Nigerians deserve patriotic, purposive and progressive leaders, argues JASON OSAI

As a dyed-in-the-wool aficionado of rock music, I attended the concerts of  Santana, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Rare Earth, Grand Funk, Chicago, Jethro Tull, Electric Light Orchestra, Eagles and other rock bands of my generation wherever the wild winds of whispered words of sweet-nothings took them. Though a teetotaler, I must confess, I joined in the “sexperiments” and exploration of the consciousness and spirituality of the psychedelic seventies; I was in my mid 20s.

     With a pocket full of Petro-Naira (thanks to Alfred Diete-Spiff), augmented by takes from strumming the guitar, I travelled to every continent except Australia before I was 28. That highly privileged experience engendered so much confidence and sense of self worth and the Nigerian passport contributed to it as immigration officers across the world differed to it. At the time, Nigerians flew to Britain without visa and were treated courteously at Heathrow airport. Regarding the Naira, which was superior to the dollar and at par with the pound, Nigerians purchased goods with it at the high-rise shopping malls downtown New York City in the 1970s. I remember sending $500 home in 1974 and it exchanged for N325. In those good old days, the green passport and Naira commanded respect, globally.

    It is therefore very sad that, today, a former speaker and governor of a state and minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was detained at an airport in Germany because he was carrying the Nigerian passport. The Vanguard informs that Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was “detained in Germany for 30 minutes…because he was carrying a Nigerian passport”. The paper added that “Amaechi’s story highlights the growing concerns many Nigerians face when traveling internationally. The Nigerian passport, once a proud symbol of identity, is now…a source of stress” due to Nigeria’s battered image.

     Initially, I sympathized with Amaechi for the unwarranted embarrassment. However, when I read that he travelled “for medical checkup”, I snapped “Good for you”. Why? Well, granted that he dutifully dotted modern health facilities across the length and breadth of Rivers State during his tenure as governor, it did not cross his mind that Nigeria (nay, Rivers State) deserves an international standard hospital that would mop up the enormous foreign exchange hemorrhage that drains into medical tourism. Dropped between his Ubima and Egbeda, such facility would have generated its own social environment and emerged as a new city. I must quickly add that ALL the presidents and governors since the Second Republic share this blame with Amaechi.

     The fact remains that Nigerian authority figures are generally cocooned and confined within the four corners of their limited worldview. The reason is that Nigerians elect people who attended primary school in their village, secondary school in their community and university in their state capital, thereby giving authority to people with a worldview that is confined within the geo-psychological bounds of their state. Therefore, it would be unfair to blame them for public policies, programs and projects that reflect constricted worldview. This is a major problem of governance at every level in Nigeria.

     I agree with Amaechi’s optimistic posturing that “We must fix our country…We must work to restore pride in our identity”. However, regarding his furthering that “No Nigerian should be treated this way simply because of their passport”, I would rather say that Nigeria’s past and present authority figures ought to be treated that way when they embark on medical tourism. If Buhari and his governors were treated as such, they would have certainly commenced and completed international standard hospitals in Nigeria. Given that, Tinubu would not be wasting the nation’s borrowed foreign exchange hopping in and out of France and Britain whenever he sneezes or his ossified bones creak.

     In an OP-ED titled “Towards Bala Usman Laws” (TELL, May 7, 2023), I decried President Buhari’s frequent medical tourism since he assumed office in 2015 while Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system suffered criminal neglect. Using Buhari as a point of reference, I berated African leaders for the scandalous negligence of their healthcare facilities, while they jet off overseas for medical attention. Recall that Buhari spent more than 230 days overseas on medical tourism; that episode allegedly cost Nigerians N64.15bn on maintenance of presidential jets only.

     Almost immediately after receiving his Certificate of Return as President-elect, Bola Tinubu traveled to France ostensibly “to rest and plan his transition program.” Of course, none of the  international-standard tourist destinations in Nigeria presents the facilities and ambience for rest and soul searching towards forming a cabinet; it had to be overseas. Yet, we lampoon world leaders and critics who aver that African leaders are inept and unpatriotic.

     Amaechi’s experience in Germany is very well deserved. However, he is not alone in this indictment; Nigerian leaders should be treated much more than that whenever they venture overseas on medical tourism. Even in emergency cases, they should not be allowed entry. They should be bundled back on the next available flight (even if it is a cargo plane) to live and die here, like every other Nigerian. Given this drastic action, international standard hospitals will sprout all over Nigeria and many people from the West African subregion will patronize them thereby invigorating the health sub-sector of the Nigerian economy.

    It takes drastic measures to achieve the desired result in this regard. If they realize that we all must live and die here, then they will save this country the ignominy of not having international standard hospitals. This is a responsibility Nigeria owes itself and Africa. As Prof PLO Lumumba, a frontline PanAfricanist, said “Africa is waiting for Nigeria. The day Nigeria gets it right, Africa gets it right”.

    Going forward, as 2027 is being prematurely dragged into the streets of Nigeria by an overzealous political class, we must transcend the petty little differences of ethnicity, religion and other man-made malaises that blur our vision in the civic responsibility of choosing leaders. It is said that “a people deserve the leaders they get”. Nigerians deserve better than the “bleeders who masquerade as leaders”; we deserve better leaders than the “scoundrels that are  systematically wrecking Nigeria”; we deserve better leaders that the “drunken captains that are sinking the ship of the Nigerian state”. Nigerians deserve patriotic, purposive and proper progressive leaders.

     Professor Osai writes from University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt