Politics: Some Nigerian Politicians’ Main Priority

AFP photo

By

Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani

Governance is a very serious task that whoever finds himself or herself in the corridors of power must be willing to fully sacrifice and give his or her all to make it a success.

No leader should play with anything about governance. And no good leader governs merely to win the next election. Leaders govern to set good examples for others to follow. Leaders lead to shape so many people’s lives from that of despair to hope. From penury to prosperity. From fear, threats to a peaceful life where miscreants are punished to serve as deterrent to others, leaders lead to not only help their generation but generations to come through building a very good infrastructure and making policies that will be beneficial to the populace. Unfortunately, a huge number of Nigerian politicians are more interested in the politics than the leadership. Even more discouraging is the fact that a high percentage of Nigerian politicians are merely after power and its attendant benefits, and not services to the people which any good leader in any part of the world should primarily contemplate.

Nigeria, my country, Nigeria the land of ceaseless political calculations, Nigeria where electioneering starts as early as the next day after the secondary election. In short, in some instances the next general election campaigns commence once one loses the primary election or even wins. We have seen scenarios where politicians refuse to campaign for a certain candidate of their party with a view to getting favours or putting themselves in a more strategic position to win an election that is coming in the next four years or even more. But this is not my main problem as karma is real and is definitely only a matter of time before he or she gets a test of what they serve others. My main problem is leaving their primary assignment of government and politicking for almost all their tenure if not even all.

Is it that I do not understand something or what? I have striven to see any sense in leaving one’s primary assignment in government to politicking all through and I am yet to see any. For God’s sake if you concentrate on what you were elected to do and do it effectively you would have little electioneering and will not need the whole four years for an election campaign. Your works will campaign for you. You will just need to do little and trust me you will be back to your office or even get a higher office. But what is all this about endless election campaigns, when if you will be very frank with yourself, you will not dare stand again for any election because you certainly know you have failed?

Since I understood what the words ‘politics’ and ‘governance’ mean, I have ceaselessly watched how our purported leaders are always fighting over the next election when most of them have failed to get even the most essential things for their people. I have watched with keen interest how some politicians have always taken us for a ride by making endless promises. But do we care to judge them based on what they have done for us? No! All we care about is what faith they profess, where they come from or what their ethnicity is and not the ‘content of their character’. We have failed to treat people based on their actions but prejudices and other artificial things which are fabricated to put us into more problems than proffering solutions.

What is the way forward then? We must as followers change our perspectives of leadership. We must raise the standards of leadership through not only active participation but also participating in the right way! While we still need to participate more in the way things are being done in Nigeria, what I deduced from keen observation of our polity and politics is not grand political apathy but the wrong channeling of energy. We put our efforts and energies in the wrong things and exhaust them without thinking about the consequences of such naivety. Otherwise, how do you describe those people that vigorously help the politicians in electioneering when it is crystal clear it is not the right time for electioneering? How do you describe those that print posters for aspirants barely a year into the tenure of those at the helm of affairs? The last time I checked there is an act regulating political activities in this country and there is a vividly asserted time frame for that. So, it is illegal to campaign when the period of election campaigns elapse. People need to obviously comprehend this.

If today as an aspirant, you think the person in power is not doing the right thing, you can always criticise him or her constructively with a view to delivering that much needed dividend of democracy. It is not wrong if you admonish him or her on what is best for the people. Remember you are in the first place contesting solely to serve and if your opponent happens to be doing well or otherwise you have to help not mainly because of him or her. But for the sake of the people who are so dear to you and for whom you want the utmost best. By so doing you lose nothing and gain everything.

No matter how desperate you are, “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will)”, regardless of your machinations. So why waste time, resources and energy on an apparent wrong assignment or rather project? Why not do what you were elected for and not contemplate the next election? For God’s sake you have a mandate. Utilise this mandate that you have.  Do it effectively and see how people will start campaigning for you for bigger office. I assure you when you do that, you will have to stop people from urging you to aspire for office you think is even beyond your reach or power. As for the office you currently hold, I want to assert without equivocation that it is almost certain that you will retain it, if you decide to recontest. But even if you fail to retain it knowing how unpredictable elections are generally and particularly how our people are, then rest assured that it will only be a matter of time before they realise their mistakes and come back pleading with you to contest again. So there is no need for this grand desperation that is a hallmark of our politics and some of our politicians!

While I am undoubtedly against electioneering by politicians when it is not the time for that, at least as you can see from everything I have stated so far that the worst is for those who have already been elected. Does this justify the electioneering by those who are not elected and are aspiring? No! It certainly does not. Aspirants also must respect the law and give the elected the time to execute their projects. There is no harm in having any plan to contest any office. But know that even the scripture says that “There is time for everything”, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. So, let us be frank and not allow ambitions to cloud our sense of judgement.

It is high time Nigerians identified those politicians that are for the people and aid them in progressing in their lives and of course in the onerous task of nation building. As for those desperate politicians, I want to believe that we will know them when we see them. All that is anticipated of us is to send these kind of politicians where they rightly belong! I know together we can. Let us help our country by electing the very best to lead us. Let us send a clear message that indeed we are truly ready for good leadership. God bless you and continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani

Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani is a Nigerian from Gassol local Government of Taraba State. He is a person who dares to dream big despite the enormous challenges he has faced in life. He is a firm believer in justice, hard work, humanity and he is passionate about his country. He was a columnist at NewsShuttle Newspaper in his home state of Taraba until recently where he had published so many articles. He has also published articles in Yerwa Express News and Leadership Newspaper in Nigeria. He has recently published a piece in Setu magazine: a bilingual magazine in both the US and India, and five poems in Beyond the rainbow literary magazine in Australia. He is a young man who has almost every reason to give up but refuses to. He is very articulate, calm and a curious learner.