By Solomon Dalung
The current Nigeria’s state of the union has been a subject of national discourse. While many attributed it to leadership, some viewed it differently. To this school of thought, the absence of consensus by major political actors on issues piloted by interests in my opinion is contributory in escalating the situation. The assessment of leadership should not be analysed based on competence of the occupant of the power machine but also the support of the major stake holders who mould the opinions of citizens about national issues affecting their well-being. The charisma of a leader is not enough to deliver without complimentary support from the political environment. These support can be moral, physical or body languages. Nigeria is a multicultural society driven communal values where elites are considered community investments, they shape and influence opinions positively or otherwise depending on how it favours their interests.
Based on experience and research, the most serious offence against an average Nigerian political elite in to attempt to push him out of relevance, then the devil in him will be evoked. Every arsenal of destruction and destabilation will be deployed to engage you fully. The political space will be occupied with crisis, government machinery will be stuck in a struggle to deal with the situation instead of service delivery. It is common knowledge that people who are relevant in making leadership are usually dismissed by overzealous fortune seekers with a wave of hand simply because their personal agenda contradicts the accommodating posture of the leader, therefore, they embark on actions that projects them as loyal while in actual sense counter productive to the common good. Anybody who is loyal to leadership will not worked at cross purpose with the principles of the leader. Of course, every efforts is deployed to promote the ideals and principles of the leader, by so doing reducing the burden of leadership. They should be involved in reaching out to all shades of opinions to mobilised support for the government and not isolating the government from its people and leaders. The gatekeepers of leadership determines the perceptions and impressions people formed about leadership. They are the first point of contact, so their behaviour leaves much to be deserved, their actions is interpreted as that of leadership. Nigeria is a difficult political environment, therefore, gatekeepers are strategic in the success or failure of leadership, their choice is a critical decision, which should not be done based on any considerations but within personal knowledge of the leader.
Management of the political elites is fundamental in the success of any administration in Nigeria. The political elites must not be left idle because they will create work for the government which will distract it. Engaging them does not suggest weakness but strength, because stuping to greet a draft is not weakness. In politics everybody is relevant because it a game of numbers. Every political figure guide his relevance jealousy, therefore questions like “who is he?” Or “what can he do?”, though commonly used by gatekeepers and verandah boys are serious political wrongdoing that can create chaos and crisis for the government. What then is political relevance?
I will attempt to explain political relevance with an illustration of what transpired between Sir Ahmadu and one of his friends. The Premier has a friend who was a common person but an intimate and loyal friend who was unlettered. He was also an ardent political loyalist of Sardauna. One faithful day, they were together, Sir Ahmadu Bello asked him, “how much do you need to start a business?” He replied, “I don’t need any capital for business, but what you can do for me is to allow me whisper to you in your ears anytime you are in the public”. Sardauna immediately obliged him that whenever the occasion demanded he would do only that if it pleases him. It was a relief because he was considering acquiring loan from bank to give him as capital for business, but he has made his burden lighter.
One day the Premier was at a public gathering, he saw his friend, called him and he whispered to him in the ears, while he shook his head in admiration. He then left, but Sardauna called him back, he repeated exactly what he did at the first instance, then he departed finally from the function. The following day, acrowd of favour seekers gathered in the Premier’s friend house trying to get attention. According to some of them he was quite close to the Premier to the extent that he can whisper to him publicly. Until the death of Sardauna, he was politically relevant, with people wishing to see Sardauna visiting his house.
He was a chief mourner when the Premier was killed as common people troop to his house for condolences. That is the power of influence and relevance in Nigerian political culture. Understanding these dynamics is important for leadership and good governance, because it is the psychological platform upon which ego of the political elites can be conveniently massage for the benefits of the people. No matter how charismatic a leader is, he will require regular interfacing with political elites to keep them engaged and relevant too. Some of them may never cooperate due to political bitterness, then alternative methods may be devised to deal with the situation. Some strategies of dealing with leadership challenges may sound odds but in our political clime it can be therapeutic. For legitimacy to be efficious, it must be able to influence considerable compliance from the conduct of citizens. Whatever the situations, the relationship between the government and the political elites is germane to peaceful co-existence, stability and progress. Together we shall build a better society, let there be peace in our country, amen. Juma’at kareem.
Dalung is a former Minister of Youths and Sports.
