Leadership and the Future of Nigeria

Some judicial judgments leave many lawyers wondering if so-called non-learned persons have invaded the sector not to talk of countless allegations of bribery made against judges at all levels.  Of course, these are all manifestations of the structural deformities in the system and the rather unsteady constitution of the non-hegemonic State under the control of a badly factionalised and fractionalised leadership.   In this context, the followers take strategic but reactionary positions on the political landscape and use their own hands to destroy their environment and foul up the system.  The entire nation suffers while the so-called leaders subsidise and lubricate their survival with looted public funds and monies in foreign banks.
Ladies and Gentlemen, why do we find it so difficult to move in one direction so that our people can conserve and deploy energy for productive purposes?  How are we going to move forward in the midst of plan indiscipline, policy inconsistency, competitive as against complementary programs, duplication of services and functions, the re-awarding of the same contract over and over again even by the same government?  How can we move forward with empty libraries, poor research culture, limited concern for futurology and visioning, and inability to identify and use the best brains and hands in the larger society?  We must begin to think out of the box, break out of the barber’s chair of motion without progress.  If the leaders, after almost 50 years, refuse to lead, the people and their organisations must bypass them.
Let us look briefly at leadership at the political level.  You are all living witnesses to the political abracadabra going on in our dear country.  In spite of the existence of a constitution, political parties and party rules and regulations, politics is war in Nigeria.  You can now understand why many Nigerians wept and celebrated the victory of Obama in far away America.  In fact, a former president of the country once described politics, elections in particular, as a “do or die” affair.  It is costly, diabolical, unsteady, uncertain, and announced results hardly ever reflect what took place on election-day.
It is not unusual for political leaders to ambush and undermine the best candidates before or during the primaries.  Only in few cases are the best candidates presented for political office and aspirants are almost bankrupted before they get elected.  This in itself lays the foundation for the arrogance of power, executive recklessness and unbridled corruption.  Until our political parties become truly and fully reformed, Nigeria cannot move forward.  Until the parties begin to respect their own rules, Nigeria cannot produce credible, capable, courageous and visionary leaders that will build the political economy and consolidate democratic institutions and practices.  The parties must begin to perform some of the basic functions of political parties- identify and train leaders, develop policy platforms, present the best aspirants and candidates for office, regulate office holders, conduct research on party and political development, encourage public discourses, and commit openly to the sustenance of democracy in every regards.
Office holders that emerge from a dubious and diabolical process cannot be expected to respect the constitution of liberties.  They cannot be expected to distinguish between the public and private treasury.  That is why we must never tire of the struggle for democratic practice and social justice.  Political parties in Nigeria must be bastions of fair-play, justice and freedom.  Unless this happens they would be contributing directly to the consolidation and reproduction of poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment in Nigeria.