Breezy047's Arguement

breezy047: Good day ladies and gentlemen, my honourable panel of judges, co-debaters and my fellow audience.

For some time now there has been deliberation over the topic ‘Godfatherism is the major cause of corruption and developmental crisis in Nigeria’ and I am here today to debate AGAINST this motion. I have succeeded in making this deliberation as brief and comprehensive as possible and here we go.

1. Look beyond Godfatherism.
Almost everyone here that is carried along with this present trend of politics in Nigeria will agree with me that to solve the current problem of corruption and developmental crisis in this nation, you will need to look BEYOND Godfatherism. As Godfatherism is only a VEHICLE whose engine you will need to look beyond to catch a bare sight of the DRIVER. My arguments are extensively presented below.

2. Obasanjo as a case study.
As you know, when Obasanjo came into power in 1999, he promoted elite corruption to the extreme where only almost a few elite had access to the wealth of the state at the expense of the ordinary people and He changed the modus operandi of godfatherism suddenly. Under his nose, the Adedibu-ladoja (Ibadan), Saraki-Lawal (Ilorin) and Uba-Ngige(Anambra) saga occurred. The culprits were not properly brought to book according to the standing laws of this nation.
Now it is no secret that the President 'Obasanjo' at this time clearly allowed and permitted this trend only to favor his own political PARTY (that was in power) and its obvious egocentric ends. Because this party was desperate and largely interested in devising means to circumvent the ordinary law and rise above every citizen, policies or constitution that may stand in their way. This party was desperate to remain in power forever and that is clearly one of the major reasons why the 1999 constitution was amended in section 308 to provide IMMUNITY for political office holders.
And this is not the end because this moment I openly put it to you that Godfatherism became a tool in the hands of this PARTY that had already or beforehand if you like defected the law and laid a massive foundation of inappropriate political structure.
And as you follow, this leads US to the reality of the hideous fact that Godfatherism is only a tool or a toy in the hands of a desperate GIANT that feeds on and thrives with corruption, self-interest and a desperate lust for power.
Hence you quickly realize that Godfatherism as WE see is not the problem here as it was merely polished by greater element and forces which serve as the foundation to the nation’s political crisis.

3. Babangida and Tinubu as a case study.
The Babangida regime (1985 - 1993) practiced Godfatherism and it achieved a vast sum of development because of strict disciplinary measures taken. Now this present regime also practices Godfatherism but development is stunted. This reveals that the Godfatherism cannot rise above the law except when greater forces allow it to.
Also as we know that Godfatherism is presently practiced in the politics of Lagos with Tinubu occupying the role of the Godfather, yet the state has witnessed notable amount of development in infrastructure.
Now the political party that installed the present Governor of Lagos has been noted and observed by sundry to be a keen achiever and has executed better administration than the present ruling party. Though they practice Godfatherism too, compared with the ruling party, the state within the grasp of their rule has achieved significant development.
If through inappropriate political structure one party uses Godfatherism and some other means to achieve corruption, would it make any sense to lay blames on these means and leave out the source? Not so?
The political and developmental problem goes deeper than Godfatherism. There is a whole lot of rot beneath the lid.

In conclusion,
If Nigeria as a nation is ready for a change in its political situation, it must be ready to look beyond Godfatherism. It must be ready to address the foundation of these problem, such as the inappropriate political structure, the ethnic divide/issues, the elite corruption and a host of others.

I continue to argue that godfatherism is not the main cause of corruption in Nigeria. My fellow debater is centralizing his argument mainly on Obasanjo and PDP,which I believe it is slightly off the line of argument. While he forgets that individual character is quite different from general phenomenon that affects the society. I want to state categorically that godfatherism is not by anyway a major cause of corruption in Nigeria not when indiscipline is a call of the day. Not when the absence of effective rules, regulations and policies are not featuring in the nation.

What I am driving out of this is that some leaders have ruled this nation and have held political offices without godfathers, yet they mismanaged funds, and promote different kinds of corruption far beyond godfatherism.
Corruption started killing the developmental growth in Nigeria from Shagari administration,Buhari administration,Babangida administration(our case study) These rulers do not have godfathers and godfatherism has not been prominent in the other arms of government in their era,yet corruption practices continue to elevate. If godfatherism does not exist in Nigerian politics,the main causes of corruption in Nigeria will still prevail,unless we change our orientation towards a soceity free of indiscipline and bad culture.

