Of oil thieves, deceit and governance in Nigeria

To put it as mildly as possible, the quantum of deceit ordinary Nigerians are being fed by our political leaders is choking. It is just like our only food staple. Deceit is in such supply that the helpless people at its receiving end can only look in total perplexity. Living in a country shouldn’t be so complicated. Those playing on that turf talk about “the perplexities of international relations” but in Nigeria, the perplexities of being a Nigerian and living in the country are quite absorbing. Living in Nigeria throws up so many challenges that are even more puzzling than the vagaries of international relations.

Our country is still in a kind of quandary in which it had been as a result of past leadership failures. This is even more true when we consider the worsening security situation in key parts of the country; the crippling economic conditions under which Nigerians operate their daily life and the infrastructural decay that has become the hallmark of most towns in many Nigerian states. Some other micro constituents of a healthy nation are also in short supply here. There is a three-pronged trust deficit in the country. Nigerians do not trust the government and hardly believe the government means well, even when it posts its best intentions. Nigerians also do not trust their compatriots and, thirdly, trust issues among Nigerians manifest more and become really pronounced when tribe and tongue come into the mix. The third leg of the mistrust tripod became stronger, more noticeable and dangerous during the administration of Muhammadu Buhari.

Yes, it is not only in Nigeria or other countries in our league that the people lack trust in the politicians. They are all dyed in the same pit. A lot was said about politicians in the days of yore. Philosophers and sages had also warned us to be wary about them. Some of the best references about poorly governed countries, over the centuries, are not from Nigeria. However, those other countries with which we compare Nigeria are no longer burdened with the kind of shenanigans that we face in Nigeria nearly everyday. It can be argued that nowadays, governance in Nigeria is not principally determined by laws, policies, collegial thoughts and logic but by the wishes, desires, whims and caprices of the man in charge. Look around you and tell, in truth if, indeed, governance tallies with law, policy, logic and in some cases, popular wishes. It’s not in doubt that some of the people around a chief executive might perpetrate unwholesome activities and leave a mess for the chief executive. It is the chief executive that owns the glory and the shame, whichever one he chooses.

For instance, a local government chairman in one of the South West states was in an interactive session with media practitioners recently. He was happy to have journalists around to talk about his achievements as the council boss. He rattled the room with his long, enthusiastic explanations of his local government’s actions and sundry goodies. His lips were like the painter’s brush, moving in measured masterful strokes to paint a picture of beauty of an achieving administration. By his account, all is well with the local government system in his state and in addition to that, the governor on the throne at that time was the reason their bread was buttered at the Local Government Council. Then, the question came: “Why doesn’t the local government system run as it used to in the first and second republics? Why are there cries that local governments should be rescued from the stifling grip of state governors? Why are we amending the constitution to get the local government system off their stranglehold and help it get back on its feet?” These questions were outside the script the chairman had and his uncomfortable shifts in his chair suggested that he was not expecting such questions – and in that barrage. However, he was old enough to remember the many good things a functional local council did in governance of this country. The local government was a strong component of government in Nigeria’s recent past, and the country was the better for it. Now, deceit at that tier of government is unnerving. That chairman too knows it.

The awe-inspiring way through which relevant security agencies in Nigeria secure our oil facilities is worthy of commendation. There is no need for any kind of disapproval of their activities in that necropolis of sanity because we ‘bloody civilians’ do not know exactly what they are doing. And how true this is! We lack the knowledge of what our gallant military and paramilitary personnel are doing out there in the murky, oily waters of the Niger Delta; and in the delta’s gangling mangrove swamps and winding creeks. However, we wished that we knew what they were doing, learned more and understood better. As a layman without any schooling in issues of territorial, littoral or facility security, it is baffling that my common sense keeps hammering on the question: WHY? Why will you arrest a thief and all you do is set the loot recovered from the thief ablaze? Why will you not tell what the thief looks like? Why will you just burn recovered cargo said to be worth millions of dollars without looking up or down on a second thought? The environmental impact of that burning, the waste we ‘the foolish’ think it amounts to and our drool at the arrant destruction of evidence all keep our ‘empty heads’ ringing in awe! Why? As much as we have admitted our ignorance in this matter, we are not convinced that the NNPCL, the security agencies and the government are not deceiving us. We might know nothing about security but we sure recognise the difference between a mere look and when the eyes speak insult.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s unfortunate health situation is another issue that has degenerated into confusion, deceit and plain treachery. Some would contend that making the governor’s health a personal topic is improper, but going by the oath of office sworn to by governors, it has turned to a matter for public debate. That oath he swore to has taken away that opportunity to not tell his citizens what is going on with him because his personal affair has affected proper governance of the state. It’s a misnomer that the governor would be away to take care of his health and while at it, the entire state would be at a standstill. Millions of Ondo State citizens are not sure where their governor is, nor are they aware of what exactly is going on with their Number One citizen. It’s pure chicanery on the part of those shielding the truth and expecting the people to just follow sheepishly without asking questions. It is also another level of deceit to assume that all is well in the Ondo State political circles because the deputy governor is acting in the governor’s stead. Nigeria should have grown beyond this unhelpful shielding.