HASSAN SALIU examines the governance issues in the nation’s democracy using Kwara as case study
Disillusionment
Understandably, the organisers of this occasion were disillusioned with the level of success recorded by the current civil rule in Nigeria. They, therefore, created this august platform as an avenue to x-ray the achievement level together and by so doing, coming up with the place of appropriate leadership in charting a new future for Kwara State and Nigeria where there will be abundance of signs of good living or indicators of progress and development.
Let me at this point make my position known on Kwara politics and why I accepted the invitation to be here today. As a Kwaran and teacher of politics, I strongly hold the view that the cause of development in Kwara State would be well-served when we have a reservoir of professionals, in this case, political scientists, who are teachers of politicians that keep away as much as possible from the murky waters of partisan politics.
My view is that if we do this, we (professionals) would have a good chance of mediating/intervening in the political process without losing our integrity and credibility. Although when at times I remind my politician friends that I am not a practising politician, they often feel disappointed and most times, one of them would retort by saying, “Prof, we are in this business of politics together.” Notwithstanding, I am, as at today, not a politician but I can easily become one tomorrow.
From the foregoing, it would be clear why not much is being heard from me in terms of partisanship. I have, however, intervened critically in the course of my academic pursuits to call a spade by its name, spade. It is this tradition of being “the guardian of the political process” that will guide my presentation today. Let us therefore note that I hold no brief for any political party. My loyalty and allegiance is to Kwara State. I genuinely believe that our State should be a shining star and model in Nigeria’s multitude of states, showing all the signs of leap forward in a realistic sense with highly contented citizenry.
The reality confronting us is that the State still has many grounds to cover before becoming a State of our dream. There have been a couple of missed opportunities that would have radically altered our present and capable of shaping our tomorrow. However, as a builder and/or a system person, it is not in my character to put any particular government on the spot as following that trajectory would not promote the cause of good governance that motivated my participation in this programme today.
In this regard, I have tinkered with the topic given to me to make a presentation on. The title I have settled for is promoting good governance in Kwara State. The assumption that propelled this laudable occasion and my modified topic is the burning desire to modify aspects of our political behaviour that do not give much recognition and appreciation to all the properties of good governance. Settling for this topic would, in my view, make our conversation today more rewarding for all Kwarans irrespective of their political affiliations or leanings.
Why good governance?
Almost all the problems facing Nigeria’s democracy can be impacted upon positively when we give good governance its deserved attention. Either, we talk about insecurity or unemployment or even poverty, good governance does have a role to play. This is why I am offering good governance as a kind of antidote to all manner of problems facing the country and Kwara State in particular. The concept though has many definitions, for our purpose in this gathering today; I posit that good governance is that phrase that is biased towards democracy and all its tenets. It is the optimization of the democratic principles. For clarity, I conceptualize the term to mean an attainment or a framework that calls for the sustenance of the bond between the leaders and the people who own sovereignty in a democratic dispensation.
It may also mean according proper recognition to the electorate in carrying out the responsibilities that are associated with governance. For some of our friends, good governance is the efficient and effective exercise of public/political authority that accords due recognition to the bearers of sovereignty- the people. Can we therefore, say that we have been having good governance in Nigeria? My answer is yes and no. There have been some sparkling on some occasions but certainly more still needs to be done for the country to be said to be a model in this catchphrase/buzzword that every country in the world is striving to identify with especially given the renewed emphasis on it by the donor community. It deserves to be entrenched at all levels of governance in the country. It should be the rule of the game with respect to governance architecture in the country.
Making good governance our article of faith would checkmate the endemic corruption, unemployment, poverty and other socio-economic indicators of low level of development. It will also check the propensity in all of us for primitive accumulation. An era of good governance can check the greed of the leaders and indeed, that of the followers. At another level, the picture of master-servant relationship that one sees in rather disturbing proportions will be reduced to the barest level as whoever emerges as a leader would be well-schooled in humility and responsiveness that are basic ingredients that can make people to be fanatical in their support to their leaders.
