It appears as if there is a total failure of imagination or even lack of it in the way we conduct our affairs in Nigeria. Those who find themselves in political positions are clearly comfortable with the system, chaotic as it is. And it is beginning to dawn on us that liberal democracy, with its pretentious emphasis on periodic elections, is resolutely not so liberal going by its negative consequences in Nigeria.
Nigerians did not bargain for what they are reaping from this obnoxious system. As widely practiced here and elsewhere, the task of the electorate in this form of democracy is to elect whoever happens to clinch the ticket of the most popular political party in town. In fact, our democracy tends to limit the participatory capacity of citizens as they are only made to engage in election rituals. Again, in this form of democracy, beyond ensuring that we all cast our votes as at when due, the elected officials are always left to their own devices. As we experience it, elected officials conveniently proceed from their electoral victory to do as they wish with mandates given to them. The people are then left with no option other than to sit back and wait for another circle of elections, especially when options open to them are more of the same, year in year out.
In Nigeria, we are also not oblivious of the fact that this same overhyped system is deplorably playing itself out in places considered to be its original home, that is, those “highly developed nations” from where we copy it. In Western Europe and United States of America in particular, at least from their deepening social crises, the system is not without serious pitfalls. Liberal democracy is evidently a system of rule, a so-called democratic rule, which is basically intended to perpetuate the dominance of corporate interests. And the system always secures its legitimacy through the consent of the electorate. As opposed to that idealized notion of a system “of the people for the people by the people”, liberal democracy as we know it is the dominant political and ideological expression of global capitalism. I see it as the most selfish creed of human greed.
Anyway, the underbelly of this deliberate contraption, which is sold to us as the best possible means of democratic governance ever evolved by humanity, is everywhere manifesting its weakness, its ugliness, and its putridity. As it casts its net wider on a global scale, the fortune of individuals in both developing and developed nations is rapidly dwindling. Social mobility is everywhere giving way to massive poverty in the sea of unquantifiable abundance, and unimaginable riches for just the very few privileged individuals in society. The system is claimed to be the harbinger of a robust middle class that will guarantee social stability, but that regulating class has since withered away like candle in the wind.
Global neoliberal economic order has led us into a situation in which very few stiff-necked officials are having a good time as they cornered our patrimony to themselves, their families and business associates. The entire resources of our planet earth are parceled out to a powerful minority in the name of corporate capitalism without minding the social consequences, without also minding its unflinching and endless accumulation overdrive. We are of course dealing with a system of cutthroat competition amongst few powerful individuals scattered across the globe, individuals that have spread out their tentacles across all nations. People are everywhere suffering under the yoke of a brutal system that encourages naked exploitation.
The ascendancy of global capitalism has apparently put the world on autopilot, and only God knows how, where and when it will crash-land, and when it finally crash-lands may God have mercy on us! The system that does not recognize the economic rights of other human beings to acquire their own space for their own material and spiritual wellbeing is everywhere getting out of control. No matter one’s efforts, struggles and hard work, this selfish creed only cares to preserve the unrestricted rights of the selfish few within its fold. Like the rising Chinese dragon that has doggedly refused to swallow the neoliberal bait hook, line, and sinker, we need a system that would work for us based on our own historical peculiarities. It should be stressed, Nigeria should be able to evolve a system that can effectively negotiate its way through the uncertainties of neoliberal global order.
Not that I am unaware of the potentials of capitalism to competitively bring out the creative and innovative best in all of us in its bid to optimize production processes, I am. As Ali Mazru’i had once captured it aptly elsewhere in his works, that the genius of capitalism is production of goods and excellent services. That’s true, and nobody can take that away from capitalism. But the fact of the matter is that capitalism is a system that survives on the pillars of unbridled exploitation of man by man, and nature by man. In this regard, it is abysmally poor in redistributing public resources. However, nothing under the sun escapes its exploitative radar. In capitalism no value escapes a price tag. Simply put, commodification, commercialization and marketization are the cornerstone of capitalism.
And it does not mean individuals under a more conducive atmosphere or humane social system will not prosper beyond imagination. Whenever human beings find favorable conditions to flourish, they can easily be made to realize their human potentials, their talents, their creative prowess, and their sense of innovativeness as well. All what is required of a social system, whether of the left or of the right or even a mixture of both, is for it to answer its name as a self-regulating entity, which operates independent of any external stimuli, through its complete dependence on its constituent units, and its institutions and values. A good system must be able to create the necessary environment in which people become secure through unencumbered access to food, shelter, culture and education.
Education here is the guarantor of our humanity, a quintessential element in the building of an enlightened community. The transformative powers of functional education will always serve as the necessary precondition for qualitative change in society. Looking at all that is happening to us today, Nigeria can be said to be moving in reverse gear without the crucial guidance of good education.
Again, as current generation of Nigerians, we have collectively failed to live up to our billing concerning our fundamental social responsibility in which we are expected to build an enduring system. Our onerous task as Nigerians is to move the nation forward from goal to goal, height to height, glory to glory, until we become a nation that is internationally respected. Instead, we got stuck in the mud of complacency and stupidity. We are clearly hibernating where our forefathers left us to continue with nation building. But we are still frozen at that historical moment where the previous generation passed the baton to us. Securing the future of the upcoming generations requires nothing less from us. Together as a nation with a great sense of purpose we shall overcome our backwardness, even though I have serious doubts on the capability of the current generation of Nigerians to achieve something meaningful.
But can we in all honesty say that the system we are nurturing, if at all there is a system outside our prebendal inclinations, is designed to promote the aspirations of Nigerians in their totality? From independence to date, regimes have consistently failed to see the necessity of inculcating a sense of vision and mission in Nigerians. Thus, having a vision either as specific individuals or collectively is an important requirement of our patriotic calling. The vital processes of nation building require nothing less from us. A situation where all sorts of charlatans are speaking for every conceivable thing other than the development and progress of Nigeria is not going to help our bid for collective survival. Nigeria rather than our variegated ethnic nationalities should be made the target of our patriotic zeal, our yearnings, our aspirations, our ideals, and of course, our dreams. First, everything possible should be done to inculcate the awareness of the meaning of Nigeria to Nigerians. And then, we must believe in the idea of a postcolonial Nigeria, a nation where no individual or group should be excluded from its promise. Every Nigerian should be made to develop a sense of belonging to Nigeria on the basis of justice and equal opportunity.
In politics, we must learn to operate strictly by the rules of the game. For the good of the country, we must explore ways and means of stopping elected officials from exercise of total control of public resources. Whoever has no interest of providing selfless service to the people must be shown the way out. Corrupt and incompetent leaders have proved to be the bane of Nigeria. Again, as Nigerians we need to be wiser than how we are currently projecting ourselves to the world. We need to be serious with the idea of building an enduring nation that will make us proud. We have the potentials to get to where we desire to be as a nation, but we just are not getting it right. We must always remember that we have no other nation, including those nations we like to cite as examples of what Nigeria should be, that is better than the one we have.
All well meaning Nigerians should start thinking of development politics in which whoever is to be elected into any political office must be a person that is adequately prepared to move the nation forward. People that think of converting public resources to personal use must not be allowed to smell power again. Similarly, those that have not demonstrated the required competence to provide leadership must not be allowed access to public office. We must put in place a new system, together with all the necessary safeguards, that will ruthlessly deal with anybody that engages in corruption.
Mr Liman is a professor of Comparative Literature and Popular Culture at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
