“Nepotism will never give you success, but talent can” – Ashok Saraf.
Last week, I found myself moderating an informal conversation involving two Northerners who have varied opinions on Nepotism in governance as being practised by President Bola Ahmed TINUBU’s administration. The impromptu conversation was, necessitated by the two latest appointments of President TINUBU. The argument revealed a lot about the feelings of Nigerians about the unfair patronage style of this administration. It also goes to show that Nigerians are keeping records, not necessarily to confront the evil, because there is no longer a Gani Fawehmni to challenge every wrong step of the government. They just keep records to bemoan among themselves and share on social media, their own Eagle Square protest venue where grievances are aired. Unfortunately, Tinubu is not on social media.
These two Northern friends, who I would like to call Musa and Suleman ( Not their real name), one from the North West and the other from the North Central. Musa had opened the argument with the list of 16 newly appointed directors in the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN which he said nine of them are by their names Yorubas, the same ethnic group as the President, the Finance Minster, FIRS Chairman, the Accountant General and the CBN Governor while seven are from the other over 200 ethnic groups. He went further to present another case, that officers from the Education Corps of the Nigerian Army always head the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC but possibly because a Yoruba officer of the required rank could not be found in the Education Corps, the government went to the Artillery unit of the Nigeria Army to pick a Yoruba as the new NYSC Director General, don’t forget that the head of the Army is also Yoruba. Today, there are scarcely any critical positions in finance and security sectors that are not in the command of the Yorubas(Army, DSS, Police). He now asked his friend where is the federal character that is in our constitution in all these. He said he could go on and on listing the obvious bias of this regime in favour of the President’s ethnic group.
Suleman, who listened attentively, smiling intermittently, then asked Musa where he was between 2015 and 2023; Musa answered that he was in Nigeria, in fact, Abuja; he asked if he had ever visited the CBN headquarters during that period, and he said no. Suleiman then said to him that the CBN and NNPCL during those times were dominated by Hausa-Fulani, both qualified and unqualified. The main language in CBN then was Hausa-Fulani, as Yoruba is today because they were everywhere. The same positions you listed, Army, DSS, and Police, except CBN Godwin Emefele, were occupied by Hausa Fulani, but even Emefele, as an Igbo, was more Fulani than anyone. Suleiman told his brother Musa that our brother Muhammedu Buhari prepared the template TINUBU is using today because TINUBU said during the campaigns that he was going to improve on Buhari’s work and because TINUBU is a smarter fellow in governance he has improved on it and delivering more to his people. What we have In Nigeria is turn-by-turn nepotism, and the North who started it has no moral stand to question it, Suleiman said pointedly. It was at this juncture that I came into the conversation with two questions for both of them. That Buhari started it does it make right? And if it’s turn by turn, what happens to those who cannot get the turn? Suleiman gave me a blunt answer, ‘it does not make it right, but if it was not right and against the federal character principles in the constitution and the legislature, the judiciary and even the civil society kept mute when it was happening under Buhari, why should they talk now. On those who will not get the turn, Suleiman said that’s their lot, in a society of survival of the fittest, sorry if you are not fit or cannot fight, you wait for the crumbs until the constitution starts working.
The above is the basis of our musing this week, as it’s now obvious that the country has come to stay with favouritism as a method of governance in a plural society like ours. The only effective news coming out of Aso Villa now is on appointments. If they are not announcing, they are changing already announced one, and in all, you mirror a stark bias and favouritism.
“Turn-by-turn nepotism” refers to a system where individuals take turns holding positions of power or influence, often based on political, ethnic, religious, family ties, friendships, or other personal connections rather than merit or qualifications.
This practice obviously perpetuates favouritism towards family members or close associates, regardless of their qualifications. This leads to abuse of power for personal gain or to benefit cronies. It encourages those in power to act with impunity since nepotism leads to a lack of accountability and insufficient oversight.
A government that encourages nepotism cannot deliver efficient governance with mostly unqualified individuals holding key positions, which leads to poor decision-making and ineffective governance. This system undermines meritocracy, perpetuates inequality, and can lead to widespread discontent and social unrest.
The selfish argument put forward by those defending the brazenness of this regime in the practice of nepotism in governance is that it didn’t start with them. These people argue that reciprocating harm or negativity can serve as a form of retribution, teaching the perpetrator a lesson. They also try to argue that responding to a bad turn with another can deter similar behaviour in the future.
But a pertinent question remains, does one bad turn deserve another?
Certainly not in a society that hopes to grow in peace and progress. Why? The two main religions in practice in this country, Christianity and Islam, discourage retaliation as another bad turn can lead to an endless cycle of escalation, causing more harm and conflict.
Responding to negativity with more negativity rarely resolves the issue or addresses the underlying problems. Moreover, it goes against moral principles, such as the Golden Rule of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” Research has shown that responding to a bad turn with kindness, empathy, or understanding can foster personal growth, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence.
Ultimately, we need to know that while reciprocating harm might seem intuitive, it’s essential to consider the potential consequences and the importance of upholding moral principles.
In many cases, choosing not to retaliate can be a powerful way to show strength in leadership and de-escalate conflicts, maintain dignity and integrity and create opportunities for growth and resolution. By his nepotism style, Tinubu has not shown any superiority to Buhari.
Patently, with the kind of favouritism being experienced in government in this country since 2015, when the ruling APC climbed the political throne of our country, our democracy has been most hurt by it. Nepotism can have devastating effects on democracy, as it undermines its very foundations. Why?
Because it erodes meritocracy, where positions of power are awarded based on the sentiment of the tribe rather than qualifications or abilities.
The direct consequence of this is that it leads to incompetent individuals holding key positions, compromising effective governance and decision-making.
Nepotism also erodes public trust as citizens perceive favouritism and corruption as undermining progress. This disillusionment can lead to decreased civic engagement and scepticism about the legitimacy of democratic processes. In extreme cases, nepotism can even perpetuate systemic inequality, concentrating power and resources among a privileged few, excluding marginalised groups from opportunities for advancement
Furthermore, nepotism impairs institutional integrity, as governments and institutions become vulnerable to conflicts of interest, reduced accountability, and compromised decision-making processes. This can lead to widespread corruption and mismanagement, ultimately undermining democratic institutions.
The effects of nepotism on democracy are far-reaching and can have severe consequences.
The evil of nepotism continues to endure in our system because of failed institutions, the operating 1999 federal constitution provides against nepotism in government with the federal character principles but there is no enforcer, the legislators and judiciary operatives who should ensure strict adherence to the constitution have been grossly weakened by corruption as it’s the same nepotism that influenced their holding undeserving positions whether by rigged election or appointments.
Universal justice implies that there is a way of balancing things out, ensuring that individuals receive what they deserve based on their actions. If our politics continues this ongoing tit-for-tat in the management of our commonwealth, it will lead us nowhere. In essence, the expression, what goes around comes around should encourage people to treat others with kindness and respect as they would like to be treated.
The phrase should serve as a reminder that our actions have repercussions, and we should strive to create positive energy and outcomes in our lives and that of those around us. To continue like this is just to make the dream of one strong Nigeria unrealisable. However, I would like to end this conversation on an optimistic note: nothing goes on forever, even Nigeria’s unjust rule has its expiring date, and Nigeria does not belong to only Yorubas and Hausa-Fulani tossing power between themselves. God help us.
