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Vices: The Easy Tool for Dividing a Society
In any society plagued by widespread vices, it becomes relatively easy for leaders to divide the populace. By polarising the ranks of citizens, a leader can maintain control, exploiting these divisions to prolong their hold on power. As long as the people remain unaware of their collective ability to drive transformation, the burden of change will continue to rest heavily on their shoulders.
However, one of the most challenging tasks for many of us is self-discipline. Instead of reforming our ways and thoughts, we often seek to compensate by demanding changes from our surroundings. But real, durable change begins with us as individuals. Taking shortcuts may seem convenient, but they are only temporary solutions.
The Nigerian Protest: Application of Caution
A poignant example of this can be observed in the recent protests against bad governance in Nigeria. Many citizens, who were ostensibly fighting for good leadership, ended up engaging in behaviour that contradicted the very principles they claimed to uphold. The protests revealed a stark irony: citizens ransacking government quarters and looting shops, while claiming to fight for a better government. This scenario was akin to the kettle calling the pot black, exposing a deeper societal problem.
Furthermore, many of the protest sponsors had ulterior motives. Their contributions were not driven by a genuine desire to improve Nigeria but rather by their distance from central power. These sponsors were more interested in manipulating public sentiment to win favour and advance their own agendas, which might have been even more sinister than those of the incumbent government.
The Need for a Dual Campaign: Bad Government and Bad Citizenship
When we protest against bad governance and corrupt leadership, it is imperative that we simultaneously campaign against bad citizenship. If we neglect this, we risk merely fuelling revolutions that could result in outcomes even worse than the situations we are protesting against. Consider this: if a person lacking in values leads a successful revolution and wins the hearts of the people, the cycle of poor governance will persist.
If a bad citizen fights the battle and deposes a corrupt government, that same bad citizen is likely to become a corrupt leader. In essence, bad citizens breed bad leaders—it’s a simple yet profound truth. We must acknowledge that until we come to terms with this reality, our nation will continue to stagnate, making no real progress, much like the Yoruba adage: “when you throw a knife up several times, it will always land on its flat side.”
Overhauling Leadership Requires Overhauling Values
If we are serious about overhauling the leadership of our country, we must also overhaul the values of its citizens. This is where we need true statesmen and elders, those who genuinely care about the nation’s welfare, to speak with one voice. These leaders must hold both the government and citizens accountable, guiding us towards a new direction for our country.
Unfortunately, the leaders we have raised in recent times have proven to be largely helpless and clueless. Many seem to lack the understanding, or perhaps the will, to enforce the changes we need. Their actions are often hindered by primordial interests and prejudices, preventing them from taking decisive steps for the common good.
In many instances, we have succeeded only in raising sectional leaders as our presidents or heads of state. This explains why so many of them are more concerned with their ethnic or religious affiliations than with the welfare of the entire nation.
The Bottom Line
The purpose of this discussion is to prepare the average Nigerian citizen to hold themselves to a higher standard—one that is above reproach. Those who seek to fight for good governance must also strive to be beyond reproach. For he that goes to equity must go with clean hands.
On this basis, future leaders of protests or movements for transformation must take it upon themselves to communicate clearly with their followers. They must ensure that everyone involved understands the true purpose of the cause and the importance of maintaining unity. Only by doing so can we hope to achieve the meaningful and lasting change that we so desperately need.
How We Got Here
There is a deeply ingrained culture that perpetuates bad governance, and it is crucial to understand how this has taken root. One of the key factors is our collective tendency to accept gifts or incentives before offering our support to political aspirants during elections. This behaviour is not limited to the ordinary citizen; it extends to the wealthy, influential, and even many religious leaders. We have developed a preference for immediate rewards, often without considering the long-term consequences of our actions, which can result in the mortgaging of our future.
This attitude permeates every sector of our society, becoming a tool for politicians to keep our nation in a state of perpetual dependency. We, as a people, have become easily swayed by monetary incentives. As a result, the real protest we should be undertaking is against our own propensity for instant gratification—our unrestrained desire to be bribed before we fulfil our civic duties. This nature of ours, which rallies support for those who will ultimately enslave us once money has exchanged hands, is at the root of our ongoing struggles.
The Power of Gifts
One of the most powerful laws of influence is the giving of gifts. When you accept a gift from someone, you become more inclined to support or fulfil the requests of the giver. However, not every gift is good or healthy. Consider this analogy: when a woman repeatedly accepts gifts from a man, she may unknowingly become beholden to him, feeling obligated to comply with his wishes.
In Maximum Influence, by Kurt W. Mortensen he discusses how gifting can serve as a powerful tool in persuasion. He elaborates on the principle of reciprocity, which states that when someone receives something, they feel a natural obligation to return the favour. This psychological phenomenon can be used to influence behaviour such as the case with vote buying, as people often feel compelled to say “yes” to a request after they have received a gift, even if the value of the gift is relatively small.
Mortensen explains that gifts, when given with sincerity, can create a sense of goodwill and trust, making the recipient more likely to be receptive to persuasion. However, the power of this technique lies in its subtlety and in ensuring the recipient does not feel manipulated.
Similarly, when we accept money from politicians before an election, whether knowingly or unknowingly, we effectively sell our souls to them. We end up doing their bidding and following their direction, as we fall under their influence and control. At the end, we become weakened to protest against their misdeeds.
Accepting gifts without restraint makes you lose control.
The Consequences of Early Gratification
Think about this scenario: before an election, you name your price and inform a politician of the amount required to secure your support or vote. Desperate not to lose the election, the politician may go to great lengths, even selling assets, to meet your demand. By engaging in such transactions, we strip the politician of their conscience and moral compass, making them less likely to be considerate towards us. Subconsciously, the politician begins to believe that money can buy anything, including your loyalty. When such politicians view citizens, they see individuals who can be bought, leading them to lose respect and kindness for the very people they are meant to serve.
In essence, we reap what we sow. We exploit politicians before the election, and they, in turn, exploit us after the election. Instead of focusing solely on the fruits of this system, we must first examine the seeds we have planted.
The Cost of Corruption
Before an election, everyone is eager to demand payment from aspirants. Few care about the source of the money, and this disregard is not limited to ordinary citizens; it also includes our elders and supposed religious leaders. Nothing remains hidden from the public eye.
I recall the case of a young man who was genuinely interested in representing his people at the National Assembly. I witnessed firsthand how every group he visited during his campaign expected monetary contributions from him. The situation was so dire that some groups even fought and insisted on the amount he should give. Despite giving so much, the young man still lost the election to the highest bidder.
The politician who eventually won the election will, by all means, resort to stealing or embezzling public funds to recoup the expenses incurred during the campaign. This vicious cycle continues because we have allowed it to thrive.