Every society with rational human beings has a system of governance that characterizes its administration. Meanwhile, the choice of any system of government in any society is a function of the interest and choice of the people. In Nigeria, we have decided to adopt the colonial masters’ choice of governance after decades of military rule and this has been our practice, at least since 1999. In the meantime, the system of government in Nigeria is mainly dominated by the rich with wherewithal to cajole the massively down-trodden people who could hardly reason independently without the influence of the rampaging power brokers who perpetually keep them in the slave market.
Every society with rational human beings has a system of governance that characterizes its administration. Meanwhile, the choice of any system of government in any society is a function of the interest and choice of the people. In Nigeria, we have decided to adopt the colonial masters’ choice of governance after decades of military rule and this has been our practice, at least since 1999. In the meantime, the system of government in Nigeria is mainly dominated by the rich with wherewithal to cajole the massively down-trodden people who could hardly reason independently without the influence of the rampaging power brokers who perpetually keep them in the slave market.
Since the enthronement of civil rule in the country in 1999, every politician that has opportunity of being elected or appointed has always craved for second term or more where possible. In fact, if not for the wisdom of those that bequeathed the restrictive constitution to us in 1999, what we would have had in Nigeria might not have been different from what Gabon passed through during late Omar Bongo leadership, what Togolese experienced under the leadership of Gnasigbe Eyadema, Muammar Gadaffi of Libya, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, etc.
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But glory be to God that our constitution has restricted all elective executive posts to maximum of two terms but silence on legislature terms and that is why people like David Mark that once opined as Communication Minister that telephone was not for the masses could be in the senate since 1999 enriching himself at the expense of the complacent masses.
Interestingly, when politicians are vying for post they promise to do and undo even the impossible things. Surprisingly, most of them promised to do every thing the incumbent occupier of the post is unable to do within a year or less if elected but fails to deliver the promise once elected apart from the song changing to clamour for second term or extension of tenure to complete the work started. Nowadays the way our politicians dilly-dally on their promises is becoming unbearable and now a common feature even to the extent that the one that once opined when he had not secured the post that going for second time is a sign of failure which is tantamount to a student repeating a class has changed the song. Invariably, then there was no need for second term. Unfortunately, most of the populace even the self-acclaimed elites have fallen prey to the maxim of second term for the politicians especially when they get peanuts or other form of compensation from such politicians. To be sincere, if it happens in other land that second term has been their practice it is also common in some other places that political office holders hardly spend a year when perform below expectation before they are booted out of power. However, in Nigeria nepotism and ethnicity or religious bigotry has not made us to be united at making them abdicate offices when engrossed in questionable activities and or could not fulfill their electoral vows.
Now that election is getting nearer our people have started campaigning again and the prominent of this electioneering is the feature of old faces. Is it a curse that we must be recycling our leaders or their children? What is the fate of those of us that are educated but don’t belong to these erstwhile leaders’ family? Is there any sign or hope that we shall ever occupy any significant posts? Well, I may not be politically-inclined for now but what about those endowed with the charisma but are prevented by these cabals who continually cage us in their political nest. If Nigeria is a country with more than one hundred and fifty (150) million people and those above age 18 are more than 60% of this figure, this means that more than ninety (90) million people are above voteable age of eighteen (18) years in Nigeria. If among this populace, half (45 million) is more than thirty years of age which is the minimum number of age required by the constitution for anyone to contest elections in the country, how many people in the whole of the country would occupy posts among the millions of people within eight years if politicians are allowed two terms?
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Now, to understand the issues let us examine the constitutional provisions as regard the age for various positions. The constitution as regards House of Representatives as contained in Section 65(b) prescribes 30 years as minimum age for election of a member into the house while Section 65(a) prescribe 35 years for the senate. Similarly, Section 106(b) prescribes 30 years for election of a member into state house of Assembly while Section 77 (b) prescribes 35 years for a candidate to be elected governor and section 131(b) prescribes 40 years for a candidate to qualify to contest for presidency. Meanwhile, the average lifespan for most citizens in Nigeria nowadays is sixty-five (65) years and if someone could occupy a post or another since he clocks 30 years tills he dies and other people are in the same age group, don’t you guess the minute fraction of the whole population will perpetually rule us while the same set of people would continue to be servants to the enigmas? If a president, 36 governors, 774 chairmen, 109 senators and 360 honourables at federal house of representative, state assembly honourables, councillors, commissioners, advisers, ambassadors, etc that could not exceed 10,000 in all now recycle themselves into power, are we not bound to be perpetually enslaved?
