The Bitter Truth: Between Politics and Good Governance

First and foremost, I need to make it clear to whom it may concern that my constitutional right cover me to express my own view on any issue as far as Nigeria is concern my topic on which I want to base my observation is: The Difference Between Politics and Good Governance. Oxford advanced learners dictionary defines politics as the activities involved in getting and using power in public life. And being able to influence decisions that affect a country or a society, while governance is defined as the activity of governing a country or controlling a company or an organization, or the way in which a country is governed or a company or institution is control. The point I am unveiling here is that the definitions of the two words differs, and so it is in real sense. To my surprise, many people do muddle things up by mis-understanding POLITICS and GOVERNANCE to be the same in meaning and this is not traced to the stack illiterates in our midst alone, professor also are found in this category.

Meanwhile, with this simple and clear introduction, I believe I have erected a solid foundation on which I want to build my view concerning the topic being treated. We give glory to Almighty God because after a long time of military intervention, we’ll soon celebrate 15 years of uninterrupted civil rule in Nigeria, which means that our nascent Democracy has come to stay. Democracy is known as the government of the people by the people and for the people, but this does not operate in Nigeria politics. In Nigeria, Democracy is the government of the selfish people by the selfish people against the suffering people.

In politics, manifestoes and agenda of the parties are not the same; each of the political parties would outline series of developmental programme to woo the electorates in other to get their support during election period. Also, during the political campaign, politicians do engage themselves in war of words and physical attacks, all in a bid to defeat their opponents and get to power; all these acts are known as part of politics. If truly we are practicing democracy in Nigeria, I think it gives a room for every citizen to cast their vote for political party and people of their choice but why should somebody or a group of people think of getting to power at all cost and against the wishes of the masses whose vote must count? People are voted into power to serve and represent the interest of the masses, if truly you want to serve the masses, I belief if is the masses that would request for you to come and represent them by voting you into power, but why must you impose yourself on them by force, just because you want to serve them? To me, it is illogical to common sense, because, it is the people of dubious character and thieves that can make politics a do or die affair, because politics is centered on the welfares of the masses who are expected to fight for their right by chosen leaders of their choice that would represent them well and deliver the much needed dividends of democracy to them from time to time through voting.

To some people, politics is seeing as a dirty game, but I don’t belief in this assertion, those that are playing politics could be dirty, but politics itself is not dirt. We hav heard about leaders like Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Nahtama Ghandi and Pendit Nehruu of India, out own Obafemi Awolowo and Nelson Mandela of south Africa who fought for their people and as well served them meritoriously, forever their names cannot be missing in the lists of world heroes. Nigeria is a country of good people but bad leaders, despite the fact that Nigeria is blessed with abundant mineral resources but, how to manage it effectively and appropriately to take care of the suffering people is the problem of our leaders, instead, they loot government treasury and steal billions of Naira that is meant for the masses into their own pocket, if they are caught and arrested, they would be discharged on option of peanut fine in the court of law, who is fooling who?

Nigeria is lawless country and that reminds me of the late human right activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi of blessed memory, he said “in a state of lawlessness, it is illegal to be law abiding.” It is only in Nigeria we celebrate people of questionable character, imagine somebody that was sentence to jail for stealing a lumpsum of money in government treasury, when he finished his jail term he started celebrating as people were jubilating eating and drinking as if he has just arrived from Mecca or Jerusalem, a popular thief is been celebrated. This clearly shown that our leaders are not God fearing, we have big thieves, election riggers and coup plotters not leaders. Bad people have succeeded in bringing bad theory into Nigeria political system, to bring sanity into Nigeria political system, all hands must be on deck to kick out do or die method and play politics with the spirit of sportsmanship, it is the electorates that are supposed to decide the faith of contestants and not the contestants deciding the faith of the electorates. In democracy, it could be two or multiparty system, once group of people under one political party is voted into power, they must spread tentacles of the dividend of democracy to every nook and cranny of their geographical area, because, they don’t belong to their party members alone, they belong to everybody and they should not play politics with governance, they are two different words and different in meaning as well.

On a final note, opposition parties are expected to criticize, but their criticism must be constructive and not destructive, because, without opposition, the helpless masses tend to suffer in the hands of the ruling party. Above all, if truly democracy is a government of the people by the people and for the people, in this country called Nigeria, the people in government must work for the interest of the people being governed, and not against the interest of the people living as it is being operating in this country.