BY GBENGA OKE

Chief Supo Shonibare is the Chairman of Democratic Peoples Alliance, (DPA) and a chieftain of Yoruba social political group, Afenifere. In this interview, he enumerated reasons why Nigeria has been unable to develop after 51 years of Independence. Excerpts:

How has Nigeria faired in the last 51 years of Independence?

Nigeria has under-achieved in the past 51 years in terms of human, infrastructure and any other sustainable form of development. Our various past Heads of State and Presidents have not been dynamic in having the determination and self belief in leading the transformation of this country to a modern State whether as an Industrial hub or services provider. We have not had strong leadership determined to combat corruption at the helms of affairs for any sustainable period.

Without combating corruption, no meaningful progress will be made in the polity as individuals in the various arms of government Executive, Legislature and Judiciary will frustrate any meaningful programme and skew the trajectory of the programe for selfish, personal advantage.

Chief Supo Shonibare

We have had three leaders who had potentials of being able to elevate the institutions in the polity beyond the control of any vested interest. These were Gen Murtala Muhammed, Gen Muhammadu Buhari and lately Gen Olusegun Obasanjo.

Unfortunately the tenure of Muhammed and Buhari were very brief and Obasanjo who had such goodwill in 1999, abandoned the path of being uncompromising in combating corruption- particularly during his second term and only applied the rules selectively, thereby exacerbating an already endemic corrupt polity as it further weakened the institutions of the executive, legislature and judiciary.

This made organs deriving control and legitimacy from the Executive -Ministries and Parastatals, weaker. The Legislature was therefore unable to perform any oversight function over the Executive. The Executive encouraged corrupt practices in the legislature in attempts to control its leadership.

The legislators themselves soon realized that they could also award themselves stupendous allowances to keep up with the financial advantages they saw those occupying executive positions derive from such appointments.

The Judiciary too, seeing the creation of an affluent class by the other arms of government continuing unabated, seeing the now extremely endemic nature of the corrupt polity used the position of being the organ exercising judicial functions of the State to enrich themselves and offer judgements to the highest bidder. This is the level we are at after 50years.

Having enumerated all these problems, what do you think is the way forward?

Unless we are able to have leaders with political inclination capable of evolving a welfare state while encouraging private participation for the optimal creation of wealth, unless we are able to have selfless leaders as we had in the First Republic, who do not see their being in government as a business enterprise, we may not be able to ever meet the infrastructural base capable of sustaining production to support a country with such a huge and increasing population.