This article reminds me of the insights and lessons from Max Weber's short essay titled "Politics as a Vocation" in Gerth and Mills', "From Max Weber." Often in Nigeria, the struggle is for power for power's sake and aggrandizement. On the surface though, nationalistic or public relations language is used. Rarely do leaders think strategically and deeply about why they need power and what they will do with it to transform lives. The few that are committed are often perceived as naive. There is much that is about power struggle in Abuja, but when you travel by road and visit different communities in Nigeria, there is something that stands out: the weak is dominated by the powerful. And many strategies are used to pacify the ordinary masses: religion, ethnic solidarity or group-worth, religion, etc.
This is true irrespective of religion, region and ethnicity. I have found out that even some educated Nigerians condone the situation by saying "this is Nigeria, not the U.S. or Europe." But I ask them, assuming there is no U.S., no Britain and no Europe, are Black people on their own account capable of setting up their own standards for upholding human dignity and governing their people well? If so, then there is no reason why we should have a self-fulling prophecy of "this is the way things are done here." Why should they not go back to the way things were done hundreds of years ago?
One of the fundamental issues we face in the 21st century with regards to whether the African region develops or not is whether, we, the African people are not capable of figuring out things for ourselves and setting up standards for promoting human dignity and thriving based on our deep commitment to the human dignity of all. Can't we Africans do that? If we can, then Africans should stop even making reference to Western societies.
The whole business of the national assembly is embarrassing given the reality on the ground in Nigeria. The failure of numerous past administrations to pursue incremental reform and improvement to keep the system up to standard means that in many cases, public institutions were far more reliable and functioning in a relatively more effective manner in the past than today, even though in the past forty or so years, Nigeria and many African countries have produced more educated people, and have had more globally exposed people. They have allowed small problems to escalate into huge ones because of lack of commitment to constantly improve and upgrade the system.
In somd respects, some neoliberals are right when they argue that when people know that they will be compensated irrespective of the quality of the service they provide to the general public, the people will care less to improve the quality of their services or take their clients seriously. This is the problem with many public servants and services in Nigeria. If many of them were in a competitive business in the market, they would have gone bankrupt because clients will avoid them. But they constitute a monopoly. Part of the problem is not just one of market or democratic feedback on performance with consequences, but it is a lack of an ethical basis for the role of government or public service in society. As for the factors that contributed to undermining the ethical base, this can be a full course. The point here is that even if one supports a big role for the government or public service, still one has to examine the capability and capacity of the state and its functionaries to perform the role assigned to them. Otherwise, it will end up in disaster.
And even more interestingly, the business of God is everywhere, but there is little to show for it in terms of laying a strong and solid ethical foundation for public morality. One business man in Jos last Friday complained to me about theft in his store if he packed it full with goods, and I responded on a seriously note by saying, he was not serious about that, because given how God is present all over in Nigeria, how can such dishonesty happen? He laughed and said it happens but without even the business of God, things would be worse. But that is a very defensive apologia for a God that is otherwise, talked of in terms of omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresent etc.
The other day I went to UBA Bank and stood for almost one hour in line to pay money into a friend's account and during that time, there was a public television in the public area of the bank with someone preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I joking talked to people in Hausa saying, there is too much love and fear of God in Nigeria given that even in a public area like a bank, you are bombarded with the message of the fear of God. I wonder if someone was preaching "Tafsir" whether all people in attendance will like it. At least as Jurgen Habermas says, we should not try to colonize the public sphere with a private agenda. We should leave public spheres free for people ot interact without the presumption of being a member of a particular race, ethnic group, religious group etc. The bank assumes everyone coming into their space for business is a Christian. Unfortunately, the bank forgot that based on the teachings of the Bible, charging interest on money is sin given how Nehemiah rebuked his people who were engaged in what was then called "usury" when he returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem. Yet the interest rate in Nigeria is high. When they come to deal with money, they forget the Bible and rely on neoclassical economic theory. In a way, this is a kind of syncretism in the name of Christianity, but do they even bother do go this deep? They will think syncretism is only when people combine traditional African religion with Christianity.
