By intellectual content, I mean that fulcrum where one finds and interlocks philosophical, legal, political and sundry ideas that assist humans to form the synthesis for solving societal problems.
The depth and breadth of mental inheritance creates the basis for evaluating the soundness of social policy or the lack of it.
Knowledge, according to Plotinus, has three degrees, opinion, science, illumination. The instrument of the first is sense, of the second, dialectics and of the third intuition.
Nigerian political aspirants seem to rely on native intelligence, raw, but powerful. Some are very opinionated, holding their untested views to be, immutable, sacrosanct and valid for all times.
However, a critical analysis shows how often very flawed these dogmatic views turn out be. For example, the Thatcher-like reforms that sold the commanding heights of the Nigerian economy to vested interests.
Yet, because these former this and that have been routinely reported by an adoring press, the people have tended to believe them.
The intellectual content of Nigerian political musings can be viewed from two broad categories.
One, the erudite contributions of scholars, writers and first-rate journalists in the front-line media. Unfortunately these ideas are not choreographed into policies and so the scholar gets bored with canvassing ideas that do no good.
There are political writers, who see nothing wrong with the way we are carrying on. They canvass for continuity, in their own interest.
There are opposition leaders, who have never presented a political blueprint to advance the cause of the Federal Republic, except to campaign for enthronement, which will have the consequences of a change in form and not in substance.
With this state of affairs, hope is postponed indefinitely. This is the view of the AZATA/NEPU Party.
The political bickering is intense, yet hollow and unhelpful. Journalists must stop eulogizing political opportunism and confront political aspirants with the serious societal issues constricting Nigeria and not to aid political pilgrims on their way to sinking sands.
When the intellectual content fails, the conduct of organs of state, persons or entities exercising elements of governmental authority and those, who exercise state power are clearly seen to be in a state of irritability.
There begins to manifest, excess of authority, which invariably leads to contravention of existing laws, procedures and abridgment of human rights.
In the circumstances, as we have seen in Thailand and the Ukraine, opposition conducts itself in insurrectional and defiant mode.
Like it happened in Syria, Egypt and Iraq, unreason takes cover in state security proclamations that lead to death, decay and disintegration
Lack of intellectual politics often leads a state to suffer “dismembratio”. A review of how it started, who is to blame, all becomes futile debates and a reckless man’s apology.
The risk of causing significant state break- up or break-down, is what calls for enlightened governance, intellectual assessment of danger points and a reasoned withdrawal from the precipice.
The mandatory grounds for good governance must not be frittered away by eucalypti policies and decisions that automatically breed resistance and devilish actions behind the barricades.
The opposition should adroitly criticize the government in a constructive manner and the government must not always use the language of a privileged entity
When the mantle of authority is stripped bare by circumstances beyond the control of social humans, the flight of ego is at jet-speed. So, what is the joy about? Chem radost?
As at now, the intellectual content of Nigerian politics does not measure up to the level, evinced in the conduct of state affairs of an African, potentially great power.
This is a much wider topic for discussions, so that those, who thrive on cosmetic romanticism with words, rhetorical effusions, dogmatic, at times, ignorant assertions, will be laid bare to ridicule.
It is easy to identify politicians, who have not taken the pains to acquaint themselves with the rudiments of political science.
They think that commonsense is enough? It is not.
You may rely on speech-writers. It is also not enough, because after reading the speech, you will fail to implement the ideas in the speech.
Go to school before you go into politics, not after!
Nigerian politicians should write books. That is where the honour lies!!!
A nation that humiliates its scholars and elevates alalus homos in the name of politics must always face occasional degradation.
I nurse the strongly held view that anyone, who has mastered political thought from Machiavelli to Marx is not likely to trade in inanities of transient import, when it comes to political discourses on Nigeria.
I call on Professor Attahiru Jega as witness.
Those are afraid to lose their positions in old parties are fomenting strategies to throw Nigeria in to confusion. They will fail.
The interests of political mal-contents cannot be elevated to suicidal adventures. Let’s have peace.
