Lagos State University (LASU) History teacher Dr Dapo Thomas highlights the expectations of Nigerians from the respective state governments in this era of democracy.
Let me begin this paper with a rhetorical question: Who are the people? Without delving into the dialectics of political theories, let me simply say that the people are those outside the formal authority or government that has been established through a democratic process. The people are those who are being ruled, led, governed and controlled by a democratically elected government constituted by the people themselves to take care of their needs, wants and desires. The people are those who are dependent on those in authority for the basic things of life like security, welfare, shelter, food, education, health, infrastructure and other good things of life. The people are the helpless or better still, in some cases, hopeless citizens of the state, who naturally are recipients or beneficiaries of what government has to give to its citizens. The people are the main reason every government is in power.
In his book, principles of social and political theories, Ernest Barker explains that “functions of government cannot be separated from rights of persons, except in the sense in which the reverse of a Coin can be distinguished from the obverse”. According to Barker, “…..the functions of government are a condition of the rights of persons, because they are necessary to the enjoyment of those rights and because they exist in order to secure them…. The rights of persons are a condition of the functions of government, because they are the source and the cause of the existence and action of government”.
Having been able to identify who the people are, I think the next step is to dissect the word “expectation”. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines expectation as a “belief that something will happen because it is likely; a hope that something good will happen. A strong belief about the way something should happen or how somebody should behave”.
Better still, expectation is the vision of action. It is the illustration of reality. It is the link between what one feels and what the other should do. It is the connector between “thought” and “activity”. We can also call it “an elevated hope” contingent on what other people should do as a matter of necessity, right or obligation. Expectation is what I think you should do for me. Expectation is what man thinks GOD should do for him as His creation. It can also be what GOD thinks man should do for Him as his creator. For instance, Adam expected GOD to protect him (from the unseen or unknown enemy). He expected GOD to provide him food (for his survival) and he expected GOD to promote him to perfection (having been made in the image of GOD, the perfectionist).
On the other hand, GOD expected Adam to be Obedient (as his superior and his creator). He expected Adam to be faithful to Him (as his only Benefactor) and GOD also expected Adam to be productive (being the head of His work force).
In the context of our own discussion, we need to know or identify what the expectations of the people are and who they expect to meet, satisfy, fulfill and actualize their expectations. Naturally, the people expect the government, their government, as a right or even as an obligation, to meet, satisfy, fulfill and actualize their expectations. Their hope that the government will satisfy their expectations is hinged on the fact that since they have fulfilled their own civic responsibility by voting the government of their choice into power, it is now the duty of the government they have voted into office to fulfill its own obligations to them. This is the expectation in a democratic setting. A government that is voted into office by the people is morally and constitutionally bound to live up to the people’s expectations in terms of returning to them the dividends of democracy. This in itself needs to be defined for the purpose of elucidation.
What then is Democracy? Democracy is a government for all. The rich, the poor, the weak, the strong, all make the system tick. The system gives the people the freedom to participate and choose those that will rule them. It also gives them the liberty to associate freely and talk freely against or about their leaders. In a democracy, there should be justice for all citizens regardless of social status, economic power or political leverage. These are the theoretical foundations of democracy. They are the sacrosanct elements of democracy and the bedrock of participatory governance.
It is this participatory governance that creates the enablement for every citizen to be active in the choice and selection of their leaders particularly leaders who, in their estimation, can live up to expectation. The method through which such leaders emerge is seen as a democratic process. Thus a government that emerges through this process is called a democratic government. Therefore, a democratic government is a government that has been chosen and elected by the people through a process that is seen to be transparent, free, constitutional and democratic. A democratic government is a popular government elected by the people through a credible process that guarantees freedom of choice to the people. A democratic government is a government which the people believe possesses the capacity and moral credibility to help them in the realization of their aspirations and expectations. A democratic government is a government with the political and moral obligation towards the people who have elected it into office with their votes.
There are three major layers of government: the federal government, the state government and the local government. In a democratic society, all these three governments must emerge through a democratic process, that is, through an electoral process which enables citizens of the country to exercise their franchise to elect government of their choice.
For the purpose of this discussion, we are going to restrict our appraisal to just the state government. Needless to say, that all these three layers of government are under moral and political obligations to ensure that their citizens benefit immensely from the dividends of democracy. This is the major reason they were voted into office. It is this voting power which connects the people to the government and the government to the people. This symbiotic relationship is the attachment between those in power and those outside power. It comes with some emotions and empathy without which those in power may not connect to the aspirations and expectations of the people. That is why it is important for both the government and the people to have a relationship of active and practical mutuality. Any government that distances itself from the people; any government that is emotionally indifferent to the needs of the people, obviously, cannot help in the realization of their aspirations nor can it meet up with their expectations.
A mischievous person can ask the question: why must the people be expectant or why should the people build their expectations on a democratic government. At the level of our own discussion, which is the state, (and I want to believe that at any level at all), the people have a natural and moral right to “cast their burdens” (if one can substitute that for expectation) on a government they have elected into office. The first reason they have for doing this is the fact that, it is the moral and political responsibility of the government which is under constitutional obligation to ensure the safety, welfare and well-being of all the citizens under its authority. Second, irrespective of party affiliations or memberships; irrespective of how the people cast their votes; irrespective of the disposition or attitude of the people to the government, the government must show concern and interest in how the people it is leading or ruling live their lives.
