I have heard people say talk is cheap and that, for the sake of political correctness, one could even claim selling water to the Eskimos.
In other words, politicians always attempt the impossible. Most of the time, they actually succeed in pulling the wool over the eyes of the electorate and get to power through fraudulent means and intimidation. That is exactly how Nigeria got onto this bumpy ride in a one-chance bus for almost eight years now. That is not to say the preceding driver was any better.
However, the current government exceeded limits and set new records in virtually everything that is negative, impoverishing Nigerians more than any government before it and, hopefully, after it. Nobody hopes to pass through this route again.
That is part of the reason I fear for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a prodigiously talented man now struggling with the constricting President Muhammadu Buhari albatross on his neck. Sadly, this is one tight rope he finds difficult to loosen and even when he does not really believe it, suspiciously, he scares the people when he promises to continue with Buhari’s legacies. What legacies?
Actually, not a few Nigerians were shocked listening to the President recently preaching against cronyism and nepotism.
Speaking during the maiden edition of the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS), held at the Conference Centre of the State House, Abuja, Buhari identified nepotism, cronyism and political patronage, as some forms of corrupt practices that distract public servants from delivering on their mandates.
He noted that issues of corruption had continued to affect the civil service and pointed out that, among several reasons, corruption still thrives because of “deeply rooted problems like nepotism, cronyism, political patronage as well as lack of transparency and accountability. These vices distract them from delivering on their mandate and aspirations.
“The unsystematic enforcement of law and institutional mechanisms for holding civil servants and public officials accountable for their actions will always lead to a negative impression on the citizens.”
Picking on nepotism and cronyism, as major drivers of corruption in Nigeria was not what anyone expected to hear from the President. So, people pinched themselves to be sure they were still awake and heard the President correctly because, if there was anyone to speak in a like manner, it would definitely not be Buhari.
People were shocked not because what he said was not true or out of the ordinary but because his is one administration that has elevated cronyism and nepotism to new and infamous heights.
Anyway, to be sure of what I was thinking, I had to check the meaning of cronyism and nepotism, lest I be unfair in my assessment of Mr. President.
The English dictionary defines nepotism as a form of favouritism that is granted to relatives and friends. Likewise, cronyism, which could even be regarded as a synonym of nepotism or its advanced stage, is defined as the practice of partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues. For example, cronyism occurs when appointing “cronies” to positions of authority regardless of their qualifications.
If these definitions are correct and not a creation of wailers like some of us, one is tempted to query Mr. President’s credentials to pontificate on the subject. Better still, who was he referring to?
Against constitutional provisions, Buhari has consistently enthroned only his northern Fulani Muslims onto headship of the county’s entire internal security apparatchik, such as Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency and the Nigerian Army. All juicy positions in the land have also been reserved for northern Fulani Muslims, who could not be said to be more qualified than other sections of the country.
It is strange that the ‘educationally disadvantaged’ North usually overcome this flaw whenever it comes to appointments to occupy all high profile and lucrative offices, with a miserly sprinkling from the South-West while nobody from the South-East is considered qualified for the office. Really?
Is it not absurd, therefore, that a President who has shown so much aversion for federal character, is the one preaching against cronyism and nepotism?
It is difficult to gauge whether the President had actually become remorseful of his actions in this near-night of his government and so was leaving advice for his successors or if he was just indulging in political gimmickry and playing to the gallery.
If Buhari meant what he said, does it mean he has been unconscious of his actions in government, especially as regards appointments? Is he not aware of all he has done or caused to be done in his name? Could it be true, after all, as Aisha once claimed that her husband does not know those appointed into his administration?
Whatever be the case, Buhari is right. Cronyism and nepotism have not only contributed to endemic corruption, they have also polarised the country into various disaffected sections. All the agitations for self-determination are rooted in this twin evil. When a particular section of the country manipulates the system and corners the good of the land, the other sections are bound to revolt.
The way and manner the Igbo are treated with disdain in this land they should naturally co-own is responsible for the violent agitation in the South-East for a republic of Biafra. The same is responsible for the move for Yoruba nation. Even the Boko Haram scorching war, which they ignorantly and foolishly vent on the innocent, is as a result of injustice.
Even the way these agitators are handled still has traces of nepotism and cronyism.
What could one make of the release of criminals and terrorists from prison to assuage more vicious terrorists whereas a person like Nnamdi Kanu of the Independent People of Niagra, IPOB, could not be released, even after court’s ruling.
Even among the Igbo, many are not fans of Kanu; his style of agitation and caustic vituperations are repulsive but truth must never be buried or subjected.
Buhari told a group of Igbo leaders that only the court could release Kanu. Now that the courts have spoken, what else is the president waiting for? Why couldn’t he seize the moment and turn the table against Kanu and those who accused him of hating the Igbo?
Perhaps, he never thought any court in the land could ever stand firm on the laws. Be that as it may, the president should push aside the fact that Kanu is Igbo and keep his promise regardless of what vested interests in this matter tell him.
It is in the president’s best interest to release the man and see what follows next. Many believe that Kanu’s release will stop agitation in the East. There are also some who doubt Kanu is as in control of the struggle as he used to be. The ill-advised sit-at-home order that has cremated the economy of the South-east, coupled with pernicious unknown or known gunmen wrongly or rightly tagged to IPOB has done him much harm. Yet, it will be good to release him and see how far he can go to rein in the renegades doing the Biafra agitation ill.
President Buhari’s take on cronyism and nepotism is commendable. Who knows if the president has seen the light? Nigerians are watching and hoping that the president could correct some of the many malignant decisions of this administration that barely has eight months to go.
Talking about transparency, methinks the president should let anxious Nigerians know the conditions of the multi-trillion naira indebtedness, especially to China and if, indeed, how come if true, China now has a police station in Nigeria. Are we being recolonised; are Nigerians collateral for the president’s unbridled loan baggage?