Restoring Faith In Nigeria’s Democracy: New Paths to Guaranteed Outcomes (2)

OUTSIDE THE BOX BY ALEX OTTI: Email: alexotti@thisdaylive.com

Agreed that things have gone from bad to worse in the last few years, we must, however, guard against the dangers of letting the discontent from past encounters and experiences determine our response to the challenges and opportunities of today. If we remain lethargic because of the disappointments and frustrations of the past, the future will become clearly endangered because the patterns of the old will keep recurring. We shall simply be running round in circle, in the false hope that one mighty man will step in mysteriously to decree all our problems away. Sadly, there is no such thing. Evidence from the recent past has amply demonstrated that apathy occasioned by waves of excitement and disillusionment will never get us out of the woods.

One major responsibility the present generation of young leaders must immediately undertake is to tackle the scourge of ignorance amongst their peers. Ignorance has become a major industry in Nigeria. The industry prospers because it profits many, especially crooked politicians and their allies in the traditional and new media platforms who spread falsehoods and half information to hoodwink the gullible. For the new generation of young conscientious leaders, your duty in this regard is in two folds: one, attack the lies frontally and secondly, educate your audience by sharing what you know to be true, with quality references and sources when they are available. 

Young Nigerians at home and in the diaspora have very decisive roles to play in the very important task of redeeming Nigeria from the political and sundry forces holding it hostage. This is where I have to pause to appreciate our brothers and sisters in the diaspora for the generous remittances that have become the economic backbone of several families and communities. Our situation could have been a lot worse but for your consistent support to kith and kin. I am also very impressed with the development initiatives many of you are driving in your individual communities including water projects, and the renovation of schools and health facilities. Our debt of gratitude to you is infinite for not forgetting home. You have become important role models to our children on account of your excellence, industry and the support you give to worthy causes in our fatherland. Let me encourage you to talk to your friends and relatives to take civil and political education very seriously. One great discovery for me in the last two decades of participating and following the nation’s democratic journey is that one does not have to be a professor to know the connection between political choices and economic realities. Electing and supporting poor decisions by leaders for reasons of primordial sentiments account largely for our present socio-economic nightmare. If we desire a different outcome in the future, the implication is that we have to encourage everyone around us to look past religious and ethnic affiliations when next we make political interventions, or head to the ballots. Many of you had to abandon the lives you built for several decades to travel overseas to start afresh because the uncertainties in our country are in sharp contrast with your personal and professional dreams. This trend began at a point in the last decade and you cannot divorce what happened then, and what is happening presently, from politics and abuse of our democratic privileges.

The question that naturally follows is: what shall we do? Resign to fate? As tempting as that may be after so many years of false starts and disappointments, I am obligated to advise against that because posterity will judge us harshly if we stop fighting for democracy and the country we all love. We have to continue lending our voices to issues around governance and the decisions related thereto. It is our sacred duty as patriots to hold our leaders accountable, ask questions where we have to, and never let our voices be drowned by the dishonest narratives of persons with entrenched interests. As individuals who have good albeit untested ideas of how things can work or should work, I would encourage us to keep engaging because clearly, Nigeria deserves much better than what is currently being offered.

Why, for example, can we not have Nigerians in the diaspora vote in our general elections? What exactly are we afraid of? If smaller African nations have provisions that allow their diaspora population to vote, how then can anyone justify excluding millions of Nigerians from the electoral process just because they are living overseas? Are we saying that it is OK to remit billions in pounds and dollars annually but the individuals who make these remittances are not allowed to vote in our national elections just because they are not within the geographical boundaries of Nigeria? If Kenya, and about 114 other countries around the world, have been able to get it right on diaspora voting, I see no reason for the continued exclusion of our brothers and sisters studying, working or running legitimate businesses overseas from the voting process.

How will diaspora voting help Nigeria? One, it will likely elevate standards in the conduct of elections because more than ever, the eyes of the world would be on us. Moreso, it will force our politicians to realise that the regular bread and butter issues will no longer impress an important voting bloc. Furthermore, it will cause the diaspora community to follow developments in the political space at home more closely than they ever did so as to make an informed voting choice. The crux of the matter is that we must all get involved.

The modest progress we have recorded in Abia in the last 17 months could not have happened without the direct involvement of accomplished professionals at home and in the diaspora who got around to say enough is enough. We did not just restrict ourselves to the fringes but threw our hats in the rings, vowing to fight till the end. For us, and I am talking of millions of Abians, wealthy or not, the educated and unschooled, rescuing Abia from the ruination caused by the old political order was a sacred assignment for which we were prepared to give everything. We were able to mobilise Abia professionals, the Abia diaspora community, artisans, civil servants, religious and community leaders, and several other stakeholder groups to join the struggle because our future as a people depended on it. There was no distinction between those with political experience and those who had never voted for the first time, everyone was required to do what they needed to do. It was a long-drawn battle but no sacrifice was too much to make for the State that we love so dearly. Our opponents were very relentless and threw everything at us — raw forms of violence, lies and distortions, campaign of calumny, and of course, using state resources to prosecute their individual political battles. To their shock, we refused to throw in the towel; even after they stole our mandate in 2015, we remained resolute, tried again in 2019 and in 2023 till it became clear to them that they could not fight the will of Ndi Abia forever. They quietly surrendered but expectedly are still lurking in the background. Unfortunately for them, Ndi Abia, having had a taste of quality governance, will not likely look the way of the group that failed in the execution of the most basic responsibilities of governance such as regular payment of salaries and pensions, management of household and industrial wastes in the urban centres, and maintenance of public roads. I cannot predict human behaviour very accurately but it would be strange if civil servants or pensioners look favourably to the same group that deliberately starved and sent many of their colleagues and family members to their untimely graves. Millions of people will also be shocked if the residents and business owners along Port Harcourt Road in Aba pay any attention to whatever our opponents will say now or in the future. From Umuahia to Arochukwu, Isuikwuato to Umunneochi, Ugwunagbo to Ukwa, we have left very important footprints that will make it difficult for our opponents to gain political foothold in any of the communities ever again.

