Every act in politics is a game. This is one thing the non-initiate hardly know. Forget the shouts, threats, deceptions and the manipulations that often will leave many participants dazed, still it is all about a game. Game of who gains advantage and whose position takes the centre stage. It has always been so, irrespective of the system of government. Since the present government at the centre came on board, we have had the game go on as usual. The difference this time has been in tactics and general approach. Current players are rough riders, they hold the shirts and kick the legs.
Take the anti-corruption crusade for instance. They would rather fight corruption than solving the scourge, so their definition of corruption has limited the «fight» to only those who held public offices. Everyone can tell that under such a climate it is very easy to predict the opposition will be the main target; it has been, and almost decimated. If one was to offer another view, one would say the other has taken so much pumellling they seem punch drunk. Has the malaise been tamed? Quick answer is no; on the roads, offices etc the monster is gaining strength. This is to prove that we are opposite people, we see what is good and necessary yet turn our eyes off them.
The focus today is on the various matches the president has had to play with the National Assembly; in his first tenure the games took place more often and Nigerians were highly entertained. The National Assembly had at the time a very formidable team led by very skilful captains in the persons of Bukola Saraki who was Senate President and Yakubu Dogara who was the Speaker, House of Representatives. During this time most of the matches ended in draws even though members of NASS always left those encounters terribly bruised. Saraki escaped jail by providence. Their wounds are yet to heal. Then came the president›s second term which began in 2019. With the reconfiguration of National Assembly, the matches have continued but we the spectators are not happy because what should have been a real tournament turned out to assume the nature of a friendly game. Two distinquished teams playing compromised games was bound to raise contradictions. They have been doing so to the point that citizens are not very sure where exactly to place the players on both sides.
Is the Executive truly in service of the people? If truly they do would they be doing some things they do capable of worsening our current situation? What is the interest in borrowing? Aren›t they schooled enough to know without productive base a country that goes borrowing puts itself forward for deep sorrowing. If they can›t learn from recent past experiences, are they also incapable of picking lessons from history books? Why is it that the legislature created to provide checks and balances chose to abdicate the responsibility just to be become fellow conspirators in a very deadly game?
Yes the debts are climbing and our economic prospects dimming, nobody seems to care how those borrowed funds would be paid, soon debt service ratio would far surpass provision for capital development, yet we have a legislature that is contented cheering on the Executive. Nepotism has become a national policy and nearly all agree that our country has become more divided today than it ever was, yet those who should help, sit and do nothing substantive but cheer the reckless actions of a misdirected leadership class. What is more painful and highly annoying is the fact we know our troubles, we are aware of the root causes and the appropriate solutions but the irony is when we have opportunities to effect right answers we demure, we change course and go for prescriptions that will further compound our woes.
At independence, the founding fathers voted for federalism. The military found their way to power pushed by ethnic jingoists and they began redesigning the political architecture, to reflect their narrow expectations. They created states for religious, political and even amorous reasons. Today we have a country heavy on recurrent expenditure, a country that would have long collapsed but for oil money. Calls for restructuring have been rebuffed and the alternative they say is constitutional amendment has never seen progress inspite of the many issues trying to do us in and existence of a National Assembly sustained at huge expense to the public.
Crime is rising at geometric rate and life has become the cheapest commodity in the land. A figure from one of the civil society groups says each day 37 persons get killed across the country, yet the legislature, full of egg heads, stays silent and watches leaders in a supposed federal entity insist that democratization of policing is «no option». These legislators stay and watch retrogressive forces tell us in cases of internal upheavals security outweighs political resolutions, nobody asks such fellows what are the underlying factors that promote internal disagreements. We all seem to agree that leadership in our clime has been anything but poor. The leadership recruitment process has been blamed.
Central to it is absence of credible electoral process. The concern has been how to correct the trend. By last count between 1999 when civilians took over from the military and now, it is on record that we had about four revised electoral laws. The efforts continued with the one presented to President Buhari few weeks ago which provided for direct primaries, electronic transfer of election results, electoral offenses, electoral staffing among others. On account of one item, indirect primaries, the President refused to give assent to the bill thereby throwing all the efforts to the dustbin. The act confirmed the people›s worry all the while that this current assembly is moving to end the rubber stamp tag.
None of the reasons the president gave for slapping the legislature with disdain would stand critical scrutiny. President Buhari subjected outcome of the National Assembly to reexamination by agencies and individuals. This is abuse of the highest order. The Independent National Electoral Commission that reviewed the process and put hundreds of billions of naira as cost for conduct of primaries simply acted mischievously. The body was at committee sittings and didn›t tell us so; by accepting to offer a view on the work of the parliament the officials over reached themselves. Till now the electoral body has not told Nigerians primaries do not necessarily have to be in a day and that each state and local government could take their days as the case may be.
Security concerns are already with us and tasking security agents, the answer is not in stalling progress but in finding solutions and having the courage to apply them timeously. If our security set up needs more hands and some think so, employ more, train and put them to work. Buhari told us direct primaries will impinge democracy. Some of us heard that and wondered who put such a point in his mouth. Is massive participation of citizens no longer the crux of democracy? Those who have been called to assist the president must help him to help the country to excel. For now this doesn›t appear to be the situation; they may not know it is hurting the country terribly and causing disgrace to all of us.
The Attorney General of the Federation is not helping his boss to succeed. He gave away his position before he consulted officials of his ministry for a position, his views tallied in every material particular with that of his boss. It is instructive. Some of us don›t think it is helping the image of the the President one bit. Gloating over perceived «failure» by the legislature confirms to the larger public that the much hyped collaborative efforts between the Executive and the Legislature is fake. Things ought not get to the point of public show of wrongs and disappointments since the party that formed government at the centre controls majority in the NASS. The President in addition has a National Assembly liason officer that is supposed to be a go-between. Are things not working? Some of us are really ashamed.
We wait for the compromise edition of the bill. Those who want electronic transfer of results without direct primaries should realise it is the human element that makes a system. If we have principled men and women, the level of trust deficit won›t be and we won›t have need to worry our heads over so many laws on the same subject matter.