My second reason for writing this piece is that I want to explore the implications of the above quotation and ask the effectiveness or otherwise of serious, Ivy League-trained intellectuals in shaping public policy. Why would an international scholar with Ngozi’s impeccable credentials and pedigree be doing in public life in a country where politics is not only a contact sport, but one that respects no rules of engagement? What is she in this for, given the apparent lack of appreciation and the occasional vilification and assault on integrity?
My conclusion in this tribute, if I may call it that, is to state that those who, like her have thrown their cherished credentials in the ring of public life, must stay the course, remaining undaunted and unfazed. This piece is as much a celebration of her achievements as well as a call to the intellectual elite to rise to the challenges that face our nation. The final point is the fact that she is a woman. Surviving in an environment that is so predominantly chauvinistic is tough.
Against the background that Ngozi occupies a strategic, enviable, but also naturally controversial position in the architecture of power in Nigeria, it is no surprise that she is an easy target for vilification. The ministry she superintends is never ideologically neutral anywhere in the world. She must appreciate that she is in an ?amphitheatre where ideological dragons have to be slain or tamed. It is therefore a theatre of war and should be the favourite playfield of both real and pseudo intellectuals. It will be most strange to imagine that a minister of finance can ever be the subject of adulation or appreciation anywhere in the world. As I reiterate, her persona and the office she represents must be assaulted permanently because those who are benefitting from the abuse of privileges (Duty Waivers?) will seek to dig their feet in while other arms of government assault you with pinpricks of disenchantment.
Nevertheless, whatever the controversies around her, whatever mistakes she has made, we must appreciate that she has done so much for our country, right from her first ‘incarnation’ under President Olusegun Obasanjo when she led the team that got Nigeria debt-relief. Whatever their sins or their relationships since then, she and her economic crack team of Chukwuma Soludo, Oby Ezekwesili, Nasir el-Rufai, Nuhu Ribadu and other foot soldiers deserve our eternal commendation and appreciation. Very few other things have given our nation the needed confidence and international recognition as that achievement. We are still hungry yes, the resources are still stolen, but that is another matter.
Perhaps more importantly, her role in compiling the revenue allocations to the states and local government areas remains for me, one of the most courageous services aimed at helping in the struggle to hold government accountable. The reactions of state governors and local government chairmen to these revelations of the huge monies allocated monthly for their people but which had made little or no impact in the lives of their people was understandable. Although she has become the object of much vilification, the political class definitely does not understand the level of seething anger and frustration that our people have towards them. A powerless populace watches on as our commonwealth has been turned into personal fiefdoms.
Quite predictably, Ngozi’s recent revelations at the Babcock University lecture where she simply highlighted the allocations to the top 10 states have generated some furore. Yet, those assaulting her are not arguing about the figures, they are just wondering why we should be told about them. I consider the release of these figures of the financial allocations one of the most important contributions by any public office holder in Nigeria. It is curious that as soon as she returned to Washington after her first tenure, the figures disappeared from our newspapers and only appeared again after her second coming.
The meaning here is simple: if the door is not open at the first knock, keep knocking. It is left for Nigerians to choose what they want to do with this knowledge. The weapons have been presented to us. Imagine what changes would occur if we had the sense of commitment and all professional bodies, faith communities, women groups, youth, ethnic or community associations took these figures and used them across the capitals of the 36(7) states and the headquarters of the 774 local government councils to camp out and ask for an explanation as to where and how these resources are going to be used
In a more serious country, this information would be a major game changer. Sadly, the Nigerian state remains the only domain of privilege and access and no one wants to be disconnected from the supply line. This is why civil society has fallen into a coma since the return to democracy. The struggle for access largely accounts for the violence in our political processes. We need to seize this rope which Ngozi has thrown at us as the best way to liberate ourselves. No matter how long it takes, using these figures offers us the best opportunity for having a voice in how our resources are used.
Sadly, many public officers do not know how much an angry populace despises them. Mallam Adamu Adamu drew attention to this in a recent article in Daily Trust, June 6, when he made these scathing remarks: Even though there are some (governors) who look like exceptions to the rule, in reality, they are not. They have only done what they are supposed to do, and it is almost because almost everyone else is not doing what they are supposed to do that their own stands out as a great achievement. Perhaps the country will be better if there are no governors at all. Nigerian governors today are a political epidemic that is not only incurable; it is permanently and chronically untreatable. This may sound a bit over the top, but clearly, there is an urgent need for those entrusted with our commonwealth to appreciate that they are holding it in trust.
Following Ngozi’s disclosure, Nigerians are now being regaled of tales of how much of the resources going to some of those states are being deployed not in the service of the people but to keep some former governors happy. But having put the facts in the public arena, Ngozi has ensured that the governors, especially those of them that feed fat on the misery of the people, will not have the last say on the matter. Nor will they continue to sleep easy.
All the intellectuals in government must rise up and make a difference and decide whether they are intellectuals who are in politics or they are politicians who just happen to be intellectuals. They must not be weighed down by the lure and lucre of office and power. What our nation needs now is an intellectual-elite strike force which must rally around to imagine a world that is not here yet. They should be made up of a crop of highly motivated and energetic youth moderated by elders, who like good wine, have saturated, matured and are mellowed with age and experience. Their offices must become the seedbed for nurturing young brilliant minds who can gradually begin to value service and apprenticeship. In this way, we can groom young minds for the future who can come into public life not based on their tribal or ethnic strong men and women but on their intellectual pedigree.
I believe that together, we can slay the dragons of corruption that continues to breed inefficiency and lethargy which have weighed us down. Why should Nigerians only excel outside and not in their country? It is time to rouse up this giant from sleep. We must re-invent and create new dreams for our nation. President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda may have some limited intellectual depth and vision, focusing too much on physical infrastructure, but it is a good place to start. Sadly, the way things are going and with the culture of asset stripping and privatisation being Trojan horses for political patronage, the government may realise that it has merely deepened the roots of corruption and lengthened the shadows of our darkness.
To return to my dear sister, Ngozi, let me once again want to commend and congratulate you. Hold firmly to the saddle, despite the bumps on the road and the distractions. Do not worry about yesterday. Tomorrow is not here yet. In life, history will be fair to you not because you excelled or were praised. No, history will be fair when you can honestly and in conscience face God and say, “I came, I saw and I tried my best”. Even God will reward you. When all is said and done and when all that is done has been said, we shall thank God that you contributed to our nation.
You have given this nation your best. You have turned the eyes of the international community to our country. Whatever may have been its weaknesses, hosting the World Economic Forum was no mean achievement. The world believes in us. It must be strange that we are the ones who do not believe in ourselves.
Yes, poverty still stalks the land. Inequalities are growing, but we all need to do more rather than merely pass the blame. No single individual or generation ever achieves everything at a time. The challenges that our nation faces are enormous and they relate to which side of the ideological divide we choose to sit on in making our choices at the most difficult times for our nation. We may seem to have been infected by the virus of cynicism, but we must create new dreams and new visions beyond politics.
Our situation is tough. The rebasing of our economy is more a challenge than a call for celebration. We do not have much yet to celebrate until we find the models to make this illusory wealth work for the good of all citizens. That is the real challenge and you must now open up and allow your ideas to be openly challenged. You are a scholar not a politician. So, learn to take the heat and never consider any of your traducers an enemy. It is our country and it is a democracy.
As you reflect with gratitude to God, remember the words of who said: If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Again, welcome to the club and the Lord be with you.
•Kukah is the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto
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