THE behaviour of our political leaders in the management of Nigeria’s perennial problems has continuously placed the country at the lowest rung of the world developmental assessment chart and which for long had reduced Nigeria to the status of a “developing country”.

It is sometimes very ridiculous and of course incredible that in spite of our rich human and mineral resources coupled with the climatic tolerance for agriculture and afforestation, Nigeria could still be ranked amongst the under-developed countries of the world.

That comparative analysis which has perpetually placed Nigeria at the position of disrepute, despite her natural endowments, is shamefully caused by the Nigerian greedy political managers who refuse to face the reality about Nigeria’s inherentproblems.

Problems that the developed countries eventually solved for their convenience and existence were more of nature than human as their environments were naturally unfavourable to accelerated developmental processes; but because of their unique understanding and collective moral desire to develop, they fought and conquered their  environmental problems which today had transformed them to the civilized communities of the world.

Whereas Nigeria’s man-made problems caused by our politicians have placed us where we are today. I owe nobody any apology for this assertion because I once contested primaries for the House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party as a politician and I am still very much relevant politically.

The write-up therefore is not in any way intended to ridicule or smear the Nigerian politicians, my humble-self inclusive, but a deliberate attempt to honestly find a lasting solution to our perennial political, economic and social problems.

It is when the politicians are richly knowledgeable, to be conscious of their obligations towards their country and the electorate~ also when politics shall no longer be for the charlants but for the very qualified and dignified individuals who have much to contribute to the development of a stable political system before the country can get out of her political woods.

This, of course, brought to mind the comparison between our politicians and those of the developed countries. Without begging the issue, Nigeria politicians are self-centred by commercialising politics into which very many business men and women have now invested.

These syndicates of political entrepreneurs are seen falling over one another for purpose of political control now culminating in an unsurpassable corrupt behaviour that has characterised our political life.

The fact is that politics is a goldmine and viable business venture; it has therefore attracted very bad, selfish investors, who want to make their maximum profits out of it.

No wonder the emergence of such investors like “Godfathers”, “Godmothers” and the rest of them- All for the making of quick money in the name of politics.

This development could favourably be compared with colonial days when colonial masters mindlessly scrambled for the commercial domination of Africa which of course brought about serious intermittent but unresolved wars, when many African lives were lost in the struggle.

The political business carbals in Nigeria, like these colonial masters, are only interested in the quantum of wealth to be acquired but to the detriment of the electorate.

Anyway, to become a known member of the ‘co-called’ “political class” in Nigeria, the person must be prepared to accept some obligations to qualify  for the business. Amongst the obligations is the preparedness to kill or maim political opponents.

It also includes a resolve to snatch forcibly  the ballot boxes in the election periods by making use of the paid workers otherwise called Area Boys~ and the vow as well to kidnap at will the political opponents even in the presence of their spouse and children. These are amongst the attributes of a person qualified to be a politician in Nigeria.

Whereas, the politicians in the developed countries of the world see politics as a “call-to-service”. And that is why Obama from this part of the continent could be tolerated  far away in America to become their President.

That part of the world strongly believes in service and quality without any reliance on party rules and agreements meant to produce the best of the worst candidates for the system.

The assemblies in these developed countries are always comprised of the truly elected honourable and distinguished members . This cannot compare with our system where electoral abuses and injustices are rife and are altered with impunity.the hither-to electoral time-table and tenure.

By Oladun Abai, a lawyer, writes from Lagos.