Sometimes when I contemplate on the current situation in Nigeria, it suggest to me that something is fundamentally wrong with us. We generally point an accusing finger on our decision makers as to the cause of our problems and challenges as a nation. Particularly for us as political scientists, we take chunk of time in our intellectual excursion into Nigeria's situation by analysing the leadership gap in the country. While it is true that we have leadership deficit in the nation, we sometimes tend to forget that, our so-called political leaders evolved from the Nigeria's environment. The Nigeria's environment is the bakery of the leaders we have. In other word, our leaders don't come from the moon. They are the product of our environment. In looking at the leadership problems of Nigeria, it is necessary for us to begin from the environment. What then is the Nigeria's environment? What's its nature? What's its constituents? What are its values?
Nigeria's environment in this context refers to the various organizations, agencies and institutions that exist in the country. It comprises of the family system, the religious institutions, the educational institutions, the business environment among host of others. Yes, these bunch of institutions and systems, are what made up the Nigerian state. It is from them that our leaders emerge. In my humble opinion, two out of these institutions (the environment) plays the most significant role in molding the kinds of leaders we have, Viz; the family and the religious institutions. If these two institutions or environment will begin to say the truth, offer the required leadership training, etc, then there will be spillover effect to all other sectors and institutions of the state. Hey common, Nigerians let's talk to ourselves. What values are we promoting in our families, in our Churches, Mosques and 'shrines'? Aren't we promoting greed, deceit, lies, hatred, corruption, selfishness and all manner of wickedness? I mean, come to think of it, all our political leaders in this nation without exception attend one religious gatherings or the other on a regular basis, be it Church or Mosque. Similarly, all our political leaders came from specific families. They aren't vagabond! Buhari, our President, has a family, or better still came from a family, he also attend Mosque for payers & sermons. What about our vice President Osinbajo? He was even a very powerful RCCG Pastor before ascending the throne. So applies to Bukola Saraki, Dogara Yakubu, Abba Kyari, Mamman Daura, Burutai etc, amazingly even Nasir El'Rufai and all our Governors in the nation associate themselves to one family and religious institutions or the other. My question is what are the values been promoted in our families & religious institutions today? For instance, at the grass root level, exam malpractices is one of the major pandemic and epidemic ravaging us in this country. The values of hardworking, honesty, discipline are eroded from our school system. WAEC & NECO exams that qualifies students to gain admission into tertiary institutions are theatre of corruption. Quote me any where, over 60% of the secondary schools we have do write exam for their students(popularly known as expo)- how I wish the authorities of these exam bodies will task me to proof this by engaging me. Even the best secondary schools you can think of do the same. Painfully, even religious based schools mostly does the same. Let's tell ourselves the truth, what kind of a governor, a minister or a commissioner do you think we can produce from such dubiously earned certified students? Regrettably, parents, Uncles & Aunties from various families are the key promoters of these destructive acts. I mean, common, where are we going with all these?
What do parents teach their children at homes? What do our Pastors, Bishops, Imams & Mallams teach their followers? What are the dominant values, culture, principles and traditions that are been promoted in our families & religious institutions? As I write this article my heart bleeds for the situation of Nigeria.
Needles to say, I am one of the firm critics of this present administration, but I also firmly believe that mere change of government will not mean anything to this country so long as our values remain the same. Am also a firm promoter of the necessity for youth participation into the political leadership of this country, however, nothing positive will come out at the end of the tunnel if we have a vibrant young man as the President of Nigeria that has similar dominant values that seem to prevail in this country. But come woo, how then do we solve our problems in this nation? Having Christians as leaders? Absolutely NO! Having Imams as President, law makers, & Governors? NO! May be having Professors as our leaders? Noooo...! All these has proof abortive over time. So how then can we address our problems? Could it mean that there is no solution? NO! There exist solution to any problem, Nigeria's problem inclusive.
To my humble opinion, the solution is that, we Nigerians, we need to begin telling ourselves the truth. And of course, this must begin from our families and religious institutions. We must collectively admits that the current status quo has failed, is failing and will continue to fail unless something is done about it. THE SOLUTION IS SO SIMPLE AND SO HARD AT THE SAME TIME BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS A ROLE TO PLAY. For instance, every family be it Muslims or Christian families should teach their kids that stealing public funds brings about decadence to all of us; both to the rich and the poor, Christians and Muslims, Yoruba's, Hausas and Igbos, everyone suffers from it. Anything at all you obtain through fraudulent act is evil and will witch hunt you sooner or later.
Nigerians are truly religious, so the religious institutions in my view will play a vital role on this. All the proprietors of schools that does exam malpractices attend religious gatherings; so we must tell ourselves the truth, that EXAM MALPRACTICE is evil as much as STEALING PUBLIC FUNDS is. This as I said earlier will automatically spillover to all other institutions, hence bringing about a complete overhauling of our leadership psyche in the country.
Nigeria could be great again, may be great, will be great & must be great indeed if we can come face to face with ourselves and tell ourselves THE TRUTH. If you're going to address a given number of people by way of a sermon, either Christian or Muslim clergy or under whatever guess, please I admonish you to keep speaking to the conscience of Nigerians on the need to tell ourselves the TRUTH. Americans, Britons and indeed all the Europeans and all the inhabitants of the newly industrial nations of Malaysia, United Arab Emirate, China, North and South Korea etc are not better than us in anyway. We could be like them, if we can begin from the stand point of telling ourselves the truth. I believe if we revolutionise the baking ground of our leaders (institutions/environment: family system, religious institutions, schools,...), Nigeria and Nigerians will experience a great lift. CATCH NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS AT THE TOP!!!
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