Wave of suspicion, intolerance and derision

SADLY, Nigeria has recently had a lot of trending news on Boko Haram attacks in the North East, return of fuel scarcity and National Assembly leadership crisis but these have not stopped media spotlight on Professor Attahiru Jega’s exit as chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

As opposition parties continue to kick against the appointment of an acting chairperson, Amina Bala Zakari, hiring a woman to fill this important position is laudable; I believe her appointment, though in acting capacity, has more to do with her competence to fill the position and very little to do with affirmative action as Nigerian women have continued to excel in positions hitherto held by men.

With this leadership change in INEC, preparations for the next elections may possibly be underway as 2019 looms closer than it is far.

The incumbent government at the federal level is yet to observe its first 100 days in office but politicians are already strategizing ahead of state polls in Kogi, Bayelsa, Anambra, Edo and 2019 polls. For INEC, a new chairperson means fresh ideas and opportunity to build on the progress made by its former chairman, Jega.

A call to serve one’s country as head of Nigeria’s electoral body or in any capacity at all is by no means a great honour but I often wonder how sweltering a seat in Nigeria’s public service could get amid public appreciation versus denigration. Prof. Jega may have left the position he occupied from June 30, 2010 to June 30, 2015 after successfully completing his five-year tenure, but it would be interesting to learn how complicated his days as INEC chairman were.

For most Nigerians, we have our memories of his stewardship. The 2011 and 2015 general elections made Jega a household name in Nigeria. Events from recently conducted general elections of March and April 2015 are still fresh in our minds.

Election periods in Nigeria are periods when the worst is feared and the clean is sullied. Some people take up INEC leadership position as messiahs but leave as villains, in a country as diverse as Nigeria where trust is rare between tribes and religion sometimes turns into a sword of division.

Professor Jega may be a hero, messiah or villain in our minds, depending on which side of the divide we are sited. Reminiscences of ‘Jega days’ as INEC Chairman call to mind former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s (GEJ) days as President.

He (GEJ) was a President vilified for his silence over certain issues and strongly derided for daring to act or interfere in others. Criticisms of his actions were rife as is to be expected but oftentimes, these criticisms were influenced by personal, regional, ethnic and religious considerations.

With President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s sixth civilian president, it appears the cycle of vicious criticism continues to twirl without lull along regional, religious and political party lines.

The same things former President Jonathan was criticized for, President Muhammadu Buhari is getting hard knocks for not acting on. While GEJ was President, interference in NASS’ internal leadership process was viewed by opposition parties as undue meddling and high-handedness by the president. One therefore wonders why President Buhari’s neutral status over same issue is so abhorrent to the ruling All Progressives Party (APC).

GEJ inherited so many problems from former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration; problems we all expected him to solve. With President Buharis’s government; a government that is barely few months old, it appears the story is much more so.

There is so much derision and intolerance for government actions as people shout for fulfillment of campaign promises. We must hold politicians accountable for promises made but how quickly can our President magically wish away all problems bedeviling Nigeria if there is lack of public support and so much derision for government actions or inactions? With a history of bad and corrupt leadership, Nigeria is a country where citizens have grown quite wary of politicians and their campaign promises; a country where suspicion of actions of public officers is common.

It appears our history with political office holders has made us mistrustful and very intolerant of persons in public service and also turned many of us into furious public policy critics who criticize with sentiment-blurred eyes. Criticism is no longer about objectivity but more about what part of the country you come from and what political party we are aligned to. We are now a people tainted by so much suspicion, intolerance and derision for each other’s actions and opinions.

In Nigeria, criticism has turned divisive and is no longer rendered in the interest of the country. For majority of Nigerians, selective criticism has become acceptable – people get loud at carping when any public officer considered a regional or religious outsider occupies certain political positions but expect no criticism once their choice candidate assumes same position.

Our propensity to be subjective in our opinion is perhaps borne out of seeds of discord politicians have over the years sown to achieve their selfish interests but must we allow our political class turn the beauty of a diverse cultured Nigeria into an ugly sinister mixture?

The question for everyone who still believes in Nigeria is… Do we have to be continuously divided? It is true that there can be no good leadership without criticism but does criticism always have to be destructive and damaging to our national interest and unity rather than constructive?

Must public service be valued and support given depending on region of the country one comes from and political or religious affiliation one has? Must expression of our opinions on national issues be divisive and uttered to sow hate across regional lines? I dare at this point to ask…what is North without South, what is East without the West – Can there be North without West, Can South stand without East? One thing all Nigerians appear to agree on is the fact that today’s Nigeria is not the country of our dreams.

Perhaps, with our words, we can start to rebuild our nation when we constructively discuss issues affecting us as a people, without hate, mistrust and acrimony. Criticism does not have to happen only when we feel a perceived outsider is in charge. Let us use our words to build and not destroy each other. •Odinukwe, a lawyer and gender activist, works with Solidarity Centre AFL-CIO in Abuja. Email: nkyodinukwe@gmail.com