I READ some years back that a good politician is one who stands on a fence and makes you believe he is standing on a platform. If you believe and accept him, he jumps down into your court to deceive you the more. If you reject him, he jumps off on the other side and run away.
Politicians can be deceitful, they have been seen to not only lick their own vomit, but the vomit of opponents and political adversaries. Politicians act and speak on their point of interest. There is the belief that the best politicians with great ideas of development are the ones who never had opportunity to rule. To unmask a politician, just give him opportunity to be in power.
Whether this theory applies to politicians all over the world, I cannot say, but I have found out that it is true about politicians in Africa, and particularly Nigeria. A politician in Nigeria must possess the capacity to deceive the people. He must have the capacity to make people believe that black is white. He must have capacity for fake news.
A presidential candidate in the last presidential elections in Nigeria was seen in a video telling his supporters that power is not given on a platter of gold. It must be grabbed by all means. That includes lies, propaganda, fake promises, threat to life, ballot box snatching, blackmail, ethnic profiling, etc.
Political leadership is not difficult, if only people can walk their talk. In Africa, when people do not have opportunity to be in power, they become critics and are seen by common minds as upright and progressive-minded individuals.
I am happy that Muhammadu Buhari was given the opportunity to be president. He used the opportunity to demystify himself. Nigerians now know that he never possessed the qualities that made the ranks of his followers swelled. If he had died without ruling, we would have been told that he was the best fighter of corruption and indiscipline that we didn’t give the opportunity to reposition things.
For several years, Buhari concealed his weakness and made Nigerians believe that he was the patriotic messiah we earnestly yearned for. At the end of his eight years’ rule, (misrule actually), he left Nigeria more divided and devastated. Our economy nose-dived to an unbelievably low ebb. Muhammadu Buhari and his promoter’s criticism of PDP government deceived many Nigerians in thinking the retired General had something to offer.
The taste of the pudding is in the eating, goes an English saying. Talk is cheap; it is so easy to criticise. It is not as if criticism is bad; in fact, its benefits in a democracy far outweigh its disadvantages. Criticism, especially in the realm of politics, has both positives and negatives that must be weighed against each other. Mass criticism can lead to the spread and dissemination of fake news but targeted, expert criticism serves to keep power in check and improve our society and is a necessary element of democracy.
In fact, criticism may be the crux of democracy, due to its ability to check power. Young democracies must understand that being a critic does not confer automatic status of a good leader on anyone. Politicians can be deceitful, they have been seen to not only lick their own vomit, but the vomit of opponents and political adversaries. Politicians act and speak on their point of interest. There is the belief that the best politicians with great ideas of development are the ones who never had opportunity to rule. To unmask a politician, just give him opportunity to be in power.
In our civil society groups, some years back, some opposition politicians were hobnobbing with us, aligned with our positions on nearly all policies of government, and because of their long years in political wilderness, we assumed them to be progressives. They were very good in criticising all policies whether good or bad. They talk about restructuring, state police, fiscal federalism, etc. When civil societies gather, they come around. They were wolves in sheep’s clothing. They hate all the economic policies of World Bank and IMF. Today, the World Bank and IMF policies are no longer leprous. These policies, as we are seeing, have suddenly become the only alternative to revive our economy.
Any attempt to reposition Nigeria must first look at cost of governance, lifestyle of people in the corridors of power must represent current reality. We must cut jumbo pay for people in government. The convoy of the president and governors must be trimmed down to reflect economic reality. If the refineries are made to work, it will cut off costs of importation and probably eliminate subsidy payment. How can government give out its money to an individual to build a refinery and you have four that are not operating?
The pseudo progressives are emboldened to intensify the assault on the people with punitive economic measures, such as total removal of fuel subsidy, devaluation of naira as well as the plan to increase fees at public tertiary institutions, something masked in a scam presented as students’ loan scheme. There is also plan to again increase electricity tariff and thereby making Nigerians to pay more for poor service.
Like we learnt during the campaign period, that power must be taken by all means. We have seen the progressive vermin make a total turn around in what they professed in their long years in political wilderness. Deceit is the name of the game. Jonathan government was criticised and his government almost held hostage. Today that fateful decision that lack the capacity to cure our economic malaise in 2012 has suddenly become an elixir.
Any attempt to reposition Nigeria must first look at cost of governance, lifestyle of people in the corridors of power must represent current reality. We must cut jumbo pay for people in government. The convoy of the president and governors must be trimmed down to reflect economic reality. If the refineries are made to work, it will cut off costs of importation and probably eliminate subsidy payment. How can government give out its money to an individual to build a refinery and you have four that are not operating? The idea of maintaining a large number of national air fleet in the presidency should be jettisoned. Nigeria Airforce can provide air services for the presidency.
Nigerians are well aware that politicians are deceiving them. Governance is not rocket science. When people in government come up with the right policies, some positive indicators will come on. The indicators might not prevent immediate pains, but people will know that the pains will be for a short while. Medical tourism takes over a whopping 1 trillion from us annually. If our hospitals are fixed and are offering qualitative health care, all Nigerians will seek medical solutions at home, and that money will be saved. Today, the president, governors, legislators and in fact all our political leaders go abroad for medical treatment. Ordinary Nigerians have no choice but to use the hospitals in deplorable conditions or go to faith healing centres. Fixing them is not impossible. We just don’t have patriots who can do it. Politicians deceive people. Patriots build nations. A nation without patriots has no future!
Comrade Amechi, a trade unionist and pro-democracy activist, writes from Lagos.
