There is something very interesting that I believe should excite every scholar. It is like what we used to call American wonder back in the days when magicians visited schools to mesmerize people with their art. I am sure you have thought about it but I wonder whether it has excited you as much as it has excited me.
I am talking about the magic that makes it possible for a few individuals to grow so powerful that they can lord it over millions of people in all spheres of life.
What is the secret of this anomaly? How is it possible that one person will hold a crowd to ransom, take their money, land and other possessions by force, rape their wives and daughters and if they speak out of tune, he dumps them in the dungeon and throws the key into the ocean?
This is a reality in our beloved country. Everyone knows it. Everyone feels it but no one understands it. We are in a democracy which, according to learned people, is the most people-friendly form of government in the world. It is the government set up by the people for themselves. This definition implies that no one imposes himself on the people as their leader. It is the people that choose those that should rule over them through an electoral process.
A cursory look at our system shows a lot about how we have fared in this democratic experiment. The first thing that strikes a careful observer is that decent people are usually not part of the political equations in this country. It seems that the system is such that only people with questionable characters are admitted into the political cult. Another striking thing is that it is actually the masses, the people, who make sure that only confirmed crooks are given political offices.
The moment we get into electioneering periods, all kinds of groups will emerge and position themselves to get maximum monetary splashes from prospective office seekers. The wisdom of this queer stance beats me. It is said that it is only during such times that one gets to see politicians to get one’s share of the national cake from them. So they get bags of rice, soap, salt and little cash for drinks from several politicians. Everyone becomes a political pundit at such times and preaches about the need to get whatever one desires from office seekers or forget it since they are sure that nothing good will come from them in the form of good governance and representation.
This twisted reasoning is the reason why the majority has been turned into the minority in terms of power possession. Power resides with the majority. They are the ones that give power to whom they will. Unfortunately, a number of factors have combined to weaken the masses and cause them to give power to the worst crop of people so long as they have money to share during campaigns.
One major factor that has sustained this ugly trend is ignorance which is closely linked to low standards of education. Because our people do not know any better, they believe that it is all about immediate gratification. They don’t understand the enormity of the power they possess in a democracy. Because of ignorance, they allow the aspirants’ money to intimidate them. You will see a graduate working for a confirmed criminal, carrying his bags, worshipping him and being ready to fight anyone who opposes his candidacy. The graduate in question is just as ignorant as the market woman who did not go to school. Functional education is what we lack here. It is that kind of education that enables you to think and act right in any circumstance.
Another factor is poverty. The ruling class is aware of this debilitating disease ravaging the masses. They pay lip service to it but by their body language, you will notice that they are committed to ensuring that poverty remains dominant in the land. This is because poverty of the masses is an active partner that enables them to penetrate easily. Of course we know that a poor person has little or no resistance to nonsense. Well, I believe that ignorance is the bigger of these two factors. Once the mind is enlightened, it becomes easy for even a poor person to take the right decision.
When the masses cry about bad roads, lack of water supply, bad economic policies, dilapidated schools, poor health care services, non-payment of salaries and so on, I wonder whether they realize that they are the architects of their own misfortunes. Who do they want to step in and proffer solutions to these ills? In the last polls, for instance, we all saw candidates who had integrity. We saw people that most of us knew were good but the only reason why they were rejected at the polls was that they were not the highest bidders. We went for people who would tell us what we wanted to hear even when we knew they were not sincere. In some cases, the masses would go for people who hail from their own areas even when they know such people will not perform well.
Actually, with the sighs and groans everywhere, we are paying for our actions. In many states today, workers are gnashing their teeth. Roads are death traps, contractors are not paid, no water supply, no electricity and so on. However, this is not the first time we are witnessing bad governance. Why the masses remain on the losers’ list is that we hardly learn our lessons. The very next electioneering season will prove this assertion right. Criminal representatives and administrators will map out a chunk of what they have stolen from the people and strategically plan on how to use it to buy up the electorate. The same people that are crying today will not find it in them to shun these sweet talkers. They will line up and collect their cursed gifts and vote for the highest bidders. Shortly after that, the highest bidder will win, abandon the people and go in to continue enriching himself and his family. Shortly after, the crying party will resume again.
The day the masses of this country realize that they are the true custodians of power and rise to the occasion, the change we are looking for will get to our doorsteps one by one.
NNENNA Ihebom
