Passivism in Government

When Lagos was rendered cash-strapped by the antics of the bellicose OBJ and was beginning to run short of the financial capacity to meet her responsibilities, her handlers woke up. Passive governance long forgotten, the State today runs on revenue generated internally and on allocations from the leaking centre.

Had push not become shove, perchance the State could've been one of those on the periphery of liquidation.

Democracy is framed for action. As bad as passive followership that complacently allows the government act as it pleases is, there's no worse consequence like passive governance. A government that goes on vacation because it is breastfed by the mothering central government is worse than no-government at all. I know, I know, I'm hyperbolic like that.

The evilest scenario in this failure of leadership is the mortgaging of people's lives. What awful conditions will staff (and their dependents) of institutions and organs of these diseased governments be in, only God can fully know. A backlog of nonpayments stretching to 10 months (in some cases) is the devilry that cannot be comprehended when juxtaposed by the contrasting fortunes of the family and friends of the leadership of these States. THEY GET PAID. While they go to bed with full bellies, their staff cannot remember the last time they constipated.

There's no comparing such malignant monstrosity. If there's an example of a governor who allegedly uses his unaudited security votes to pay for the education of the State's students in tertiary institutions, who says governors in these States about to go belly-up couldn't have engineered some method to at least ease the financial desperation of their staff? Even if it meant paying them partly? (After all, at all at all naim bad pass, kwo?) Or we should all probably wait until the staff and their hungry, forlorn family members start dropping off dead. One after the other?

Now, without OBJ's involvement, these ratchet States have come to the climate that pervaded in Lagos when her handlers shook off their passivity. It's a call to action. A call to use that latent grey matter in all of its 50 shades. It's time to change. To get resourceful enough to utilise resources lying fallow in these here States. And what better time than now?

#AsAnAside
Pretty much the same way I think of what's happening in the oil sector. Let it go awry. When it's gone past bad, then passivity can be jettisoned for the action democracy demands. From the electorate. And from the elected.

Should they, picked to make things better, not so do, then, action must be taken for their CHANGE.

That be the mantra after all.

CHANGE.

In Search of Potent Opposition

One can hope APC gets their acts and heft together to mount a formidable challenge at the 2015 elections. Granted they have some eggheads that can sway opinion in their favour and it can be argued that they have within their ranks exemplary individuals, recent cross-carpeting and the glee with which questionable individuals have been embraced by the party's management have left tell-tale sourness in the mouths of many of their once-ardent supporters. It has led to the prevailing conclusion that, one will be hard pressed to tell the two "hegemonic" parties apart given how blurred the lines which differentiate them have become.

Whichever party carries the day, what will make them consider the people is not their policies per se, rather how strong the opposition is to challenge almost every action the government takes that is not people-oriented and to point out corrupt practices because when the chips are down, politics is selfish in nature. Hence all actors are expected to display these selfish interests: the government (wanting all the money and glory for itself), the opposition (wanting to discredit government and place itself as a viable alternative) and the people (selfishly reaping from the selfish mutual engagements of government and opposition).

All these are possible only when the government knows that the opposition is strong enough and wields such an enormous political wherewithal virile enough to unseat them, yes, even at the slightest opportunity.

Personal Irresponsibility vs Societal Change

Apart from government's insensitivity, what part does personal irresponsibility play to prevent change? I replied my brother thus...

(... just in case it's not seen elsewhere, here is my general response)

I will be answering all the comments you made about these Fashola quotes in one reply, since they more or less are related. I crave your indulgence, pls. Thank you, bruv.

For a minute, allow me to leave my regular turf of government bashing to beam the light on how we haven't been our own best friends when it comes to the kind of change we seek.

Flaunting wealth hasn't been the sole preserve of the extremely wealthy. It seems the culture of the Ovation magazine extravagance has ensconced itself deep in society's fabric at all levels, bruv. The poorest of the poor do not consider their immiseration when they elect to hold parties to commemorate birthdays and burials, weddings and funerals, naming ceremonies and "freedom" festivities. No! Instead, what do you find? They secure loans, break the bank, borrow from friends and foes alike to make sure everyone else and their dog know that they have arrived.

And how about all the Aso Ebi they are compelled to buy, with matching accessories and shoes, for one event or the other at almost every weekend? They have their bags and boxes bursting at the seams and joints with enough of these native attires they've sewn in the past to start a small boutique (and earn money) and they have incurred enough debt buying them all to be listed among the most indebted countries in the world (viz a viz, income:debt ratio), yet, let them hear tomorrow that their colleague's uncle's father's brother-in-law's niece's mother's sister's nephew's aunty's brother's sister-in-law's dog's puppy died and there's an Aso to go with the lying in state, they forget that they have not eaten since last week, that their rent is due, that school fees haven't been paid for last term before Christmas, and that they are categorised under the column "Living in Abject Poverty, Hunger and Illiteracy". They only want to be AMONG those who will SHAKE the ground and grace the occasion in STYLE.

So, they go out of their way to get the Aso and blame government for not doing enough to put food on their tables, clothes on their backs (forget their Aso for now) a roof over their heads and sense in their brains (and perhaps for not locking their door so that their neighbour's dog could enter their kitchen and eat the fish they've been drying over their charcoal fire for two weeks now)

Because you know what? It's comfortable putting the blame on government, it's easier to shift the blame, it's better to argue that it's not my fault the situation is what it is. Don't worry, we have the Moore Numentals and the Saka Gbolahans of this world to raise their voices in our favour should things get worse for us and government tries to get too factual.

