Just before the 2023 ‘elections’ I
discussed grievous position of Nigeria and outlined the choice before us
as that between OBIcracy, plutocracy, gerontocracy and Kakistocracy. As we
celebrate the anniversary of the epic decision as moderated by Mahmood and
INEC, I deem it necessary to resurrect this piece and here we go:
It is not in my character to bombard my readers with these VERY BIG. But
serious issues require serious analysis and the seriousness has just
started with the speaking in grammatical
tongues. Given the indescribable power of Nigerian president,
which grows organically as the days go by, it is indubitable that the 2023
presidential election is another opportunity for us to start afresh and to
avoid the perennial regret of ‘the road
not taken’. In 2015, Nigerian entered a rickety
‘one-chance’ bus when a group of desperate, disparate and voraciously avaricious people ganged up
to grab power( which they did not know what to do with) and promised us from
top to bottom change. Today, we know better and that is why I believe
that 2023 is an opportunity to rescue
what is left of the wooden-legged giANT
of Africa and the hope of the global black community. Indeed, I believe that Nigeria is at a
strategic inflexion point!
A strategic
inflexion point is a period when an organization must respond to
disruptive changes in the environment effectively or face deterioration; a
decisive moment in the course of an entity that creates opportunities for a
significant change from its current path, to change the fundamentals, for the better! If the inflexion
point is not optimised then, nsogbu dikwo( ‘troblems’ lie ahead)! It is also similar to
the ‘tipping
point’, the
critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant
and often unstoppable change takes place. (See Malcolm Gladwell(2007)The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can
Make a Big Difference). In
effect, we are ALMOST in a tabula-rasa
( clean slate)scenario! The cylinder is almost empty and we have the
opportunity to refill with the right quality and quantity of gas so as to fire FULLY!
It is time to move from our potential greatness to actual greatness; that is if
we get it right! And guess what? Shakespeare had Nigeria in mind when he
declared in 1599 that There is a tide in the affairs of men,
which taken at the flood, leads on to
fortune; omitted, all the voyages of their life is bound in shallows and
in miseries. On such a full sea we are
now afloat and we MUST take the current when it sails or lose our ventures. (
Brutus, Jilius Ceaser).
Today, the choice
between us is like that between day and
night. We have two broad options; to choose OBIcracy, which goes beyond PO or the insufferable troika of plutocracy,
gerontocracy and Kakistocracy
OBIcracy, is the
theory, practice and philosophy of
politics as practiced and espoused by Obi. It is also seen as a system of
government where savings is the goal, producing is the strategy and funding the
SMEs is the philosophy. OBIcracy
espouses inclusiveness, shared
prosperity, ‘youthocracy’, social cohesion, compassion and preferential
interest in the poor, underprivileged and marginalised. It prioritises character, competence,
openness, pro-people policies, respect for the rule of law, civility and
moderation in speech and action whether in public or private life; clean,
simple and credible lifestyle and all round education and exposure sufficient to lead Nigeria from the ‘nth’
world( we had long gone far below the third) to the current world and to the
future. It is built around a holistic concept of integrity, which always seeks the good of others; it believes that if
something is not good FOR BOTH SIDES, then, it is not good for either
side. It also SOLEY thinks and works
around whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable, whatever is excellent and praiseworthy( Phil,4:8)
It abhors desperation and ambuscade, and believes strongly in equity, while adopting the golden rule!
Plutocracy is a political philosophy in which a state is
governed or ruled by the wealthy; where the power of the ruling class derives
from their wealth. Usually, there is a transition from democracy to plutocracy.
The state starts from a democracy, a quasi-democracy or a pretend-democracy in
which the state pretends to be democratic, but its principles and practices are
anything but democratic. Then the ruling or ruining elites gradually introduce
and execute plutocratic policies. Such plutocratic policies in Nigeria include
indirect primaries, which make it easy for the rich to buy the delegates and
even other candidates as it happened in
the recent APDP ( APC+PDP=APDP) primaries, and ultimately, the electoral
operatives; the insistence on physical voting which makes it difficult for the
poor candidates and parties to have ‘structures’. In the last mega-primaries,
delegates were bought for as much $25000 apiece and much more for coordinators
and delegate-wholesalers (Bulk dealers in the delegates market). Poverty has
been deliberately weaponised as the poor
who are bent on putting food on their table choose to monetise their votes. In the forthcoming
presidential elections, some of the candidates want our votes and they do not
give a damn about buying the votes and have the capacity to buy the votes. The
emphasis is not on what they will and can do for us; it is about their ability
to overwhelm their opponents and the voters with CASH! Unfortunately, the monies
are from the public purse. Under plutocracy, we go for cash and discountenance
verifiable records of achievement, competence, commitment and character. Surprisingly, plutocrats are deeply religious
because they draw their principle form
Ecclesiastes 10:19: Money answereth ALL things, including political
power!