Having talked to many here, I have arrived at the conclusion that it is impossible for humans to talk about religion as if it is all about God without talking about the human dimension of it. I think I have more than any time before become convinced now that humans qua humans, can only talk about God from their experience as human beings. But their experience as humans is often constrained, limited and distorted especially when there is no reflexivity. I now go to class with my flash drive here. I tell them that I am an ordinary human being who operates within history and was shaped by it. I am not like those people who claim to have downloaded the mindset of God in their flash drive and so they can through items on the flash drive tell you what God is specifically thinking in any day of the month or in July. Thus, they speak or teach from outside history. They operate outside history. They are creatures but talk as creators.
The sooner Africans confront the challenge of religion and deal with it as a human issue as much as a God issue the better for the continent. But the consequences of many careless or selfish decisions that could be avoided here are attributed to predestination or God without shame. God has become an excuse for human refusal to take direct responsibility for his or her actions. It is impossible if Africans want to live in the modern world, to continue to explain everything using God's pre-ordination of events as a satisfactory explanation, and therefore abandoning the need to understand the process through which something happened rationally. I think the question of how people combine religion and living in a modern world that Max Weber described as characterized by continuous rationalization and resulting in an iron cage rather than a Garden of Eden is a challenging one that no one knows exactly where it will lead us to or how it will end.
If Africans or any part of the world decide they do not want to be part of the modern world, it is their choice and they have the option to forge another path. But if they have decided willingly or unwillingly to be part of it, the most realistic and rational thing to do is to ask: what are the minimum requirements for living, thriving and remaining relevant or competitive in a modern world? They should discover the rules of the game and find a way to excel at it. Otherwise as Alexander Pope argues, half learning is dangerous, it is haphazard and it "intoxicates" a person or society. Africa can forge a path for herself but doing so is not going to be an easy task and requires very determined, resolute and disciplined people willing to sacrifice. I do not see that kind of willingness to sacrifice for the common good among many people who are leaders, let alone the masses who are often deny the leisure of deeply reflection because they are consumed by the daily struggles of survival.
Yes, religion can make people sacrifice for the sake of humanity, but depending on how the religious people use their religion, it can also make them to ignore human suffering and responsibility and callously attribute pain caused by human irresponsibility to God.
In a few days, I will scan and send an issue of "The NEWS Magazine" which describes the election of the Nigerian Senate Leader and the Speaker of the House, for those interested in reading. It is so embarrassing that a country that considers itself the largest in Africa in both population and the economy, and blessed with great human, natural resources and talent will have its national affairs conducted in this manner. Nigeria has presumably had a liberal-democratic kind of government for more than ten years now but the ruling elites cannot even now agree on proper procedures in the national assembly for electing leaders. This is symptomatic of a deeper problem in the state and society.
Personally I do not care who emerges as the leader of the senate and the house if he or she is a person of integrity, but the process for the election must be sincere, honest and acceptable to all. Even if the process is legal, if many people are convinced it is not conducted in a transparent manner, it will create some moral and ethical reservation, which is not healthy for the nation and for the leaders in elected in terms of performing their responsibilities. The way the vote took place just makes one wonder if the ruling elites of the country will conduct their affairs like that, what do you expect to happen in a university senate, state government assemblies or local governments?
I lament this. Ultimately, the Black people of Africa in my view should set standards for themselves that are respectable and worthy of the admiration of all objective observers, irrespective of whether Europe and America exist or not. I am not against the West, but I hate the idea that Africans lack the ability to set standards for themselves. We should be able to tell ourselves the truth, we do not have to wait for someone from the West to lecture people in the continent in the 21st century.
