Beyond Lamido and the Talakawa Summit

Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, is a newsmaker. Much of his newsworthiness comes from his simple (or what may seem like a simplistic) style. In his public career, Lamido has maintained an image as a man who follows his vision irrespective of the controversies that may be generated. The social security programme of his administration aimed at monthly cash payments to unemployed and unemployable persons was pooh - poohed as an attempt to reward indolence. His critics likened it to giving a man a fish rather than teaching him how to fish: they argued that such funds rather than being wasted on persons that are able to fend for themselves could be better applied to funding skills acquisition initiatives. Still, Lamido powered on convinced that the less privileged deserved the dole.

Lately, Lamido has been in the news for another reason. His administration is organising what he calls the “Talakawa Economic Summit”. “Talakawa” is a generic Hausa word used to symbolize the downtrodden in northern Nigeria. The downtrodden refers to the common man, the ordinary folk, the masses, or “the people” who constitute the majority of the population in every constituency. Explaining the rational behind the proposed summit in a recent interview granted to ThisDay, Lamido explained that records of all parleys on issues of public concern in the archives show that such fora are always dominated by the elite who pretend to feel the pains of those actually affected by social exclusion, social discrimination and poverty. The voice of the masses who are the real victims of political relegation, neglect and misgovernance is rarely heard.

Indeed, much energy, time and scarce resources are wasted in Nigeria on conferences, summits, seminars and such jamborees in choice hotels and exotic locations ostensibly to discuss the problems that affect the common man. But the common man, the masses on whose behalf the meetings are convened and for whose welfare lofty ideas are dangled over delicious refreshments and bulky honoraria are never present at nor even privy such events. Yet substantial funds are dissipated from the public till for reports that will join others in some dusty cabinet in one government house or the other. This is the type of situation that late Chief M.K.O. Abiola used to describe illustratively as “cutting a man’s hair in his absence”. How else can we describe a situation where a man purports to represent another and proceeds to move motions on his behalf or to participate in conferences for his welfare without discussing with him what his actual problems are? Is it possible to make an accurate prescription without a diagnosis?

The proposed Talakawa Summit underscores a fundamental defect in our democratic practice: the wide chasm that exists between elected representatives and their constituents. From local government councillors to the president, elected persons in Nigeria often carry on as if their first responsibility is not to parley with and agglomerate the wishes of the people whom they represent. From the moment a person gets elected into public office in Nigeria he gradually erects an impenetrable fence between himself and the people whom he is supposed to represent. He becomes ensconced in the luxurious confines of his new home, his new office or his new tinted vehicle while the people who gave him a mandate (or, in some cases, whose mandate he stole) are abandoned to suffer like sheep without a shepherd. This absurdity is justified by the need to “protect” the representative from the unending demands of his constituents.

In most constituencies today, the constituency office has become a façade. The consultation that goes on amounts to little more than social interaction with predators dressed as political leaders and, of course, the army of sycophantic political hangers on. Meetings and exchange of information on the concerns of the constituency or on the direction of government are rare. As a result, most constituents are ignorant of government policy direction and the role expected of them. Many representatives act according to their own whims and caprices and misdirect the so-called constituency vote. They present selfish motions and self conceived demands as “the problems of my people” and defend interests that add little value or that have little bearing with the concerns of their constituents.

The idea of representative democracy is that the representative, being vested with the mandate of the people, is accountable to them. He acts at their behest and according to their dictates, presents their problems (not what he thinks is their problem) and defends their interests. That is not the case in Nigeria where the culture of representative democracy, having suffered several truncations, refuses to take root. To worsen the situation, there are hardly any legislations to compel any representative to constantly parley with his constituents so that at all times the wishes of the people are considered in policy formulation and implementation. Being non-justiciable, the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy provided in Chapter II of the Federal Republic of Nigeria only serves as a green book for political rhetoric.

The time has come to strengthen existing legislation to ensure regular mandatory interactions between constituents and their representatives. Such meeting should, like the Talakawa Summit, be open to the masses who suffer the pains of neglect, relegation and isolation. It should not be the kind of charade particularly popular with state governors who periodically assemble the same over-pampered elites and fat-cats that monopolize the people’s patrimony for a lavish feast in the guise of deliberating on “the problems of our people”.

Asked what his biggest challenge has been since he took office as Governor, Lamido described it in five words: loss of faith in leadership. Indeed, the logical consequence of the disconnect between a representative and his constituents is a crisis of confidence. I was discussing this issue recently with Rev. Fr. Dr. I.M. Osuagwu, the erudite director of the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) which is planning a public forum on the subject. Many representatives in Nigeria today represent nobody, report to nobody, empathise with nobody, plan for nobody, and pander to no other agenda but the one most likely to advance their personal interests and vaulting ambitions. Beyond the Talakawa Economic Summit is a dire need to close the yawning communication gap existing between the people and their representatives without which to get the people to appreciate the efforts of government, to discharge their civic duties or to create synergy will remain an uphill task. uchebush@yahoo.com; 0805 1090 050