Dele Okenla
The major obstacle to political progress in Nigeria may not be the corrupt leaders alone but also the so-called social critics who, unwilling to act themselves and perhaps mindful of the risk of becoming redundant, are unwittingly preserving the status quo by unduly and relentlessly chastising those who dare venture to act.
Abbey Odukoya
Sir, I hope you are not allergic to criticism. No society, organisation, institution or even individual can attain excellence without the so called social critics.
Feyi Fawehinmi
Abbey you are seconded. No matter how advanced a democracy is, you will still need social critics to keep the govt on it's toes....power corrupts.God has also given different people different gifts....and believe it or not principled social criticism is a God given gift....you only need to look at people who have brought about real change in their societies by being social critics.If you spend one week in Nigerian Law School, you will hear Gani Fawehinmi's name in various cases everyday...and yet the man never served one day in govt.
Abbey Odukoya
Thank you Mr. fawehinmi, the bane of one of our leadership short comings is the fact that they regard social critics as adversaries while they are surrounded by sycophants that tell them what are euphonics to the hears.
George Ashiru
Dear Cousin...the Japanese say, "Good Thinking...Good Product". Until the value system of the political process is properly established then venturing into active politics fits a certain character type. However, the likes of Obama benefited from the activism of MLK, Ghandhi, Rosa Parks, etc, who were careful not to go into partisanship. Unfortunately, 90% of Nigerians who venture into the political process soon get derailed because the system is too well entrenched for them to change from within.
Feyi Fawehinmi
Very true.....it's possible for a very good man to enter Nigerian politics now and through no fault of his own, will come out of the experience a completely broken man with his reputation in tatters.The odds are so heavily stacked against good people....and this deterioration did not happen overnight...it's been happening gradually over the years.Therefore changing it is not going to happen by going into politics in 2011.For starters we need electoral reforms that will allow good people to compete and win without resorting to godfathers and all sorts.We are nowhere near that yet as things stand.But God does not sleep....
Dele Okenla
Feyi and Abbey, thanks for the concerns raised but be re-assurred that I am not against social criticism, in fact I am all for what Feyi aptly termed 'principled social criticism'.The kind of criticism I hope to discourage is the common and often misdirected baseless negative criticism lacking in merit or justification, especially where an alternative view is not tendered and might, in any case, not be feasible.There is also a general tendency among our so-called progressive elements to shy away from actually involving themselves in the field of play where their criticism is directed.For example, most political critics dont want to be politicians, because they reason it is a dirty job, so who is left to run things? The bad guys!More worrying is the fact that when occasionally a progressive element eventually breaks rank and offers to take on this 'dirty job' he is, more often than not, instantly regarded as a prospective judas and rather than being given the support needed to bring the collective spirit of progress into the system, he is treated as if he were part of the prevalent problem. The result is that good guys continue to be discouraged from participating, and the bad guys continue to have a swell-time plunging our beloved country deeper into abysmal mess.
Feyi Fawehinmi
I promise you, the moment the playing field is proper leveled, Nigeria will be spoilt for choice in terms of the quality of people available to serve the nation.Mark my words.I know many people who are willing to serve and have very good ideas for Nigeria...but given a choice of entering a system that immediately compromises all your values and conscience, you cant blame good people for staying away or fighting from the outside.Let those who have floor now continue to do as they please.Their time will soon be up sha.
Abbey Odukoya
@George: The Americans say "when good people leave politics to bad people, politics become bad". The system cannot change if good people -like your cousin, is being dissuaded form getting involved.
Dele Okenla
Feyi, Rome was not built in a day and unless people start acting now by getting involved regardless of other factors our dream for a better Nigeria will remain just a dream. God works through the minds and hands of men!
Dele Okenla
God works THROUGH the minds and hands of men!
Feyi Fawehinmi
You miss my point....like George has pointed out above, you dont have to be part of the system or in govt to bring about change.MLK's greatest work was done outside govt.So much can be achieved in civil society without spending a day in govt or getting 'involved'.That's what a lot of Nigerians dont understand.The problems with our nation are so myriad that if the only way to bring about change is by 'getting involved', govt will be so overcrowded....we already have 369 reps and 109 senators!.....far more than America.Let us not make the mistake of assuming that change can only come about through govt or by getting involved.If you permit me to go back to Gani...I was priviledged to be at his burial in Sept....you should have seen the crowds and outpouring of emotions and he was never in govt.People also dont know that around 80% of the cases handled by his chambers were completely free...usually involving defenceless people whose rights had been trampled on.Getting involved in Nigeria today will not bring about any meaningful change...I mean the whole thing as presently stands is built on illegality where do you want to start from.
