On Leadership

The floods in Texas and Makurdi this week resurrected a debate inside me. For a long time, I have heard people complain that Nigerians are the problem with Nigeria; that deep down we are corrupt and selfish and deserve the leaders we have. This argument was strengthened by comparisons with western nations (especially the US); that Americans inherently care more about the greater good and one another, unlike Nigerians, and this is the reason why their country is more prosperous than ours.

This week, however, I saw the reaction to the disasters in both countries and noticed that reactions to both on social media were very similar. People were offering to help one another — offers to donate, to send relief materials etc. It was very heartwarming and filled me with hope. It also reinforced my position that as a nation, our people are not the problem.

When I argue, I like to establish logic and the best way to do this is to agree on facts. So, we will establish some facts here before stating my case. I believe that humans are inherently utility maximizing, self-serving people. We will always do what brings us the most satisfaction. Thomas Hobbes argued that man’s natural state is one of war — without government or higher authority to govern behavior, anarchy would reign. If we agree on this, continue. If not, you’d best stop here.

Following this, it means that as a people, Nigerians are not different from Americans. So, our people cannot be the problem since America is more prosperous than Nigeria. Something else must be responsible for the difference in outcomes. I believe that this difference is as a result of institutional guidance — unlike Nigeria, America has had over two centuries of institutional guidance. Nigeria has had none.

Let’s look at it this way: think about when you are driving to a strange place for the first time. You spend as much time worrying about how you’re driving as you do about not getting lost. As you get more familiar with the route, you start spending less time worrying about directions and just focus on how you drive. At a point, you don’t even remember thinking about how you got there — you start to do things by rote. I believe that this is what has happened with our contemporaries in the developed world. Institutions guide how we as people interact with one another. Strong institutions, like those in America, over decades will inform how people behave towards one another.

One key thing to realize is that these institutions were not proposed by the general public — they were proposed by philosophers and influencers of political thought. America’s founding fathers laid the foundation for the country we see today. There weren't many people like them at the time.

Finally, let us look at the average Nigerian — at the last count, over 60% of the population live in abject poverty. Many more live on meager wages and struggle to make ends meet; their thoughts are consumed with how to get by day to day. Do we not ask too much of them to think of the greater good when most of them can barely survive? I watched a piece with Trevor Noah this week. He had Neil deGrasse Tyson on his show — deGrasse Tyson is a very popular astrophysicist who just published a new book. At the end of his book, he surmised that he was able to think of the stars and planets and the vastness of the universe simply because he didn't have to think of basic things like how he would get through the day. This is so true.

What am I trying to say? The onus is on us who can think of the greater good to lead and understand that leadership is service. The onus is on those we have elected into power to lead and serve, not rule. If we are looking to every Nigerian to be the change we want to see, nothing will change simply because, as a people, we lack the capacity for it.

Our leaders need to start empowering the police and the judiciary — these institutions, more than most, determine how we interact with one another. More importantly, we in the middle class need to start being more active politically. We need to start taking more responsibility for our environment and start being the change we want to see. We have been given much; much is therefore expected from us.

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