S.O.S ALIEME

Nigeria is a heterogeneous nation which is a conglomeration of diverse ethnic groups that possess distinctive social beliefs and expressions.   In a multi-ethno-cultural state like Nigeria, true nation building processes geared towards national integration, unity and development of the country should be given a primary concern by the political leaders in order to facilitate socio-political and economic development.

The colonial rulers did not see this as their primary objective but rather the exploitation of Nigeria and her immense resources. They did not lay any sound base and foundation upon which the new state Nigeria could build upon. Rather than embarking on genuine efforts that could prepare the people to feel a higher loyalty transcending tribes and region, their policies fuelled tribalism. Thus at independence, Nigeria was an uneasy federation of three regions characterized by ethnic chauvinism and cultural diversities. 

Be that as it may, the political elites that arose after independence ought to have been genuinely committed to the tasks of truly welding the different groups together in order to achieve a smooth nation building process and enhance national integration and development in Nigeria.

Leadership is the exercise of power or influence in social collectivities such as groups, organizations, communities, or nations. This implies that the political leaders must be able to carry along the followers in building the nation, thereby ensuring a responsive and responsible leadership which can only be achieved through a democratization of the political process. The stability of social systems depends on acceptance by followers of the right of leaders to exercise control. The relationship of leadership arises only where a group follows an individual from free choice and not under command or coercion and, secondly, not in response to blind drives but on positive and more or less rational grounds.  

It is clear from the foregoing that our leaders fall short of the above requirements as they were neither responsible nor accountable to the followers.  Even, the civilian leaders who came to office through dubious means, such as rigging of elections lacked the prescriptions. No wonder that leadership within the context of Nigeria’s peculiar political economy could not perform the necessary leadership functions as regards engendering true nation building, integration, unity and development in Nigeria. The circumstances of our history have conspired to produce an elite which cannot function because it has no sense of identity or integrity and no confidence, does not know where it is coming from or where it is going.

A leader who commands respect and gains nationwide acceptance from the different ethnic groups and regions of the country can be regarded as a national leader. The problems generated by the ethnically heated polity of the first republic were instrumental in bringing in the military into the political arena in 1966.

Again, ethnicity reared its ugly head during the military dispensation and eventually plunged the nation into an avoidable civil war of three agonizing years (1967-1970), which led to mass destruction of lives and properties. There was not much difference between the second republic and the first republic as political parties also emerged mainly along ethnic and regional lines. The truncated third republic was a bit better than the first two republics, perhaps due to the formation and imposition of two political parties on the nation.

Corruption of Nigerian political leaders and mismanagement of material and human resources had contributed to Nigeria’s litany of woes. The leadership had become incorrigibly corrupt as the concept of ‘chop politics’ was popularized to the detriment and stagnation of national development. The situation was worse during the second republic as representatives of the government looted the state treasury with fat bank accounts in foreign land while extravagant spending continued unhindered. 

Lackadaisical attitudes have also been exhibited by the leaders towards the future development of the nation in terms of human resources as buttressed by the fact that many libraries, laboratories and teaching hospitals in the ivory tower are devoid of the necessary books, equipment and other materials with which to work. This portends grave implications on the future of the country.

Closely related to the above problem of corruption and mismanagement of resources, is lack of proper accountability on the part of Nigerian political leaders. The civilian leaders that are elected by the people, lack proper accountability to the latter as many of the leaders had refused to declare their assets while in office, which had encouraged them to be entangled in corruption cases. Crushing economic depression which manifested in high cost of living, poverty, mass unemployment and dissatisfaction among the citizenry and Nigeria’s huge external debts is another challenge that confronts Nigerian leaders.

Cost of living is very high in the nation; no wonder that the government workers always agitated for increase in their salaries and allowances, which the government had not seriously attended to. Many graduates from the nation’s tertiary institutions are jobless, moving along the streets of Nigeria searching for jobs that are not there.

More so, majority of the people are in the state of abject penury and mass dissatisfaction and could not see any dividends of democracy accrued to them. There is no gainsaying the fact that responsive and responsible leadership can only be attained through the democratization of the political process; more so, that military rule has become an aberration in the world politics.

There is the need to learn from History. It is high time we learnt from our past mistakes and move forward. Not until we see History as a bridge between what was (the past), what is (the present), and what should be (the future), true stability, progress and development will continue to elude the Nigerian nation, while genuine nation building will remain an illusion or a mirage. Leadership should not be imposed or manipulated upon the people. Only popular leaders that are given such mandate by the electorates should be allowed to hold political or public offices. Adhering to this will go a long way in contributing to democratic consolidation in the country. Thus ethnic sentiments, sycophancy, bribery, rigging of elections and vandalism should be jettisoned to enhance fairness in elections which can only be attained through determination of contestants as well as the people to obey the rules of right behavior in elections. There must be a re-orientation of both leaders and followers in Nigeria. Leaders must not only be willing to lead, they must be prepared to serve, give initiative and exemplary leadership and motivate the citizenry collectively to greater heights. While followers must not only give unalloyed loyalty and support to leaders but must also see the task of nation building as a collective one; thus emphasizing the display of high sense of patriotism on the part of both leaders and followers, in order to move the nation forward.

God Bless Nigeria!!!