Beyond the politics of acrimony and death

By

George Ehusani

MANY sane Nigerians are shocked beyond measure at the level of violence in our political environment today. The game of politics in Nigeria is a free-for-all. After the nightmare of military rule Nigerian politicians are once again showing political delinquency that is manifesting itself in widespread brigandage.

They are once again approaching politics with an incredible measure of indiscipline, recklessness and violence, killing and maiming opponents as of yore. They have forgotten so soon the political bondage we were all in and the imperative for us to reject the resurrection of the politics of greed, acrimony and violence. True, acrimonious politics has been a recurrent feature in Nigerian history, and it is here with us again. The return of democracy in Nigeria appears to be the inauguration of the state of emergency that is sustained by a regime of political brinkmanship. Democracy on our shores is not a game of compromise, but one of conquest.

It is the crushing of opposing viewpoints and the scalping of opponents. Nigerians have been going after democracy with a killer's torch, using all manner of deadly manoeuvres to gore at political adversaries. Politics in Nigeria is the ascendancy of greed and the unrestrained gathering of the spoils of war by a few smart thugs while the multitude of the people are pushing into a state of destitution and fear. Today the politics of acrimony and violence is played out everywhere across the land, from Anambra to Delta, and from Benue to Kogi, leaving in its wake more blood and tears for a people that have been stretched to breaking point by poverty, unemployment and the collapse of social infrastructure.

It is a shame that after all those punitive years of military rule, we seem to have learnt nothing, and history therefore seems to be repeating itself. Why do we behave as if we are a cursed people.

The world has moved on into the 21st century with new values and internationally accepted standards of civility, political bargaining, and power sharing, but our own political landscape remains dominated by primitive greed, hatred, acrimony, violence and crime.

Our politics remains a "do or die" affair, as incumbent officers often use public funds and the instruments of coercion at their disposal to crush opponents, while rich opponents outside the reins of power often mobilise their ill-gotten wealth to turn the poor people against themselves, in their bid to snatch power. The result is that our land is laid waste, and our people are left to lick their wounds, but the shameless leaders soon forge new alliances that are doomed to generate new conflicts. Why is governance in Nigeria characterised by such irrationality.

Perhaps it is time to look at the political system and see if the problem is not coming from the fact that too much power and too much money are available to elected leaders, to the extent that they are ready to destroy others and destroy themselves when seeking these positions, or in the struggle to keep the positions once they clinch them, they would kill and maim and harass and intimidate.

From the position of president to that of governor, legislator, local government chairman and councillors, it appears that too much power is available to them, and they have access to too much money. No wonder in an environment of economic and social insecurity like ours, getting into these positions becomes a "do or die" affair, and the higher the position, the more violent and ruthless the contest for it. They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Why don't we start thinking of how to make these positions less attractive to contractors, mercenaries, scavengers and prostitutes of power.

Our ever gullible and vulnerable Nigerian people themselves need to be delivered from their blindness and political myopia. They must take responsibility for much of the mess in our political landscape. It is said that a people often get the kind of leadership they deserve, or deserve the kind of leadership they get. But are we all such hateful, greedy, bitter and violent people that a band of bandits is what we deserve for leadership.

As we record more and more incidents of politically masterminded assassinations, the type which preceded the 1966 and 1983 coups, perhaps we are in for another show of shame, and another season of blood and tears.

After suffering for so long at the hands of callous scavengers who camouflaged as politicians in our land, Nigerians should start recognising the immense power in their votes and resolutely reject those neo-feudalists in our midst who have no qualms of conscience living in affluence and conspicuous consumption, while the rest of the people whom they claim to represent wallow in acrimonious poverty. After years of national desolation at the hands of mercenaries who claimed to be leaders, Nigerians should start learning to reject with their voting power those nonentities who in the past preyed on the gullibility of the ignorant poor and the apathy and despondency of the educated few.

True, the mass of Nigerians must make the connection between their destitution today and the debauchery of their successive rulers, and show some measure of discernment regarding those who offer themselves for political office. We must all together brace up for action, and not only guard our freedom jealously, but also watch those who offer to serve in government carefully, constantly dragging their feet as close as possible to the fire of democracy.

By God, all is not lost yet for Nigeria. There is still time enough for the political elite to change its course and follow the path of civility, otherwise what awaits Nigeria at the end of the day may be a people's revolution. May God save us from ourselves!