Benjamin Achi looks at governance in Nigeria and concludes that an inept govt necessarily breeds more of its kind.
An inept govt necessarily breeds more of its kind
Look around our country presently and the veracity of the above assertion would stare us in the face.
Nigeria is one country I know where a public official receives a mandate, plays some religious, nepostistic or tribal card, and then sits through a whooping eight years in office achieving nothing. And you would still have an army of people eulogizing them even in their emptiness.
We’ve expended so much of our energy bemoaning the tragedy that the Buhari Presidency has been since 2015. But just look at the states in the South East.
The erstwhile governor of Anambra, Willie Obiano, was left a staggering 74 billion Naira by his predecessor, Mr Peter Obi. He ended up handing over a paltry sum of about 400 million Naira to his successor with a debt of about 108 billion! Too bad if I may.
However, we’ll give credit to Mr Obiano on some counts. We can name the international passenger and cargo airport in Umueri and the conference centre in Awka among other little projects. Above all, he enabled the political environment that saw to the emergence of a technocrat in the mould of Charles Soludo as his successor. For this writer, it is the greatest gift Obiano gave to ndi Anambra. So at least, he has something to show for his eight years in power.
Dave Umahi may be embattled at this twilight of his administration but no dispassionate observer would contest the fact that he gave a good account of himself, at least infrastructure-wise in Ebonyi.
But consider how it is with the rest of the states.
Enugu has a alleged foodie who would be remembered for his predilection for the choicest cuisine. There is also the confusing mantra that the state handed over to him to govern is in God’s hands – as if the rest of the states are not. For the managers, it has been eight years of eating and catching cruise and empty politicking.
Abia is “God’s Own State” remember? So why should Okezie Ikpeazụ not sit back and decide to take the last position that his name suggests? His eight years is just about coming to an end, empty! Maybe he has wagered, that God has to come down from heaven and take the drivers seat, like in the case of the Coal City State. After all, Abia belongs to him!
Imo is on break, having been handed over to the loser after the Nigerian ridiculous system decided to sack the man who got the people’s mandate. So maybe after the break, a governor would emerge. We pray and wish and hope so.
So what’s the effect of all of these?
You now see a situation where every Tom, Dick and Harry is now jostling for those positions. And why not? After all, they have seen from the body language and activities of some of those presently occupying those offices, that governance in our own case can sometimes mean sitting through in office for the whole years you’ve got and just catching cruise and achieving nothing.
Why wouldn’t a senile Bola Ahmed Tinubu want to be president? Hasn’t he seen a kindred spirit Muhammadu Buhari occupy that office in a complete state of inertia? And the same thing is what runs through in the states.
This is what ineptitude in governance does. breeding more of its kind.
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