One also argues that good governance is the antidote to the phenomena of abandoned and isolated projects. According recognition to the inputs of the people would be a credible check on leaders in terms of projects to be executed and at what cost. The tragedy of Nigeria’s democracy is that those who usually come around to seek for our votes instantly become our masters as soon as they settle in the comfort of their offices. This deplorable development has been working to increase the level of political apathy among Nigerians, while promoting more of autocratic tendencies than democratic attitudes in the political gladiators.
I still argue that this tendency and others are our lot because we have not imbibed the culture of good governance. An attainment of good governance would lower the growing tensions about zoning and insecurity in the country. All what most Nigerians want is good standard of living. They do not bother so much about its harbingers and their demographic and ethno-religious characteristics. Indeed, if foreigners can bring this about, Nigerians would not mind, the rabid scholarship against imperialism in our universities, notwithstanding. This is to underscore the strong attachment of people to anything good that can transform their lives.
We need to appreciate at this juncture that no leader, no matter his benevolence, would readily give good governance, especially in an environment where its culture has not taken roots. People must have to demand for it. As Fidel Castro once argued, no privileged class will readily give up its privileges. Unity of purpose and the resort to self-help or activism and working hard to win an election can present the opportunity for people to establish good governance.
I strongly believe that if people are determined to demand for good governance, no political class can stop them. But the problem really is that the people often encourage anti-democratic traits among our politicians for ephemeral gains only for them to turn around to detest the very habits they actively promoted.
Governance and more specifically, good governance is a serious business. It has the potential of reducing the huge greed level of our politicians in their dealings with the electorate. Admittedly, any political environment that transmits uncommon appreciation for handouts (most politicians in virtually all the political parties resort to it) cannot stand the chance of robustly engaging in the difficult assignment of development. ` Since it is almost difficult for all the people to organize themselves, ultimately, the organized labour, civil society organizations, opposition and professional associations, etc., have to carry the enormous burden of organizing the society in the desired manner to appreciate good governance.
As I will show later in this paper, our opposition parties as well as the civil society groups are not doing enough beyond name callings to stand firm behind good governance. Lacking in mobilizing ideologies and far removed from the people, the numerous opposition parties count on an imaginary power to come and organize them and snatches power from the ruling parties and entrusts it on their laps. Political contestations leading to electoral politics do not work in this fashion. Irrespective of the party that will win the next gubernatorial election in Kwara State, all the traditional agents of good governance must be prepared to step up activities in aid of accountability, transparency, inclusiveness and efficient rendering of social services, for the benefit of our state.
It is contended that good governance is closely related to democratic consolidation. A consolidated democratic government, no doubt, has the best chance of establishing good governance. No democracy can be considered consolidated unless there is an equal chance for both opposition and ruling parties of winning elections at intervals. This invariably puts a lot of burden on the opposition parties to make a better showing in the approaching 2015 elections. All the afflictions affecting our dear State can be positively impacted upon if our governance environment is opened up for all talents and the people are accorded their rightful place in the democratic project.
Between politics and governance
There is a big difference between politics and governance. The dichotomy between them shows in terms of the base and layer or architectural design and the real building. One has to be involved in the political process to be the driver or the enhancer of good governance. It is in this context that this paper believes that the journey to entrench good governance that serves all the sectors/segments that make up the State must be embraced by all Kwarans. Herein lies the import of this presentation.
Properties of good governance
Every one of us in this hall today has some ideas about good governance. When one reckons that every adult can make a clear distinction between good actions and the bad ones, one can reasonably conclude that all of us know what is needful to serve the good people of Kwara State. The foregoing understanding has lightened up my job today.
Notwithstanding, it is important to remind ourselves about those pillars that can sustain good governance. The term cannot be heralded by simply mouthing it just as our politicians have made a song of it. Waiting therefore for the ruling party or people in government to herald it, especially in an environment where the political culture is not progressively moving in its direction would be a forlorn hope.
