Tony Abolo
* Political class failed as leaders, he adds
By Kingsley Abavo in Benin
On Wednesday, 29 May, 2024, Nigeria marked 25 years of unbroken democracy with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration one year in office. In reaction, diverse opinions by commentators have trailed the day. In Benin, the Capital City of Edo State, Tony Abolo; a veteran broadcaster, communication expert and teacher in an exclusive interview with our Correspondent painted a gloomy picture submitting that the journey has been a ‘thunder Storm’! No coherence and coordination in governance hence no meaningful growth and development recorded so far! Full text…
” We are not in a democracy yet, the leaders do not even know what democracy is all about, no democratic culture, the attitude of those in government is not in sympathy towards the people, that the people themselves are so traumatised; they cannot even raise their voices. The cost of everything in the country is going haywire and nobody to complain to. Is this the idea of democracy? No, it is not! Seemingly we are making progress but there is no progress except the political elite; borrowing the words of Prof. Pat Utomi; there is a State capture for themselves both the resources and power. In our nation, the word democracy is a coinage to make the people believe there is freedom which truly does not exist. Hence the political class are not worth being called leaders because none of them live at the level of the common man; the led which is characteristic of a true leader! There is too much big man; they think being called a leader you must appropriate all the resources to self; no, that is not democracy! ”
The communication teacher pointed at the militarisation of governance, and militarisation of politics which he noted is a sad phenomenon in the history of Nigeria democracy. Otherwise, people no longer see the government doing things orderly; things are ad-hoc for example, the legislators, they don’t know that they have to make laws. They believe they are now like the executive; they do projects! How can someone in the legislature be doing projects? The executive does projects and the legislature appropriate money and approves but it doesn’t work that way.
He did not also spare the judiciary in his critique saying it is supposed to be ‘the law’ but the opposite is the case.
” Everything is upside down; the executive behaves with impunity and arrogance, those in the legislature are not doing their work but more concerned about making money doing projects so, are we having governance he asked rhetorically. Noting that something is wrong with the system,
Abolo frowned at the negative culture of constituency projects in Nigeria which he said were borrowed from the British but being wrongly executed here. According to him, contrarily it was adopted for corruption as evidence abound everywhere. Infrastructural growth, development .
He opined that in the 25 years of uninterrupted democratic journey of Nigeria, it has been very chaotic and uncoordinated in this area like every other of our national life.
“It has been a very uncoordinated approach towards infrastructural growth and development in the country.”
Lamenting lack of continuity in the implementation of government development plan by successive administrations, he stressed; “there must be a total national development plan that the three tiers of government should be able to key into like a chain. Maybe there are few things the three tiers of government can do together in a coordinated planning because no State has enough funding. Going forward, he advised; “So there should be an economy of scale, coordinated planning. So in these 25 years; to borrow the language of meteorologists, ‘it has been scattered thunder storm’! Declaring that no progress has been made, Abolo laments the absence of cohesion and coordination in governance. He summed up in his critique that the situation in Nigeria is seemingly hopeless as successive leadership has been pretentious about proffering solutions to the challenges which confront the people. There is no hope because successive leadership are not focused on developing the country but only interested in money and self gains. Though some positive things have been done but some of us think that there ought to have been more continuity like other developed nations. That is how America grows; whether it is democrats or republicans, America is on the same aircraft driving at the same pace; it is always about the nation. Unfortunately, here in Nigeria it is about the political class! On the idea of returning Nigeria to the Parliamentary system of government, Abolo argued; we have been talking about restructuring okay; but we are saying can you make the government cheaper and accountable? That is the whole essence of the Parliamentary system. But we have not even learned the basic tenets of democracy which is about the welfare of the people and the rule of law. Then you move into the Parliamentary system where democracy is more deepened. Maybe, no idea is ever canvassed, argued and contested in Nigeria, he concluded.
About Author
