By Adebayo Raphael
Fellow Nigerians,
There
is a saying in Nigeria that when you have a behemoth ahead of you, you
fight it; when the behemoth is behind you, you face it and fight it,
too; but when you are alone, you must rethink your strategy.
For
a country endowed with immense human and natural resources like
Nigeria, fifty-eight years is too long a time to be plagued by lack of
basic amenities and leaders who are primarily driven by self-greed than
they are common good.
It
is almost a commonplace assertion that when leaders fail to provide
solutions, they are unworthy of their appellation. The trend of failure
in leadership in Nigeria has been emblematic of betrayal, incompetence,
and executive dereliction. The decades-long demonstration of goodwill
and selflessness by we the people of Nigeria have brought us nothing but
brutal betrayal of faith and trust by political leaders. By engaging in
dereliction of political obligation, leaders in high and low chambers
of power have remorselessly sabotaged our commonwealth. Now we are at
the precipice of the Rubicon River and, we have the option to either
return to the manacles of executive lawlessness and political slavery or
press on to reclaim our collective wealth. For there is no better way
to demonstrate patriotism than to pursue a cause in which the common man
may derive fulfillment.
Suffice it to say, peace and development are mere words where injustice, tyranny, and anarchy reigns.
Since
the beginning of the Fourth Republic on 29 May 1999, politics in
Nigeria has been a one-sided affair. Rather than politics of inclusion,
what has been in vogue is the politics of deception and oppression. And
when deception goes on for too long, in a particular society, it becomes
the norm. Whereas oppression is easily noticeable, deception is not.
And when oppression goes on for too long, the people, out of fear or
personal benefit, become mute and numb. The greater good, for which
leaders are democratically elected, is often relegated for self-good
when the people fail to hold leaders accountable.
Again,
it is often deliberate, when leaders neglect their political obligation
and democratically practice dictatorship, and sufficiently preoccupy
the people with inanities and frustration, while they loot and plunder,
as we have seen in recent times. This Machiavellian style of leadership
has been more evident in Nigeria's polity than not. The cycle is a
vicious one that derails governance completely.
As
heart-breaking as this may seem, what is perhaps more strikingly
begging attention is the pervasive non-resistance from the most critical
and most affected divide between the two parties in question - we the
people. Suffice it to say, that there are two parties in Nigeria; we the
people on the one hand, and the politicians on the other. While we the
people are law-abiding, the politicians are not. While we the people are
honest in our dealings, the politicians are not. While we the people
are desirous of the greater good, the politicians are not. While we the
people are patriots primarily concerned with the common good, the
politicians are not. And when in a union, a party is dishonorable in its
conduct, the purpose of such union is often defeated, easily. It is,
however, the responsibility of the party which is more honorable in such
union to visit upon the dishonorable other, a sanction for betrayal.
To
be exact, the process through which a leader emerges in a democratic
society is enabled by the collective will of the two parties earlier
mentioned, to be so committed. But it is important to note, that we the
people have all the aces at this initial stage of the union; to either
vote for the politicians or not. For it is a great sacrifice and
unparalleled display of courage, that we the people are yielding our
natural right to govern, to a person or persons, who will represent and
protect our collective interest, while we remain law-abiding, and
perform our social and civic obligations.
It
is also important to note, that a contract is born, at the point where
both parties pledge their absolute commitments to the union. This
contract is also called a social contract. For it is indeed a social
contract when we the people commit ourselves to the process of
democratically electing a leader or leaders, who in exchange for our
votes, bring prosperity, development, and peace to our society, ensuring
that not some, but all of us, are beneficiaries of good governance.
However, I must emphasize that social contracts are born to protect the
interest of the parties involved. When one party fails to honor the deed
of the social contract, it is incumbent on the other party to the
contract to visit consequences upon the one who first broke the
contract. In our case, we the people of Nigeria have the supreme power
in a social contract, at any point in a democratic space; whether
before, during, or after an election, so long as we remain honest to our
obligations in the contract.
To
be clear, when for instance, a party seeking a contract before election
promises to create three million jobs per year and generate, transmit
and distribute at least 20, 000MW of electricity within four years; Ban
all government officials from seeking medical care abroad; State and
community policing, public declaration of assets and liabilities, among
other vain promises, and fails to honor these promises after election
into office, it behooves the other party to such contract, in this case -
the people, to effectuate mass public disobedience throughout the
tenure of such party in power until he either concedes to the people or,
if he remains arrogantly defiant in power whilst his honor and
integrity is shredding away, be punished by means of denial to cast a
vote for him during a re-election bid.
It
is also important to note that a social contract between the people and
politicians is a critical tool to dissuade and eradicate corruption and
boost moral integrity in our electoral process. The politics of
stomach-infrastructure is endemic in Nigeria's electoral process, so
much so that it permeates every nook and cranny of the polity. This
ignoble tradition is harmful to our collective moral integrity. It
threatens collective reasoning, stifles development, and empowers
corruption on a mass scale. However, if we must demand a social
contract, we must do so with absolute honesty and emulous morality. It
is simply hypocritical, to demand a standard to which one stands aloof,
from others.
It
must be emphasized, however, that the primary importance of a social
contract is to define mutual obligations between we the people and the
politicians. It is to enhance the ideals of rationalism and criticism.
For he is a dunce, he who enters a contract without the intention of
demanding accountability when his counterpart defaults dishonorably.
Again, when we the people demand a social contract before voting any
politician, we create a room for accountable democracy in our polity.
Nevertheless, it is not enough to demand a social contract before an
election and return to sleep afterward. For slumber enables
non-resistance, which ultimately encourages misrule in governance. For
it is human nature, to be selfish and unaccountable when there are no
checks and balances.
As
recently seen with Park Geun-Hye of South Korea, Robert Mugabe of
Zimbabwe, and even Jacob Zuma of South Africa; corruption thrives easily
in an environment where the people fail to ask questions. The
collective will of the people is ultimate and unassailable.
In
conclusion, therefore, I must emphasize that the responsibility of we
the people is to act as the ultimate watchdog in a social contract.
Politicians cannot be trusted. However, we stand a better chance at good
governance when we demand a social contract than not. For there is a
similitude between a social contract for the common man and a soccer
team captain. In a common man contract, a politician is democratically
elected through a collective will of the people to give up their right
to govern, for the politician to deliver good and accountable governance
for all. Likewise in a soccer team, a captain is chosen to represent
the common interest of the team and demonstrate capacity by gingering
the team to win. However, when a team captain is sluggish and dull, he
gets replaced quickly. In the same vein, we the people of Nigeria must
create a precedence to hold our leaders accountable by joining the
OurMumuDonDo Movement to propagate the significance of demanding a
social contract from politicians especially as the 2019 general election
is fast upon us.
Our Mumu Don Do!
Adebayo
Raphael is the National Secretary of OurMumuDonDo Movement. He writes
from Abuja and can be reached via Twitter (@adebayoraph) or email
(Raphaeladebayo@ymail.com).
