I can’t speak for anybody else but thank God I can at least speak for myself. I was a tad disappointed when I went through the list of federal government ministries approved for this new administration. I looked out for a new ministry. Perhaps the most needed, if happenings in the first term are anything to go by; the ministry of cross-purposes.
Established to resolve the confusion and attendant mess created by the various government bodies and agencies as they constantly work at cross-purposes, making total nonsense of what should be a common agenda and sending confusing signals across the land. Not to talk of reducing our confidence in them further still. If we are to start recounting the different incidences, we’ll be here all day.
Literally, in what appeared to be a comedy of errors at first, I recall how the Department of Secret Services (DSS) vehemently opposed the President’s attempt to confirm the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the EFCC’s substantive chairman. Two agencies supposedly serving the same government! “Wonderful”, as some of our people like to say. Still reeling from that, we woke up one day to hear about the spat, in full glare, between the then Minister of State, Petroleum and the MD of NNPC. Can’t fully recall how that panned out but I think it will suffice to say no head rolled.
Yet, another was the ludicrous comment credited to our rolled over minister of labour, that the haemorrhage of doctors fleeing the country in search of the golden fleece abroad, is nothing to worry about, as it obviously means that we have more than enough doctors. I wondered how this attitude could in anyway help the hapless minister of health, struggling to bridge the gap of doctor to patient ratio which current stands at 4 doctors to 10,000 patients as against the ideal recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) of 1 doctor to 600 patients.
In the US and the UK, it’s 26:10,000 and 28:10,000 respectively, according to WHO’s report of April 2019. While we’re on it, it might interest you to know that India, despite its huge population of over 1.3 billion has accomplished an enviable ratio of 1:1000.
To continue, we have the ever-present police vs army saga. The infamous kidnapper, Wadume, just recently narrated how the army captain who allegedly ordered his release, thereby aiding his escape from justice, also allegedly gave his subordinates an order to murder three policemen, while they were faithfully carrying out their duties.
Even more recently, the federal high court ordered the DSS to release the former presidential candidate and convener of the revolution march, Sowore on bail, but have so far refused to obey the court order; desecrating the very law they swore an oath to uphold.
To so blatantly rubbish the constitutionally backed authority of another arm of government is completely antithetical to the very essence of democratic rule. Should we then be surprised when so many countries, even those whose corners we fought in the past, treat Nigerians with contempt? When our own government makes no pretence of respecting its citizen’s rights?
We scratch our heads, trying to fathom the generally unruly nature of our people and then marvel at how unruly Nigerians transform into model citizens when they relocate to better developed nations. It’s not difficult to understand though. We’re no different to other human beings. Citizens will simply watch and then follow the lead of their respective nation’s authorities.
If people representing government are seen by all to follow the law religiously and hold it sacrosanct, everyone will simply whip into line. If the opposite is the case, the opposite too will be taken as the grundnorm. As a leader, you cannot reasonably expect others to respect that which you so obviously hold in disdain, except when it suits you.
The Nigerian Shippers Council made an announcement on behalf of government last week that they will slash duties in order to reduce costs and encourage spending. This ordinarily should lead to some level of growth but the question is, will customs adjust accordingly or will they pretend to be unaware? Thereby, making nonsense of the goal set by the same government they both represent.
Please permit me to stretch this cross-purpose conundrum to the political sphere too, where we saw some former governors (two of whom are now serving senators), driven by an inordinate quest for power and control, made audacious attempts to continue to steer the affairs of their states even when no longer in office. They pushed their “anointed successors” to contest under the banner of other political parties when they couldn’t secure the APC ticket, while they as godfathers remained in APC.
After all, why should they lose any of the benefits being at the centre automatically bestows upon them? The irony of this situation doesn’t seem to register with them at all. To such people, the whole notion of integrity must sound like arrant nonsense.
Like I asserted in my book, integrity is not a relative term but one with a meaning which remains constant. It speaks of honesty, moral uprightness and reliability. Reliable, because one can vouch for it to always do the right thing, no matter how attractive the wrong thing may appear to be. It’s therefore not subject to expediency as it always places honour above gain. This trending phenomenon of normalising wrong cannot but crumble before any thorough legal or moral interrogation and if not checked, could mark the beginning of the end hopes of us developing a sane and civilised society.
So that’s why Mr President, for long hailed as an anti-corruption czar himself, baffled me when instead of swinging into action to carry out a thorough investigation, was so quick to publicly call to question the integrity of a video which very clearly showed a sitting governor stuffing his agbada pockets with fists full of dollars! Tell me, what are we expected to make of this?
At this point, kindly humour me a little and as it were, listen to this. Court orders the release of an alleged offender. DSS refuses to immediately obey the order. Court threatens to order the arrest of DSS director but everyone knows even if such an order is given, oga police is not likely to make good the order. All are government bodies, sworn to remain faithful to their mandate. And what is that mandate? To uphold the rule of law. As our American friends would say, “go figure.”
Driving the other day, I found myself confronted by a vehicle that was driving against the flow of traffic. The person behind the wheel was a female military officer. I come across this every single time I take that route but those driving illegally usually show some modicum of decency by conceding to those of us driving in accordance to the law, however this officer sternly refused to budge. I did the same, so we both remained on the same spot for about five minutes. When it became obvious nothing was going to move her or convince her that the law actually supersedes her uniform, to my chagrin I had to drive round her. As I did, trying to reprimand her in the best civilised manner I could manage in such a situation, she peered at me with that “bloody civilian” look.
In more sane societies, where military officers hold themselves out to embody the disciplined spirit of their government, your uniform both compels and impels you to conform to the law. But in others like ours, it’s regarded as a licence to ride far above it. Cross-purposes. Government harps on the importance of upholding the rule of law so things won’t fall apart, but you as it’s representative, openly breach the laws of the land again and again, with increasing impunity.
I will never get tired of saying this but I’m one of those who agrees entirely that the height of corruption is when you make yourself an exception to something you prescribe or say you subscribe to. Such behaviour corrupts the system entirely and things can only go in one direction from then on, southwards. So, who should head this proposed ministry? The jury is still out on that.
Changing the nation…one mind at a time.
OLADAPO AKANDE