Therefore, for the very fact that there is a moral nexus between the government and the people in terms of responsibilities and obligations; in terms of expectations and aspirations, in terms of performance and service delivery, the government cannot decline or shirk its responsibility to the people under its authority. In the same vein, the people expect the government to stimulate the process that will assist in the realization of their aspirations and expectations. The people expect the government to be active in their lives because this is one of the reasons they have voted it into office. This is the link or connection between democracy and expectation. Democracy or democratic system enables the people to reap the benefits of their loyalty, commitment and patriotism to their nation first and foremost, and to the government in the second instance. In essence, people’s expectations from a democratic government at the state level could be regarded as valid aspirations of the people expected to be borne by the democratic government which they have elected into office. People’s expectations may be high or low depending on the confidence the people have in the government they have voted into power. If it is a government that came into office with massive votes and high number of popular votes, such a government will be expected to perform at an optimum level. But if it is a government that has rigged itself into office, such a moral deficit has created credibility problem for the government and by extension, the people’s confidence and morale will be very low.
Aside from the issue of security which is a fundamental function of any government to its citizens, the people expect any democratic government to enhance their human value and dignity by showing so much concern in their welfare, education, health, infrastructure and shelter. These are the basic requirements that the citizens of any state can expect their government to take care of.
I wish to state clearly that security is a cardinal expectation of the people from the government. A government that cannot guarantee the security of lives and properties has lost the moral authority to govern. The need to make security a priority in the state cannot be discountenanced. For instance, in his promise to the people of Lagos State in his first year in office, the Governor of the State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode assured the citizens: “We will boost the State Security fund to scale up the successes recorded to date. We will continue with the city lighting project by expanding the Independent Power Project (IPP) to enhance the security of lives and property across the state. In addition, the government will embark on the acquisition of the latest advanced security communication technology that will track and monitor the daily activities of the State”.
Consequently, the government went ahead to purchase the following items to boost the security of the state: it procured 100 brand new power bikes, 100 4-door salon cars, 55 Ford Ranger Pick-Ups, 10 Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-Ups and 15 BMW Power Bikes. In addition, the government acquired 10 armoured tanks, Isuzu trucks, 3 helicopters for aerial surveillance of policing the state, 2 Gun boats and 15 Armoured Personnel Carriers.
The issue of welfare is equally sacrosanct. The people expect their government to show compassion towards them in terms of their well-being generally. They want to live quality lives and have access to the good things of life. They want good jobs, good salary, good education, affordable housing, good health care system and some bits of “kind and cash” assistance from their government. When citizens have access to good jobs that fetch them good pay at the end of the month, it means they can make provision for their own feeding and their shelter and possibly some other necessities of life.
But once a man is unemployed or has retired from work, it becomes difficult for such a person to cope with his domestic responsibilities. Though, the Lagos state government has not come up with any comprehensive welfare scheme for the unemployed, it has provision for those who have vocational skill that can be developed.
In the area of pension, the state government, I mean Lagos State, has been wonderful. As part of efforts put in place by the government of Akinwunmi Ambode to find a holistic solution to the issue of payment of pension entitlements to retirees under the Pay As You Go Pension Scheme which was discontinued in April 2007 as well as outstanding accrued pension rights due to retirees under the contributory Pension Scheme, the Governor approved N11 billion to offset arrears owed since 2000, not only for Lagos State Government Mainstream retirees but also retirees in the Local Governments and Parastatals.
Paying pension entitlements promptly is good for the government and the people because the retirees will not constitute a major problem to the government once their pensions are paid on time. It enables the government to focus on other critical sectors of the polity that require urgent attention.
The provision of infrastructure is a major expectation of the people from the government. The roads should be motorable at all times, and efforts should be made to reduce traffic congestion through creative and re-designing of some complex gridlocks. Good roads help motorists to maximise the time they spend on the road and invariably, enhance economic activities. According to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, most of the roads in the State will go through radical upgrading to stimulate poverty eradication and sustainable economic growth. Hence, the administration embarked on aggressive road construction projects which have resulted in the state-wide general rehabilitation of roads particularly the non-elite areas.
The Aboru-Abesan Link Bridge which was commissioned recently was a major project which the people had expected would bring the two communities together having stayed apart for decades without any connecting road between them. These two communities had hoped that one day, a responsive and responsible government will come to their rescue. When Governor Ambode now decided to connect the two communities through the Aboru-Abesan link bridge, he was simply fulfilling a dream that was as old as the two communities. These are just few of the expectations the people have of their government.
In order to live up to the expectation of the people, especially in meeting up with their basic needs, the government needs to embark on aggressive revenue generation to shore up its resources. In most cases, it is not practically possible for the government to satisfy all the needs of the people hence the need to prioritize these needs and attend to them in order of importance. As much as it is the responsibility of government to create conducive atmosphere for its citizens to thrive, the citizens are also under obligation to perform their civic rights by electing good leaders into office, by paying their tax and by supporting government policies and programmes.
Between the government and the people, there must be a synergy of convenience and cooperation. The people’s expectations from a democratic government can only be actualised when there are complementary efforts on both sides. When the government is re-inventing the engineering of its operations, the people should be engaging in a re-awakening exercise that will make both sides understand their roles in a democratic setting.
In concluding this paper, the people can expect anything from their government while the government can select or prioritize its projects if it has limited funds to execute them.
