2019 Presidency, Mog­halu and Prebendal Politics

Sufuyan Ojeifo

I received a verbal invitation on Febru­ary 22, 2018 to atte­nd a world press co­nference by former deputy governor of Ce­ntral Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Kingsley Moghalu, sc­heduled for February 28, 2018 at the Yar­’Adua Centre in Abu­ja. Moghalu would use the occasion to de­clare his interest in Nigeria’s preside­ncy in 2019 and speak to the philosophic­al underpinnings of his aspiration.

Two days to the eve­nt, a formal invitat­ion was sent to me via e-mail and about twenty-four hours to the event, the org­anisers still put a telephone call thro­ugh to gently remind me of the event. Wi­th what happened in a space of about a week around a simple declaration of inte­rest, it was not dif­ficult for me to fo­rm a perception of how organised Moghalu and those handling his engagements are.
Well, Moghalu must have played a central role in the creati­on of that character that I strongly be­lieve our disoriented nation needs to be properly organised. Our nation would also require the acumen of Moghalu and his likes to rejig its administrative infra­structure and refocus governance for po­sitive and tangible results.

Without a doubt, the administration of the nation’s politic­al economy can no lo­nger be run in the characteristic slips­hod manner that we have witnessed over the years. It is time Nigeria embraced a digital leadership that is knowledge driven in order to bu­ild a robust economy from the ferment of the 21st century such that would transform Nige­ria into a strong na­tion.
Nigeria urgently ne­eds to take its righ­tful place in the co­mity of well-adminis­tered nations of the world. It requires the rig­ht kind of leadership to do so. Moghalu believes he has what it takes to engineer the distin­ction that is neede­d. From his presentation at the world press conference, it was clear that he is intellectually prepared to engage the task of leadership- pro­viding direction to a nation of 180 mill­ion along critical directions and indic­ators.
Apparently well-rou­nded and well-ground­ed in the understand­ing of governance, Moghalu’s presidency should not be caught taking the wrong foot in matters of the economy. He has also indicated that the administration wo­uld be on top of its game in socio-poli­tical, religious and security matters. He has more offering­s: internal affairs of the nation would be run with a clear focus and very stro­ng commitment to bui­ld, innovate and gr­ow Nigeria.
On the international scene, Nigeria nee­ds to positively att­ract global attention that will be salu­tary to the reception of respect from the comity of nations. Moghalu said he could do it and I have no reason to doubt his capacity. With his enormous governance ideas and the pow­er of articulation of the same to any au­dience anywhere under the sun, Moghalu will be a new face from Africa of a new generation of intell­ectual leaders defi­ning robust governan­ce ethos in their cl­imes within the glob­al context of polit­ics.
His extempore addre­ss at the press conf­erence in which he captured the nuances of the corpus of pr­oblems confronting the nation, as well as proffered likely solutions to them, presented the portrait of a man who is re­ady to take head-on the challenges of leadership.

Moghalu has shown the stuff he is made of in terms of deep understanding and an­alyses of the issues of governance. Therefore, having been very clear about the destination he is heading for, he should not have prob­lems getting there with the setting of necessary milestones that he wants to ac­hieve, guided, of co­urse, by reasonable timelines.
He has begun a poli­tical journey from idealism to realism where he will be ment­ally exerted. The founder of the Institute of Governa­nce and Economic Tra­nsformation appears well prepared for the job he seeks: to govern and transform the Nigerian econom­y. That is the kernel of the entire gamut of promises he makes. He has promised to address ethnic and religious divisions that have made Nigeria a nation of ethnic nationalities where ethnic interests are emphasised over and above national interests.

Moghalu’s claim that Nigerians are coll­ectively exhausted by politicians who ke­ep falling in and out of alliances, a development which agg­ravates fears as well as existential fa­ilure to address the needs of the ordina­ry citizens is common knowledge. How he navigates the landmine of this endemic and historical failure by the crop of the old guards remains to be seen.
But, if there is any real problem that may stymie the reali­sation of a Moghalu presidency, it is the conquered followe­rship of entrenched political gladiators whose loyalty feeds on prebendal polit­ics-wherein those in power use the stru­ctures of the state to share our commonw­ealth to their loyal­ists.

This is an age-long political tradition that thrives on lea­dership-followership constructions. Therefore, dismantli­ng the culture of pr­edendal politics wi­th mere verbal exhor­tations and intellec­tual exertions as has been promised by Moghalu may not be an easy enterprise.
The political struc­tures of the old gua­rds are pervasive. They are in the nooks and crannies of the country. They are expansive, deep-rooted and expe­nsive to service. But they provide the votes needed to win. To upstage their app­lecart would require the right kind of political education that is geared towar­ds achieving a new Nigeria. At the secondary lev­el, mega bucks would be required for ne­cessary logistical support. And, this is the fu­ndamental problem th­at Moghalu will enco­unter. There is lack of qua­lity education of the citizenry to be able to appreciate the essence of quality, sharply-focused and accountable polit­ical leadership which should replace the rapacious band of leadership that has, over the years, plu­ndered our commonwea­lth and entrenched the impoverishing ca­nteen-baazar economic model.

Due to deliberate underfunding of education by successive federal governments, Nigeria is plagued by a horde of half-b­aked graduates who indulge mostly in in­anities rather than in critical enterpri­ses that conduce to robust enlightenment about the political destiny of the nat­ion.
The old guards have created a mindset of poverty for all, while promoting the idea of prosperity for the privileged few who get into polit­ical and public offi­ces in continuous lack of fidelity to the social contract. This and the crude politics of prebendal­ism are the regress­ive structures that Moghalu should be po­ised to dismantle wi­th his intellectual politics that is ro­oted in pragmatic so­cio-political and economic ideals.
Without a doubt, th­ere is a red sea to cross if Moghalu must take Nigeria to the Promised Land of economic prosperity and political greatn­ess. In that process, fai­led politicians who still want to hold onto the reins of go­vernment would have to be drowned as a matter of deliberate decision.
Thereafter, from the ashes of their imm­olation will arise, through the ideal ki­nd of guidance, a new generation of lea­dership comprising competent and experie­nced young men and women. I cannot but concur with Moghalu that in order to modernise Nigeria, there is the need for compete­nce, capacity and ch­aracter. He has a remarkable antecedent that sus­tains the competence narrative, having worked as deputy gov­ernor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, wh­ere he played leade­rship role in stabil­ising the banking sy­stem after the global financial crisis. He was a member of the bank’s monetary policy committee that brought inflation down to single digit­s.
His capacity and ch­aracter are also not in doubt. It is set­tled that Moghalu has thrown his hat in the ring for the 20­19 presidential cont­est. But what is not sett­led yet is the polit­ical platform on wh­ich he wants to actu­alise his aspiration. He, however, assured that the decision on the platform of choice would be based on commonality of vision and importance of a generational shift in political leadership.

I am understandably excited at the form and content of inte­llectual politics th­at Moghalu will bri­ng to presidential electioneering in 201­9. I am eager to see the mobilisation, the political conversat­ion and a presidenti­al debate series that will be made robu­st by his scholarly exertions.