The Powers Behind The Throne -By Tony Osakpamwan Agbons

In the day’s yore ascension to leadership position at village, community and township levels were based on age, progenitor, and exceptional acts of bravery or courage.  Time was in the case of the latter, when wise and powerful warriors (men and women of renowned) got the clarion call from their kit and kin to take over the mantle of leadership. It was always a case of ‘who the caps fits, let him wear it’.  Such leaders enjoyed maximum support from the people they led. In turn, those leading gave optimum service to their followers and the led enjoyed the benefits from the ones leading them. A win-win situation often played out.

In our modern world, the scenario above is seldom practicable. The age long monarchy system by progeny is waning. Only a few climes operate absolute monarchy in the world today. Leadership ascension by age (the oldest) is still a very common practice especially in traditional African communities. Each man or woman knows where he or she is on the queue of ascension. When the British Union Jack was lowered on 1st October 1960, and the Green-White-Green flag of Nigeria went up, the hope, aspirations and dreams of an expectant people also went up. Nearly Sixty-one years on, the jury is out on what is turning out to be a monumental failure of unimaginable proportions. Mention a sector – Education, Health, Agriculture, Housing, and Aviation are all inconclusive. We have not been able to achieve uninterrupted electricity or local refining of petroleum products. The latter a God-given commodity. There is no roadmap, no plan nor framework that the aforementioned are changing soon.  Not just the current administration, successive administrations at federal, state, and local government levels have promised so much but delivered `atomic` little. The Nigerian people have been severely punched, beaten and battered to stupor by those who are meant to serve them. Ours has become a stage where the `servers` are the ones been `served`.

Nigeria is facing perhaps one of the most challenging periods of its nationhood. From the South to the North, West and East, and the level of apprehension is heart wrenching.  Engaging in a robust discussion with some politically savvy friends recently, one of them opined that given the sorry and gory state of the country at the moment, even an angel would struggle in the saddle in Nigeria. In his words, “if you like bring Angel Michael or Gabriel, it will still be the same ten and tempest”. The rest of us did laugh it off as a comic relief talk although deep inside of us, we knew that an angelic intervention is highly desired to free our nation from the grip of a demonic political class. Our draconian political class have turned themselves into venomous demi-gods feasting on our commonwealth and psyche of the hapless citizens.

In the realms of the spirit, there is a strong belief in the supernatural. It is a realm where the unmoveable and eternal force of nature hold sway. It is a realm where divine orders and instructions are carried out by creatures with unimaginable powers. These creatures are imbued with abilities and capacity beyond human comprehension. They are endowed with supersonic, spatial, and magnetic powers with which they transverse terrestrial and aquatic environments in a flash. As cosmic beings, they display extraordinary strength beyond human comprehension. The nearest description most of us hold about such high octane powers is the 1978 American superhero movie – Superman. This Krypton being was always on a rescue mission whenever the need arises. Nigeria could well do with some Supermen and women right now. A singular entity certainly would not suffice like in the movie. We need a new species of men and women whose fingers have not been soiled. We need men and women who are prepared to come to equity with clean hands.

Yes, a new breed of men and women with a hybrid DNA of purity, selflessness, sacrifice, and servitude for the common good. How can the Augean stable be cleaned? What moral imperatives are required to decapitate the fangs of wickedness in high and low places plaguing our country? Firstly, in wiping the National slate clean, a new crop of leadership must emerge across the country. This new offspring has to be preceded by a complete mindset reset of the Nigerian people. The Nigerian people who are daily been stabbed by the sword of corruption, insecurity, deception and inept leadership by the current ruling class needs to wake up from sleep and slumber.  Until the ordinary Nigerian realise and understand that sovereignty is theirs, the `satanic political class` will continue to take us for a ride. In this connection, a people’s movement is a sine-qua-non.

Secondly, in galvanising a popular people-centred movement, the animosity ordinary Nigerians have towards one another has to abate. It is often said that ‘a society deserves the kind of leaders it gets’.  Truth be told, our current ruling class are not from Pluto. They are not ghosts! They are flesh and blood like us and live amongst us. Some may argue that it can never be possible to harness and unify ordinary Nigerians for a common cause. Up and until now, that assertion could sell, but not anymore. The current hardship, abject poverty, insecurity, social and economic challenges is a turnaround factor. No single Nigerian on the lower rung of the ladder can deny this fact. The dire situation we are in is as clear as ABCD.

Thirdly, the age long conviction among the Nigerian people that, ‘our election votes don’t count’ must be jettisoned as story for the gods. It is a big lie from the sulphuric pit and gates of hell. It is obvious that our votes during elections do matter, and it counts. Surely it counts! If votes don’t count, why then do politicians buy votes, pay for votes, and go the whole hug of using every available means to coerce and secure votes to win elections. C’mon Nigerian people, forget about that `they will rig the election crap`. Let us use our tongue to count the teeth in our mouth. My vote does count, and your vote do count. Do not be deceived. Our ‘Mumu’ don do!

Fourthly, a major hurdle in our democratic evolution is our party system and candidates’ selection process. Ours is purportedly a multi-party state which has shipwrecked into a bogus 2-party system. The current two heavyweight parties – The All Progressive Congress, APC and the People Democratic Party, PDP consist of ‘cross-pollinated’ membership. We can count on fingertips, politicians who have not criss-crossed either the APC or PDP in last twenty-one years.  These politicians move ‘upandan’ like butterflies from one flower to another. The result has been a lack of defined ideologies by either the APC, PDP, or the other political parties in this dispensation. To further add salt to injury, the two major parties have a process of candidate selection that promotes moneybag politics. In the last Anambra State Governorship elections (like others before it), expression of interests and nomination forms sold for over Twenty million naira per candidate. This is a huge joke. It is true that political parties generate funds from sale of nomination forms in the short term, but long term, such high financial requirements dissuade credible candidates from joining the fray.  How many honest-earning Nigerians can afford to pay over twenty million naira just to pick up expression of interest/nomination forms in these political parties? This method of selling nomination forms to the highest bidder is responsible for the numerous cases of ‘Political Godfatherism’ in our polity.  We all know for sure that ‘he who pays the piper dictates the tune’.  A members-driven political party system is the antidote for the current winner takes all system we practice. Political parties can be run as a collective and members put in monthly contributions as dues. Donors to the parties can also be regulated using appropriate legislations to prevent abuse and hijacked by moneybags.

Finally, it was Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States of America that delivered the all-time classic; “Democracy is government of the people for the people and by the people”. Those evergreen words have remained a moral barometer that has defined the tenets of human freedom, association and nation building not just in America but the world over.  Since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy, the average Nigerian has been inundated with promises of a better life. Hope has turned to hopelessness, despair, frustration, and anger. As the magical year 2023 beckons and permutations cloud the nation, the political hawks are primed to strike again, and the people seem bewildered and disillusioned.  The names of would-be candidates been flown do not engender buzz or excitement. It is same old, same old. Fellow Nigerians, let`s be wise. We cannot keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect to get a different result. This time around, Nigerians across the divide must rally in unity of thought, words, and action to save our country. We must remember that if we relax, sit on the fence, and do nothing, the throne of our nationhood will be ours to lose. The Nigerian people must understand that we are the real power behind the throne. Fact!

Dr Agbons is founder of the Institute of Good Governance