The Crisis of Legitimacy
One of the earliest concepts I learned in secondary school was the concept of legitimacy. I had a government teacher who, in retrospect, turned class notes into journal articles. He would always go to great lengths to define the concept, provide the historicity and then contextualize how it has been used since its promulgation. While his definition of legitimacy was beautiful, I have committed it to mind for many years. A few years ago, one of my favorite authors gave me the best definition I have embraced since then.
If you know me personally or otherwise, you know I am crazy about Malcolm Gladwell. I have read everything he authored but one. In talking about how excessive use of power and force undermines leadership and causes it to lose legitimacy, he opines that legitimacy consists of three things, and I will use his exact words. First, "people who are asked to obey authority have to feel like they have a voice- that if they speak up, they will be heard." Second, "the law has to be predictable. There has to be a reasonable expectation that rules tomorrow are going to be roughly the same as the rules today". Lastly, "authority has to be fair. It can't treat one group differently from another". Has any government in Nigeria fulfilled 2/3 of these criteria?
This definition becomes even more helpful as I think about the anarchy that is becoming Nigeria. When I used to work in the faith-based community with teenagers and later children, one of the things I have tried in my own best possible way to keep in mind is to ensure everyone is heard. I have repeated this when I have been asked to coordinate groups, lead teams, and talk with people. I want people to feel safe, sane, and secure anywhere I am. The last month has been the most difficult for me as we deal with one tragic issue or the other as a country.
The most nauseating is seeing political parties' primaries turn to money-sharing ventures. What has happened to us as a people and nation? Where is our sense of dignity? Where is our humanity? Where is our sense of shame? Chimamanda seemed fitting when we said at a Fela conference, "Teacher, don't teach me nonsense," that we as a people have lost what it means to be ashamed. Isn't this the truth? Everyone seems to be obsessed with brute use of power and shameless materialistic accumulation from local to federal levels. If you want to steal money, steal since that has become the DNA of politics but at least ensure citizens' safety, security, and sanity.
Since killing a mother and her four children in eastern Nigeria, I have tried to drown the pain and frustration with silence and mundane activity, but it gets difficult. What do you do when a nation loses what it means to be ashamed? I watched a video of men and women in captivity since the Kaduna train kidnapping, and my heart was broken. How can we call this a country when a nation cannot guarantee its internal security and sovereignty? I know writing this is like painting for the visually impaired and singing for the deaf( apology to people living with any of these disabilities). Nigeria's elite is obstinate in changing their way even though change is their national anthem. I hope this nation does not go up in flames one day. One of my younger brothers wrote one day," we are all that there is to democracy
Posted on Facebook on May 31, 2022.
I do not own the copyright to this image. Kindly email oyin2010@gmail.com for credit.
