To
the Skeptics of A Buhari Presidency, by Semiu A. Akanmu
“We have seen Okorocha’s policy
framework on education, we have seen Atiku’s on economy, where is Buhari’s?”
asked Tosin, a friend whose referenced -though paraphrased- status update was
apparently influenced by a certain due-diligence-bereft essay written by a
particular Victoria Ohaeri. Well, this essay is not for her!
“Check online, brother. You have
internet, your PC is functioning”.
“I have checked, I could not find any” he
lamented.
At this point, I needed to come to
my brother’s aid. I rummaged the World Wide Web, and fortunately stumbled on
this particular Google-suggested link to Muhammad Buhari’s manifesto on
Abusidiqu.com.
“You have it here, brother”.
After some minutes, he responded:
“I have read it. I will only take all he stated with a pinch of salt. I cannot
afford to be crying again by 2019”.
At this point, I grew tall in sadness.
For a fact, whether literally or metaphorically, Nigerians are crying as a
result of the highest level of gross insensitivity that Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration has attained, within a twinkle of an eye. They voted for the man
who had no shoe, expectedly to be sympathetic to the cause of the masses. On
the contrary, he gives no damn, he does not wear any sense of pity, even as his
governing territory is torn by Boko Haram, he found pleasure in macabre dance
in the name of political campaign, even when hundreds of his citizens, under
his watch, are killed by terrorist’s bomb, he needs to buy new presidential
aircraft, maintains the abysmal ‘kitchen allowance’, even when Naira is going
bearish, even when austerity measures are visited on the masses. He is as
heartless as that. The biblical Nebucadenazeer, as Kongi would say.
So, Tosin’s developed psychological countenance
to hope hung on political participation is understandable. This experience of skepticism
does not occur in isolation. It possesses a causal relationship with abuse of
trust. Organisational theorists and researchers have laboured extensively in
theorizing and empirically testing this relationship and tons of their findings,
out there, support the hypothesis: abuse
of trust causes skepticism.
To Tosins; the skeptics, the army of sincere undecided voters, not the closet Jonathanians, permit me to reproduce what I wrote in one 2013 essay titled “2015:Relating Trust, Cynicism, Skepticism and Resistance to change in understandingNigerians’ disposition”:
“The
essence of the need to campaign tirelessly and do all needful within legality
for the enthronement of APC is much of a trajectory projection. It is to shelve
the havoc that is associated with one party system that Nigeria is unconsciously
turning to. It is to create a healthy political contest where the contenders are
of proportionate numerical strength. This only will actualize an experience of
better governance, even if not genuinely done, but on the basis that the masses
must be impressed, if the ruling party wants her reign maintained”.
This is the mechanical process of
good governance, skepticism or political apathy will not be consequential. It
is natural: The ruling party and the incumbent would only be forced to “give
damn” when it probable that a slight disconnect with the masses is an
invitation to ‘send forth’ in the next general election. An absolute confidence
of winning by the incumbent, an absolute overwhelming strength over other political
parties will only absolutely corrupts public administration and governance, if
we are to adapt Lord Acton’s words.
The 15 years of recklessness,
ineptitude, poverty-inducing economic policies, crony capitalism,
kakisto-lootocracy, shamelessly and unremorsefully championed by Peoples’
Democratic Party (PDP) can correctly be dissected as being caused by the
absence of viable opposition participation, among other factors. This is what
the success of merger that birthed All Progressive Party (APC) is expected to
cure. It is one out of the needed conditions to attain good governance; it is
significantly instrumental, as attaining competitive advantage by the political
parties will result in masses' plight sensitivity. Needless to say, this is the
very reason why APC must be tested at the centre. It is illogical to crucify
APC based on assumption, and rationalise PDP’s highhandedness, despite hard
facts.
Aside the incomparable credentials
(integrity, proven responsive leadership, financial prudence, just but a few)
of Buhari-Osibajo to Jonathan-Sambo, supporting the building of a strong
opposition, the strengthening of our public institutions and raising the
consciousness of civic nationalism must be understood as the triadic support of
public governance reform. Masses-centred public service deliverables are never
products of our spiritual gymnastics in Mounts of Fire or the Asalatus. It
takes sophisticated electorates, and proportionally strong contending political
parties to set the mechanical process of good governance into motion.
APC’s government at the centre
will definitely outperform PDP’s, if not for any other reason; it will be for
the purpose of avoiding being voted out in the subsequent election.
