A couple of days ago, the Senate came out with a call
for the replacement of the leadership of the security agencies for
their failure to stop the bloodletting.
Last week, they got an answer; the security of their chamber was
violated in a very rude manner. Before then, public opinion had
been divided on the propriety of the call by Lt. Gen. Theophilus
Danjuma (retd.), for his people in Taraba to defend themselves
against the marauding Fulani herdsmen. A traditional ruler who had
witnessed unceasing killing of his people also made a similar call.
All these calls are borne out of frustration, to stop the carnage
and to put Nigeria on the path of rectitude.
A lot of has been written on this subject but we must continue
to dwell on it unless we all want to be caught up in a
conflagration that we cannot manage. For every position or job,
from the President down to the cleaner, there is a job schedule,
Terms of Reference and expectations from the employer of the
employee(s). The employee keeps their job when they perform
satisfactorily. They are sanctioned when they fail in the discharge
of their duties. Some offences and failure to perform duties
attract a query and warning, some could be punished by suspension,
demotion and in grave instances, termination or dismissal.
In governance parlance, failure and neglect of duty to protect
life would amount to an offence of the gravity that would attract a
dismissal. Very good employee performance attracts a
recommendation, a prize, award or promotion.
It is within this context of performance and the sanctions and
rewards appurtenant to it that Nigerians must view and approach any
declaration by an incumbent for re-election. For a President or
governor to declare interest in getting a second term in office, he
must present his report card and the card must show that he has
done well in his first term. Otherwise, at a time the nation is
being painted with innocent blood and there is no evidence of any
concrete action to stop the killings and the Commander-in-Chief
declares interest in a second term, something is fundamentally
flawed with such a declaration. The declarant should solve this
life and death challenge for the people he leads and thereafter
declare for a second term. If Buhari is not able to substantially
stop the blood flow, it would be flawed to continue the chase for a
second term, being a desire to continue doing something which he
has no capacity to do. A life, once lost, cannot be replaced and no
amount of apologies would do.
I know some Nigerians would immediately come up with the right
of a President or governor to present himself for a second term.
Such an argument misses the core issue, the real paradigm that
needs to be addressed. It is not about the right of an incumbent to
stand for election, it is about the right to life of the occupants
of the highest office in the land, the office of the citizen; the
citizens living in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Zamfara, etc.
Elections are only for the living and the right to life trumps
other rights. Again, the argument that everyone, including
incumbents who have performed very poorly should come on board and
let the people decide holds no water. Should the majority be in a
position to decree death through the popular vote to the minority?
There is no such right for the majority under national or
international law. There is also no such right or claim cognisable
under Christianity or Islam, being the two dominant religions in
Nigeria. But what happens when the examiners, being the ordinary
people, a majority of the voters, are too uneducated, ignorant or
fickle minded to determine what is good for them? What of the
voters who will cast their vote on the basis of ethnicity, religion
and similar prejudices even against their enlightened
self-interest? The answer is intensive sensitisation and civic
education for the majority. This should focus on linking the
quality of development and governance and the decision of the
citizen when he casts the secret ballot.
This trend of thought should apply across board to the
governors. Those owing huge workers’ salaries and allowances are
not deserving of a second term. Governors who have contributed
little or nothing to the economic, social and political development
of their state should not waste their time attempting a comeback. A
second term is an endorsement and validation of the performance of
an incumbent. But if we are all agreed that an incumbent has
performed poorly on all reasonable indicators, it makes eminent
sense to ask him to step aside. The decision we make today will
determine developments that will shape our future. At the end of
the day, it is up to us to decide.
Where shall we run to? Who shall we tell and who do we complain
to? Who will accept us as refugees? Which country in the sub-region
is large enough to accommodate fleeing Nigerians? These and many
more questions agitate my mind. There is a leadership vacuum in
Nigeria, from the executive, legislature to the judiciary. People
are paid for the jobs they seem not competent to do. New ideas are
lacking, intellectual stagnation is the order of the day and human
life is no longer worth anything at all.
All neighbouring countries are too small in terms of land area,
financial and other resources to receive and manage a deluge of
refugees from Nigeria. The world seems to be tired of Africans,
especially black people murdering and killing one another on flimsy
excuses due to differences in tribe, tongue and religion. Every
society has its challenges and people in the western world are
beginning to look inwards, in these days of a wave of old fashioned
nationalism. So, if the Nigerian leadership thinks that it can
continue playing the ostrich and things will get better through the
shedding of innocent blood, mindless violence and dereliction of
duty, then, they are in for a rude shock.
In civilised climes, when a person in a position of authority or
leadership fails in the diligent discharge of their duties, either
arising out of gross negligence or incompetence, they resign and
throw in the towel. In many instances, such people offer a public
apology to those who trusted them and whom they let down. The
managers of the system conduct an investigation, a system check
into the circumstances that led to the failure and take steps to
block the leakages in the system. However, this is not the case in
Nigeria, as many of our leaders come to positions of authority with
a sense of entitlement. They come to be served and not to serve;
they feel they are doing the public a favour, rather than the
public offering them an opportunity. With this mindset, the society
is left ungoverned and law and order is at the tipping point of
collapse.
A couple of days ago, the Senate came out with a call
for the replacement of the leadership of the security agencies for
their failure to stop the bloodletting.
Last week, they got an answer; the security of their chamber was
violated in a very rude manner. Before then, public opinion had
been divided on the propriety of the call by Lt. Gen. Theophilus
Danjuma (retd.), for his people in Taraba to defend themselves
against the marauding Fulani herdsmen. A traditional ruler who had
witnessed unceasing killing of his people also made a similar call.
All these calls are borne out of frustration, to stop the carnage
and to put Nigeria on the path of rectitude.
A lot of has been written on this subject but we must continue
to dwell on it unless we all want to be caught up in a
conflagration that we cannot manage. For every position or job,
from the President down to the cleaner, there is a job schedule,
Terms of Reference and expectations from the employer of the
employee(s). The employee keeps their job when they perform
satisfactorily. They are sanctioned when they fail in the discharge
of their duties. Some offences and failure to perform duties
attract a query and warning, some could be punished by suspension,
demotion and in grave instances, termination or dismissal.
In governance parlance, failure and neglect of duty to protect
life would amount to an offence of the gravity that would attract a
dismissal. Very good employee performance attracts a
recommendation, a prize, award or promotion.
It is within this context of performance and the sanctions and
rewards appurtenant to it that Nigerians must view and approach any
declaration by an incumbent for re-election. For a President or
governor to declare interest in getting a second term in office, he
must present his report card and the card must show that he has
done well in his first term. Otherwise, at a time the nation is
being painted with innocent blood and there is no evidence of any
concrete action to stop the killings and the Commander-in-Chief
declares interest in a second term, something is fundamentally
flawed with such a declaration. The declarant should solve this
life and death challenge for the people he leads and thereafter
declare for a second term. If Buhari is not able to substantially
stop the blood flow, it would be flawed to continue the chase for a
second term, being a desire to continue doing something which he
has no capacity to do. A life, once lost, cannot be replaced and no
amount of apologies would do.
I know some Nigerians would immediately come up with the right
of a President or governor to present himself for a second term.
Such an argument misses the core issue, the real paradigm that
needs to be addressed. It is not about the right of an incumbent to
stand for election, it is about the right to life of the occupants
of the highest office in the land, the office of the citizen; the
citizens living in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Zamfara, etc.
Elections are only for the living and the right to life trumps
other rights. Again, the argument that everyone, including
incumbents who have performed very poorly should come on board and
let the people decide holds no water. Should the majority be in a
position to decree death through the popular vote to the minority?
There is no such right for the majority under national or
international law. There is also no such right or claim cognisable
under Christianity or Islam, being the two dominant religions in
Nigeria. But what happens when the examiners, being the ordinary
people, a majority of the voters, are too uneducated, ignorant or
fickle minded to determine what is good for them? What of the
voters who will cast their vote on the basis of ethnicity, religion
and similar prejudices even against their enlightened
self-interest? The answer is intensive sensitisation and civic
education for the majority. This should focus on linking the
quality of development and governance and the decision of the
citizen when he casts the secret ballot.
This trend of thought should apply across board to the
governors. Those owing huge workers’ salaries and allowances are
not deserving of a second term. Governors who have contributed
little or nothing to the economic, social and political development
of their state should not waste their time attempting a comeback. A
second term is an endorsement and validation of the performance of
an incumbent. But if we are all agreed that an incumbent has
performed poorly on all reasonable indicators, it makes eminent
sense to ask him to step aside. The decision we make today will
determine developments that will shape our future. At the end of
the day, it is up to us to decide.
Where shall we run to? Who shall we tell and who do we complain
to? Who will accept us as refugees? Which country in the sub-region
is large enough to accommodate fleeing Nigerians? These and many
more questions agitate my mind. There is a leadership vacuum in
Nigeria, from the executive, legislature to the judiciary. People
are paid for the jobs they seem not competent to do. New ideas are
lacking, intellectual stagnation is the order of the day and human
life is no longer worth anything at all.
All neighbouring countries are too small in terms of land area,
financial and other resources to receive and manage a deluge of
refugees from Nigeria. The world seems to be tired of Africans,
especially black people murdering and killing one another on flimsy
excuses due to differences in tribe, tongue and religion. Every
society has its challenges and people in the western world are
beginning to look inwards, in these days of a wave of old fashioned
nationalism. So, if the Nigerian leadership thinks that it can
continue playing the ostrich and things will get better through the
shedding of innocent blood, mindless violence and dereliction of
duty, then, they are in for a rude shock.
In civilised climes, when a person in a position of authority or
leadership fails in the diligent discharge of their duties, either
arising out of gross negligence or incompetence, they resign and
throw in the towel. In many instances, such people offer a public
apology to those who trusted them and whom they let down. The
managers of the system conduct an investigation, a system check
into the circumstances that led to the failure and take steps to
block the leakages in the system. However, this is not the case in
Nigeria, as many of our leaders come to positions of authority with
a sense of entitlement. They come to be served and not to serve;
they feel they are doing the public a favour, rather than the
public offering them an opportunity. With this mindset, the society
is left ungoverned and law and order is at the tipping point of
collapse.
Read more https://nairalaw.com/second-term-ambition-amidst-a-depressing-scorecard/