I HAVE argued repeatedly in my writings that nations are built by statesmen and not politicians. Our woes since independence are because we have not been lucky to have statesmen lead our nation.
Nigerian politicians prioritise winning elections, maintaining power, and advancing their political and economic or commercial interests. They prioritise these interests, those of their parties, or special interest groups over the nation’s needs, and often focus on immediate political advantages, rather than considering short or long-term national interests.
When General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s former Head of State, said in 1973 that our problem was not money, but how to spend it; at that time, Nigeria was experiencing an oil boom and its economy was growing rapidly. The country’s population was about 61 million. There were only six universities in Nigeria. So many unconstructed roads and bridges, no specialist hospital anywhere. The Nigerian Railways was stuck where the British left it. There were so many development challenges demanding government attention.
In doing this, our politicians exploit emotions, biases, or popular sentiment to gain support, rather than promoting informed decision-making.
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Our politicians, whether in the army or in organised political parties, lack sense of dedication, commitment and patriotism in public service.
Statesmen prioritise their nation’s interests over personal or short-term gains. They put the nation’s needs above their own, often making sacrifices for the greater good.
Statesmen operate with transparency, honesty, and ethics, inspiring trust and confidence in the people, and consider the broader implications of their decisions, balancing competing interests and anticipating future consequences. They work towards the betterment of society as a whole, rather than serving special interests or personal agendas.
Looking at these qualities, statesmen like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Abraham Lincoln, Lee Kuan Yew, come to mind as examples of leaders who put the nation’s interests above their own. If we have ever had statesmen or semblance of them, it was before independence when the likes of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Joseph Tarka, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and a host of others made sacrifices during the decolonisation era.
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In the post-Civil War era, we have been unlucky to be ruled by very naive, inexperienced, corrupt, wicked, cluelessness bigots and ethnic chauvinists, who take turns to serve themselves and make us believe they are serving the nation.
This nostalgia can be attributed to our country’s struggles with governance, corruption, and economic instability, which have created a sense of disillusionment with the present. Those who came after Gowon were worse than him. Looking at the gathering of our elites, past and present leaders in former president Babangida’s book launch, a young lady had prayed to God: “Father do not give us this generation of wasteful leaders again.”
When General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s former Head of State, said in 1973 that our problem was not money, but how to spend it; at that time, Nigeria was experiencing an oil boom and its economy was growing rapidly. The country’s population was about 61 million. There were only six universities in Nigeria. So many unconstructed roads and bridges, no specialist hospital anywhere. The Nigerian Railways was stuck where the British left it. There were so many development challenges demanding government attention.
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Three years before that time, the civil war had come to an end and Gowon’s policy of Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation, needed to be funded, but he was just deceiving the Igbos. He never meant it. The federal government, led by Gowon, did not repair, rehabilitate or replace any of the hospitals, markets, schools, buildings or roads destroyed as a result of the war. No single federal project was initiated by Gowon’s government. Yet the Head of State could announce to the world that our challenge was what to do with money. I guess that Gowon was either displaying naivety, cluelessness, deceipt or was just mocking the Igbos.
From Gowon to Tinubu, it has been a steady descent to the abyss of hunger, diseases, fear, failure and underdevelopment. Our journey in the past 65 years has been bitter and excruciating. The book launch ironically brought together Nigeria’s adversaries to revel in their destructive legacy and entrenched hegemony.
Gowon’s government opened the door for massive corruption. He announced to civil servants that there was money in government treasury for free. Before long, a clique of Federal Permanent Secretaries, known then as ‘Super Perm-secs’, emerged and were richer than businessmen. Since the days of Gowon up to now, Nigeria has suffered reverse growth and at every point, our past seems to be more attractive.
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Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, once stated that we often view our past with nostalgia. Kukah’s statement highlights our tendency in romanticising past eras, even if they were marked by challenges and difficulties.
This nostalgia can be attributed to our country’s struggles with governance, corruption, and economic instability, which have created a sense of disillusionment with the present. Those who came after Gowon were worse than him. Looking at the gathering of our elites, past and present leaders in former president Babangida’s book launch, a young lady had prayed to God: “Father do not give us this generation of wasteful leaders again.”
Nigeria’s leadership crisis is a generational curse. The same families that spawned the notorious drug lords of the ’70s and ’80s are linked to the 419 scammers of the 90s. Fast-forward to the 2000s, and their offspring evolved into ‘yahoo boys’ and ‘yahoo plus’ scammers. This toxic legacy of bad leadership has spawned a multitude of crises: kidnapping, insurgency, banditry, prostitution, human trafficking, robbery, dilapidated roads, and crippling power outages. The thread of corruption and ineptitude weaves through every aspect of Nigerian life.
From Gowon to Tinubu, it has been a steady descent to the abyss of hunger, diseases, fear, failure and underdevelopment. Our journey in the past 65 years has been bitter and excruciating. The book launch ironically brought together Nigeria’s adversaries to revel in their destructive legacy and entrenched hegemony.
As Nigerians, we’re forced to resign ourselves to fate, sarcastically praying to God not to give us another generation of wasteful leaders.
