Less than ten

If words are anything besides words, we would have no need to doubt that we are in the Second Coming of Christ. If words are anything besides words, then there is no reason for the Nigerian Labor Congress to insist on a protest or threaten an industrial action to force the government to reinstate a subsidy regime that will “legit” kill this country. Shout out to Nasir El-Rufa’i, formerly the accidental minister and now a forced one.

One only imagines just how far along our masochistic streak can take us through this valley of the shadow of death we insist on walking in even though we do not have to. One wonders how long our extraordinary luck will last and our capacity for self-hate will have its vengeance. But thereafter, one also realises that there is no smoke without fire, because there is no effect without cause. With that, one then realises the sheer magnitude of abuse and abandonment we must have suffered for some of us to still want to hold on to this self-hatred. 

But when you abuse and abandon someone for so long, you do not need to worry or wonder why they will be more willing to sabotage their own strategic interests for a pot of porridge, or what Ayo Fayose called “stomach infrastructure”. This is not because they don’t know any better but because something is always better than nothing. In Nigeria, there are times one might find it wise to take what they can get instead of getting nothing.

But leadership is about change… and what is a leader to do when faced with resistance to something that is clearly in the interest of its targets? Resistance to change manifests itself in many ways, from foot-dragging and inertia to petty sabotage and outright rebellion. The best tool for leaders of change is to understand the predictable, universal sources of resistance in each situation and then strategise around them. This is the only aspect I am willing to accept in President Tinubu’s economic policies.

At caucus meeting, Tinubu charges APC leaders on financial discipline

Emir of Gombe’s uncle, Yariman Gombe, buried amidst tears

Smart leaders leave room for those affected by change to make choices. They invite others into the planning, giving them ownership. This is not an insinuation that oga presido is not smart… but he is definitely less than ten. Where I am from, there is this saying that: “mutum tara yake bai cika goma ba” — “[the best of men] is (just) nine, less than ten”. 

In this context, others here may include the NLC but this is an institution that is itself complicit in the spectacular failure of leadership in the country. And even though I am not one of them, and I want to believe that I belong to the majority, it is clear that a lot of people are not willing to just wing it. If change feels like walking off a cliff blindfolded, then people will reject it. People will often prefer to remain mired in misery than to head toward an unknown. As the saying goes, “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.” To overcome inertia requires a sense of safety as well as an inspiring vision. Leaders should create certainty of process, with clear, simple steps and timetables. 

Surprise, surprise! Decisions imposed on people suddenly, with no time to get used to the idea or prepare for the consequences, are generally resisted. That is not to even mention the problem of mistrust. It’s always easier to say No than to say Yes. The president must, therefore, avoid the temptation to craft changes in secret and then announce them all at once. It’s better to plant seeds — that is, to sprinkle hints of what might be coming and seek input.

After Buhari’s change, everything seems different. Change is meant to bring something different, but how different? We are creatures of habit. Routines become automatic, but change jolts us into consciousness, sometimes in uncomfortable ways. Too many differences can be distracting or confusing. The administration out to try to minimise the number of unrelated differences introduced by a central change. Wherever possible keep things familiar. Remain focused on the important things; avoid change for the sake of change.

I certainly do wish that words could be more than words. I have a lot of confidence in what this government seems to be doing. I very much share the president’s statement that “Nigeria is back” – both in terms of constructive domestic economic policies as well as in terms of productive geopolitical foreign policies. It would have been great if the president’s speech had addressed all these issues. But then, he and his handlers are less than ten.

Another issue I wished were included in the speech are events of the past few days in our northern neighbour, Niger Republic. It is a very sad turn of events, and it is heartening the way the Nigerian government is coordinating and providing leadership to the regional response. But I am one of those who believe that a military response, at least immediately, would be bad news for Nigeria. Especially northern Nigeria.

We are not in any position to embark on a military adventure of such a scale. We lack the resources, the institutional capacity to project political influence militarily… and most of all, it is starting to look like that Nigeriens are rallying behind their “saviours”. It is the same story playing out — the commonfolk don’t really realise the damage this has done and will keep doing to their country, but who am I to judge really.

We are all less than ten, but I really hope that we would rise beyond a mere nine even if we must remain less than ten forever.