Look around your hood. You see these fellas without jobs? Some have the best phones in the market. No problem with that if they utilise all the functions that set these devices apart so that it gives them value for money. But again, no! They chat, chat, chat and maybe do some light browsing or other basic stuff. If these brought money for them, well and good but for the most part, it takes money away from them. They're poor but always have the cheddar for internet data and BIS, always for the purposes of unproductive engagements that add little or no value to their impoverished statuses. But oh no. We must rile the government for not doing enough for us.

You're right about Fashola trying and that he can't undo the wrongs of years past. But the truth that is also worth knowing about what you said is that people will always suffer in any attempts at righting the wrongs of the past. Are people ready for that? My honest opinion, even I am not as I find that every once in a while I have to caution myself. Will you endure the pain of inconvenience in movement while the road leading to or from your house of residence undergoes repairs? I find myself complaining to no end. But it's necessary for change, yes?

These are sacrifices that need to be endured for change but we, Nigerians, you and I, have become too accustomed to the way things are done to give change a chance. Yet no one complains more than the one unwilling to shift a little for such changes to take place.

Let all buses henceforth only park at designated stops to allow passengers board, if not such buses will be impounded. It's you and I who will ask why, why and accuse Fashola of only being interested in punishing us, as if he knows how difficult it is and how far my house is from the designated stop. Yet, we say why can't this country be like others in Africa, talkless of those in the West.

Let all building plans be approved by government else they'd be demolished to prevent incessant cases of building collapse, you and I will complain unceasingly about government's insensitivity towards the poor who only wish to have their own roof over their heads accusing government of not wanting the poor to be their own landlords. You and I.

Granted the corporate and general dearth of irresponsibility on the government's side but there is no nation worth its name with such abject lack of personal responsibility that  has progressed to any tremendous length. To think that Nigerians were deemed the happiest with all these is a testimony of how terribly abysmal our personal sense of responsibility has plummeted.

Where is the wisdom in accepting peanuts from politicians to help them rig elections and mortgage the future for ourselves and children? Where? Is it not Nigerians - flesh and blood - that perpetuate such evil? And when these riggers get into power, they serve to make life difficult for us, while we grovel in self pity. Where's the abnegation that is necessary for the general good? Doing something worthwhile for my country today so that tomorrow it will be better? Where is it? Oh, I shouldn't be the one, yea? It has to always be someone else to sacrifice but hell will let loose if it's time for gain and they scheme me out of it. No pain but gain must not pass me by.

It is not always the case but even if we can't excuse governments irresponsibility, personal irresponsibility is just as evil.

Footnote
The advantage of having invested time, effort and sweat into studying logic and politics is that it can also be vehemently argued in favour of the people against the government for every point so far raised but I do that more often on these here pages. The truth is, that perspective only looks at the issue from one dimension which is jaundiced 'cos it is lacking and imbalanced.

Ok, twas more than a minute, I know. Forgive me.

Thanking the President for CAR evacuations, why?

Based on my reply to a friend on why I thanked the GEJ government for evacuating Nigerians from the Central African Republic (for if Nigeria was habitable, what will they have been looking for in CAR)

No matter how good the country becomes tomorrow, there'd still be Nigerians in different parts of the world from the richest to the poorest countries. Who'd would've thought there'd be Americans, non-Muslims even, living and working in Afghanistan prior to the Bush-led War on Terror in the Axis of Evil? The truth is, as citizens of any nation, there ordinarily are no restrictions to where you can live and work. So, good or bad, Nigerians will still roam the earth for reasons best known to them.

However, it is the responsibility of their governments to protect their interests everywhere, irrespective of where they are. It promotes the status of the citizen in International Relations when the government of the country in which the citizen is a foreign resident understands that that citizen's home government will go to any length to protect the life of every of their citizen resident in that foreign country. It'd reflect in the manner in which that foreign government relates with and treats the citizen of that country's resident in their terrain.

There's a second point. It also gives that citizen residing in a foreign country a sense of patriotism of his or her home country. Imagine if all Nigerians resident outside our shores were to believe that Nigeria truly cared for their welfare? They would do all in their power to promote Nigeria's growth and development wherever they are. They will wish to come back home and make Nigeria progress and be proud representatives of the country's interests abroad. It will make them refrain from anything that will ultimately malign their country's image and so will do their best to avoid untoward practices.

These are just two of many points of the import of this singular action of the Nigerian government's aim to evacuate her citizens from the warring Central African Republic, CAR. It's not as if this evacuation means things have changed or that Nigeria now has a better image in International Politics or that respect for every Nigerian life is of paramount interest to this administration (as there are too many instances to the contrary) but it is admirable that it was conceived (based on whatever warped intentions were behind it), planned and executed.

The two positives that made me thank Mr. President were that, no matter what selfish interests were behind the execution and irrespective of the fact that he was doing what was expected of his administration, lives of Nigerians were saved at government's expense and secondly, hopefully, the planning will be followed to the letter, which included resettlements for those evacuated.

It's one big step, albeit shaky, but one step all the same in the right direct for our Foreign Policy and Nigeria's image in the international arena.