 Welcome to The Advocate, where thought-provoking topics are discussed with no holds barred here on Plus TV Africa. We basically call a spade by its name. Today, I'm pointing out the snake and ladder effect in our political system. Ifadolako is asking what influences most of our societal ills. Victor is also asking what exactly happens with some of the issues that plague the society and country at large. Elijah wraps it up with a discuss on making the nation work by living in the moment. Sit back and after the break, we'll be here to dissect it all. Stay with us. Snakes and Ladders This was a board game common in homes if you grew up in the 80s or 90s. Here you could call this old school. It involved a dice and a board. Where moves could either lift you up the board or after rolling the dice or from the number on the dice could be your downfall on the board. Today, this would be the basic analogy in which I would like to discuss the political snakes and ladders in Nigeria. The tragedy of elected power without leadership and then the Stephen Wonder effect on the rights of citizens based on political leanings. First, leadership is defined as servitude with a person's name attached with a title. In our dear country, we have translated leadership to otherwise mean Nazi domination on people you represent. It's no amazement that we reside in an animal farm reminiscent of George Orwell's book. Just this time, rabies has been infused within the ruling class. The absolute disdain for human rights is unrivaled in the country from the lucky situation during the end times to the CP that wants to party incident in Margotu. It's quite clear that military rule still lives in our hearts in a democracy while we trample on the rights of citizens and call it the protection of a nation's sovereignty. Really funny. As the usual escape of leadership, whom create mock judicial panels and committees where government is defendant, jury and witness in a case. Till the police is out of the Ministry of Interior and under the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General no longer serves at the pleasure of the president and appointed by the president. And the appointment is changed to a council of Supreme Judges who now appoint their Attorney General. We will never be free. A wise scholar once said in the 16th century, and I adapted it presently for Nigeria, play me the tunes of a civilization and I will dictate their minds. So what are the tunes of our civilization presently? We'll look at them as basically social media and the media. The amazing predictability of people's reaction to events based on political leanings is so appalling in this country that when a post is made on social media, it's simple to predict where your friend will sway towards even during physical conversations. We are like zombies. The great fellow of course was very, very spot on on that. And don't rationally access anything from an individual thought process and just make our choices based on what we support. I guess this is why we don't love a country but love our wallets. Our daddy and mummy assos, of course, those are social media mummies and daddies on social media with multiple following or political parties, dictate how exactly we lean towards points, agendas and directions. It's not uncommon to see aspirants and candidates who have never read the Constitution and call themselves a new bridge. To me, they remind me of the old politician in Kano who was once asked of minerals in Kano state and he mentioned Fanta, Coke and Sprite. Let's not forget the amazing, brilliant activists who have totally no understanding of the political space, who haven't been in a political party and still say political parties have no ideology. Really funny. Matter of fact, political parties actually do have an ideology. But the truth is whether the ideology is being followed is another pot of pomoi entirely. The Constitution, of course, seems flawed because its amendment rate is poor. You can imagine our brilliant ninth national assembly that has trumped the lazy record of the entire lazy records of the legislative in Nigeria by sitting only a 66 days out of the constitutionally mandated over 180 years. I'm sure they will blame COVID or something else or some people might even say it's bandits. I'm sure we need to do better. With 2023 around the corner, we still remain entrenched in political illiteracy and the usual suspects, Swaga and Koh would of course capitalize on this. I don't look forward to a president that will speak of Abadu, of course, pun not intended. Or men in uniform acting like scavengers on the same citizens which are constitutionally sworn to protect. But worst of all are the citizens calling their states public spaces. Who did this to us? We can't keep blaming Lord Lugard. When it was 80 cobalt to a dollar, he wasn't even mentioned all of a sudden. Every song by any dadijio or someone in politics is Lord Lugard. Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world. What we need to understand is that if we fail, the black race entirely fails. So, people. Political philosopher. I wouldn't call myself that. Well, it's just that I'm here to understand the fashion of your snake and ladder because the one I played was quite different from yours. I used the, what's that food in GSM, those food, 1x, 1g GSM. Okay, 33 times. The snake eats and becomes longer. Anyway, I love your ideologies. We just have to be responsible as Nigerians. We complain too much. Complain will not solve any problem. We have to be strategic. That's what I think. We have to be strategic. We know our challenges. What are we willing to do for our country? So it's a cultural thing, a cultural value system. We have to be strategic. We have to be responsible. We have to be intentional and we should stop blaming what happened in the past. You mentioned the issue of colonial masters Lord Lugard and all these people. They were not meant to be. Why did they agonize, did not turn us up? For guess what, Nigeria is not the only country that is gluten colonized. Americans fought for their independence. Many other countries in the world and they are doing very well. So we have the potentials to do well and I believe we should be responsible and be focused on that. You know, one of my most very interesting personality, right, that's in my space. You know, one says that, you know, in a matter of few decades, and when I mean