#SomberTuesday! The first month of the new year has ended. The elections are almost upon us. Candidates and their proxies make extravagant declarations about their plans to transform Nigeria into a veritable heaven on earth. History shows that these promises may never be fulfilled. Many are even forgotten almost as soon as they are uttered. Our politicians are not famous for being dedicated to fulfilling promises once they become incumbents. They are not even available to the electorate that’s responsible for bringing them into office.
The electorate also must recognize their importance in the political system as civic actors who consistently demand accountability from those they elected. Politicians should embrace public service as a calling that requires sacrificial leadership instead of privileged monopolization of the resources meant for all. Not only must promises be kept, but serious attention must be paid to building a nation where all Nigerians have the opportunity to live to their full potential. Nigeria needs genuine democracy.
We deserve political, economic, and social transformation. Frederick Douglass is right. Power is never conceded without a demand. The masses must demand that their needs are prioritized. In the constant struggle for resources, the masses have to engage in politics as civic actors. They should vote. They should also be involved in the political system throughout the electoral cycle. This means deep involvement, concentrating on the issues, as well as finding and proposing solutions. Civil society should tenaciously insist on accountable government.
Nigeria must create pro-poor coalitions with a long-term outlook and commitment to transforming Nigeria into a great nation. Insecurity should not be normalized. Besides the huge and escalating financial cost, it has become a thriving business for those who derive monetary gains and employment opportunities from the trauma inflicted on fellow citizens. Families of the abducted/kidnapped face the challenges in isolation. Many take huge loans to pay ransoms to kidnappers. Victims, survivors as well as their friends and family also deal with the trauma without any structured psychosocial support.
Internally displaced Nigerians who are victims and survivors of environmental devastation, and manifold conflicts, (from insurgencies to herder-farmer disputes, and ethno-religious struggles) languish in camps that don’t meet their basic human needs, or they depend on the kindness of friends and strangers. It is fortunate that Nigerians are very optimistic people. We must combine our hopefulness with determination to transform our nation in the interest of all our people, and for the benefit of future generations. By doing their jobs with excellence, elected officials can bring the giant of Africa to life. For this to happen, we must create institutions that are fit for purpose and excellent infrastructure.
Nigeria exists in a world that waits for no nation to get its act together. If we want to thrive, we must plan, coordinate, prioritize, and work to rescue our country from the morass of mediocrity. We must be tenacious and unflagging in our determination to create the Nigeria we want. Insecurity, inequality, unemployment, and underemployment, lack of human security and other challenges must end. The EndSARS protesters called on us to recognize that for democracy to thrive, we need good governance, an end to police brutality, impunity, and violence. They were brutally attacked by state security forces. Two years on, #Nigeria must remember a democratic government does not massacre peacefully demonstrating protesters. The #EndSARS protesters at #LekkiTollGate and other locations stood up to be counted. Now it’s time that #NigerianWomenArise #EndPoliceBrutalityinNigeriaNOW #EndSars #EndSWAT #EndImpunity
Now for my broken record repetition of Howard Zinn’s words to underline their importance to Nigerian politics: “Civil disobedience, that’s not our problem. Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while, the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”
Let the kleptocrats give back our stolen wealth so that we can fix our infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and also offer worthwhile social protection to our people.
Let the masses enjoy the full benefits of citizenship in Nigeria. Let the leaders and political class repent and build peace with justice. This is no time for politics as usual. The people elected should be those trusted to bring justice, equity and human security to the entire country, not expedient, unethical, and egocentric individuals determined to dominate for self-aggrandizement or sectional gain. We don’t need oligarchs’ continued domination. We also need a government that puts the interests of majority of citizens first.
Prof. Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome is a professor of political science at Brooklyn College in New York.
