Despite a long record of dreary youth apathy to politics in Nigeria, political activism and new social movement is surging among Nigeria’s pre- millennial, millennial and post-millennial generations, especially around the 2019 presidential elections.
Indeed the Nigerian situation has become exacerbated and indeed worrisome as the political leaders are finding it difficult to handle complex but simple constitutional process that would foster true federalism and devolution of power among the federating units and failing in its national aspiration agenda.
Nigerian youth, the squeezed middle class, young voters and the common person could have a dramatic impact on the general elections particularly the presidential race in 2019—if they show up at the polls and keep up with the pressure for a new republic!
The real and perceived failure of the ruling select few has become a momentous issue of contestations for power and this in my view will dominate the sequence of events for 2019 general elections. The paradox of increasing dissatisfaction with life, elusive promises of change and the blame game existential disorder would increase our appetite for political, economic and mind – freedom, thereby creating impulsion for political rebirth.
Additionally, as the global leadership market continues to tighten, the need for inexorable logic of reverse leadership has become critical to our national survival. It is time we must move away from leadership ambush of the feudal and opportunistic influential that have held us down as a nation since independence and demand a clear perspective for a reverse leadership that can collectively define a Nigerian project independent of the current self- appointed emperors that are not working in the interest of the greater majority and the common person.
Pointedly, the reengineering process and turnaround efforts for a new republic should not be diminished, despite President Mohammadu Buhari’s declaration for re- elections in 2019 a few days ago, but it should embolden us our resolve for more youthful leadership shift in our country. Following this declaration, the usual incarnation, conspiracy, horse-trading, and deceitfulness of the failed elite will dominate the political space with mischief and blanket endorsement by their collaborators. However, Nigerians must be vigilant and unwavering.
The reverse leadership being proposed, must start with the likes of Fela Durotoye, Mathias Tsado, Kingsley Moghalu, Ahmed Buhari and Omoyele Sowore; the intervention movement groups amongst others to be the change managers come 2019 General Elections in my view represent a new beginning for the new republic of our dreams!
The turnaround plan by the new political upstart for 2019 elections must be set in cast stones. The new transformational leaders must significantly work upfront to ensure that Nigerians will actually listen to the tough messages of the moment, question old assumptions, and consider new ways of working to redeem our great country. This in my view means taking a series of deliberate but subtle steps to recast the Nigerians’ prevailing views and create a new context for action and deliverables, targets and measurable milestones.Otherwise, there is little hope for sustained improvement in nation- building efforts.
Further, the failed expectations from governance, the unending internal rumbles in the APC and PDP and the incongruous National Assembly’s inability to defend their unmerited pay and the clear lack of sincerity of purpose by successive governments should signpost a new squabble to upturn the elite from power. Therefore, the integrated communication strategy must be persuasive and compelling, which is a differentiation from our ugly past.
For the avoidance doubt, reverse leadership is about “known unknowns and unknown unknowns “- which means youths and millennial leaders not blinded by selective and greedy politics of the elite .The proposal for a new leadership order must promote in clear term, private-sector development and economic inclusion. Yet, it is important not to forget that improving transparency, accountability, and the voice of the public is also crucial for the new republic.
The political campaign must convince Nigerians that the country is truly on its deathbed – or, at very least, that radical changes are urgently required if the country is to survive and thrive beyond the senile tokenism that dot the political landscape.
While discussions about a generational leadership shift are progressing smoothly, hardliner politicians and the treacherous military collaborators would undoubtedly test the not-too-young’s ability and commitment to bring about expected reforms relating to unemployment and the political restructuring system. The young, educated, middle-class urban residents struggling to find good quality jobs must join in this campaign. Those unhappy about the poor quality of public services and frustrated by the need for a new Nigeria should disconnect from the powerful elites to join in the movement.
Crucially, the leadership politics and the recruitment of regional and ethnic political upstarts have been and will continue to be the bane of our development efforts. Since 1960, the leadership challenges have been a stopping block to our greatness, but collectively we have failed to address this issue head-on. Therefore, new gateway to national integration, governance and nation-building must be reversed to accommodate new leaders that can change the narratives of a nation on the move!
In the main, we can draw groundswell inspirations from the election of 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron who won elections last year as the new president of the French Republic, his one-year-old centrist party -La République En Marche (REM) meaning – The Republic on the Move – won a landslide victory in French parliamentary elections, giving it an absolute majority of seats in the National Assembly. With such a large parliamentary majority, the newly constituted government was able to hold all the cards to carry out the reforms that were promised during Macron’s campaign.
While the discourse and debate on restructuring, devolution of power, globalisation, ideology and grassroots political movement is yet to permeate campaign and canvassing for votes in Nigeria, it should be noted that the clear pathway for leadership recruitment particularly at the centre is drawing lessons from the global trends of competency, knowledge, integrity and millennial sagacity in carrying on with new reforms that are not blinded by the lens of primordial ties of corruption and incompetence of the feudal elites.
Therefore, going forward particularly with 2019 general elections, we must provoke the debate and engagement beyond the rhetoric and emotions of empty campaign promises and vote-buying orchestras that be will moving across the country soliciting for our votes. We need ambitious reform agenda – that would embrace major institutional reforms, which in my view the current leadership of the far right APC and the weak hard left PDP opposition within complex geopolitical context of the moment cannot deliver to Nigerians.
Lastly, the turnaround leaders must gain the trust by demonstrating through words and deed that they are the right people for the job and must convince Nigerians that theirs is correct plan for moving the nation forward and as a people that is desirous of change we must chose to act like the medical doctor- that is ,as one who, is dealing with a very ill patient, delivers both the bad news and the chances of success honestly and imparts realistic hope without rhetoric and sugar- coating of the old regime.
- Orovwuje is Founder, Humanitarian Care for Displaced Persons, Lagos.