It’s quite unfortunate, sad, and indeed shocking, that Nigeria is currently governed by a government that pretends to ‘Renew Hope’, but bubbling beneath the surface is a weaselly, self-serving administration pandering to the wishes and insatiable appetite of politicians, family members and cronies at the detriment of the poor. It’s not unkind to say that this administration cares little about the ennobling virtues that will inspire the citizens to shade their doubts that the integrity and morality of political leaders still matter in governance. That’s why the character of the ‘Happy Warrior’ by English romantic poet William Wordsworth is worth reliving. Happy Warrior is the character of anyone who knows what it takes to live a good, successful, moral life, driven by strong inner convictions, refusing to be tossed by bread-and-butter politics and skilful in self-knowledge . In essence, a happy warrior should carry these virtues like a badge of courage, bravery and integrity even in the face of daunting challenges.
These graceful attributes, the poet says, should be the ‘prime care’ of a happy warrior, and he should use them to subdue adverse circumstances and their negative qualities. Also, a happy warrior should be concerned about how his country is governed and be unafraid to offer a new direction for the good of the people and the country at large. Mr Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra state, and Presidential candidate of the Labour Party(LP) in last year’s general election perfectly fits the description of a Happy Warrior. If every election campaign has its cadence, rhythm, style and sparkle that sets it apart from previous ones, Obi embodies all of that. On the campaign trail last year, his ideas, his messages, and the energy he generated, resonated well with the populace, except those who are used to feeding fat on Nigeria’s pork barrel politics.
His message and comportment remain a moral compass for democracy beyond Nigeria. He’s now a reference point of how a politician should conduct himself – in grace, even in the face of provocation as one irascible, irritant fellow called Reno Omokri often tries to get under Obi’s skin. Omokri is a loafer that doesn’t deserve more than a pitcher of a warm spit. Leadership is about self-restraint. In many years to come, Obi will continue be reverred as the conscience of our democracy, the rescuer of the sinking Titanic (ship) called Nigeria. In recent weeks, Obi has demonstrated that no one wants to follow a Franken-leader, anymore, the kind of present leadership that has brought tears and sorrow to Nigerians. Listening to him, Obi has shown by words and deeds, an unflappable commitment to modern democratic leadership, that should revolve around person- to- person conversation, intimacy, with focus on top-down distribution of information, to bottom-up exchange of ideas. It makes gaining people’s trust, levelling with them, and solving their problems, possible. That, in short, should be the essence of politics and power.
Only few will disagree that Obi has not redefined our politics more than any other politician in this present democratic dispensation. He has this realism and ability to look facts – even very unpleasant facts – in the face and not let himself be deluded by wishful thinking. As I have said before, this is a political version of a businessman’s interest in a balance sheet, always striving that the right thing be done. And it starts with good leadership. Just last week, Obi raised a legitimate alarm that Nigeria’s wealth is in the hands of about 200,000 people, representing less than one percent of the nation’s population. This means that more than 70 percent of Nigeria’s wealth is in the hands of one percent of Nigerians, the super rich. He has challenged the rich to do more for the poor, hungry-stricken Nigerians. Obi is right when he said that if the wealthy could deploy their resources to the basic needs of the poor in our midst, the situation in the country would be not be as deplorable as it’s today. Obi spoke at a press conference in Abuja last Wednesday.
It will be recalled that in August 2018, during her visit to Nigeria, ex-UK Prime Minister, Theresa May made similar observation when she painted a grim picture of economic inequality in Nigeria, and said, matter of fact, that 87 million Nigerians were living below $1.90 per day, a situation that has made Nigeria the “home of the very poor people in the world”. The poverty level in the country has since surpassed the 87 million mark that the former UK PM lamented about. Today, majority of Nigerians are living far below N1,000 a day. According to the 2022 National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, about “133 million Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor”. The reason is a mix of bad fiscal and macroeconomic policies and poor governance that cuts across all the states of the federation . That’s the point Obi has been making in recent weeks. Simply put, no great nation is built on a foundation of waste and frivolity. That’s where Nigeria is right now.
