The problem of the problem

From the first day of this month when I publicly declared to run next year for governor of my home state of Akwa Ibom, many things have shifted in my life, in my profession and in my style. I have become -if you like- a little more attentive, a little more inquisitive and a little more restrained. Although still myself, as audacious as can be, I am now, strangely, a little less unbothered about the next person’s or public perception. Almost like I have stepped into the age of walking on eggs; almost like I find it imperative to not miss anything being communicated.

Politicians generally go through far much more that their tongue can say, far much more than their pen can write. There is far too much those guys can never say or write. That is might be why the world has had only a negligible number of political memoirs. Even then, those efforts are heavily redacted.

Nigeria politicians deal with far too much which is the reason one can say that their burden is indeed too heavy. For instance, think about the tragic intervening events that happen when they see a need and set out to help via election. Can you imagine that, in navigating thereto, they deal with all sorts, betrayal, confusion, doubt, insult and rejection; all these from the same people they thought to rescue or serve? Can this be the critical junction where most politicians miss it, and go off on a tangent?

Perhaps. However, while we pray for more men and more women and more youth of character and courage and resilience to join politics, it is only fair to ask the people to play our role, patriotically, responsibly and wisely. The people must know what we want per time and ready at all times to demonstrate or express that position without fear or favour or variableness. Nigerians must realise that we cannot -during elections- sow tares and sit back expectantly in hopes of reaping corn during harvest.

Miracle is not magic. Magic, on the other hand, can be miraculous but it can never be miracle. We can be expectant all we want, we can be optimistic all we want but without intentional work, intelligent, intentional hard work, all of our expectations shall be cut off. Starting from 2027, Nigerians -if we need Nigeria to soon retrace and rebounce- must do what we must do rather than wait for miracle or magic from God knows where.

Because, truth to tell, the leadership rot that has held Nigeria hostage forever is not the handiwork of only our leaders. It is more the handiwork of we, the people. Apart from the fact that our successive leaders emerge from among us, not from outer space, the other reason we must bear the brunt of this blame is our apathy or lethargy, our diffidence, our unpatriotism. Let us start in 2027 to prove that the foregoing narrative was a mistake all along by changing our primitive mannerisms during, before and after elections.

Register now so you can vote and go out to do it on D-Days. Do not buy or sell your vote and do not play ethnic or religious or money politics. Never forget where Nigeria is and where it ought to be. Remember that the evil we do during elections lives with us and that lousy politics is an ill wind.

That is what I was ruminating on, yesterday morning, when I stumbled on a beautiful Facebook piece written by Lagos-based George E. Udoh. Again, because I am now a player who is deep out there in the arena, I must be overcareful in reporting Mr Udoh’s entry. The intendment is to remove anything and everything that might reek of bias. So, I begin by totally evading his caption which left no room for maneuvring.

Mr Udoh was sharing a thing or two “about joining or supporting” a certain party. He said, “for many people,” this support “has little to do with performance, competence, or national progress. It is, bluntly, a survival strategy. A calculated move to stay close to power, benefits, and political protection.

“And, that is exactly what makes the whole structure look rotten. Because the average defender of the system is not defending results -they are defending access. They are not convinced by progress -they are invested in proximity. And, when you strip it down, a lot of the loud political loyalty you see is not conviction: it is transaction.

“This is why their defence often sounds forced, hollow, and sometimes outright ridiculous. You do not need to be a political scientist to notice when people are trying harder to justify power (rather) than to explain outcomes. When policies hit the people hard, the explanations do not soften the impact -they only expose how disconnected the defenders are from reality. And, let us talk about the social consequence.

“Once you publicly align with … , you do not just inherit a political identity – you inherit public resentment. People do not separate you from the system anymore. Fair or unfair, you become part of what they are frustrated with. That is the cost of association in a country where governance has left deep wounds on the people.

“Then comes the structure itself. From the outside, it does not look like a normal democratic party anymore. It looks tightly controlled, heavily centralised, and built around influence networks where loyalty is valued more than independent thinking. Critics describe it as a system where obedience is rewarded, silence is safer than dissent, and questioning authority is treated as betrayal.

“At the centre of this political gravity is … , whose influence dominates the structure in a way that makes the party feel less (like) a collective and more like a command system. Everything appears to orbit (this) one power centre, and survival in that space often depends on how well you align -not how well you think. And, that is the most disturbing part. Because when a political system starts to feel like it punishes independent thought and rewards blind loyalty, then it stops looking like democracy in practice -even if it still carries the name.”

Mr George E. Udoh then goes for the jugular, by concluding his treatise so majestically and so surefootedly. Hear him: “so, this is not just politics anymore. It is alignment with power, at any cost. And the people are watching very closely.”

Clearly, both our politics and the polity are the problem of Nigeria. Alas, that terrible situation is worsened by our handling. Meaning, our problem has a problem. The problem of the problem is when, in spite of being holed up in a cul-de-sac, you keep fooling around but expecting rescue that is more magic than miracle.

We must not continue to fool ourselves. There is no uselessness that is as useless as fooling oneself. Nigerians must stop fooling Nigeria. 2027 is not the ballot to toy with, except we are comfortable in this choking discomfort.

2027 is not the polls to, as they say in the United States, goof around with. Granted that the mess, our country is in today, cannot in all honesty be blamed on the current federal administration, but not even their party’s most fanatical member can deny that in the last three years (plus the previous eight) their best has not been anything near good enough. Even worse, the current managers have tended to copy so criminally from the 1999 to 2015 playbook. Outright, daredevil impunity!

Suddenly, everybody is being cajoled wordlessly into one party. Suddenly, rice is food; rice is medicine; rice is money; rice is government’s answer to everything. We hear of so much financial inflow but cost of living remains too high and living standards too low. A man crosstituted from one party complete with its mandate but continues to hold that party to ransom; yet, everybody looks away in a knowing, helpless complicity.

Pray, what would today’s so-called big men and big women and big children say when tomorrow plays back this developing shame, stating clearly each person’s role? They would blame it on the devil, or on the leader, or on the system, or on politics, or on poverty. On that day, posterity shall wave them away because it knew all along it was all down to cowardice or greed or both, QED. Thankfully, something can still be done at this nick of time.

We can retrieve this country from the precipice, even today, even now. All that the top need to do is free up space, restore freedoms and equality and generally rework our political and social economies. As for the bottom, our challenge is to beat ethnicity, religion and foolishness and come together; then, stand up, go out, and not only only win back our country but defend it all the way. 2027 offers us that glorious opportunity.

God bless Nigeria!