The Nigerian Political Class

WORDS BY AYO SOGUNRO

THE most difficult war the Nigerian people will fight will be the war of liberation from the political elite.

Because this war will not be one against foreign enemies; it will be a war against our friends, family, and neighbours who support a dysfunctional political system.

But it can be done. For those of us who already understand the necessity of this war, we must stand firm in our rejection of the current political order and constitution. Rejecting both APC and PDP and their elitism. And we must continue to educate more people to join our side.

We must make it clear to those still in the dark that Nigeria has been captured and carved up by an elite class that maintains the economy and the government for its own benefit. Tell them this political system is an oppressive one that has never and won’t ever work for us.

I have been asked many times, what is the political class? Who are the political elite?

Well, you have a right to know your masters, know the people who keep Nigeria and Nigerians in chains:

This is not how a country should work. Economic and political opportunities should be available to everyone. We ought to fashion a more inclusive political system. We must now question the current political framework and ask: What are we doing? Why are we doing it this way?

The battle will be half won when we: (i) agree that the current political system is a gimmick; (ii) start identifying areas for reform; and (iii) start agitating to strip the power structures of Abuja that currently sustain our political elite.

But this will not be an easy fight. Our friends, family, and neighbours will disagree, encouraging us to participate in the system by aligning with one member of the political class or the other. They will argue that one side is good and another is bad….

They will suggest that the situation can be changed ‘from the inside.’ But they are wrong. We have had over 50 years of people trying to change things ‘from inside’ and failing. This political system is inherently incompatible with humane policies and independent-minded people.

To quote Victor Hugo, “nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.”

The time for political reform has come in Nigeria. The war to liberate ordinary Nigerians from the political elite is inevitable. That should be what we care about. Now is when we should start.

Until Nigerians start seeing the political class as their common enemy, nothing will change.

So, our political system was created as far back as 1900; that system became a country in 1914, and the country became independent in 1960.

Since 1960 to now, we have changed leaders many times and tweaked aspects of the system, but the core of the system has remained unchanged.

But again, what is this ‘system’? Who benefits from it? And how do we deal with it? Let’s examine these questions one by one.

The key point is that control of the Nigerian political system = control of the Nigerian economic system. One is used to secure the other.

These ‘special favours’ come in many guises: licenses, exemptions, waivers, appointments, contracts, tax-free, import waivers, etc.

All of these mechanisms are used to achieve one goal: to use the political process to generate economic power for a special class of people.

The rest of us, meanwhile, work our asses off on the myth that we can make the system work for us as long as we continue to self-develop.

But the political system never works for us, no matter how hard we self-develop. Instead, this is our reality: I provide my own light, water, transportation, food, housing, security, healthcare. I inspire myself. I am my own hero.

Yet, we still think electing ‘good’ leaders will fix the system for us.

Black Americans, for example, understand such systematic vs leadership issues well: racism is not cured just by electing a black president.

And so, to question 2: Who benefits from the political system?

Answer: there are four categories of Nigerians who enjoy this as it is.

1. The traditional ruling families: Although they lost political power under the British, they retained land and economic power. Most of what was communal land across Nigeria was converted ‘legally’ into the personal land of these families. They enjoy these to date. These ruling families were also original investors in the colonial economic projects & industries. They still retain control in many. Today, ruling families are a key part of Nigeria’s political system both formally and informally. They influence grassroots politics a lot.

2. The surviving families of the Independence ‘nationalists’ and politicians: They are also original shareholders of Nigeria’s economy. If you trace the shareholding of major banks and firms, you will see quite a number going back to the holdings of selfless ‘nationalists’. The ‘nationalists’ families are not as politically cohesive as the ruling families (intermarriage works though), but they are still influential. When your governor or president is shopping for cabinet and agency appointments, you tend to see these names cropping up again and again.

3. The military politicians gave us our constitution. No need to elaborate here. Some are even still members of the Council of State today.

4. What I call the ‘neo-democrats’: The people who inherited the military; The current system beneficiaries and your current chance to join.

If you don’t fit into any of these 4 categories, you are just an ordinary citizen. No matter how self-developed you are as an individual.

Here’s the problem with voting good leaders in a bad system: we only get to vote for 1 out of these 4 categories of system beneficiaries.

The irony is: the 4 categories of beneficiaries decide who gets to stand for office at key levels. They merely pass on their decisions to us.

We then vote for one of 2 or 3 people THEY have chosen to represent THEIR interests and start fighting ourselves over ‘support’.

Of course, we could decide to go for the maverick outsider, but I explain why that is impractical here: A politician who refuses to campaign with corrupt money will not get elected in Nigeria. The one that gets elected will not arrest funders. This is why we need to protest for some constitutional referendum, allowing people to vote directly on redesigning Nigeria’s structure. If we keep waiting for the messiah politician, we will wait long. We, the people, have to take control of our destiny and shape it directly. Now is time to start shouting for a referendum on consultative & representative constitutional reform, before ANY election clowning begins.

And here: Nobody will fight corruption from Aso Rock as currently designed. To get into Aso Rock is, in itself, a journey in corruption. Ask Buhari.

Unfortunately, most of us are still suffering from system blindness, especially the educated middle class: How many political dramas will we watch before my generation turns middle-aged and we realise that not one thing has changed since the 60s? At the time of our lives when we should be demanding changes in the constitutional/political system, we are ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over scandals. Worse, we allow our narratives to be teleguided by youth ‘overlords’ whose views are shaped by their political paymasters in both camps. All the drama of lost and found money is just the resource redistribution process; 16 years of PDP money shifting to APC. It’s not for us. Yet, it is still the same set of politicians shifting assets around from those who have fallen out of favour back to those still in power. There are real politics in closed-door meetings behind the drama in the media. These EFCC activities have nothing to do with our development. Our worst mistake will be to fall for the drama. Our best approach is to classify all of them as one class: the political elite, the enemy. The day we can wake up and see OBJ-GEJ-Buhari (and now Tinubu) as a continuum – as one class – then we will be ready to fight – not for parties, but for freedom. Of course, our “youth overlords” will disagree. They will try to tell you one side is the enemy, but the other side is good. They are liars. They will try to tell you some of us are ‘fencists’ who don’t want progress, because our idea of progress is not tied to their paymasters. Here are facts: APC is shit. PDP is shit (LP is also shit), and anyone who says they want to ‘change from the inside’ is either a liar or just needs the salary. True progress starts when we start agitating to pull down all the power structures of Abuja. That should be what we care about. Now is when.

And so, question 3: for those who ‘see’, how do we deal with ‘the System’?

1. Accept it as it is.
2. Migrate to Europe.
3. Restructure Nigeria.

Option 3 requires that we begin to question the basis and design of our political system: First, is the constitution OUR constitution?

Next: why do we use the laws that we use? Why does the FG have its powers? Why are communities dependent on the centre? Who owns resources?

How does this conversation proceed? First, you have to ACCEPT restructuring – however it is shaped – as our best saviour at this point.

Next, we need to vocally and irrepressibly agitate for periodic constitutional amendments that allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a referendum on restructuring.

The rest, we must find a balance between relying on expert opinion on constitutional government and popular will:

1. Amend the current Constitution to include provision for referendums & con-conference.

2. Based on amended provisions, the National Assembly of Nigeria (NASS) drafts a framework for a constitution deliberation process. It should consult constitutional experts.

3. The results of the proposed framework are set out as referendum questions and people vote. If yes wins, proceed to 4. If no, start again.

4a. Based on the contents of the proposed framework, constitution deliberations commence. This must be as representatively as possible.

4b. This means that a conference cannot sit in Abuja. That is silly. They must go out to all hamlets and streets across Nigeria and consult.

4c. We must take such a conference as seriously as we take voter registration or census. We must collate views from all over Nigeria.

5. Based on results from the data collations/ representative deliberations, the committee/NASS sets out a draft constitution.

6. The draft constitution should be sent to the judiciary for review on principles of democracy, rule of law and constitutionalism.

7. After the judiciary approves the draft, a new referendum to adopt its contents is conducted. If people vote yes, then all is set.

On the substantive aspects, the constitution MUST:

1. Make government strong enough to be effective & restrain its powers so it doesn’t dictate.

2. Clearly separate government powers into different arms, but also ensure checks & balances so that no one arm is practically the strongest.

3. Provide a bill of rights for the people. And ensure that government powers are used ONLY to respect, protect, promote and fulfil those rights.

4. Cater to contextual divisions (such as ethnic & religious divisions) in ways agreed on by the people, subject to the bill of rights.

5. Ensure opportunity for improvement (without being too flexible) by making provisions on referendums and amendment.

5b. On this last point, nothing is permanent. The Constitution should be a living document, not a static text insisting on way past ideas.