Politics
By Anthony Isibor.
A former Director-General of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Prof Anya O. Anya, has attributed the high level of political indifference, lack of confidence and lack of trust in government among the populace to the selfishness and quality of the leaders.
Speaking to Realnews in an exclusive interview in Lagos, Prof. Anya expressed worry over the growing gap between the government and the governed.
Anya, who said that most Nigerians don’t believe what the government and the government agencies tell them anymore, advised leaders to jettison their personal interests and embrace the interests of the whole nation if the country must move forward.
He also attributed the lack of confidence and trust in government to the increase in crime.
“They now have their agenda, they don’t believe anybody. And that’s why they’re doing the things they see as their priorities, which include cultism, drug menace and so on because the people don’t trust their leaders. The youths don’t trust the elites.
“I am sure you have heard people making a joke out of Lai Mohammed, making a joke out of his name. What does that tell you? The government has to regain the confidence of the governed.
“People look you in the face and say things that they know is immoral because it’s promoting your interest rather than public interest.
“As a friend of mine puts, it is as if in Nigeria we are going through a period in which we are bewitched. People don’t talk straight now, even reasonable, intelligent people. When you now want to discuss Nigeria, they switch off. We don’t want to be disturbed by the bad news. Unfortunately, nobody is going to come from anywhere to solve the problem for us here. We have to find the answer here, and we start by recognizing that each of us has a part to play. So let’s leave the blame game first, and ask what do we do now.
“I am saying that it is time we reversed the order. The national interest must take priority now until we get a country.
“The important thing is what is best for Nigeria at this time, and we do it. Personal interest will have to wait. What it means for example is to take all the fears about this, let us face it; political parties have not done well. What we expected them to do, they have not done.
“You can also see what happened with the signed electoral bill, political interest starts trying to change what it ought to be between those who are elected in the National Assembly and those who are hoping to either become senators and so on, but who are presently ministers and so on. Where we are, that kind of division was not necessary, and each group was trying to use it to cover its own particular interest.
“That is why whether it is APC or PDP, there is so much chaos and uncertainty about what to do next. But the truth of the matter is that the politicians are putting their personal interest ahead of the national interest.
“In fact, there are two major problems that Nigeria has to face if it must remain relevant and run in peace. The gap between the ruler and the ruled is that wide.
“In times past, when Okpara, Awolowo, and Ahmadu Bellow were in charge, they were in touch with their people and the people recognised their leaders.
“As it was in the east for example, before any major initiative took place, Okpara will go back to the village level to tell them what the government wants to do, to relate with them what needs to be done, it is only when that consultation of the people governed is complete that the government now goes to do what needed to be done.
“Which was why during the seven years that Okpara was there, Eastern Nigeria came out from the three regions to be one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
“I didn’t say in Africa, in the world. The data are there in the Michigan State University, because you don’t govern in the abstract, you govern people, and their interest. And when you even talk about the economy, the government is in charge of macro economy, but that is not where wealth is created, that’s not where employment is created. Wealth and employment are created at the micro economic level, and individual initiative is what creates wealth. Government is only going to say, ok, what do I do so that this wealth they are creating can be even easy.
“The government is not doing that, and that is why I talk about economic literates and economic illiterates running the country.
The retired professor, while advocating for independent candidacy in the forthcoming general election as a way of curtailing the high handedness of political parties, also said that the government could regain the lost trust and confidence of the people by presenting only the best candidates with integrity and character in the coming election.
“The day you have the right kind of people taking the right kind of decision, whoever it is, whether it’s the youths, whether it’s the governed, all will start saying you know, I didn’t know that can still happen in this country.
“That is an indication things are changing, confidence is returning. Government can go nowhere unless those who are governed have confidence in the integrity of the people governing them. Right now there is no such confidence.
“The day we have independent candidates, we remove the tyranny of the political parties because right now it’s what they say and what they do that matter.” he added.
AI.
Apr. 21, 2022 @ 09:50 GMT
Tags: APC Lai Mohammed PDP Prof Anya O. Anya
