeal to a wider group however, the Governor's opponent promised to remove those taxes. The questions is, how will meaningful development come in that regard? But then, our people love lies. The politicians already understand that our people live for the moment, so they dance to our songs at that moment, and we watch them for the tenure.

Change should begin with everyone, with every group. Everyone should pursue ideals that can stand the test of time rather than seeking instant gratification. We should elect leaders with a clear understanding of their past to understand their motives, and when elected, we should make it possible for them to govern with check and balances without enburdening them with duties that should be alien to their offices but which the Nigerian system has made a part of it. If this is done, perhaps, it could mean a step in the right direction for our dear nation even as 2015 approaches.

Daniels Adeoye
(Daniels Adeoye is an Intern at Edward Kingston Associates, Lagos. He can be reached via- [email protected])

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Articles by Daniels Adeoye