Dele Okenla
Feyi, I am afraid you missed THE point.It is not about heroes and villains or about increasing the number of political offices available. 100 million people can be involved in politics and still there will be no overcrowding.I do not entirely understand the point you made about not being part of the government in order to bring about change. Of course, that is a self-evident truth! However, does that mean that all the good guys should stay out of politics and allow only the bad guys to run the government? Then, why are we complaining? Please enlighten me further on this point.
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth
The progress in other nations is watered by the blood of and sweat of matyrs not the voice of Social critics
Dele Okenla
To George:Good and valiant cousin, I know where you stand on issues like this for we were both brought up to defend good against evil. And did we not grow up together learning the self-same arts of martial combat in which you so much excel, so that we might not only defend ourselves effectively, but also protect others? Tell me then, what chilvary is there in fighting a war that already has been fought and won or lost? How can we as men of valour in spirit fold our arms and say the atmosphere is not yet conducive for honourable men like us to wade in?Feyi said 'the moment the playing field is properly levelled' we will see the marching in of the 'saints'. Excuse me, who are the ones going to do the unenviable task of levelling the playing field for the coming of the 'Quality band'?Should we then rather only concern ourselves with enjoying the goodies of victory after some other poor souls have possibly given their lives to achieve it? I think not!
George Ashiru
Thanks Dele...As a trained engineer, I also learnt that when a product is bad from the design stage, you redesign the product altogether and represent it to the market rather than merely changing its name or white-washing its exterior. Nigeria does not need more change agents, what we need is changed values. MLK fought to change the segregation laws, which today gave Obama his opportunity. In Jesse Jackson's time, it was still a promise.What I expect is for change agents to campaign first for a better constitutution, electoral laws, anti-corruption methodologies, social values and cultural attitudes, which, when activated, will allow change agents to prosecute their agendas. Failing this, we will just be going on a merry go round for another 50 years; different people, but more of the same.
Adetayo Alausa
Well said Dele, but bear in mind not only the desire but the resources at the disposal of this mediocre and heartless politicians to instill fear in people they see as threat. The Life of their political rival to them is like a chess piece and definitely not the Queen or the King but a pawn. You can waste one and the game continues.However some people can fight on the sideline and stay alive especially thoe who don't know the scheming in the political terrain in Nigeria.
Feyi Fawehinmi
@George: Your reference to the need for a new constitution is perhaps one of the most important things we need in Nigeria.We so badly need one.....working with the present document is almost an exercise in futility.But the people who are afraid of changing the status quo continue to block such change.You just need to go back to the circumstances in 1999 when the current document was written to know why it cant work.
Dele Okenla
To George:Dear Cousin,As you may well know, I have had no training in engineering designs whatsoever and therefore cannot offer any expert rejoinder to your metaphor as expressed. However, since most of my limited knowledge and understanding is derived directly from the pages of the Bible, which itself was authored under inspiration from God the Creator and Designer of all things, allow me to indulge myself a bit.Nothing created in nature was ever bad in 'its design stage'. Nigeria was not bad in its design stage, it is bad now because bad people were opportuned to seize and maintain control over it. To turn things around, we now need good people to actively join in the process of nation-building.Change is a very practical issue, not a theoretical process. To bring about change you need in place a change-oriented personnel. It is no use trying to fly an aeroplane with a truck-driver as pilot, unless of course you actually re-train the truck-driver or else simply use a properly trained aeroplane pilot!I noted the apparent contradiction in your conclusion that we do not need more agents of change while you then went on to define the roles of the so-called agents of change and even acknowledged celebrated agents of change like MLK in the process. Funnily enough, I totally agree with you.There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian constitution. I have read it several times over and over again and I am of the reasoned opinion that it is quite workable in the current dispensation. We cannot ignore the substance and start chasing the shadow. My message is clear and simple enough. Social critics could go on criticising as much as they would, bad guys could go on ruling as long as they want, or perhaps change their disposition if they could, but, DO NOT DISCOURAGE GOOD PEOPLE FROM ENGAGING IN ACTIVE POLITICS!
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