My fellow debater argued that Adams Oshiomole Governor of Edo state has been consistence in his administration because he does not have godfather. Are you telling me that if Adams Oshiomole's ulterior motive is to enrich his pocket with public fund and he actually carry out his motive,will he be able to gain the heart of the people of Edo to vote for him in the second term? If Oshiomole has not been transparent in his system of administration will the Edo people re-elect him?

Fashola against Tinubu

The former Governor of Lagos state,Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who is a godfather to the incumbent Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola. Why did Fashola refused to dance to Tinubu's tune? Why did he got elected again for the second term in office,after the report of numerous disagreement between him and his political godfather and despite the fact that he got to the seat of power with the support of his godfather? Reasons are not far-fetched. When an individual possesses admirable pedigree, high moral standard,leadership skill,good deal of discipline and prioritizing the interest of his people above personal gain;he will be able to run the affairs of the public office without being influenced by the strong forces of his godfather. Even if the incumbent governor has agreed to the conspiracy of looting and embezzling before he won the election, his high standard of moral and discipline has made him to disagree to Tinubu's political manipulation. Truly, wolves lose their teeth but not their nature. Now tell me,if Fashola has selfishly embraced corruption emanating from the ungodly act of greed, moral decadence and selfcentredness. will you blame it on godfatherism or individualism?


Missing funds in Obasanjo's administration

There were wide spread allegation of various public fund embezzlement in the administration of Gen.Obansanjo Rtd. both in the military regime(1976-1979) and democratic ruling (1999-2003/2003-2007) Prominent of the missing funds are listed below:

*2.8 billion naira petroleum fund- 1976-1979
*200 billion naira ecological fund- 1999-2007
*19.5 billion Aviation fund- 2007-2011
These funds got missing during the administration of Gen.Obasanjo Rtd. without giving transparent account of how the funds were mismanaged. was Gen.Obasanjo Rtd. been elected in the 1999 election with the support of godfather? Can you tell me Gen.Obansanjo's administration was transparent?


If the collective wish of the masses supersedes the selfish resolve of some powerful individuals(godfathers) who believe they can dictate the affairs of millions of people from the confines of their bedrooms and the masses you speak for, abolish the corrupt practice of worshipping people in high places because of their wealth,do you think godfatherism will be the threat to our democracy? Hell no! We will only get things right in our society when we instigate high standard of moral value in the heart of our people;both young and old. When we frown at public display of wealth in occasion i.e spraying of money in public functions,parties and burial ceremonies;when you stop to collect bags and envelope from politicians before voting them.

James Ibori,the "flamboyant" former governor of Delta state was convicted for money laundering and embezzlement of the fund of people of Oil rich Delta state. The "common thief" as tagged by a British prosecutor,Sasha Weils was able to defraud his own people for his personal enrichment. Tell me,did he act on the manipulation,threat or blackmail of godfathers?

Let me not bore you all with long list of major problems that promotes corruption in our beloved country. Rather I will like implore us to look beyond godfatherism as the major cause of our problem (CORRUPTION) in Nigeria and change our characters and view towards proffering lasting solution to the causes, and stamp out corruption.

Rebuttal to Newacca's Argument-


How can godfatherism be applied selflessly when the godsons are created through manipulations to serve the interests of their godfathers?
Godfatherism is an elite based system which serves the interests of the elites - and godfatherism and selfishness/greed are conjoined twins. It’s idealist to think godfathers can be selfless, when godfatherism in the Nigerian political context thrives on greed and manipulations.

Our culure isn't based on corruption; we've a rich culture which celebrates people based on their achievements and their contributions to their societies. All our folklore legends were hardworking people who thrived on protecting the integrity and the advancements of their societies. I’ll also like to argue that all our pre-colonial societies that were able to build thriving civilisations/empires practised a form of godfatherism, with the King as the godfather – and there was no place for corruption in those societies. So alluding that corruption thrives because of our culture isn’t only flawed, but ludicrous.

