#occupynass#: Lessons for state governors

In the effervescent terrain that is Nigeria’s political space, a disposition to expect anything including the unthinkable,may serve as comfort zone for any observer. That is why as some observers may be reeling from the dizzying effects of unending twists and turns in the nation’s political space, others see in such scenarios juicy opportunities for even bankable enterprise. This is the spirit of ‘Naija’ a stylized tribute to the greatest black country in the world – Nigeria.
A significant part of last week kept the news channels active with the story of two groups of Nigerian youth with diametrically opposing causes, who demonstrated simultaneously at the National Assembly; with respect to the embattled Senator Bukola Saraki, President of the Senate. One group which called itself #OccupyNASS demanded his immediate resignation from office, as well as the return by all serving Senators,of the utility jeeps that were recently allocated to them and which were reported by the press to have been purchased at outrageously inflated prices. The group also demanded that the federal legislators should leave intact the provisions in the budget as presented by President Muhamadu Buhari. They came prepared for a prolonged stay of several days, thererby disrupting the conduct of business and traffic around the precincts of the Federal Secretariat and the National Assembly.
 The other group #Sarakimuststay vigorously dismissed calls for the resignation of the Senate President calling it premature as he remains yet to be convicted. However, the simultaneous appearance of these two groups at the National Assembly, in a scenario in which they were pulling at the same issue but from different ends,qualifies as an unsolicited joint session in syndicated agitation, and effectively introduced a new dimension to both the Saraki affair as well as the culture of public demonstrations in Nigeria. Meanwhile even as their efforts may go unsung, the discretion exercised by the security agents, comprising the police detachment at the National Assembly and the soldiers deployed to the ordinarily out-of-bounds national cenotaph qualifies for commendation, and proves that the subscription to democratic ideals in the nation’s security establishment now runs deep.
The spectacle also brought home reminiscences of the popular Hyde Park in London – the world acclaimed home of free speech, and a nostalgic expectation that Nigeria will one day provide the citizenry a facility which offers liberties that are comparable to Hyde Park’s.Incidentally the huge circle in front of the White House in the National Assembly was actually designed for the purpose of providing Nigerians the opportunity for talking to the legislators from there. However how and when to make it a regular platform for free speech by Nigerians at all times, is a matter for another day. Indeed many Nigerians cannot wait for the day when sundry lobby groups will celebrate political interests on that location.
Meanwhile even as conspiracy theories that the groups were sponsored by vested interests have been swirling with a tacit intent to dilute the import of their messages, the development qualifies to be seen as welcome, especially if among its dividends there was no untoward incidence. Rather among the several lessons from the exercise is the fact that the ordinary Nigerians, especially the young and hopeful, can direct the course of the nation’s democracy rightly, if they get their act together.And having been emboldened by the success of that outing, it is only a matter of time before similar scenes will be enacted at our state Houses of Assemblies and Government Houses in the state capitals. After all, whatever gains they would expect from Saraki’s resignation from office cannot be compared with the benefits that will accrue from the transformations to their lives through affirmative action at the state level, where the real promise of change in their fortunes actually lies.
Yet one may ask if the scenario that played out at the National Assembly can be enacted in any of the state Houses of Assembly, given the complement of not very attractive circumstances under which these legislative bodies operate: to wit under the iron grip of the various state governors. For if the country shall move to the level of providing good governance for the citizenry, then it must conquer the terrain of impunity by state governors.
The culture of impunity by state governors is not a recent development in the country’s political firmament but has remained the most vicious debilitating factor with respect to the democratic dispensation. Juxtaposing the oath of office by state governors with the performance of many of them in office, betrays a complete abdication of the responsibilities that should go with the office.
A governorship aspirant once told this author that if governors spent even one third of the funds available to their administrations in genuine projects, the country would have become paradise by now. If even the erring ones among them fulfill the primary assignment of defending the constitution, much of the outrages associated with their tenures would not be there. A prominent politician recently observed in an interview with the Daily Trust that all the governors that are serving Senators today have cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). That is hardly a record to be proud of by the individuals entrusted with the destiny of Nigerians at the critical state tier of governance.
The excesses of the governors have denied the country the benefits of effective service delivery by local government councils, which have been hijacked and converted into personal estates of the governors. Perhaps the most recent of outrages by the state governors draws from the shenanigans associated with the management of the bailout funds which President Muhamadu Buhari released to debtor-state to settle workers salary arrears. From available evidence, hardly was any state government exonerated from the serial acts of sleaze and brazen mischief including bloating of their financial requirements and mis-directing the bail-out funds when such were released to the states. Even Zamfara State where the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari holds court, did not shun this unholy bazzar.
That is why the youth who are already feeling shortchanged by the leaders especially the state governors should not be taken for granted, and their inaction now not be read as weakness. As President Buhari may have realized from the experience of the bailout for states, the main challenge to his reforms may be from these governors. But the youth may not be as patient as the president, in demanding their due.