There was a political tradition in Nigeria. Citizens have no confidence in their politicians and politicians don’t have regard for the citizens. But, in the words of Elmer G. Leterman “personality can open doors but only character can keep them open”. Nigeria is faced with political and ideological challenges. Nigerians had developed the spirit of freedom loving, independence craving resistance against internal colonialism. And, there was mass emotion against political slavery. The political pendulum swing from the rightist inclination to the leftist orientation. And, there were new leadership tendencies.

Please, pardon my pun. No mischief intended. Nigerian voters became revolutionists during the 2015 presidential election. This political rebellion swept away the forces of conservatism from our political landscape and brought in the progressive forces as the dominant class. But, make no mistake; the conservatives fought hard and got hold of the National Assembly and the judiciary. So, the progressive are finding it difficult to revolutionize the political space. There is a slow-down in the radical social or political transformation of the nation state.

Every revolution must have its vanguards. I am a vanguard of truth, justice and equity. This incipient revolution must be protected by all progressive and liberal thinkers. Corruption alone is not fighting back. The conservative forces are also becoming restive and reactionary. They are trying hard to change the political narrative. And, as desperados, they will stop at nothing in their inordinate ambition to covering the foot prints of their corruptive activities of the past. Some elements of the conservative forces have resorted to waging economic terrorism against our fatherland. The frontiers of the battle ground keep shifting. There is elite conflict and class suicide. The political Pharaohs are running for cover.

In year 1976, Nigeria got its first revolutionary government through Late General Murtala Mohammed. This came through military coup. The present administration of President Mohammadu Buhari is the second revolutionary government in Nigeria. It came through the ballot box. Some might argue that, the Buhari /Idiagbon government of 1984 – 85 can be seen as revolutionary. Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi promised to run a revolutionary government. But, the conservatives aborted their dreams and aspirations for Nigerians.

Nigerians became leisured because of corruption and: we began to celebrate overnight billionaires with no visible investments to show for it. Politics became an investment rather than a means to service. Corruption became objectified in our nation space and we got obligated to rogue politicians: who we mistaken for our political Robin Hoods. This is a macabre dance that had caused us economic grief. We failed to leapfrog our economic activities. This miasma is the economic recession we now find ourselves in. We are getting Machiavellian about it. Some are rather pettifogging about it.

There is a parallex of opinion concerning our economic fate. But, in our psychological moments we are becoming lexical; so that our leaders would take a bird’s eye view of the situation and work out the solution. The hunger in the land is not a visual fallacy. Let our leaders get punchy and give hope to the hopeless. We can’t be slow to it or be picky. The economic recession is not a snafu. We must not slither out of it. Let us be holistic about it, so that we don’t drift back to it. Samuel Johnson said “Criticism is a study by which men grow important and formidable at very small expense”. Our economic team must get to work about the economic recession. And, let us be democratic about it.

In conclusion, an economy is made up of three components: governance, market and basic economy capacity. Nigeria had always been a marketing outlet for goods and services. The country had been lacking economic capacity. So, we can not refine our crude oil for domestic consumption. Our voodoo economists had always been theorizing. Economics as a science or philosophy can not prove anything with certainty but with probability. Economism is not the solution to our problems. There must be the political will to fix our political economy. Envelop budgeting and zero budgeting methods are not the solution too. Routine allocation of resources and prioritization of resources can only be wishful thinking without resource availability.

Long live the Peoples Revolution!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!