The events of the past few weeks in Nigeria have been extremely perplexing, disturbing and disappointing. I must note that the problems placed on the people, deliberate or inadvertent, is most uncalled for and avoidable.
We have portrayed ourselves as a group of underdeveloped people from an underdeveloped part of the World. It’s not that the so called developing countries do not have volatile issues they deal with from time to time, but one can see maturity in the way crises are handled and only their rabble rousers end up as extremists as it were, most of the time.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Nigeria. In all spheres of human endeavour, everything looks messed up, everyone one also looking so worked up and out of control most of the time. Of course we longer have a middle class hence I believe the poverty mentality pervades all sectors. As a Nigerian Christian, it is in Nigeria I have seen Christians from the Ivory Tower behave more like emotional wrecks in the church. Illiterate pastors are able to lead them by the nose. That however is a subject for another day.
My emphasis today is on the odious experience Nigeria is currently going through.
I have never been comfortable with Buhari’s style of leadership and his Naira ‘recolouring exercise’ did not come as a huge surprise to me and I think that is part of the reasons I have been able to manage my emotions substantially on the accompanying unfortunate developments.
We were politically immature enough to swallow the bait of ‘anti-corruption’ set by him and his allies (they have all mostly turned against each other now) pre 2015. At that time strange bed fellows got into bed together and many of us were not smart enough to see through the unholy alliance destined for doom. All along, the so called structures they thought they put in place kept imploding and quite a number of Nigerians kept saying there is none like them. That is why I believe they had the audacity to want to continue to rule the country wallowing in their self -created mess called governance.
Too many things have happened in the last 8 years that the discerning would definitely not be surprised at where the ship of state is at the moment…dangerously tottering!
The most important thing for me to say at the moment however is that moments like this call for caution and unfortunately many Nigerians have thrown caution to the wind.
I have said at different fora in the recent past, both in Nigeria and elsewhere, that every human being needs to guard against the tendency of ‘scratching to the bone’, that is over reacting, no matter how tense a situation is. It never leads to a positive conclusion.
We are going through a period that will test our capacity to the limit-especially our emotional maturity levels.
I have always believed that a high emotional quotient, in the final analysis, is far more profitable and desirable than a high intelligence quotient (of course we need to train ourselves to be constantly upgraded in the two dimensions).
Emotional maturity (hence a high EQ) is the ability to manage our emotion and the emotion of those in our sphere of influence. Most Nigerians, I dare say, have failed woefully in this regard in the last few weeks and we need to watch it! Many have said in anger and frustration what they should not have said. Many have done despicable things, which they are likely to regret forever.
Unfortunately, people with low emotional quotient always find it very difficult to review their actions and utterances to repair the damage. Many top political actors in Nigeria, have shown very clearly in the last few weeks in particular, that they have a low emotional quotient and so are definitely not fit to rule a complex setting like Nigeria.
Emotional immaturity is the reason why many spouses have had what would have been a beautiful journey together aborted prematurely. It’s the reason many business ventures have been badly battered and why many families have been shattered.
It’s the responsibility of everyone in any given situation to know when to apply the emotional brake before bad becomes worse. It should also be noted that even when we are not enjoying leadership from the front, there is always scope for lateral leadership which could help to substantially calm the storm in a situation like we have found ourselves in Nigeria.
As we look forward to the Presidential election on Saturday, Peter Obi, continues to demonstrate the kind of emotional capacity needed to move us forward as a Nation. He has not made any inciting statement. The people around him have not had any reason to interpret his message to Nigerians. His comportment has been spot-on on the field and in all his television and radio interviews. He is ever ready to discuss, reeling out facts and figures.
Peter Obi is an embodiment of both a high emotional quotient and a high intelligence quotient required to govern a new Nigeria.
His performance makes it very clear that it is only when a politician does not have a well- articulated plan for the people that they (I am being gender sensitive) resort to inflammatory, divisive statements.
As Saturday, February 25, 2023 draws closer, there is the need for more sober reflection by all Nigerians. I urge more caution in speeches. Don’t allow anyone to push you to do anything you will regret forever. The current situation in Nigeria shall pass like so many others we have gone through in the Country. I am a living witness to so many political problems in Nigeria since the 1950s. Many of them ‘hotter’ than what we are experiencing now (without in anyway playing down the significance of the present problems).
No matter the disappointment and displeasure of the moment, my prayer is that out of the pain and discomfort, will emerge a stronger, more viable, more democratic, more civilised restructured Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Pastor Femi Idowu is a Communications Consultant based in London.
He belongs to the ‘New Nigeria Project’ group.
He was Political Editor (NTA Ibadan 1978)
He was also Bureau Chief (NTA Network) Ibadan Bureau