If in doubt, check the statistics on the deplorable state of water and education in the country. Obi says his concern in these two areas – water and education – derives from his discovery after taking a humanitarian tour of some states in the North. He said it opened his eyes to the extent of poverty and abandonment of the people. Obi has recently completed the construction of boreholes in some northern states for a short-term water supply for the poor. He enjoined the wealthy to do same in the areas of their choice. Are they listening? Very unlikely. On access to improved water source, Nigeria is ranked 31st in Africa, far below Gabon, Mauritius, and Botswana. Egypt and Tunisia are top on the log. Only 17.41 percent of Nigerians have access to improved water supply. A tour of some states in the North is indeed an eye-opener. One will likely be moved to tears as Obi said he was, seeing how brilliant some of the almajiris in Quoranic schools are, but are lacking the needed support to grow to their God-given potential as catalysts of development.
Beyond lack of access to water, Nigeria is currently rated 124th in the global education index. This reflects the fallen standard of education at all levels of learning. Nigeria also has one of the lowest literary rates in the world, with only 59 percent of the adult population able to read and write. The state of education across the country has remained a major concern for decades. Imagine Seychelles, with little resources and manpower, is the best-ranked country in Africa. Also, on access to electricity, according to World energy progress report for 2022, only 60 percent of over 200 million Nigerians have access to electricity. With the recent hike in electricity tariff, the number of Nigerians with access to electricity will be much lower.
In all the sectors that previous governments have done badly, the present administration has made even worse in just eleven months in power. That’s exactly what Peter Obi is complaining about. It’s not about any desperation to become president, an allegation he has strongly refuted. Take a hard look at the 2024 Budget and the allocations to some sectors. While the presidency got N147bn, the National Assembly received a hefty N197bn, the proposed NASS hospital got N15.3bn. This is five times what the National Hospital, a supposed centre of excellence got in the budget. The amount voted for the NASS hospital is about the allocation to six major university teaching hospitals in the country combined. How can a country run efficiently in a ‘generate and spend wastefully’ by an administration? With over 90 percent of revenue spent on debt servicing, according to data from the Debt Management Office (DMO), Nigeria is heading for bankruptcy, while the wealthy are getting much richer. And with inflation biting harder, and basic needs of the citizens exceeding real income, and no significant minimum wage expected anytime soon, life has become miserable, tortuous for most Nigerians.
Are you aware that many parents can no longer pay their children’s school fees while an ex-governor allegedly had already paid with with state resources, in foreign currency, the school fees of five of his children for five years in elite school in Abuja. That’s just a tip of the iceberg of the charges against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The case against the ex-governor’s wife is yet to be made public. That’s what you get when corrupt politicians are in power. That Nigerian economy is not working despite all noise about reforms is what you get from a government running a voodoo economics. That is perhaps why the naira is dancing yo-yo in the foreign exchange market. It may be the reason why the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew said recently that “Nigerian leaders look like men in drunken stupor”. Peter feels he can wake them up from their slumber and respond to their Constitutional responsibilities. It’s never been this bad in our country.
Altogether, Obi is saying to President Tinubu, your economic policies are favouring the wealthy and killing the poor. It’s the ‘Road Not Taken’. It’s unacceptable. A responsible government should make the interests of its citizens a priority. That has not happened yet a month to its one year in power. Things work in every country when political power is used for greater purposes, and not when it’s used to bend people to a leader’s will or pander to the rich in society. Last year, the Presidential Committee on fiscal policy and tax reform headed by Mr Taiwo Oyedele, proposed that wealthy Nigerians should be made to pay more taxes so that “the poor should be protected”. This government reportedly did not take kindly to that plan. In Africa, wealthy Nigerians are said to have more private jets than all African countries combined. What a paradox. Obi’s concern is at the root of the future of our democracy and its survival, because democracy dies in darkness, the very moment the resources of the country are deployed to service the unquenchable thirst of the greedy politicians and the wealthy. It amounts to robbing the poor to pamper the rich. The evidence of all these corrupt tendencies is everywhere. It gives little for comfort, and raises the alarm bells. That’s the central message of Peter Obi’s worries.