I had wanted us to critically examine this topic last week but the manner of our national football team’s exit from the African Cup of Nations tournament ending today in Cameroon made a return to football matters inevitable last Sunday. I hope some of our football administrators read that discourse and took some very useful lessons they may find useful in their future engagements. We must be at the next World Cup holding from November in Qatar. This is not about football being a game you win or lose. No, our minds are made up. Nigeria must be at the next World Cup. We have the materials to get this done in style.
In 2014, I handled the topic for today from a different perspective, when it came under the title, “Midnight Appointments”. It is possible not many of the readers know about the term and what it stands for. I must be frank, I didn’t know about it until I came across it in a book on political history of the United States of America. It spoke about mismanagement of end of tenure days with particular attention to reckless appointments some of past presidents of the country made few weeks to end of their tenure in office. All examples I saw in the book were exact things happening in our society in much larger scale.
In various acts detailed in the book, some of the leaders in the dying days of their administration became very reckless in giving out political and service appointments to cronies and party loyalists. The Judiciary that should be sacred was not spared as the departing leaders appointed lawyers of favourable disposition to different tiers of the judicial set up. Initially the acts were of significance and that was because nobody or group took time to ascertain the implications but not too long after it began to dawn on all that was not the right attitude to adopt. The realization came through when developments began to show that the system was being disorganized as a result of deliberate subversion of well established due processes; many found to their chagrin seeds of mediocrity were being planted and nurtured, and indeed the foundation for excellence and proficiency were rapidly being dealt fatal blows. The discovery created deep resentment; it was the exact reason universities found it very expedient to have the ugly trend fully documented for the benefit of the upcoming generations.
It is a subject we in Nigeria and the Black world must take great interest in for evidences abound showing we have become victims of the same malaise. In virtually all the states it is a big issue. New administrations suffer and even suffocate nearly for the entire life span of the regime because of hasty acts of preceding leaders while they made to leave office. We see the negative effects on governance and the burden the incumbent helmsmen harbour but can’t express because of the circumstances of their climb to high political office, given that were conscripted and raised to high office. So they carry their burdens with equanimity, but overall the people suffer the brunt as development and delivery of other democratic dividends are stalled.
This is partly, yet the most important reason the phenomenon is of huge interest and I believe it should be to all who want our space administered in the best of governance traditions for good of the far greatest majority. In taking the plunge our study of the trend must be impeccable and the focus must be clearly defined; attention should include of course the issue of appointments in the lame duck days of administrations. Yes, a sitting elected leader has his powers to the last minute, yet conventions make him stand on some reasonable grounds. In the United States we have this information that service commanders are under a convention, which requires them to exercise great restraint in executing the orders of the President in the dying days of the administration, so they show great discretion. This is the kind of safe guard required, but not limited to exercise of military might but in terms of policy direction and other business of state.
Evidences available show our leaders climb down from their high horses and become human and humane, struggling eagerly to share the space with people they long abandoned. It is imperative that efforts to unravel this destructive pattern go beyond questions of appointments and employment to include review of personality make up and conduct before, during and after office. It is equally pertinent we study their style of speeches, general reactions and dispositions of all our leaders in the different tiers of public positions. For anyone who is not clear on the essence the answer is simple, it will point us to the kind of people we will need for future assignments. Given the surprises in behaviour and outbursts we have seen, many are of the view that psychological test should be prescribed for all who want to seek public offices. This thinking aligns with some things we have already seen some public officials do, including their high level of unpredictability even on cardinal matters of principle.
On the aspect of personal conduct, as time begins to close in, our leaders begin a new behavioural dance, we observe sudden change in disposition, hitherto very haughty, they now become very friendly, displaying very captivating levels of understanding and accommodation not associated with them while in power. Some of us look at that and wonder why this spirit of decency, friendship and inclusiveness wasn’t part of the bargain from the very beginning when they got to power?
Our leaders find themselves in power and suddenly there is this security cordon and manifest take over by men who never had a hand in the election of these leaders into positions of public trust. In a jiffy people with whom they interacted often, drank and made merry become enemies to be greatly feared.
• To be continued next week…