We must hold leaders accountable

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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. We the people of Nigeria must create a precedence to hold our leaders accountable.

Adebayo Raphael

Abuja