NIGERIA: Republic or Criminal Paradise?

When you look at the way Nigerian politicians behave, their audacity, sense of entitlement and hubristic attitude that has nothing but contempt for the opposition and people, you would think that Nigeria is either an aristocracy or a monarchy.

But Nigeria is a republic and not an aristocracy or monarchy. Therefore, the duty of her government must be first and foremost to the people and not to Ezes, Obas, Emirs, kings, ex-military coup plotters and dictators and party leaders.

The first duty of a republican government is to defend the rights of the citizens from whom it derives its power and ensure that crimes are investigated and those responsible brought to justice, no matter their position in the society.

This is the single most important ingredient lacking in the Nigeria soup and which must be added to make it taste like a democracy.

A responsive government aware of its obligations to the people will not pander to party leaders, traditional rulers and ex military chiefs at the expense of the people. It will not seek to bribe interest groups in the hope that they would keep the people from revolting against their excesses.

A people aware of their duty and rights, would question the source of sudden wealth and ensure that those whose duty it is to police the treasury are not taking more than their fair share. This is how a democracy is supposed to operate.

Therefore, the pandering of politicians to select group of people, chiefs, traditional rules and self appointed community leaders, instead of engaging directly with the people, says something sinister about the conception of politicians, in a representative democracy.

The business of government in a republic, should be the welfare and rights of the people and, whenever a republic fails to prioritise the interest and welfare of the people such a government has failed and such a country cannot claim to be a republic, in the true sense and meaning of the word.

Educating Nigerians to understand that the government is established to serve them and that they should be vigilant to know, when those in power are misusing their power for selfish ends is their civic duty in a democracy should be part of change.

The failure of the Jonathan’s administration to build a civil society united under common values and interests is responsible for the present fraud, force and contrivance, when all it needed to do is affirm that all men are created equal with equal rights and ensure that all are treated fairly and the law respects neither riches nor position.

If the revelations in the last few days are anything to go by, Nigeria has just entered her dark ages and no one knows, when the nightmare would end. The existence of an insurgency, which gets its arms from the same people who supply the government they are fighting, and significant number of people who share their ideology, but not their method or tactics is any country’s worst nightmare.

The current reality in Nigeria has created a win – win situation for the arm manufactures, which are supplying both the Nigerian government and Boko Haram. On top of it, foreign armies are paid to fight Nigeria’s war, for the simple reason that successive governments, afraid of military coups, have underdeveloped and underfunded the military and millionaire generals stole whatever remains.

The lesson of the relationship between America, Pakistan’s army and the Talibans shows how an army sustains an insurgency to keep the money flowing.

Some years ago, when I wrote ‘Nigeria wake up hell has come home’ I did not know that the disaster would be as bad as it is. I did not know that the government would stand by and watch Boko Haram slaughter innocent children, pregnant women and helpless elderly people.

I have wondered why black people and Arabs have not asked themselves, why is it only in their region that differences are often settled by war. Why do they easily resort to violence to settle differences amongst themselves, while Caucasians talk first and then resort to war, when all fails?

Well, it well be because in many African and Arab countries, leaders behave like Jonathan, Obasanjo, Babangida, Museveni, Mugabe, Buhari, Zuma , Gadaffi and many like, Femi Fani-Kayode, Ahmed Tinubu and Theodore Orji, line up to cheer them.

When will hope return to Nigeria? When will the years of cankerworm end? Maybe, Nigerians should ask not when a democratic leader will emerge, but when they would take up their responsibilities of democrats. Change will come to Nigeria, when Nigerian leaders are promised the inflexible and the fixed certainty of retribution for wrongs.