By Tochukwu Ezukanma<\/p>\n
Many Nigerians gloated over the invasion of the United States\u2019 Capitol
\nby President Trump\u2019s supporters because they subliminally found solace
\nin it. The solace being that, if the oldest and most stable democracy in
\nthe world can be plagued by such political upheaval, we can justifiably
\nexcuse away the abysmal social and political standards, and political
\nbungling, of our fledgling democracy. But, in that episode, there are
\nlessons, not alibis, for Nigerians.<\/p>\n
Despite the congeries that have been associated with civilization,
\ncivilization is most importantly about what the ancient Greek writers
\ncalled, \u201ctaming the savageness of man and making gentle the life of
\nthis world\u201d. Over thousands of years, different cultures and countries
\nof the world succeeded, in varying degrees, in taming the savageness of
\nman. Western countries are the most successful in this civilizing
\nenterprise. More than the other peoples of the world, they evolved the
\nmost genteel and just societies, and made \u201cgentle the life of this
\nworld\u201d.<\/p>\n
It is tempting to attribute this feat to the genetic superiority of the
\nraces that inhabit the West. However, as Harry Barnes rightfully noted,
\n\u201cAll efforts to prove the superiority of one race or sub-race of man
\nover another turned out unsuccessful\u201d. It is not a race, but culture,
\ncultural skills and attitudinal disposition that are most significant in
\ndetermining human development. The differences in social accomplishment
\nand human development between races, for example, White and Black, are
\nmore cultural and attitudinal than genetic. Race is strictly a physical
\nmatter that has no relation to intelligence and cultural attainment.<\/p>\n
In every human soul, no matter how barbaric or civilized, lurk
\nconflicting proclivities for savagery and civility History has
\ndemonstrated that even amongst the civilized, wealthy and materially
\nefficient, savageness has sometimes triumphed in this duel between
\nsavageness and civilization in man. No wonder, Donald Trump, a
\nbillionaire, superlative achiever in business and politics and the
\npresident of the world\u2019s oldest, greatest and wealthiest democracy can
\nbe a barbarian.<\/p>\n
The election of Trump president in 2016 was a backlash to eight years of
\nBarack Obama presidency. The election of Obama as the president of
\nAmerica, a predominantly White country, with its entrenched and
\nintractable racism seemed impossible and was an unpardonable affront to
\nWhite Supremacists and other racist and ultra-conservative White
\nAmericans. Trumpism gave expression to some of the deepest instincts of
\nthese Americans. Trump is an epitome of White American implacable racism
\nand hard-core conservatism. For a delusional narcissist that expects to
\nalways win, Trump alleges rigging each time he loses. So, quite
\nnaturally, to him, because he lost the November 4th, 2020 presidential
\nelection, the election was rigged.<\/p>\n
It was leadership as personified by Trump that awakened the dormant
\nsavagery in his supporters and channeled it to exceedingly disruptive
\nends. His supporters fenestrated their sense of demureness, respect for
\nthe law, reference for the popular will and democratic institutions; and
\ndesecrated the ultimate citadel of American democracy, the Capitol. They
\nbreached security, scaled walls, broke down windows and doors, entered
\noffices of congressmen and senators, strewed official papers around,
\ncarted away artifacts, and planted pipe bombs. Their willful and
\nruthless destructiveness was repulsively redolent of the vandalism of
\nthe Vandals in 5th Century Europe.<\/p>\n
Following the 2015 Nigerian presidential election, leadership, as
\npersonified by Goodluck Jonathan brought out the best in Nigerians. Many
\nJonathan supporters were ready to reject the election results and slug
\nit out with the opposition. They were roiled and ready for trouble. It
\nwas the words of Jonathan that engendered the triumph of decorum over
\nsavageness in that inner duel among his supporters. With his concession
\nspeech, he restrained his crestfallen and agitated supporters, and
\nstunned and sobered his overjoyed opponents. And, inescapably, peace
\nreigned.<\/p>\n
Is the lesson not obvious? It is all about leadership. The power,
\ninfluence and consequences of leadership are so enormous and
\nall-encompassing that it literally defines a people, nation or country.
\nThe words of a leader unleashed anarchy in America, a civilized,
\nefficient and orderly country, and the words of a leader brought peace
\nto Nigeria, a vast scene of confusion, renowned for its dysfunction and
\nanarchistic propensity. By their words and actions, leaders shape the
\ncountry: bring about peace or war, poverty and prosperity, rule of law
\nor anarchy, etc. Invariably, Nigeria is in its present disgraceful state
\nbecause of the irresponsible utterances and dishonorable actions of our
\nleaders.<\/p>\n
It is therefore high time we paid painstaking attention to the quality
\nof men and women we elect to power in every stratum of our governments.
\nWe must carefully scrutinize them, meticulously pore over their
\neducation, mindset, credibility, patriotism, commitment to the
\ncollective good, etc because the quality of a leader must invariably
\nreflect on the people\/country he leads. And for those already elected to
\noffice, we have to continually engage them: demanding accountability,
\nresponsibility, elevated morals and ethics, equity, and social justice.<\/p>\n
The #EndSARS protest was very exhilarating because it was a major
\nattempt, in a very long time, to hold the Nigerian power elite
\naccountable. Lamentably, it was not sustained: it fizzled out once
\nsoldiers opened fire on the protesters. To expect a reformation of the
\nNigerian government, and subsequently, the transformation of the
\nNigerian society without loss of lives is quixotic. It is starry-eyed
\noptimism and infantile naivet\u00e9. Just, as there cannot be birth without
\nloss of blood, there cannot be national re-birth without loss of blood.<\/p>\n
Tochukwu Ezukanma writes from Lagos, Nigeria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Tochukwu Ezukanma Many Nigerians gloated over the invasion of the United States\u2019 Capitol by President Trump\u2019s supporters because they subliminally found solace in it. The solace being that, if…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n