"Public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation." – Margaret Chase Smith.
The opening quote seems to be lost in the consciousness of most of the individuals that are actively participating in the Nigerian political space. These politicians are often entangled in the quest for power that they neglect the primary purpose for seeking the office they so desired. These, rather than committedly engaging in public service would give in to serving themselves as well as their political allies. The result of their actions is obvious for all to see as the nation grapples with poor infrastructural development, poverty and unemployment.
Meanwhile, we have got men in positions of power who keep going home with million of naira on a monthly basis even while agreement over a N30,000 minimum wage is in the balance. And as election is coming, we see a lot of activities happening around us with these ‘carefree’ individuals facilitating different 'point-scoring' undertakings. Now is the time to fix the roads that have been in deplorable state for years. Now is the moment to get close to the people and show that they are concerned about their plight – albeit with ulterior motive. This is quite alarming and I wonder how much longer these politicians think they will succeed in fooling the people. Leaving the things that ought to have been done [long before now] to the season when elections beckon is nothing more than a 'thankless' service.
Where do the people stand?
These politicians have succeeded in these acts time and again because the people have failed in some ways. I have been ruminating over the saying by Joseph de Maistre which goes thus: “In a democracy, people get the leaders they deserve”...we seem to have left things to chance and as such, ended up with mediocrity. Firstly, we do not always hold these politicians accountable and in the long run, we give them ‘breathing space’ to run for more years when they have failed us on the first turn – there seems to be some sort of nonchalance in the air. Another thing I have observed is that the Nigerian electorates are often swayed towards a particular party even though most of them claim to be liberal. We will stick to a certain party because of the 'I do not want to lose my vote' mentality. We do this without running any background check on the aspirants; this, in itself, is a stimulus for a failed system.
Power should never be entrusted to a person who is dishonest, and lacks the vision to evoke a progressive change that the nation [and its communities] so need. This is where debates may become somewhat useful in order to see what (substance) an aspirant is made of before getting the people’s mandate. Again, the electorates should not neglect the track record of every individual seeking to gain their mandate. We have got to ask questions like “Is he/she a man/woman of vision?” … ‘Can he/she help lead the course towards the recovery of our lost glory?’ Does he/she have what it takes to lead a community with diverse cultures such as ours?
As the elections draw near, we [as a people] have got to desist from allowing everything go and make effort to bring the right set of people into power. That said, I do not want to believe that it is all politicians that have bad intentions; there are FEW good ones around… let’s bring them to where they ought to be.
Back to the politicians who are more concerned about power than bettering the lives of their people; using the need of the people as a primer for gaining their votes is an act of savagery. Coming back to take advantage of a problem you ought to have resolved does not paint you in good light… think about your people and how you can uplift their status.
I will like to conclude with this quote from Kirsten Gillibrand: "By running, you’re making that commitment that says, 'I'm dedicating myself to public service'. Win or lose, you’re making that statement, and you actually are taking a step in that direction."