By Abu Shekara
Who’s to say there was ever a time, since the civil war, when Nigeria was so divided as it is today. The loose fragments, on which this country precariously hangs are so numerous: ethnic, religious, regional and economic. The disputes that seek to prize this nation apart are complex and each bears more than one element of these multiple factors.
Postures are hardening to further polarize the people, at a time when our individual and collective survival depends more than ever before, on our unity against the social and economic crises that threaten our very existence. Murderous insurgents, bandits and criminal groups engage all parts of the country, while the noose of a harsh economy is tightening, suffocating our livelihoods.
This is the mood in which 2023 approaches Nigeria and in a few months, we will elect another set of leaders, with many citizens wishing the time was right now. It’s actually only eight years but it seems we’re witnessing the longest spell ever, of disappointing performance by an administration we had installed with the greatest confidence and hope.
That the current government at the center has overstayed its welcome, (if not its tenancy) is no subject of debate. Our eagerness for 2023 is thus tailored by the urgent need to extricate ourselves from our dire situation and restore hope through our vote.
Nigerians know exactly the type of government they want. Our challenge is making the right choice of leaders that will give us that kind of government. When availed of the opportunity through the election process, we often miss the point in identifying the right potentials among the numerous options the system presents.
In 2015, Nigeria was emerging from the tenure of arguably the least inspiring leader in Nigeria’s history. The electorate therefore opted for strong character with the confidence that that was the sole requirement for pulling our nation back from the precipice.
As the second term of this administration comes to an end, the situation in the country is teaching us the bitter lession that the attributes of a one person aren’t sufficient to resolve all the issues or the problems of a nation. That task is far beyond the capacity of a single leader, however strong he is.
Nigeria needs a leader, who doesn’t regard patriotism and political will as his exclusive preserves. We rather, require someone, who recognizes, trusts and can coordinate our endowed capacities, capabilities and qualities towards the advancement of our country.
To succeed in harnessing our collective potentialities, our next president ought to be an inclusive leader, who inspires trust in the system, from all parts and segments of the nation. For, the current atmosphere of mistrust between groups is the major setback to mitigating most of our problems.
As former president Ibrahim Babangida prescribed, Nigeria’s new leader should be young. And age in this context isn’t merely about the number but more importantly, about a progressive perspective of abandoning age-old primodial and divisive sentiments, so that all interests can be represented in nation building.
A president in his fifties isn’t too old or too young to be incumbered by generational gaps. He can enlist the support of the old breed, while securing the participation of the youth (who are the larger and more active segment of Nigeria’s population) to create the desirable order and ensure its preservation for the future.
As the moment of decision fast approaches, Nigeria needs to pause for cautious stock taking because we can’t afford to again get it wrong; not now, when time’s running out on our nation to break out of the socioeconomic quagmire in which we’ve found ourselves.
Against the array of choices presented by the present flurry of political activity, our focus should be on genuine pedegree as the mark of eligibility, rather than the presumption of entitlement, in which certain contenders so often indulge.
The current situation of the two major political parties, PDP and APC is our guide to seperating the charp from the grain. The roles being played by their members in aggravating issues or mitigating crises should be indicators of who should earn the trust and confidence of Nigerians to provide genuine leadership.
A cursory look into the affairs of the party in power portrays an association in complete disarray. The fact that the APC is berept of effective leadership and inspiration and facing its worst crisis since its inception is not a secret to any Nigerian.
APC’s chaotic situation has negatively impacted on the quality of governance and service delivery to the citizens by their government and their failure to deal with the serious social and economic hardships the people are suffering. Neither the party, nor any of its members jostling for the presidency has, by this token, exhibited the capacity for providing the type of leadership Nigerians need from 2023.
The PDP has had issues too. But the party has exhibited a far greater capacity to deal with its issues. Interests do compete and contensions occasionally crop up but the different levels of the party’s leadership have always steered the PDP out of storms.
These facts are clear indicators of which political group has the potential of providing a cohesive and focused leadership for Nigeria. Apologists of the party in power may rouse the demon of what they refer to as the past PDP misrule to refute what’s obvious but there’s not a single problem that Nigerians faced before the APC took over that hasn’t worsened during their current administration.
There’s no doubt that the major stabilizing force in the PDP is its Governor’s Forum. While their counterparts in the APC are embroiled in a power tussle that’s tearing their party into uncountable fragments, the PDP governors have used their position to strengthen their party towards 2023.
The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto has shown exemplary leadership by putting personal ambition aside and committing his energy to the stability of the party. It’s his ability to create synergy amongst divergent interests that has facilitated the many compromises that enable the PDP to emerge stronger from disputes.
Tambuwal’s pedigree as a bridge builder is well known and his political his career is marked by a devotion to creating accord in all the groups he’d belonged to. His Seventh Assembly as Speaker of the House of Representatives was the most united in legislative history. As the current Governor of Sokoto, he’s running the most cross partisan government in his state, while at the same time, playing a leading role in uniting the PDP as its Governors Forum Chairman.
Through over 30 years of interactions, in which he’s positively impacted on his associations and leagues, Tambuwal has cultivated genuine acquaintances, friendships and good will across all parts of Nigeria and beyond. He’s without argument, one of the most connected young politicians in the country.
These are qualities required for leading a country like Nigeria in this century; a youthful, modern perspective, capacity to engender trust and unity to form an effecient government, as an institution, in which the citizens’ confidence is reposed: a truly Nigerian president.
• Shekara, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Sokoto.