Samuel
On Sat, Jul 25, 2015 at 9:58 PM, Assensoh, Akwasi B. <aassenso@indiana.edu> wrote:
--NASS Crisis: Tension Mounts
Tambuwal
• As Factions Fail To Shift Ground Ahead Tuesday's ResumptionAHEAD of next week Tuesday's National Assembly resumption date, The Guardian investigation has revealed that the crisis that has bedeviled the two chambers – the Senate and House of Representatives – over the election of principal officers, remains unresolved.This is despite the intervention by the Presidency, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and the national leadership of the party after its last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.A source within the party revealed yesterday that the moves by the reconciliatory committee set up by the APC governors and headed by the duo of Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) and his Sokoto counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal, has not achieved the desired result.According to the source, the two factions in both chambers have refused to shift ground. "This development has put the Presidency, party leadership and key party leaders in a dilemma. They are waiting to see the outcome of the Police report on the forgery allegation concerning the Senate standing rules.The crisis may linger than expected and the two chambers may not enjoy relative peace soonest," the source said. Speaking to The Guardian ahead of the resumption, Kabir Marafa, APC Senator representing Zamfara Central and one of the opponents of Bukola Saraki's emergence as senate president, against the party's preferred choice, Ahmed Lawan, insisted that the rules of the Senate were forged.He said: "I do not know who forged what, all I am saying is that the laws of the Senate were forged and as a Nigerian and a senator, I want that criminality investigated and appropriate sanctions applied. "The assertion that each assembly automatically comes with its own fresh Standing Order is not correct.Dogara
The first Standing Order came into effect in 1999 when the 4th Assembly was inaugurated, just like the 1999 Constitution, because it is an offshoot of the constitution.The constitution gave the National Assembly the power to regulate its own proceedings and based on this, the first one was produced and handed over to the 4th Assembly.The subsequent ones were only amended through the amendment process prescribed by the book itself. Remember that it is the Standing Order that differentiates the chamber from a jungle."When asked of the way forward, Marafa said: "What we mean by going back to the rules is: the Senate President erroneously read a letter from some unknown persons from unknown entities called caucuses and announced the leadership of our own party, that is the Senate Leader and Deputy Senate Leader and the rest. "He did that in manifest error because it was in contravention of our Order 3 (2).Those senators are not qualified to hold the positions they are holding, judging from where they come from. For instance, Bala Na'Allah is junior to six senators from Northwest. So, he cannot become Senate Deputy Majority Leader; he cannot. "Unless it is arbitrary.If it is so, then it becomes a jungle and the strongest senator from Northwest will take over his seat on resumption and maybe another one will claim to be the senate president." However, countering Marafa's assertion, a pro-Saraki and PDP senator representing Delta North, Peter Nwaoboshi, said as far as they in the PDP are concerned, there was no importation in the Standing Order. "They keep talking about forgery or importation.Gbajabiamila
The rules are not importation or forgeries. As a lawyer, you forge a document when there is an original document in existence.There must be original document that is in existence before you can say that there is a forgery. There cannot be a forgery when there is non-existence of an original document.So, the Standing Order for the 8th Senate is a document on its own. It is only when somebody forges that 8th Assembly document that you call it a forgery.Where is the original 2015 Rule that was forged?" Nwaoboshi asked. He said it is the National Assembly bureaucrats that amend and prepare the rules. "They bring such documents to the senate or any legislative house. I have served as a political adviser to a governor and I have handled the first legislative session of the Delta State House of Assembly. We, the bureaucrats, produced the rule. "There was no existing rule.We produced the rules based on what we have seen in different books. We assembled different books of various states and outside the country and from there, we formulated the rules for the state House of Assembly." Speaking on the issue, a member of House of Representatives from Kano State loyal to the Consolidation Group, Alhassan Doguwa, said there has been ongoing consultation between members of the two factions ahead of resumption.According to him, the Speaker Yakubu Dogara group has conceded to the Femi Gbajabiamila group the position of the Majority Leader and that of the Chief Whip just to secure peace and stability of the House. He said: "Our people, our constituents, are becoming so much disenchanted with the scheme of things now in the House.They are not happy that we quarreling, not over the welfare of Nigerians, but our selfish interests. "In my personal opinion, our group should accept this offer in the interest of peace and stability of the House and I want to believe that whoever become the benefactors of this new arrangement still remain proud members of the group. "I believe in most of the philosophies and conviction that we have as a group.We are now in a situation whereby we have to eschew bitterness and work with what is on the ground. "We have to work with the realities on ground, which is that the Dogara group are willing to make concession by conceding two major positions to our group."Saraki
Meanwhile, there have been reports of plans by the leadership of the senate to suspend members that dragged the chamber to court over the alleged amendment or forgery of the Standing Order. It was also rumoured that some senators may be planning to impeach Saraki on resumption on Tuesday.Most senators are however avoiding discussing the suspension plan, while Marafa debunked moves to impeach Saraki when the senate resumes. It is doubtful if anti-Saraki lawmakers would muster the mandatory two-third majority to remove the senate president, who still has the backing of about 49 PDP colleagues.
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Samuel Zalanga
Department of Anthropology, Sociology & Reconciliation Studies
Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive #24
Saint Paul, MN 55112.
Office Phone: 651-638-6023
Department of Anthropology, Sociology & Reconciliation Studies
Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive #24
Saint Paul, MN 55112.
Office Phone: 651-638-6023
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
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