Ethnicity is also not a cause of corruption in the Nigerian context, as we can see in the case of PDP – a political party of godfathers from all ethnic groups. PDP is the most detribalised political party in Nigeria, yet the most corrupt. PDP is the breeding ground for godfatherism, and it's a political party created by godfathers for godfathers and ruled by godfathers. So, your assertion that ethnicity is the cause of corruption in Nigeria is flawed. A quick overview of my archives about Nigerian history since independence shows that the reverse is the case. It only further buttresses my argument that the most incorruptible rulers/leaders we've had in Nigeria from the first republic to date – are products of ethnic/tribal political parties. These rulers put the interests of the people they governed first, before their personal interests – examples are: Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Anthony Enahoro (Action Group), Alhaji Ahmadu Bello and Alhaji Tafawa Balewa (NPC), Chief Ojukwu, and Governor Fashola (ACN).

Lastly, there is lack of accountability and transparency in Nigeria because of godfatherism and the godfathers who pull the strings behind the scene. The most corrupt godfathers in Nigeria: Obasanjo, IBB, Annenih etc. have never been held accountable for their extreme corruption because they have their godsons in high places, who keep anyone who dares to hold them accountable for their past deeds in check. We've also seen cases where former/reformed godsons of some of these godfathers were assassinated – for trying to expose their godfathers. The Babangida regime (1985 - 1993) exhibited everything wrong with godfatherism. The regime was the darkest period in Nigeria's history. During this regime; Inflation rose to about 30%, the economy was in chaos, assassinations of opponents were the order of the day, unemployment rate was at about 70%, genesis of the Nigerian brain drain, Nigeria became the hub for drug traffickers, and this regime birthed Advanced Free Fraud (419). And he's yet to be held accountable for his misdeeds because he has his godsons in high places in the Nigerian ruling class.

In conclusion: the earlier we rid ourselves of godfatherism in Nigeria, the better for us as a country.

breezy047:

Look beyond Godfatherism.
Almost everyone here that is carried along with this present trend of politics in Nigeria will agree with me that to solve the current problem of corruption and developmental crisis in this nation, you will need to look BEYOND Godfatherism. As Godfatherism is only a VEHICLE whose engine you will need to look beyond to catch a bare sight of the DRIVER. My arguments are extensively presented below.

Except that Godfatherism cannot be a vehicle because a vehicle cannot employ a driver.
The analogy falls flat in it's face and the premise of your argument becomes spineless. There's a direct relationship between Godfatherism and corruption/political violence in Nigeria.

Godfatherism is both the cause/symptom of the corruption in Nigeria. Let it be known that truth and knowledge cannot and should never be substituted for falsehood and ignorance. We are a country destined for doom, for good or for bad in obedience to the natural law of retributive justice if we continue to pretend Godfatherism isn't the major cause of corruption in Nigeria.

We cannot look beyond Godfatherism. There has been so much motion but little movement since independence.
Nigeria is a republic and not a monarchy. Nonetheless, the people that ruled our grand-fathers, our fathers, are still the ones ruling you and I. I would have thought the solution was pretty obvious to you. Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I say it's time we make a drastic change.

Heroism and symbolism have been politicized. Godfatherism corrupted democracy and democratized corruption. Nigeria needs a thorough overhaul of its political engine. There is very little to guise when it comes to Nigeria's travails. Ours is an ailment that needs complete life-saving surgical repair and yet you think we should look beyond Godfatherism even when it's so glaring that these Godfathers are the bane of our problems.

breezy047:
In conclusion,
If Nigeria as a nation is ready for a change in its political situation, it must be ready to look beyond Godfatherism. It must be ready to address the foundation of these problem, such as the inappropriate political structure, the ethnic divide/issues, the elite corruption and a host of others.

I also disagree.
If Nigeria as a nation is ready for a change in it's political situation then the sycophancy and the worshipping of these Godfathers must be removed completely. I believe the purpose of history is to awaken and raise consciousness. Excruciatingly, what we keep getting is the same irresponsibility and the refusal of these Godfathers to learn from history, and their incompetence to forge ahead and play politics without strife.

A book as volumed as the Koran or Bible would not be enough to document Nigeria's solutions. The onus of any solution lies in a collective determination to do right things peacefully and amicably or a selective decision to revolutionarize the entity called Nigeria. Some years back, the Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was implicated in a deal of 12 Honda cars as bribery to a suit under the jurisdiction of his court. Whereas, the action of the latter is not uncommon, the response of the CJN was ingnominable to such extent that he suggested culpability and guilt.