When will it be my turn or your turn to become leaders even if qualified in all ramifications except we insist anyone that has occupied a post should vacate for others and find something else done? If politics is the same as activism which people like Gani fawehinmi laboured for, would our people be struggling and killing themselves over that? It is obvious, they siphon public funds in politics that is why they are bent to win at all cost whereas in activism one spend his wealth, time and energy.
Therefore, it is high time Nigerians started abhorring two-term syndrome. After all, late General R. Muritala Muhammad remained the best leader the country had ever produced despite using just six months and some days. If he could achieve such a feat within a short period although eliminated gruesomely by the wicked souls and our current leaders could not beat his record within four years, then there is no basis of even supporting our current leaders to complete their four year tenure let alone promoting them for second term. What other wonder did Fashola perform in Lagos during his second term if not exacerbate people’s living conditions? At least, those motorists plying Lekki/Ajah Road would testify to the extortion on the roads by the agents of government while Lagos state university students who were hitherto paying just N25,000 and were later made to pay N250,000 immediately Fashola secured his second term would be in the best position to narrate their experience.
Apart from crisis and costly plane Amaechi bought for Rivers government, which other achievement did he brings to Rivers people during his second term? Babangida Aliyu was an epitome of selfless service in his first term but his second term was nothing but a pay time to his cronies. Jonah Jang of Plateau was only successful during his second term at dividing governors’ forum and supervising ethnic cleansing in his state while Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state only succeeded at supervising PDP road to extinction as the PDP governors’ chairman that could not prevent defection of aggrieved members to the opposition parties and in promoting his Anang kinsmen’s interest although the elders had on some occasions vilified him for relegating Ibibio and other tribes. Olusegun Mimiko is another example of fraudulent administration that embarks mainly on three millennium schools for almost three years. The state was standstill until a year to his second term election that he started construction of roads and hospitals and once he secured the second term, the pace of his landmark achievement has been overtaken by moribund development. Even the former Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose, who ought to be resting in prison for hiring fowls for his fake poultry project commissioning is still contesting for Ekiti gubernatorial election. The case is not different in Osun State where thugs and murderers are now the major contenders in major elections. What an unfortunate society with throngs of armed robbers as politicians!
Now, our ex-convict and acquitted former port authority chairman is still warming up for another appointment after defrauding the agency of more than N53billion even when Mr. fix-it that could not fix just a road with billions of naira allocated to his ministry while he was Minister of Works now heads the board of trustees of the national ruling party for the second time. Is it not a curse that the present rulers would continually rule us and or be substituted by their children and relations? They bar us from contesting election while below the age of 30 years whereas majority of them assumed national leadership at age 23 and 25 years and they are yet to quit the stage for the younger generation. These same sets of power mongers that have turned themselves to cabals and power brokers now intimidate us with their insistence to remain in power. How many are these cabals? Are they as many as the downtrodden? Can these oppressors defeat the oppressed if the oppressed decided to revenge? Is it not the time for the oppressed to resist the attempt to be enslaved forever by these cabals? Attempt of some former leaders that had occupied posts in the country without any impact on their people to contest again is an affront on the electorates’ intelligence.
Well, I acknowledge the fact that the rampaging youths that have constituted threats to orderliness, peace and progress of the country are mostly errand boys for these oppressive politicians and that this hard-hitting message might not have made majority to withdraw their support for the big men and see whether the big men can survive without them. Nonetheless, it is my candid believe that if youths clamouring for second term of our politicians could reason and withdraw their support for them, a new chapter in the political history and governance of our country would be opened whereby youths would determine those that should contest or not. Instead of singing praising for another person’s second time, why not promote yourself or another person for a better tomorrow? Or is it a curse that you must always serve people while none serve you? No wonder, they keep mortgaging the future of our youths without recourse to the needs of the masses. If Amosun of Ogun state that promised 50% reduction in school fees before his assumption of office could fail to redeem the promise, you should expect nothing than geometric increment in fees should he secure a second term.
In Oyo state, if Abiola Ajimobi could turn Oyo state to Ibadan state with nearly all the state resources spent on Ibadan alone with ten local governments and Oyo town with four local governments while neglecting Oke-ogun ;the largest zone with ten local governments and Ibarapa with three local governments then, Oyo state people should expect nothing if he should secure second term other than sacrificing their future for Ibadan city and its people alone. As elections approach let us intensify our call for a single term for all politicians.
SOLIU,LUQMAN M.(MR)B.SC(HONS),GMNIM,CAIAR.
ABEOKUTA,OGUN
STATE, NIGERIA.
[email protected]
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of SaharaReporters
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