We also have the political philosophy,
principle and practice of gerontocracy; a form of
‘oligarchical rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are significantly
older than most of the adult population. In many political structures, power
within the ruling class accumulates with age, making the oldest the holders of
the most power’. In Nigeria where the youths consist of 60%+ of the population,
people who are 80+ are striving to lead! How can they linkup with the online generation? How can
they communicate with the millennials? What kind of vision can those on the
injury time visualise? How can ‘A-grade’ elders visualise a society which by
the normal course of nature, they will not be a part of???
And then, we have kakistocracy; ‘a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. This
is the worst-case scenario in which Nigerians, with their eyes wide open, go
for the worst, least qualified, most incompetent, the most Machiavellian or
most unscrupulous! How can Nigerians who are creating and breaking records in
all fields of human endeavour all over
the world, and who need an conducive
environment to replicate their global records at home, go to bed with
kakistocracy?
Fellow Nigerians,
‘Chineke nke igwe ndi agha(the Lord of hosts), who knows the end from the beginning promises us that
‘never again will I expose you to the contempt of other countries…; I will
restore the years eaten by the locusts, the
cankerworm the caterpillars and … Nigeria will never be humiliated again( Joel,2: 19-27). But all the
promises of God are conditional and these ones are no exceptions! We have to do
the right things, seize the opportunities that He has created with both
hands, and think of the future, not just about stomach infrastructure of here and now!
It is our responsibility to SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNE moment! The slate almost is
clean and it is up to us to write the right things on it!
For us to optimise
this scenario and come out of the
inflexion point stronger, we MUST embrace a paradigm shift. The new paradigm requires us to put our best
foot forward, to start with our first and best eleven rather than
‘managing’ whatever any group presents
to us. Thus, we should ask henceforth , always and with all seriousness, whenever anybody
presents himself or herself to serve us, IS THIS THE BEST? This is and should
continue to be the refrain anywhere anybody is presented for service in any part
of Nigeria today and evermore.
Frantz Fanon tells us that Each generation must discover its mission and fulfil it or betray it!(Wretched of the Earth). The mission of this generation, which has become sharpened by the current state of affairs, is to ensure that Nigeria is placed on the sustainable right path; that we lay the foundation for the greatness that we have been yearning for; a yearning that has become more strident in the past 7+ years when we have been recklessly wrecked from top to bottom by people who promised us heaven on earth. At this inflexion point, we must choose between OBIcracy and plutocracy, gerontocracy and kakistocracy. And without mincing words, OBIcracy is it! It is not the time to vote for somebody because he is ‘eminently qualified’ as a former PG student of mine told me. When I asked him to market his preferred candidate on the bases of character, competence, physical and mental alertness and integrity, he went blank. It is not time to vote for a serial contestant, who do not find Nigeria good enough for habitation. We have seen where the last serial contestant landed us. It is not time to vote for somebody because it is his turn. It is also not time to vote for people who will either privatise our commonwealth or share it with their boys( some of the boys are 70+).This is an opportune moment, and we MUST seize this lifetime opportunity.
I have spoken!
That was my advice a year ago. Unfortunately, we chose or rather Mahmood Yakubu announced that we chose the detestable troika of plutocracy, gerontocracy and Kakistocracy. A lot of votes were not counted and thus did not count but some of us made that ignoble choice which the Supreme Court had ratified. It is saddening that in the year of the Lord 2023, we, with our eyes wide open, went for Kakistocracy. Government of the worst, least qualified, most incompetent, most Machiavellian or most unscrupulous! We forgot the 3Cs of life: Choices, Chances and Changes; that we must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change! What type of choice did we make and what type of change did we expect… that is assuming that we made that detestable choice! And we have seen where we are in just one year.
In just one year:
Empty airports, prices in flight, ... looting of foodstuff.
Where do we go from here? Do we enjoy the rape because we have no option? Do we stand under the bitter-kola tree and tell it that it is bitter? Or do we strategise for the future, which must come? The choice is both personal and collective.
-
“Find a great mentor, someone who has already been through the many challenges of being an entrepreneur..” -Jodi Levine
Entrepreneurship in Practice: Cases, Challenges and Lessons By IK, MUO PHD is now available on Amazon, since 14/5/21. Click here to view Available for order +2348033026625 | Delivery: Worldwide
Comments
Post a Comment