I was barely fourteen or thereabouts when a
tutor of mine taught me, among my contemporaries, that power or leadership was
synonymous with intoxication. In the real sense, he actually meant that anyone
in a position of authority was invariably under the influence of a certain
spirit that makes him or her act sometimes not unlike a drunk.
The
above lesson was informed by a certain question I raised in the class. I could
recall vividly that I wanted to ascertain the reason most political leaders,
particularly Nigeria’s, would in some occasions utter unwise words as if they
are leading mere bunch of animals, or beyond the extant laws.
While
reacting to questions thrown to him by newsmen in Abuja, recently, the
erstwhile governor of Plateau State who is currently a member of the Red
Chamber of the National Assembly (NASS), Senator Jonah Jang said unequivocally
“Senate is not for young people”. He disclosed that he would not hand over to
younger person after expiration of his tenure. The actual enquiry that prompted
the rude response was occasioned by a particular youth’s aspiration to
represent the Plateau North senatorial district, with the belief that the said
senator who is presently above 70 years will not seek for re-election come
2019.
I was, to assert the least, shocked to my
bone marrow the very moment the news got to my desk. I couldn’t help but kept
pondering the reason a serving senator would in his right senses publicly utter
that lawmaking was only meant for the old, or those who have gathered wrinkles
in their faces.
It is more mind boggling when realized that
suchlike utterance was tendered at a time the “not too young to run” bill is
seriously seeking the unanimous nod of the legislators; at a period various
civil rights groups are earnestly begging the revered lawmakers to change the
impression that a given age bracket isn’t eligible to contest for certain political
positions.
If your thought is as good as mine,
then you would agree with me that if the likes of Sen. Jang constitute the
majority of the Senate, or NASS in general, the aforementioned bill will never
see the light of the day; you would wholly concur with my fear that such a bill
will be regarded as a joke or a document that deserves no iota of attention
from the distinguished legislators.
It’s noteworthy that aside the Sen.
Jang’s avowal, several other political office holders across the globe, Nigeria
in particular, on a daily basis openly utter speeches that were never given a
second thought. Sometimes, the controversial ones deliberately do so just for
the intent of awakening the temper of the opposition or those who have been
known as critics to the government in which they pilot.
In a similar development, a few weeks
ago while telling the press why all forms of drug abuse must be eradicated in
Imo State, Governor Rochas Okorocha in his usual outspoken prowess disclosed
that “it is better to steal than to smoke marijuana”. Such an utterance
resulted to tremendous mixed feelings among the teeming populace in the state
and the Diaspora. In most quarters, it was opined that the governor had
derailed for coming up with such uncalled analysis.
From my realistic point of view, the governor
was apparently trying to lay emphasis on how grievous it was for anyone to
indulge himself in drug abuse, thus thought it wise to communicate to his
subjects that such an act was more dangerous and harmful than robbery since it
could lead to all sorts of social-ills including stealing.
However, it is ideal for the Imo number one
citizen to acknowledge that as much as my likes understood where he was coming
from as regards the said public speech, thousands of other Imolites may not
fathom what really informed it. Inter alia, the opposition and other
disgruntled elements might want to capitalize on that to cause further
distractions; hence, the need for proper cross-examination of words before they
are tendered in the public sphere.
Of late, such ‘culpable’ utterances have
seemingly become peculiar to the sitting Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Ayodele
Fayose. In most cases, you would observe him lambasting the Nigeria’s President
as if they are both enemies. Sometimes, one may be forced to believe that Gov.
Fayose’s invariable controversial attitude is owing to personal hatred.
I’ve come to comprehend that most of these
leaders are surrounded by countless aides and allies, yet they would never
bother to seek an advice from any of them before going to the press. The “I
know it all” syndrome, which is misleading this set of public servants, has
caused more harm to the system as a whole than it does to their individual persons.
This is the reason we must all stand up in unison to condemn and equally fight
the scourge. We mustn’t inure ourselves to such kind of societal menace that
deserves to be kept under lock and key for eternity.
If our political leaders would
subscribe for bureaucracy but in the long run refuse to ask for the services of
the bureaucrats, I wonder why we ought to sustain the excesses. Though power
arguably intoxicates, our various leaders are invariably bound to note when,
how and where to talk as well as when to seek the professional assistance of
their employees.
The gospel truth is that, such manner
of lifestyle always displayed by our various political leaders is in its
entirety highly detrimental to the polity, hence must be urgently thrown to the
waste bin where it truly belongs. Think about it!
Comrade Fred Nwaozor
Executive Director, Docfred Resource Hub (DRH) - Owerri
__________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador 
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