This world is an argument that never gets settled. Why so? There is an unending argument between the past, present and the future. Democracy is a government by argument. Political choices are forms of arguments. Government is polycentric. It is made up of the executive, legislature and the judiciary. The executive is the central state institution of any political system. It is solely concerned with policy making and implementation. The governing process is done through formal and informal agencies. Formal institutions authoritatively allocate social values. Political decisions should be understood in the light of preferences and motivations of the decisions makers and the incentives offered them in the political process.

Anyway, the essence of politics in modern state is to win control of the environment and the destiny of a people. Politicians can help people and win friends by spending. And, by taxing they impose burdens and make enemies. Authur Okun, propounded the theory of “The Leakey Bucket” to suggesting that, there is problem of economic inefficiency in social policy. That is, in government redistributive efforts, money may be carried from the rich to the poor in a Leakey bucket. The poor will not receive all the money that is taken from the rich. Achievement motivated people are not gamblers. They prefer to work on a problem rather than leave the outcome to chance. Achievement oriented or motivated people seem to be more concerned with achievements then with the reward of success.

Also, it is easy to see that, some people can feel poor without being poor. Poverty defines how we live, not how we feel. The word “Government” refers to a regime of people mandated by public trust to exercise legitimate power or authority. Governance is the governing process of a government. A government is arrested when it is over thrown by force of arms or through civil disobedience. Arrested governance is the situation or evidence of a government that is not working. It is the moment of governance stagnation. Arrested governance is a period of political and economic paralysis. Max de Waal Said “governance is government minus politics”. Government can be defined by functions. President Ronald Reagan in his inauguration speech, as the 40th President of America said “Government is not the solution to the problem; Government is the problem”. Governance is defined by policies. States receiving bailouts from the Federal Government are suffering from arrested governance syndrome.

Authority is power plus legitimacy. Development is economic growth plus social change. This creates a power equation. A Government cannot think for the people but with the people. Public opinion can compel leaders to respond to situational demands. A change event demands we must be more than audience and actors, but authors of the history of our age. Our freedom must be exercised with responsibility. Patronage hunting packs of sycophant are not the best analysts of government policies. Intellectually blind critics are not objective analysts of government policies. Policy science demands objectivity. Every policy of government has distributional consequences. Market income cannot be distributed and redistributed without economic distortions. There must be losers and winners.

When, there is systemic failure, corruption will be a way of thinking. And, democracy can be reduced to selectocracy-that is government by selection and not by election. When there is poor leadership recruitment process, bad followers will become bad leader or rulers. Senators that can forge senate rules; because they want to be senate leaders are having anti-change mentality. A legislative coup was executed against the executive arm of government during the year 2016 budget impasse. The delay in the passage of the budget caused arrested governance in the country. The devil is actually in the phrase “Legislative oversight”. A “rogue senate” can only produce legislative rascals.

But wait a minute! Who oversees the budget of the National Assembly? A National Assembly populated with legislative tyrants can arrest the process of governance. This seems to be happening in Kogi State. The House of Representative had ordered the closure of the Kogi State House of Assembly. But, it is not making efforts to reconcile the warring factions in the State House of Assembly. Whose interest are they serving with their legislative over reach? The contradictions of politics can cause the arrest of governance. Politicians are interested in the pursuit, possession and application of power as a political resource. Leaders are the products of the history of their society. Governance is a concourse. The governance crowd in the three arms of government; constitute cost points and cost centres. They give contents and form to governance.

Unarguably, governance is a public good which encompass expectations and obligations. When governance is arrested, the capacity to deliver these public goods will disappear. Governance cannot be arrested overnight. It is the culmination of a process of deterioration and erosion of state functions. It marks the presence of collapsed state syndrome. It is a situation where there is no dominating centre of authority; and factions fight for resources under a climate of chaos. Individuals must adapt their behaviour to changes in their political and economic environments. Economic efficiency is what promotes growth and inefficiency is what prevents growth. Pareto principles and optimality are very difficult choices when applied to coordinating political and economic activities.

Political interventions in markets can cause inefficiency and welfare losses in a social system. When the economic environment creates disincentives, economic actors will opt for sub-optimal choices. Government can be blindsided by the unexpected. But, problems can be turned into opportunities when people of goodwill work together. The Federal, States and Local Governments are some forms of co-governance. When some decides to work at cross purpose it brings about unexpected denouement in public service delivery.

The underpinnings of governance are: honesty, integrity and sincerity of purpose. A change may be carried out in fits and starts but it must not be supine. Change must be demonstrated with strength of character and political will. Delinquent politicians are enemies of change. They are batty and pixilated with power. A change must have moral contents and spiritual convictions.

The gospel of change should be preached as a moral rebirth agenda in our schools, churches and mosques. Policy scientists define change as the capacity for self correction. Change demands plasticity and elasticity of understanding. Change is not mere liquidizing of social hard facts. There must be the capacity to change, in response to positive or negative experiences. Change must evidence a progression from a bad situation to a good situation. Change must be progressive and not retrogressive. Change must embody positive growth.

Interestingly, planned change is often but not always guided by a person who act as the change agent. President Mohammed Buhari is the driver of the change process. We should be the change agents in our offices, markets etc. Let the change be a way of life for us, as we take ownership of the process. A senate that can forge its rules is unfit to make laws. It has lost the moral strength to do so. Criminality in the senate is legislative rascality. And so, charging the culprits to court cannot by any stretch of imagination be an executive coup. The senate is self seeking and self serving by asking for immunity and pension for its principal officers.

When politicians are intoxicated with vanities, governance suffers. The hand of progress will be stayed. A change will have instrumental purpose when it is aimed at shaping public policy. The Treasury Single Account (TSA) is evidence of instrumental change. A change could have conceptual purpose, if it is aimed at changing the way a people thinks. The judiciary should redefine itself. A judgment of the court of Appeal was arrested in the past by the then Chief Justice of the Federation. So, Wammako became governor of Sokoto State for the second time without a valid judgment. A “cash and carry” judiciary can arrest governance processes and cause chaos and anarchy.

In conclusion, the gospel of change must not be preached with an inductivist illusion or reductionist tendencies. The proof of change cannot be mechanical. The idols of political orthodoxy should realize this fact; as we factor change into our national life. Change is not a myth but a reality evidencing transformation. Myths do not make us think critically. They limit our understanding of political realities and undermine democratic viability.

This change we have must not be a political myth. Let us live the change and feel the change. Isn’t it? The ruling class is self recruiting in their uncompromising pursuit of profit and privileges. You can now understand why the senators are asking for immunity and pension for themselves. There is a feeling of political quietism in the country. Political quietism is a helpless situation. It is the belief that a prevailing political situation cannot be changed. Can our political leopards change their spots? This is the dilemma of change. A change in over drive, will lead to self destruction. Let the change be slow and steady if it will lead us to a national rebirth.

Force Bray is a Citizen Journalist