THE TRUE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
IN NIGERIA ----KLEPTOCRACY
It is unsurprising that when Olusegun
Obasanjo changed the system of
government in Nigeria on May 29, 1999
from military to democracy, many gave
kudos and lauded the decision. This is
because People saw it has the
beginning of an era where there won't be
tyranny and the right of the
people won't be trampled upon. People saw
it as the era of leaders not
rulers (though we ended up having
administrators and rulers) who will work
toward the interest of the masses and serve
them well. Unfortunately, all
these were dashed. The democracy has
been "in view”. Democracy has been
defined as "government of the people, by
the people, and for the people"
our democracy is the absolute negation of
this universally acceptable
definition. Many saw what OBJ did in 1999
as a positive change that will be
to the betterment of the masses but cerebral
political analysts, pundits,
intelligentsia and some with critical mind
now realised that it is just a
"latent package" that has not been unravel
for its manifestation due to the
mental and psychological disorder inherent
in our administrators and rulers
(even in an era of democracy). Democracy in
Nigeria has been reduced to an
inertia state for more than a decade.
Democracy has never seen the light of
the day in Nigeria. It has only been taught in
school but we have never
witnessed the practicability. It is just on
paper and the gullible masses
also dance to the tune of those who are
claiming to be giving the masses
the dividend of democracy. Democracy did
not solve the problem of our dear
nation. There is nothing wrong with this
system of government, but what is
the value of a bottle of honey adulterated
with 30 cubes of sugar? Tyranny
and abuse of human right is not what can
be absolutely stopped by enacting
laws and changing the system of
government, this is because it in the
'person", it is internal , it is only enhance by
some systems of
government.
Though many Nigerians believe that the
system of government in Nigeria is
democracy, for those who are critical
minded it is blatant to them that our
system of government is not democracy but
"crazy-demo" Our own democracy
has been the demonstration of outright
craziness. This is a nation where
those entrusted with the well being of the
masses are the ones milking the
masses by using the public resources for
their selfish gain. Unfortunately
these kleptomaniac human beings go
without being punished despite the fact
that even the blind can see that such act is
culpable. It is only an
illusion to say we have fundamental human
right in our dear country, only
the crème de la crème are enjoying it
through their dubious and unpatriotic
means. This is a nation where everything
says 'yes' to money and affluence
even if it is against the majority and has no
respect form rule of law.
This is a country where a public official can
steal ₦100b and get ₦100,000
as bail when charged to court while a poor
man who stole ₦20,000 due to
lack of basic needs as a result of deprivation
by the 'administrators' will
be sentence to 2-5years imprisonment. This
is a country where there is
nothing like justice or fairness. The
electorate are now at the mercy of
the elected.
It is very pathetic and disheartening that
those entrusted with the
leadership in this nation are not leaders but
administrators. It is only
the leaders that can lead and make use of
democracy for the betterment of
the people; administrators are not leaders
and they can never lead. We
don't have leaders, we only have
administrative heads. How can you lead
people you don't know? How can you lead
people you don't know their fears,
hope and aspirations? How can you lead
people you don't love and admire?
How can you lead when your personal gain
is your priority? How can you lead
people you don't wish well and see them
living better? How can you lead
when service and sacrifice has no place in
your mentality? How can you lead
when you never thought of adding value?
Our administrators that people call
leaders are just like two pupils who score
2/10 and 0/10. The pupil who
scores 2/10 maybe claiming that he/she
performed better than the other. But
it an absolute ignorance and stupidity to
believe that, on the scale they
are birds of a feather. What is the different
between 0/100 and 20/100?
Definitely both are 'F9'.
Nigeria is a blessed nation endowed with
numerous resources; in fact our
dear country is one of the richest in natural
endowment in the world.
Unfortunately, these natural endowments
cannot spontaneously yield the
desired output without the 'human
resource' that will put our enormous
resources into reasonable and judicious use.
Who will save Nigeria from the
abject and excruciating poverty that has
permeated our society? Who will
harness our enormous resources for the
good of the populace? Who will be
the saviour of this Nation from it lamentable
state due to cruel
'administrators'? Can we continue to entrust
the people currently at the
helms of affairs with the leadership of this
nation? Can we hope for a
better tomorrow if we remain docile,
complacent and indifferent about our
precarious and melancholic situation?
The epidemic that has successfully
penetrated the leadership of this nation
is kleptomania. Our 'administrators' are
kleptomaniac and all they can give
us is to change democracy to kleptocracy.
Kleptocracy is a system of
government where officials are politically
corrupt and financially
self-interested. What can better describe the
extant system of government
in Nigeria? What a cruel leadership! The rich
are getting richer while the
poor are getting poorer, the common
interest is not being served, and
personal pockets are now the priority. Many
Nigerians are in melancholy due
to depression and dismal situations that has
befallen them as a result of
bad leadership-kleptocracy, some are
roaming the street due to
unemployment, about 7.2 million children
are on the Nigerian street with no
one to care for them. Unsurprisingly we are
number one when it comes to
social instability and disorder.
How I long to see the emergence of leaders
at the helms of affairs in this
nation, how I long to see rulers and
administrators relegated to eternal
and abysmal exile. How I long to see
Nigerians who are not only educated
but 'critically educated', those who cannot
only read but also reason to
demand change from the oppressors
camouflaging to be democrats. It is of no
use to continue to pretend as if all is well
when everything is in chaos.
Billions of naira both in cash and in form of
resource are being channelled
to personal pocket, despite the numerous
and huge allowances those
'administrators' are earning, they still display
their inherent kleptomania
by looting and embezzling public funds.
Corruption and personal interest is
the heartbeat of kleptocracy. Nigerians has
embraced this and we are
suffering and smiling. This has been the
cankerworm 'eating' us up.
Don't be deceived there is nothing like
democracy in Nigeria, we are in the
era of kleptocracy disguised as democracy.
It is left for us to take the
bull by the horn and shun sentiments,
tribalism, nepotism, and favouritism.
This is the time for us to fight for our well
being. Let us join hands to
re-write our history, nobody will help us to
do that. It is high time we
looked straight into the face of anyone
found culpable because of an
offence no matter our relationship with the
culprit. If we want the future
to be different from the past, we need to
study the past and effect change
in the present. We need change, but change
agents must not fold their
hands. Be among the change agents in your
own little way. Nigeria can be
great and better again.

Boay

tonyboay@gmail.com

D

Passionate about my country....