Reflections on the elections

Barring any spanner in the works, Nigerians will head for the polls in some five days’ time. On this Monday morning, as the reader takes in this piece, chances are that the impending elections are on his/her mind. On my own part, I must confess to a sense of elation. This feel-good attitude has essentially been derived from the fact that for now at least, the voter is riding high. He/she is being wooed left and right by politicians. Power, so to say, belongs to the people. In the process, we are being bombarded by various strands of history.

And in a way, the main target at the centre of this self-serving history is the retired General. Acts that were perpetrated several decades ago are being dredged up. Outlandish statements that were made in yester-years are being recalled. Of course, all of these are being done without any recourse to context. In other words, a Buhari who is 72 today was several years younger when he was head of state the first time around. Even the political ecology has changed. In a military regime, anything goes. But in a civilian context, with all its counter-currents and trappings, there are certainly limitations to despotic tendencies.

In any case, for good measure, the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan, has also been taken to the cleaners. In this particular instance, he is not as lucky as the General. While the General has to contend with demons of the remote past, Jonathan has to deal with demons whose hallmark is in the contemporary domain. For instance, perhaps the most damaging is his earlier contention that he would not seek a second term. But then, the cynic is bound to retort that promises are meant to be broken!

But, apart from the fact that we are given the benefit of an insight into the respective characters of the contestants, one begins to wonder about the relevance of these historical excursions to the fundamental issues in the land. Today, Nigeria is contending with a number of critical issues. These, in no particular order are: insecurity; a parlous economy and the birth-pangs of nationhood. Therefore, I would have wanted each of the contestants to give us blueprints as regards how these problems will be tackled.

This much is clear: these problems will not be tackled by character assassination. As regards insecurity, for instance, Boko Haram (BH) continues to be a recurrent blight on our national landscape. Clearly, something is wrong somewhere. And, for whatever it is worth, BH has in its own way questioned our claim to nationhood. It has also prodded the underbelly of the Nigerian state, as regards its incapacity in the area of a viable defence establishment. There is indeed a puzzle here. This is a country that is acclaimed worldwide as a prominent actor when it comes to peace-keeping and enforcement. And yet, right on our doorstep, insurgency is having a field-day.

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I remember clearly that one of the governors had cause to point out that the insurgents have in their possession superior fire-power. At the risk of being contradicted, one can easily say that our leaders lack a sense of what the Americans would call the water’s edge. Yes, corruption is pervasive. But then, some things should really be off-limits. In other words, a vital issue like security should not be subjected to the usual kleptocratic tendencies of our political elite.

As regards the economy, I can almost yawn. This is because no concrete proposals are being put forward by either side. Rather, it is the same knee-jerk reactions to the declining oil prices that we are seeing. Till date, nobody has come forward with any concrete proposals as regards how the oil industry will be transformed. That word again!

It may interest the various political gladiators to note that our oil industry is about the most backward in the world. The industry has remained static from its inception till date. Wiser social formations have put in place backward linkages such that they have largely been insulated from the harsh effects of externally-dominated oil prices.

And probably without knowing it, our bankrupt oil policy has laid us low. So low that, John Kerry, the American Secretary of State, was here the other day. He virtually talked down on our leaders. He lectured them properly on the need to comport themselves as regards the forthcoming elections.

A comparison is instructive here. Consider Iran – a country that is also a member of OPEC. Washington and the rest of the status-quo world are currently locked in negotiations as regards Iran’s nuclear aspirations. Certainly, a John Kerry will not talk down on the Iranian leadership. And the reason is simple enough. Over time, Iran has built up a technological base such that its talks with Washington are of no mean order.

This is the fundamental and implicit challenge which shines through in these times. And the pity is that neither of the two social forces grasps this critical point. This, I suppose, is what leadership should be all about. One can only hope here that as the average voter goes to the polls in some 120 hours’ time, he/she will vote for that leader who can pull away our nation from its present state of morass. And in doing so, I daresay that the voter will merely be choosing between the best of two bad options.

Kayode Soremekun