LESSONS FROM THE 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS

The 2015 elections has come and gone. So much has been said and written but many people as usual will let the historic experience pass them by without learning and applying the lessons thereof. Experience is like a fruit, the fleshy part of the fruit can be likened to the experience while the lesson to be learned from the experience is the seed. The problem with us is that we always eat fruit and throw the seed away that is while people rarely learn from experience, instead they just remember names and dates. That is why they keep saying experience is the best teacher. I say it’s the best teacher only if you learn from others and avoid same pitfalls. How is experience the best teacher for someone that died from that experience? This is hoping we will not just eat the fruit and throw away the seed as usual but keep the seed and grow it. Below are some lessons from the recent elections.

1. Utilize opportunities: For the best part of GEJ’s reign, crude oil sold for well over $100 but the man couldn’t make any meaningful impact so most people that voted him back in 2011 albeit for petty sentiments knew things are only going to be worse off under him in times of austerity. I asked somebody this; if the man did so badly in a time of surplus, how do you think he will fare in times of deficit? Then it dawned on my friend that we were headed for doom with another term under GEJ. I do not belong to school of thought that believes “opportunity comes once in a lifetime” but I can’t help but believe some opportunities are once off in a lifetime. Opportunities like being a democratically elected president of a complex and now very conscious society like Nigeria can only come but once and if you don’t make the most of it, you might as well forget it. On a whole, GEJ did not take this opportunity that came to him through “calculated” good luck and has made avoidable history.

Lesson here is; however they (opportunities) come, always endeavour to make use of opportunities because they will not be there forever and may even go the same way they came.

2. The things that bind us together are stronger than those that try to tear us apart.

This is where Prof. Attahiru Jega and GEJ by the grace of God saved the day. Both men out of love for the country proved doomsday prophets wrong. Several predictions were made from supposedly credible sources going by our antecedents that Nigeria will like dis-integrate after the 2015 general elections. People from the South-South and South-East residing in the core north migrated back home and vice versa. People stocked their homes, there was hoarding of fuel and even FOREX. All in anticipation of a war or at least reprisal attacks which never happened. Thanks to the conduct of both Prof. Jega and President GEJ who have written both their names in gold in our history. Jega’s matured conduct in the face of Orubebe’s unwarranted provocation made sure we had a conclusive election while GEJ’s historic concession phone to General Muhammadu Buhari even before the final collation made sure Asari Dokubo and the other ex-millitants who earlier threatened war had no cause to fight. Indeed GEJ had his finest moment in defeat.

Lesson here is; whether it is relationship, partnership, friendship, marriage etc. let us always remember that what (love) binds us together is indeed stronger than the things (hate, greed, ignorance etc.) that try to tear us apart.

3. IF YOU ARE THE BOSS, BE THE BOSS: Somebody once asked; what is the point having powers if you are not going to use them? Oh and I do not mean abuse of power like granting state pardon to criminals and corrupt officials as we saw in the case of DSP Alameseigha who was innocent at home but guilty abroad.  As a boss, you cannot pass the buck because it stops at your table, it does not matter who did or didn’t do what; if they are your subordinate(s) it all comes back to you when the chips are down. But President GEJ kept blaming saboteurs for his monumental failure for the best part of six (6) years forgetting he is the Commander-in-Chief. So if you are the boss, be the boss and last time I checked that comes with the power to hire and fire. Be a good listener but exert your authority on your organization. Make sure critical decisions are passed through you or atleast with your consent. And if any staff does something critical or inimical to the organization, take disciplinary measures to forestall future occurrence. This was not the case under GEJ’s administration, it was a free or all. Like OBJ opined in his now (in)famous memoir “My Watch”, Nigeria seemed to be ruled by many women. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala with the tag Co-ordinating Minister of the economy has been a de facto Prime Minister, Allison Diezani Maduekwe was bleeding the nation dry undisturbed, Stella Oduah of the #OduahGate fame held sway in the aviation sector buying bullet proof vehicles amounting to about N255m until she was recently given juicier position (Senator) accompanied by the dubious immunity clause. Patience Jonathan a.k.a Mama Peace of the #DiarisGodooo fame has been a National disgrace and International embarrassment. At a point ICC was said to be investigating her when she called on PDP supporters to stone all those talking about change and she contributed in no small measure to loss of her husband or should I say her wife? During the governorship elections, GEJ apparently didn’t know where his wife was while it was alleged she was fine tuning what turned out to be the massive violence and rigging in Rivers state. I was flabbergasted when GEJ came on live TV to say the security chiefs did not consult him on the postponement of the election and I was wondering whether he is no longer the Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces. But that didn’t stop people from blaming the post-ponement on him. Even when our military with the help of our neighbours turned things around on boko haram, all people saw was mischief and wickedness because it had to take him almost loosing an election to wake up from his slumber after about 10,000 people had died. So, the grand design to blame book haram on the then CBN Governor and now Emir, Lamido Sanusi, President-Elect Buhari and also as the North’s design to undermine his government failed woefully and he (GEJ) had to eat the humble pie taking responsibility for loss of lives and kidnappings because all people saw was gross incompetence on his part.

Lesson here is; as a boss just get the job done even if it means stepping on toes or firing people because in the end, nobody sees those toes, all they care about is if the job is done. The bible says it is better for a part of your body to perish than your whole body to go to hell.

4. PERSEVERANCE PAYS ESPECIALLY IF THE MOTIVE IS RIGHT:  When Thomas Edison tried about 5000 times without lighting the bulb, his apprentice told him to give up because they had failed but he told the young man that they did not fail but learnt 5000 ways in which it will not work. The bible admonishes us never to grow tired of doing what is right. Perseverance is one of the fruits of the recreated human spirit. This paid off for Buhari in the last election, three (3) times he had contested before and three (3) he lost but didn’t give up and what was his motivation? Love for his country; he allegedly said he wanted to prove to all doubting Thomases that Nigeria can be great again. In the course some of his friends today told him he remained perpetually unelectable, some said he is a religious bigot, some said he is an illiterate, some said he will do another “Umaru Musa Yar’adua” etc. but the man didn’t pack his bags and today people are quick to liken him to Abraham Lincoln. He didn’t fail 3 times, the man only learnt 3 ways in which it won’t work and he went back; forged a more formidable alliance, rebranded himself with a more national appeal and boom; he got it.

Lesson here is; it does not matter what they say or the stones they throw, just keep your eyes on the price. If you stop to throw stones at every barking dog you will probably never reach where you are going. So just ignore the bees and go for the honey. Robert Kiyosaki said failure is not a problem if you are willing to learn. When it seems as if it is not working, sit back, evaluate and do some rebranding if need be. Somebody said, it is the fear of failure that causes many to fail. Never allow the fear of loosing overcome the excitement of winning.

5. DO NOT GET ANGRY AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION: In the face of crude, barbaric and unwarranted provocation from Elder (child) Godsday Orubebe, Prof. Attahiru Jega by God’s grace demonstrated uncommon humility and calmness which turned out to be one of the important highlights of the 2015 elections…

Lesson here is; some fires are better left to self-extinguish less you burn yourself while trying to extinguish them.

…to be continued.

Andie Torgbenda writes from Lagos

linkandie@gmail.com, 07034278376