By Donu Kogbara
Many people – myself included – are still dazed by Donald Trump’s presidential election victory. Very few saw it coming; and A LOT of time is being invested – in America and globally – in analyses of the “shocking” result, as journalists, pundits, pollsters and non-professional observers of all nationalities try to make sense of it.

So why was a talk-anyhow political novice like Trump able to perform the amazing feat of trouncing a tactful, politically experienced candidate like Hillary Clinton?

Well, life is never simple; and different voters had different reasons for supporting or rejecting Trump and supporting or rejecting Clinton:

Some voters simply wanted Change and felt so alienated from the Washington Establishment that they wanted a president who has never been part of the Washington Establishment, while others were concerned about the candidates’ personal integrity and finances (Trump’s multiple bankruptcies and shiftiness about his tax affairs, Clinton’s acceptance of donations from possibly dubious sources).

Meanwhile, some voters were more interested in what the candidates had to say about wider macro-economic, foreign policy and security-related challenges…

…while other voters focussed on Clinton and Trump’s attitudes towards women, Muslims, Latinos and African-Americans…or had issues with their spouses (Melania Trump used to pose naked for magazines, Bill Clinton is a chronic philanderer).

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican challenger Donald Trump . AFP PHOTO

Another theory I’ve heard is that some voters didn’t want another “unconventional” president (they’d already “endured” a black Commander-In-Chief, Obama, for nearly 8 years, and couldn’t cope with the idea of a lady following him and decided that it was time to return to “normal” and put a white guy back in a Number One seat that had always been occupied by white guys until Obama showed up!).

And, by the way, some Nigerians in America were enthusiastic Trump cheerleaders because they love ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and feel that Obama and Hillary stabbed Jonathan in the back in various ways and enabled Buhari to replace him.

There is yet another theory relating to Trump’s triumph; and this one hasn’t been mentioned by many commentators; and it fascinates me, so I’ll briefly focus on it.

A friend who lives in the States has told me that when he discussed Trump and Clinton with his neighbours, he discovered that their main objection to Clinton – within that context at least – was the fact that her husband had been President.

In other words, my friends’ neighbours felt that Hillary was enjoying an unfair advantage because she was a former First Lady; and they reckoned that she was riding on Bill’s coat-tails and wasn’t a substantial political force in her own right.

The Bottom Line was that they didn’t see why 2 members of the same family should be president within the same generation or era, even if they were both well-qualified for the job. And I must confess that I sympathise with this viewpoint.

Much as I genuinely respect Hillary –    who is very mature, very well-educated and very experienced – I totally understand why some folks oppose nepotism and feel that the presidency of the USA – or ANY nation – should not be a family business.

When Jeb Bush – whose father and brother had both been fairly recent presidents of the United States – decided to compete against Trump and others for the Republican Party nomination last year, I was irritated by Jeb’s obvious sense of entitlement and wondered whether the Bush clan regards itself as a monarchy!

Anyway, Clinton’s candidacy failed for a number of reasons, including the fact that some voters do not want one family to dominate the US government space.

Meanwhile, most of the women who have become heads of state or party leaders in developing nations like Pakistan, India, Peru, the Phillipines, South Korea, etc, have been some male big-shot’s daughter, grand-daughter, sister, cousin or wife.

Even lesser positions like Senator, Minister or Director-General often go to women who are attached to powerful men – girlfriends included! And, yes, some of these women are immensely accomplished. But several are not remotely competent.

And I yearn for a time when quality females can become    VIPs in their own rights, in Nigeria and Beyond, without having to be linked to any Big Man!

Attitude problem

An academic I know recently visited me and spent 4 hours bitterly bemoaning the fact that none of his so-called friends in government have “helped” him much or at all, even though they know that he has financial problems and even though he has helped some of them in the past – both before and since they attained high office.

I found it very easy to sympathise with my academic pal because I’ve been similarly disappointed in the past by folks who’ve extracted help from me, then dumped me.

But it has just suddenly struck me that the basis of the above complaint is deeply flawed… and that most Nigerians have a totally messed-up attitude towards patronage issues. Recipients of patronage feel pathetically grateful, even when they are deserving, while dispensers of patronage wallow in an egomaniacal belief that anyone they hire is lucky rather than useful.

In other words: Most Naija dignitaries do not hire anyone for reasons relating to merit. They don’t hire x or y because they are committed to excellence and think that x or y can help them do a better job. They hire people for reasons relating to (warped) personal interests and their notions of loyalty, cronyism, etc.

One can only pray that this far from ideal status quo will change soon!