Who Chatham House ‘epp?

Recently, there has been a spate of Nigerian political leaders giving speeches at Chatham House in the UK. 

This last Wednesday, the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Nnia Nwodo, gave a lecture there on the restructuring of Nigeria. The audience was largely made up of Nigerians living in the UK. Indeed, the occasion was chaired by a Nigerian, the Editor of African Business Magazine, Lanre Akinola.

The Thursday before, Chatham House had hosted another prominent Nigerian in the person of the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, who also gave a lecture on the same topic, the restructuring of Nigeria. 

It would be recalled that in 2015, the then candidate for the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari, faced protest from people who were opposed to his candidacy, when he gave a speech at the same Chatham House.

According to its website, Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent policy institute based in London. Asides politicians, it has hosted various prominent Nigerians including Mairo Mandara of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Seun Onigbinde of BudgIT, among many others.

One would think for an issue as serious as how to restructure Nigeria and reposition it for true progress, especially during this period of mass discontent and in the face of threats of secession and insurgency, the venue of any debate or lecture would be in Nigeria itself.

Why do our leaders seek validation in foreign places and not at home?

There are similar institutes here in Nigeria such as the Yar’Adua Institute in Abuja, and The Platform in Lagos. Why not make such speeches there where Nigerians who live in Nigeria and are therefore directly affected by our leaders’ policies (or lack therefore) can benefit from their perceived wisdom?

Speaking on wisdom, why is it that it is only when they speak abroad that our leaders suddenly have big ideas and even bigger notions on how to solve the nation’s problems?

The irony of all of this is that inasmuch as Nigerian and other African leaders continue to pander to the West seeking validation for their mishaps, the West and its media’s views of our leaders remain uncompromising. Our leaders are often portrayed as corrupt despots not only in the mainstream Western press, but also in their movies.

On the other hand, we for whom their actions count most are often treated with derision not just by the way they tend to overlook our contributions and views on important issues on topics as important as how to restructure our country for everyone’s progress, but also how they choose to portray us to the West.

Remember when Buhari said Nigerians are fantastically corrupt? He said it in London. How do statements like this improve the image of the country he has sworn to serve, or even his own image as leader loyal to his people and with their best interests at heart?

Why do we insist on continuing in this colonial mentality of pleasing our former masters at the detriment of our own people?

To restructure Nigeria, we do not need long speech or lectures in foreign lands. What we need are better, patriotic and self-sacrificing leaders with clear focus and a sound idea of those for whom their actions matter.

Like we say in Nigeria, who Chatham House help?

Fidelis is the Chairman of Daily Times of Nigeria.