So tell me how this rot got to this degree without the blessings of the so called Godfathers manipulating all and sundry with perks. The judiciary is corrupt, the police are inefficient and corrupt, the legislation is corrupt, the executive is corrupt, the common man is corrupt, the churches and mosques are corrupt, the NGOs are corrupt and I swear I can go on. If you can find any country like this where the ruling class, with the aid of their Godfathers, persistently use their influence to cow the people and legitimize oppression and sadism kindly name it.

That I don't digress and begin to oscillate between tautology and the issue at hand, I rest my thoughts for now.

But why are Nigerians obsessed with big words?

We don't even use big words in Ingurland..

Rebuttal to Coogar's agguement

coogar: Good Evening, Ladies and Gents. . . . .
I have deliberately defined this collection as part of a universal set of peoples, in which I am sure we all fall into partially or wholly at various times of our life cycle. It is not to cast particular aspersion on the integrity of any person but to lay some foundation for the fluctuation of man’s sociological and behavioral patterns when disposed to matters of critical thinking. This in a sense influences our mannerisms and modus operandi to levels verging on matters of sanity, truth, action etc or lack of them as universally accepted norms. In this instance, the corruption in Nigeria driven by political Godfathers is the case study.
It is obtuse to even think the political Godfathers in Nigeria are not responsible for the sheer penury we find ourselves today.

Perhaps what will be obtuse here is the empty absence of lucid and raw facts to back each and every major ‘concerns’ of this great topic. And that is why before every one here now I indulge you to freely express to us how this present trend of Godfatherism that began with the Obasanjo regime is responsible for the sheer penury like you perhaps erroneously posited. . .
when historical records, Wikipedia (the online encyclopedia) and the Nigeria National Poverty Profile exactly states that this regime (Ibrahim Babangida regime) sky-rocketed penury and national poverty was at an inconvenient peak.

coogar: Though Nigeria is not yet at this brim, she walks ominously to a path of near hopelessness. We (her citizens) are sunk in denial and disbelief at what have struck us. I’d ask all members of the board to recess their memory to just 30 years ago and ask where Nigeria’s place was then and where is it now in the The nuances of decay are most revealing. Though we’re mystified by the calamitous situation we find ourselves, to our shame we still dance like masquerades to the Godfathers’ lures of deceit. This is sad. A country that suffers and smiles, weep in the morning and laughs at night without any significant change to their lives is an epitome of insanity. To this, I shed a tear.

I tell a lie if I say I am not affected by the abuse, degeneration, despair, debasement, and dehumanizing conditions Nigeria has put us all. If we do not recognize this, I’m afraid we cannot appreciate our position of retrogression. And if we do not appreciate our present state, we cannot define a path to a glorious future. Introspection is preemption to hindsight. For those in the other divide that feel differently to this notion, I salute their sagacity. As a honourable member of Nigeria’s intelligentsia, I assume these strategies are already in place. But what can be the efficacy of prayers when it is done in deceit? What tickles my anger though is the hint of hypocritical euphemism that underscores such rhetoric.

As you know that I stand here today to debate against this topic. With great patience, I have gone through these 2 paragraphs of your arguement carefully but still the STAND of my debate has remained UNCHALLENGED. . .
Because the content of these 2 paragraphs as we see is only a brief speech on the state of the country and this is extremely far from and completely diverted from the topic of the great debate.
To solve the current problem of corruption and developmental crisis in this nation we will look beyond Godfatherism, beyond diversion and distractions (perhaps like you are doing in these 2 paragraphs) and beyond the circumferential emotions and speeches of what has happened.
We will look at the deeper at the foundation.

coogar: The philosophy of life dictates that principles are permanent but forms may differ. In Nigeria, the converse is the case. How do we change a political class of Godfathers that have little or no form of ethical decorum or morals?

Perhaps you may need to clear out this supposed misconception here
Is it all Godfathers that lack ethical decorum and morals?.
Taking Tinubu as a case study. ..
Would you please point out painstakingly whatever ethical or moral misconduct Tinubu has been convicted of by the law court or propagated by valid and responsible sources of the media.

coogar: Nigeria's problem is most evident for the blind to see. Corruption is everywhere and the truth is that Nigeria is defying all rational theories or known history. The moral bankruptcy of the ruling class goes unchecked because the system allows it. It baffles me to hear that we still ask ourselves how to change such cancer that pervades all levels of the socio-political fabric as if we do not know the causes are self-orchestrated. Even so, it is a criminal presumption to contend that we have been doing all that can be done over the years.

