The SE and governance accountability
Credits: Image Source: The Easterner
Governance in a democracy is a contract between the governed and those in governance positions referred to as leaders. In a democratic setting, leaders serve the governed by acting as stewards who carry out the wishes of the people determined through a majority.
In the SE part of Nigeria, this has not been the case for some decades. Leadership has been reduced to a charade of god-fatherism, large scale embezzlement of state funds, comatose infrastructure, and the use of media and poverty to celebrate incompetence while ignoring the wishes and wellbeing of the people. Keeping the current course in the region will see it lose its top position on key developmental indices in the country.
How did we get here?
Igbos are a unique tribe within Nigeria blessed with a resilience that enabled them survive the Biafran war and rise to great heights against all odds thrown at them by the Nigerian state. Their typical ingenuity helped them navigate the intentional absence of key infrastructure in their region perpetuated to keep them subdued, underdeveloped, and poor so they may not rise above other tribes and dominate them - the key driver to the genocide that defined the civil war from 1967-1970. While a blessing since the war, this trait may now become a curse as the cancer-like malaise that is corruption that troubles governance in Nigeria has come home to roost in the region. This resilient trait meant that while governance in the region decayed, the people found a way to survive and move forward albeit very slowly. If you ever wonder why the Igbo man individually has so much wealth but collectively looks poor, look no further than the absence of good leadership in the region fuelled and sustained by the rather resilient attitude of the Igbo man that pushes him to find a way around rather than get into the confrontational situation of holding their leaders to account. Politicians in the region have keyed into this attitude and continue to steal our mandate during elections as we do not show up (the SE has one of the poorest voting records in the country), the less privileged amongst us entertain vote buying since that is how they can get any dividends of democracy which for them is very much needed, and we allow these politicians embezzle state funds after they rig their way into governance.
Truth is, this approach may have helped our fathers surge ahead post-war, but it has created a self inflicted disease on the region and threatens to destroy any future they ever envisaged for their children. The time to act is now! Umu Igbo must face the next challenge in front of them and find a path towards collective growth in other to help them survive an impending onslaught from surrounding forces and the global threat of economic change.
How do we rise out of this situation?
Believe it or not, we are still in a democracy, no matter how shambolic it appears. As such, we have to be active participants. Sitting idle on the sidelines while allowing politicians steal our mandate should not be allowed to continue. We also cannot allow things like vote buying to continue in the region. It is critical that all citizens of Alaigbo understand their role and that of their leaders in democracy and how this can be used to drive the needed growth for a sustainable future in the region.
As citizens, we should demand an account of governance from our leaders. We need to understand how they performed as against what they promised and what resource they had at their disposal. From the local government level to the state level, this demand should be made. We can also refuse to have our conscience bought over during elections days or serving for politicians whose actions and leadership focus do not align with that of the region. It is okay for us to disagree on how to achieve the goal (via different parties) but one thing has to be cast in stone - staying focused on achieving an agreed upon plan, a blueprint, a regional plan. The Alaigbo Development and Accountability Initiative (ADAI) has come up with a 10 year SE regional plan and all citizens of Alaigbo should digest this plan and engage the group on their thoughts.
ADAI seeks to engage youths and government in the region on this plan to get an alignment from the youth and commitment from government. Working together towards agreed on developmental goals will help the SE region fire up growth towards the potential we all know it has.
What can you do?
Read up on ADAI’s 10 year regional plan.
Educate yourself on the role of the citizen, the responsibilities of government, and the challenges and opportunities facing the SE region today.
Seek accountability from your LGA and state leaders by asking questions at town hall meetings, listening to debates and understanding political platforms and ideologies.
Report cases of government negligence with pictures, videos, etc to this website or to ADAI.
Educate friends on the impact of bad governance in the region on them today, and future generations.