Season of excuses, lamentations, denials and inconclusiveness

2015 was probably our own critical juncture, a term popularized by Acemoglu and Robinson (Why Nations Fail, 2012). The unceremonious collapse of PDP, 44 years before the proclaimed 60 years, the acceptance of opposition defeat by an incumbent, the formation and apparent success of a rag-tag coalition, (APC) through a hand-shake between the west and the north (as they did during the civil war) and the ascendance of PMB to the presidency in the 4th attempt, were enough to qualify 2015 as our own critical juncture. Critical junctures like the fall of Berlin Wall or collapse of Apartheid are cataclysmic events that create new opportunities for countries to chart new courses.

However, the outcomes are influenced by the weight of history, and existing political and economic institutions. In Nigeria, rather than the Iron Law of Oligarchy (despotic regimes being replaced by an extreme brand of despotic wickedness), it appears that we have the clueless law of politics.

A supposedly clueless government is replaced by a certainly more clueless ruler-ship, ineptoctacy, do it yourself administration and one ‘building monuments of nothingness’. They promised change unlimited, we accepted, but since 30/5/15, we have been fed a sour diet of excuses, lamentations, blame-trading, inconclusiveness, and denials.

PMB has lamented about his old age, empty treasury, lack of saints to form his cabinet, a rotten system from the GEJ years and just recently, he blamed God for making him a president. He has blamed GEJ for everything (including his travelmania and global demarketing campaigns). He has also blamed the budget mafia, judiciary, rule of law and due process, GEJ appointees, and saboteurs, as the reason for his non-performance. Along the line, he has become the foreign minister and junketer-in-chief, (spending about $1m per trip) He is not a Christian but surely, he reads the book of Lamentations. I hope this Chinese proverb, he who blames others still have a long way to go; he who blames himself is halfway there; he who blames nobody has arrived. I also want Benjamin Franklin to remind him that he that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.

The present government so pursued Dasuki that I thought it was their primary essence. And when they caught him we entered the era of denials! Because of  Dasuki’s experience and the prevalent climate of fear, everybody denied ever having heard of the D name, knowing him or receiving a dime from him. Those who denied ever knowing Dasuki, or collecting any kobo included Ribadu, Odili and PMB himself denying  ever receiving $300,000 or N850m directly or indirectly. Sylva denied ever being at loggerheads with PMB. The loquacious Emir Sanusi denied ever giving N40bn to PDP, while Amaechi denied ever taking bribes.

Then the mega denials came on: APC started denying its documented promises including the very popular 100 day covenant with Nigerians, 40,000 megawats and the office of first lady which was denied by action! Even the subsidy matter was denied severally.
A new term has also been introduced into our political and governance lexicon: inconclusiveness and Kogi state is the poster boy. The governorship election in that small state, was inconclusive; the swearing in of the governor was inconclusive (no deputy), the senatorial bye-election of 20/2/16 was inconclusive and even the impeachment of the speaker was also inconclusive.

The disease then moved to Bayelsa,( Ijaw-South) then to Abia(Abia-North) and is now threatening to overwhelm every aspect of our national life. Mrs Saraki’s investigation, the trial of Saraki, Ekweremmadu, Dasuki and Kanu are all inconclusive and so is Amaechi’s case against his probe by the Rivers State Government. And while the PDP campaign funding is being probed, that of APC is a no-go area!

The N5000 ‘dash’ to unemployed graduates has been denied, modified and rejected, mired in grammar and technicalities and that is while the billboards pronouncing that very promise dot the distressed Nigerian landscape.  But the greatest proof of inconclusiveness is that after  10 months of chanji, not a single person has been convicted in the war against corruption and PMB who declared that Abacha never stole a dime is now harassing people about Abacha loot! Buhari’s WASC certificate, health condition, and asset declaration or even the sale of the presidential jets is all inconclusive. They promised inclusiveness; they offered inconclusiveness.

The December 31 deadline for routing Boko Haram is not just inconclusive; it has become something else.
All this has shown that talk is cheap and that there is a wide gulf between criticism, propaganda-based politics and hard-core governance. And when we have chanji without change or chains for change I still ask: have we entered a one-chance bus?
Ik Muo (PhD) is of the Department of Business Administration, OOU, Ago-Iwoye