I feel gratified that you may have consolidated the STAND of my debate here.
If the SYSTEM ALLOWS GODFATHERISM like you posited, and Godfatherism breeds corruption then definitely the SYSTEM itself that welcomes Godfatherism is a MASTER breeder of corruption.
You may now realise from this simple logic that leadership (Ruling party system) and Policing are even STRONGER causes of corruption and developmental crisis in this nation than just Godfatherism.

coogar: Nigerians do not suffer from a barren history - only a corrupt one. We also ravel in a state of sycophantic stupor to cheer these Godfathers whom we all know are the causes of our problems. Praise singing is part of our innate culture. Self-aggrandizement is also second nature. The Pastors, Imams, Obis, Obas, and Emirs parade themselves criss-crossing the country to endorse politicians and juntas in a bid to wet their palms. The travesty of political prostitution knows no bounds. Even then, they claim to be our leaders and the custodians of our fate. These men are not any more pregnant with ideas than you or I. In fact they are less intelligent and if I can add, men of little reckoning to me, given their precedents.

Put in context of this paragraph you perhaps are indirectly positing that we the people being governed hold a larger percentage of the blame, and stand as even STRONGER cause of corruption in this democracy. . .
Well this is very welcome and accepted by me because it consolidates my STAND on this debate.
Like Bess Myerson quotes: The greatest accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own INDIFFERENCE.
Also Anthony Eden Quotes: Corruption has never been compulsory (except the people governed accept it

So if you agree with me you can see (like you posited in context yourself) that to solve our current brouhaha with corruption, we need to look beyond just Godfatherism and perhaps look even at ourselves (the people governed) as stronger causes of corruption.

Like Carl Sagan quotes: One of the lessons of history is ‘if we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We are no longer interested in finding out the REAL truth anymore.

coogar: Our contributions must lie in the sincerity of our purpose and our resolve to carry out systematic change. I want to make it clear that It is not pessimism that fuels my writing, rather it is the strength of love that I have for my country. The venom I spit is to awaken other comrades who appear to be insular to the tirade of calls for constructive non-sentimental change in Nigeria. It is our right not a privilege to demand nothing but good governance for the sweat of our labour and the dignity humanity reposes on us.

Perhaps you would agree with me that the LOVE you have individually claimed to have for this country is what every Godfather would claim to have for this country too if confronted.
Hence it perhaps appears to be very irrelevant to this debate.
What might be relevant if you agree is that I have just made it clear that though Godfatherism may have some ill effect on this society, there are STRONGER ills which appear to be deeper causes of this corruption and developmental crisis.

coogar: It is the doom of humanity that all animate things would eventually become inanimate. Whether we like it or not, death is an inevitable end for us all. Therefore, pretension to the spate of affairs and the onus it serves to every citizen must not be diluted or waved aside. We must be as critical if we want to get to the promised land. In an emporium of mischief makers, there would be serial liars, cheats, fawners, betrayers and evil men. The incubation period for good over evil is undefined[b] but if we can ask the critical question with the same passion that stimulates our anger, then; may be then, we would filter out the right solution without fear or sentiments.
[/b]

can you please state these critical questions you listed above and how they prove that Godfatherism is the major cause of corruption in this country.

coogar: As such, we need to gravitate our minds to see how best we can tackle the corrupt political class and their cohorts

The answer is simple : look beyond Godfatherism.





In conclusion here is the FINAL note for all to identify with.
You can agree that there are a good many causes of corruption and under development in this country. You can also agree that Godfatherism admittedly is a cause of corruption in this country.
Now, everyone who follows the trends and historical records are aware that there is a CHAIN TREND OF CORRUPTION in this nation. . .
And in such chain trend, one corrupt practice if left unchecked gives birth to another. . .This is concreted by Charles Caleb Colton's quote: Corruption is like a ball of snow. once its set rolling, it must increase.

It is obvious and exact that in Nigeria inappropriate political structure and inappropraite policing gave birth to Godfatherism, and they are far greater in the business of causing corruption in the nation than Godfatherism.
From this it becomes easier to realise that Godfatherism is not the majorr cause of corruption and developmental crisis in this nation and you need to look beyond it.
Thanks