“A people create a leader and a leader creates a people”. Put in another way; a society, from its plurality, will throw up one person who either is elected by the collectivity of these people, given their experiences and aspirations, or who seizes power knowing his peoples’ wants, weaknesses, gullibility or collective stupidity. The leader then fashions the people into the kind of people he would want them to be. This may be by good education, propaganda, coercion or even emasculation. This holds true in every polity, the Nigerian environment no different. So, it is true what they say; ‘a society gets the kind of leader it deserves’. On the one hand, it is from among them, good or bad, righteous or corrupt, short or tall, that the leader comes out from. Going further, the leader thus thrown up from amongst a people will try to perpetuate himself in power. Some will think this is an African thing. No it is actually universal. The difference is that in more advanced climes, this human nature had been recognized early enough and checks were put in place to ensure no one perpetuates himself in power. But then, this same goal is achieved via proxies and loyalists. Whether it is a few years term, or a life time monarchy, lots of efforts are channeled to still control the throne either through proxies or even from the grave, via heirs. From the advanced climes to the not-so-advanced democracies, several methods are deployed to capture and keep power, some laced with finesse, and some outrightly crude. It is natural for one chosen by the people to ride on the same vehicles that made his people choose or elect him. For example; If he was a truthful man, he will continue being truthful. If it was his looks, he had better have people always working on his looks. If he got power by brute force, he has to be constantly weeding out perceived enemies and keeping his dread alive. It is for this reason that I am surprised when people act surprised that my head of state spends more time on pilgrimages and in church auditoriums than he spends in situation rooms discussing Boko Haram or the now extinct Kano groundnut pyramids. I mean, we elected him on “born again-ism” not so? Let me describe how the general election panned out in Port Harcourt, as I saw it; several big congregation churches held a vigil the night before election to ‘pray’ for the emergence of a good leader. In the morning of the election, most church members were too tired, from being awake all night, to go cast a vote. The stage was thus left for thugs and touts to elect us a president. So were their prayers not answered? Do we not have a ‘God fearing’ president? I just wonder why we complain. He has steered the ship of state towards religious divisism hasn’t he? Now what have the opposition to offer? I go back again to the earlier submission, ‘a people will get a leader they deserve’. Today we see a man who seized power and whipped people on the streets indiscriminately, jostling to be elected. He is riding on the wave of several knee jerk solutions not properly thought through and not one concrete plan we can point to. For 3 years in power, we were a police state with subsidies and prize control. It has been part of us to praise temporary solutions even when we are blessed with so much brains and talents. Even in the this age, one of the notable speeches, probably pointing at the direction his policies will take if elected, was to mention that he never removed subsidies. Let me digress a little to talk on subsidies; Martin Meredith in his ‘State of Africa’ had mentioned it that all African nations chose the path to heavily subsidize living in urban areas against the rural areas just so they can please the urban populace. Before I read Meredith about 2 years ago, I knew this to be true about Nigeria. Heavy subsidized living was what was going on and that was why government was broke even after the oil boom of the 70s into the 80s. Only one government chose to tackle this by actually devaluing the naira and bringing out its actual worth. Ironically, when I wrote a short piece some time ago on the said government, I was unfriended by someone who I thought very educated. I declined to further comment on the said post when the next day my writer and educated friend posted about the cost of a car before IBB and the cost after IBB. I shook my head for with this, there was no need to go further. Anyway, let it be known now that those cars our parents rode for little money was being paid for by government. Those cheap tickets to London to do nothing were paid for. We subsidized pleasures and left agriculture and industry. That is why the groundnut pyramids disappeared!!! For someone to come now and mention it as a policy direction and is being cheered, shows we have not moved an inch. This brings me to the Nigerian dream I saw on my friends post yesterday or was it the day before that. Many people fail to understand the Nigerian dream. The Nigerian dream is the Nigerian’s dream and can be defined as the dream a Nigerian has for things to remain the way they are in the country, while his own personal fortunes improve, even at the expense of others. “NEPA no dey but I get light for my house” “Road no good but one powerful guy for my street don do our road” “Schools no good but my pikin dey go the best school” And the ones that actually show you how internally wicked we are; “Many people slept but did not wake up this morning; I praise God for my life” “Many people are plying the road and having accidents but it is not my portion” These statements capture how we think don’t they? These statements show how we don’t want any improvement but we want a personal improvement. They show why the pastors and imams would continue to ride us. The Nigerian dream is why people like the good general would even have a consideration to be electable in any modern society. It is obvious that if he gets elected, to please us, there will be another round of price control and subsidies of every conceivable commodity. If he can swing it, he will probably draft the military to enforce this new price regime. We will subsidize everything to “alleviate” our present and pile up debts for our children in the future. This is the Nigerian dream.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:22:51 +0000
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