Even when we do not agree with everything our opponents say, we are also constantly paying attention to learn from their criticisms and do better for the people. We welcome ideas from everyone irrespective of their political leanings and evaluate them on their merit. The State belongs to all of us and those who have shown capacity to deliver in certain critical areas are brought on board, not minding where they lean on the political spectrum. We have gone to major institutions of the world to recruit talents to help drive our vision because we just want to deliver on the key promises that won us the confidence of the voters. Our position is that the only way to win in the political game is to serve the people by utilising public resources prudently. We are determined to effectively tackle the menace of poverty and unemployment in all parts of the State. Our infrastructure restoration agenda is generally designed to open up the economy of the State to attract investors who will take advantage of our enormous population of skilled and industrious population, large markets and the abundance of very important raw materials to set up their businesses in the State. We are also keen to support individuals dreaming of a career in entrepreneurship. 10,000 persons, mostly women and young people, from all the communities in the State recently benefitted from the first phase of our Cooperative Support Initiative where we gave out a N1 billion interest-free loans to support those seeking to build or expand their businesses. Mechanisms have also been put in place to monitor the application of the funds and also identify those who shall qualify to receive other business incentives from the State Government and its partners. We are steadily improving on the State’s ease-of-doing-business position.

On assumption of office, it was established that several communities in Umunneochi and Isuikwuto LGAs were firmly under the control of different criminal groups, mostly violent gangs. Recall that right at the inauguration podium, we served quit notice to criminal elements in the State to quickly vacate because we were determined to deal decisively with them. We did not just stop at making announcements. We followed up by setting a joint taskforce codenamed “Operation Crush” with personnel drawn from all the security formations in the country. Their mandate was simple: go after the criminals and flush them out of our State. It was not an easy exercise but I can assure you that in the communities where kidnapping, armed robbery and attack on farmers had become routine events prior to our assumption of office, order has been restored and people now go about their legitimate businesses without fear. Why are we committing extensive resources to rebuild infrastructure, clean up our major cities and improve security? Simple: we want to make a statement that things can work.

For things to work, we have to be encouraged by the heroic deeds of our ancestors who boldly challenged colonial occupiers to secure our political freedom, and the sacrifices of those who paid the price for the restoration of democracy including Chief M. K. O. Abiola, his wife Kudirat, and dozens of others who gave their all that democracy may blossom. This present generation can follow in their brave footsteps by rejecting the status quo and coming together to build a country that answers to the aspiration of the citizens, irrespective of their social and economic realities. Thankfully, democracy provides us a robust vehicle to achieve this transformational outcome.

We cannot salvage Nigeria through docility or surrender. Like we did in Abia after each disappointment, we must dust ourselves up and return to the arena, asking questions of the leadership and making policy suggestions as often as necessary. We cannot shy away from our responsibilities. We must make the required sacrifices. To be clear, many of us, especially those we often refer to as “ordinary people,” have made and continues to make very important sacrifices. What the reality of today, however, tells us is that we need to do more to make our voices heard, and chip in resources to support the social and political causes we believe in. As I had earlier mentioned, we also need to push for major reforms that will allow every Nigerian a pathway to exercise their franchise in national elections, irrespective of where they live. If every Nigerian is affected by the choices made by our elected leaders and those acting on their behalf, it also follows that all of us must get the opportunity to be part of the leadership selection process because Nigeria, warts and all, belongs to all of us.

Lastly, it would be wise to build on the lessons learnt from the previous elections. There is an urgent need for decisive changes in the electoral system. Obviously, there are serious gaps that are often exploited by selfish political actors to perpetuate outcomes that are less than supportive of our national aspirations. The time has come to radically reform every layer of the electoral process, starting from the management and running of political parties, selection of candidates, and the adjudication of disputes through the courts.

Nigeria and Nigerians are the true victims each time standard procedures in the electoral system are violated or undermined. We sincerely cannot make headway unless we make it extremely difficult for unelected or unpopular candidates to get into public offices under any guise.

Today I leave us with one charge: let us work collectively to undo the errors and mistakes of the last 25 years and reposition our country for the opportunities of the next 25. Nigeria shall be great one day. Our present task is to rise to the challenge of building that greatness because as you may know, every great country you see today, including the superpower USA, was built by and through the efforts of citizens like you and me.

*Dr Otti, OFR, is the Executive Governor of Abia State. This concludes the excerpts of his paper at the October 2024 “Nigeria in the World” Seminars Organised by the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs at Harvard University, Boston, USA.