Nigeria: When the Untochables are in Charge.

For the second time since the end of the civil war, we have them exclusively in control of power at the very top. The first time was during the San Abacha dictatorship. And the second time is now. From all indications, they don't know about us. And these are Nigerians who, by virtue of race and religion, have consistently occupied highly sensitive, strategic, and lucrative national offices in the past fifty years. And all of them have something in common - untouchable and accountable to nobody. That's feudalism exemplified. But we are supposedly a democracy under a federal system of government where the rule of law dominates. Not exactly. It is their rule, their way, or no rule at all. And that is the major difference between them and us. The tragedy is that we are seeing the same thing differently and until the philosophy that birthed that tragedy is confronted, discredited, and abandoned, the calls for total disintegration of Nigeria will not abate

As heads of MDAs, they allocate offices and positions indiscriminately to loved ones, without regard to qualification or the ability to perform. And as heads, they appropriate and share our wealth and resources, without rendering account or answerable to anyone. And they dominate the entire Armed Forces as well, flying through the ranks to the top in record time to manage the affairs of the military. If you have been wondering how and why federal institutions like NITEL, Nigerian Shipping Lines, Nigerian Airways, Nigerian Sports Commission, Nigerian Currency, Nigerian Police Force, and the Nigerian Armed Forces, etc., collapsed, now you know the answer. It is the nature of leadership they brought to bear on those institutions. In sum, the opportunists and the privileged few, like Maina who exudes an aura of self-supremacy, destroyed Nigerian institutions as heads of MDAs. If you know the story of Maina, invariably, you would know the history of the cabal managing Aso Rock, as well as the history of the President who is now in total control of our nation-state. Were it not for social media, Maina would still be looming large, jumping from one national position to another at Abuja as we speak. Several times, he was reinstated by the President or by his cabal, but the media says no. Even the First Lady, as was revealed recently, had to fight the fight of her life to exercise control over her own space. And that episode exemplifies the emptiness at the seat of power. Who is really in charge? We are where we are today because of the Mainas of the Nigerian Northern Ruling Class who are presently in charge of affairs at the very top. They have never been part of your world or of your reality. You have been told that the RUGA Framework or Cattle Colony emanated from the Ministry of Agriculture, but whose idea was it? And that's how they have ruled this country over the years. One of them can make a decision that would impact you and me, without being debated at the executive level or the National Assembly. He couldn't form a government after about six months in office, because the President and his trusted cronies and family members do not know who we are as people and as a country. And four years later in power, it was deja vu all over again. He brought back a substantial number of his first term. And you think it was because of their competence or sterling performance? Not all. He has never been part of your world. Now that they have succeeded in using Asiwaju Tinubu and Comrade Adam Oshiomhole to rig their ways back to power at the very top, the cat is let out of the bag - they don't have what it take to lead and govern, after all. The delegation of duties and the culture of consultants at MDAs do not work at the Presidential level. At MDAs, consultants or no consultants, there are established rules and regulations to follow. On the other hand, at the seat of power, you define rules, regulations, policy frameworks, and organizational issues and behavior. To be successful here, you would either have been one who rose through the ranks (military or civil service) creditably and was substantially engaged in direct management and regulatory issues; alternatively, you must have gone through the university to acquire the necessary theoretical training. Where are we today? Now you know what is at stake when the untouchables who had never been part of your world are bequeathed with real power or rigged their way to power. If you are still questioning the foundation of my treatise, try and do a juxtaposition of the Executive Team of IBB as against that of Abacha and do the same with respect to that of President Jonathan and what we have under President Buhari. The more alienated they are from your world and your reality, the more detached they are from your expectations and from men and women of noble virtues, integrity, and credibility. I beg to move.