S.O.S ALIEME

Firstly, what is politics? Politics connotes the structuring of society, the distribution of resources, maintenance of law and order, the protection of lives and properties, provision of socioeconomic, agro-industrial and health infrastructure, and the protection of citizens from external attacks.

In another view, politics is seen as a process that involves the participation of every member of a society which determines who and what they are through receptive political language or expression of political language via intra or interpersonal communication. So a society can debate political issues, share feelings of how political affairs should be done, approve and disapprove of their leaders.

Politics can be conceptualized also as exercising and achieving a position of governance organized around the control over a human community particularly a state. Hence, politics can be seen as the practice of the distribution of power and resources within a given community. Also, it is about power which encompasses the political office, nation-state, and economic policies, national and international politics.

It can be extrapolated then that politics cannot be left to the caprices of politicians as it is the ambience of relationship that include citizens and politicians and the social context within which political meaning is created. It also leads to a query into the activities of the political class who perpetuate politics of bitterness, conflict and war make every political issue to expand their realms overall space of society and derive self-benefit.

As such, politics dirtiness or not is determined by the participation of society in its political process and system which give rise to the type of politicians produced by such a system. In Nigeria, if the political process is bankrolled by political god-fathers that don't have any other source of livelihood and lacks the skills to fit into other areas: no other option apart from politics leads to the circulation of politicians within the political space that resonate the same values which can be regarded as a political disaster.

Since the emergence of Nigeria as an independent political entity, the nation has gone through an evolutionary system of politics of bitterness, conflict and war: starting from the first republic to the current republic. Through the nurturing of such practices within the Nigerian political scene over the years, it has transformed such abnormal practices in our society to the norm in conducting politics. Of note, is that the driver of such politics of bitterness, conflict and war especially in Nigeria can be situated in the realm of the meaning of Kwame Nkrumah’s adage of “Seek Ye First the Political Kingdom and every other Thing will be added onto you” into using politics as a medium for the enrichment and self-serving interest of the political elite. Also, supporting such is the professionalization of politics as a vocation which ensure there is a difference between the political class and the general public. This gap leads to an erosion in the mind-set of the political class of the binding element that ties them ethically and morally into capitalizing on their roles in society to obtain the benefits of the good life for all.

The absence of this and its replacement by self-benefits allows for a brand that is represented by politics of bitterness, conflict and war which is antithetical to social development. A situation where a winner takes it all is dangerous to the political development of any nation. The modus operandi results to include political violence to perpetuate the self-benefitting politician within the political scene, this has been in practice in the political history of Nigeria from independence till date. Drawing from the imagery of how politics is conducted in Nigeria yet another question that arises is why should the loss of positions lead to hatred and bitterness if the purpose of politics is service to the masses? Why should contestation over political power and influence lead to politicians betraying each other?

In short, the political process within the Nigerian setting shows a semblance of the gravitation of these practices as a lack of ethics in politics and deliberate blindness to the true meaning of politics. The essence of politics in its ideal state is to promote one another to higher heights and not a politics of bitterness, conflict and war that connotes nursing the ambition to destroy your opponents, their ambitions or their career, that is the wrong brand of political practice in Nigeria and indeed in many areas in Africa.

Overtime, in this country called Nigeria, politicians have turned politics into a do or die affair which does not augur well for the economic and physical development of the humanity. I want to believe that when we shun violence and other criminal activities Nigeria will be a better place to live in. It is very unfortunate that Nigerian politicians do not see any sense in playing politics the way it should be followed. It is to be noted that any country where politicians take politics as profession, that country is bound to run into chaos and instability.

Politics devoid of bitterness and rancour will go a long way towards promoting peace and development of the country, if politicians do not play the game according to the rule, it may consume the nation. Politicians should embrace the unity of purpose in the effort to deliver free and fair polls, anything short of this will endanger the political process. 

My appeal to all politicians is that they should play this politics in such a way that the nation and the political process will survive because without the political process surviving, nobody will survive. It is important that they play according to the rules that are set for them and they should not do anything that will endanger the process because it can consume everyone.

God Bless Nigeria!!!