To be sure, participation is a key ingredient of good governance. A high level of participation is required in any political process for a good environment to be established for democratic consolidation. People would not feel able to participate in the process if the leaders have shown a tendency for catering for their own selfish interests. An all-inclusive administration that pays due attention to the people is definitely a good step towards changing the climate of under-development that prevails in Nigeria. There is nothing wrong if an opposition party joins the ruling party or the latter invites the former to join it in administering the country. Not only it is desirable for all the political parties to be united and allow for a regime of healthy rivalry to develop among them, the professionals, women groups, people with disability, clerics and others must be given a sense of belonging to fire their interest in what is happening on the political scene. It would be absurd for one to talk about full or popular participation when less than thirty per cent of the registered voters have voted in some governors in the country.
Politics is a partisan issue but governance should ordinarily not be. A wide range of issues requiring expertise do regularly visit the governance environment that it will find difficult to handle by relying on the rainbow party men most of whom may not have been tutored in the art of governance. Inclusiveness is therefore, imperative for any society to be separated from unhealthy governance environment. This, I argue is not difficult once the political will is there. From experience, there are always personalities who establish shields around our politicians of all divides in closing up the political space around them, claiming that that their actions are in the interest of the political gladiators. Leaders with visions would however be able to see through the issues and curtail the tendency, thereby promoting a higher level of participation.
Politics and indeed, governance entails rendering services to the people. Any government can, however, deliver services to the people. But in a democratic setting, the services must be efficient, made to be impactful on the citizens and must be informed by their choices/preferences in most cases. This requirement is an uphill task in our country. Our politicians think and believe they know it all; they are in a position to know the needs of every sector of the political economy. This tendency often promotes abandoned projects or isolated development- drive. The whole essence of good governance will be defeated when the leaders put themselves above the people they govern in terms of service delivery and other governance issues. The goal of efficient service delivery is to promote development which should ordinarily be the business of governance.
Good governance requires and expects that voters will be transformed into electorate for its regime to be established. Voters are generally people who go out on Election Days to cast their votes without gazing at the feedback process that David Easton has eloquently spoken about in his seminal work on System Theory. Whatever happens after an election is not usually the primary concern of voters; more so if the inducement networks are made expansive and tempting for the voters in carrying out their civic duties.
Electorate, on the other hand, are the people who follow the political process with keener interest and demand accountability from those they have elected. This demand for feedback process promotes good governance as the politicians know the consequences of jettisoning their people upon their victories at elections. It is expected that the political space will be opened up for people to assert themselves in the political process. Openness and transparency are key issues in making good governance to be parts of the political culture. There should be no secrecy in governing a country especially on issues that directly affect the people such as budgets, execution of projects and funding of essential services. Everything about government must be made open for public scrutiny.
Party elders or the concept of political leaders is not itself bad, but much more worrisome is a tendency towards dictatorship even under a democratic set up. Governments must be prepared and ready to give account of their stewardship and at all times, solicit the support and cooperation of the real mandate owners, the people and consistently cultivate their understanding most times through bottom-top approach in a realistic sense. Their preferences must always find expression in the policies of government in degree and quantity that accords due recognition to the citizens.
Due process and rule of law are cornerstones of good governance. Every aspect of the public sphere must be made to conform to laws of the land. A man needs to know under what conditions his rights will be denied him and if otherwise, the road to the courts to seek redress must not be blocked. Leaders must not be above the law and if they are found to have committed infractions, the law of the land must be made to take its course.
In view of the character of this gathering, I must not forget to stress that there must be an organized watchdog on the government. Corruption seems to be the defining characteristic of African governance processes but the watchdogs must live above board. The watchdogs that I am referring to here are the opposition parties and the civil society groups. An opposition party cannot be taken seriously if it does not understand its role in the political process.
As an alternate party in power, it must show a good example and avoid the pitfalls of the ruling party. Uncommon courage is required in connecting to the people and avoidance of leadership tussle or wrangling among the ranks and files instigated by the unending intrigues among the leaders who are all out on individualistic and egoistic missions is necessary not to frustrate any opposition party from working to promote good governance.
Professor Saliu of University of Ilorin, delivered the paper at the Leaders’ Institute’s conference in Ilorin.