few decades, we're talking about less than three decades, right? We will see an ushering out of a certain group of people. I know you know what I'm talking about, you know. So life's process will take its course on them, right, you know. And I think that because if you're 30 now, in two decades, you're 50. If you're 50 now, in two decades, you're 70. If you're 70 now, I think Baba is about, you know, 70 something. In two decades, I mean, he's already at the lounge of life trying to depart. So whether you decide to relinquish power or not, life will naturally take its course. And we're thinking all of all these, even with the NSAS, you know, protests and people lost their lives and all of that. I've come to realize that I think young people, we need to start fortifying ourselves internally, right? Because the truth is, I understand the place of taking power forcefully, you know, and all of those things and heads is going to roll, you know. You're going to shed blood and all those things. But really, I mean, with the NSAS movement, you would see what happened with young people. There's a bit of division, even with the who started it, who is leading it and all of that. So that we're not clamoring for power and when we get it, we don't have a united front. So I'm coming from a different angle, which is 2023 is here, you know. How are we getting prepared for that? What steps are we making? How are we being intentional, you know, borrowing from Elijah's words? But I also think that beyond the whole external shout, what are we doing as young people internally to be ready, you know, to seize power when it comes. And I'll end with this, you know, the worst thing is for success to meet you or opportunity rather to meet you unprepared. So we've got to prepare for it and then take the power when it comes and use it appropriately, very important. You say? Yeah. The part where you said Nigeria is the most populous black race, if we fail. Black race. Do you think that our political leaders know this? Because I feel like they're very aware of this. And that's why they're doing whatever they're doing because they know that this is the most populous black race. This is the giant of Africa. No matter how we are corrupted, no matter how we mismanage everything, it won't go down. I feel like they have to add the back of their mind like no matter how much we do, it won't go down. People won't let it go down. Other nations won't let it go down. Other countries won't let it go down. Nigeria has more investment than any other black nation in Africa. So it's like there are so many external factors that no matter what we do internally as political leaders, people outside will see we're putting in money because they don't want to see it go down. It can't go down. So I feel like they're using that knowledge as an advantage to keep mismanaging these funds, to keep being corrupt, to keep doing whatever they're doing because they know that. Because if Nigeria go and approach World Bank or approach is anybody outside approaches the world leaders, they would open doors to us, they would yell, they would support us, they would give their listening. So I feel like our political leaders are actually very smart and very wise knowing that no matter if you go there for 20 years, you have to pack what you pack, it will never be endless. It will always be, there is no shun, keep putting it, it will never. I feel like when they start taking responsibility, we have a competing, if South Africa grows like 250 million people in South Africa, they're like, there's another populace nation now. And that one is doing much better because Ghana, our neighbor, is doing very good economically, but the population is just legal state here. So we still have like our, what's he called? Strength in number. And that's what the political leaders are actually using to the advantage to keep doing whatever they're doing. Well, sorry to interject. I'm going to respond to both of you. I beg to differ slightly from both of you. You have brilliant points, but slightly, I'm going to differ slightly. Let me start with you, my boss lady. You said something about they are taking advantage because they feel that we have the strength in number and a great nation in number and people and all the resilience. But sorry to quote you. I hope this politician, they know that it's not in any, nobody has a destiny to always be great all the time. You have to work it out. If Nigeria feels, I'm sorry to say, sir, the black nation will not feel. We have many other black nations that are doing well. We just have to keep being responsible to hold our safe accountable. And then number two, the idea of we complaining so much about diesel, we don't have diesel bleeding did this to us. Like somebody wrote a book, How Europe or Britain underdeveloped Africa. I don't know that you hear. So why don't we talk about how we are safe underdeveloped ourselves? I think that's more important than that. Because political leadership is about human, protecting human rights. It's about empathy. It's about inclusion. It's about transparency in governance. It's about fighting corruption. It's about development. It's very wide. So we just have to take responsibility. Have you seen what Wanda is doing? So we cannot be claiming giant of Africa every time. I'm happy that we are giant of Africa. That's what our parents told us. But let's be very sincere. Just this really feel like giant of Africa with the kind of situation happening in the country. We have to be very responsible to just claim it. And then secondly, Victor, the strategies. I would like to say that we are not saying young people should just go with sub power and cease power. At least that's not our thought here. I believe that the older generation should be willing to work with the younger generation to mentor us and learn from us. We learn from them. They also learn from us, are we? And they will see how to meet at midpoint to make the country work. 2023 is coming. We are not saying that the youth... Yes, we want you to be in government. We are not saying that the youth must go and cease power. No, the youth has to be properly mentored by the right side of people. Well, if we continued on this topic, we would have of course gone on for a long time. We understand that good governance, of course, is a factor of it. It's not youth, age or gender. So if that dollar quo is next after the break.