Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo
Equity, fairness and justice are triplets from the same womb and were born on the same day and time. When properly dissected, they mean the same thing and equally point to the same direction, mainly in the management of human affairs. The words are easy to pronounce, they sooth the ears and they carry positivity in different organizations. Whether they are easy to practice or not, is another subject-matter. The observance and non-observance of equity, fairness and justice in Kwara State, will be the focus of this write-up. Equity is when there is even handedness in relationships, especially in cases that are similar. Impartiality, also means equity. Therefore, when you call it fairness and justice, one is describing the same situation. On the other hands, fairness also means impartiality or behavior that is devoid of favoritism. The third of the three words, Justice, means maintenance or existence of proper balance, fair deal. When human organizations like the state, must distribute burdens or benefits, the principle of equity, fairness and justice often come to play.
Aristotle’s cerebral ethical theory that equals should be treated equally and unequal, unequally, is indeed a solid foundation for the principle of equity, fairness and justice in the society. In the belly of a given society and perhaps at all times, are equals and unequals. The bundles of rights, like rights to life, freedom of association, worship, etc as enshrined in our 1999 Constitution is an acknowledgement of equals that must be treated equally. The American declaration of Independence in 1776, talks of inalienable rights of citizens; is an endorsement of the principle of equity, fairness and justice. But then we are not equally endowed with same level of talents in the form of knowledge, skills, expertise and intellects; we are therefore unequal in some respects. While rulers cannot take away the rights of morons and imbeciles to life, association, worship etc, the later too cannot be admitted to the halls of fame where skills and initiatives dictate the direction of progress of the society. Equity, fairness and justice should be a creed or mantra in a multi-ethnic, socio/economic classifications and multi-religious society.
Kwara State is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. Even within each ethnic communities, we are further divided by stations in life as to economic and social standings of the poor and the wealthy. Further division are in the areas of gender and generational gaps. We are divided in Kwara by historical background and focus. If therefore there is a state that needs equity, fairness and justice to re-define relationships that can be bring unity and prosperity, it is Kwara State. The fact that cannot be obliterated is that even within an ethnic group are noticeable divisions, the wealthy and the poor, the literate and the illiterate, the well-known families and the ones that have emerged from slavery, the titled families and the untitled, different towns and villages, senatorial divisions and local government areas, among others. We are so divided that we need as leaders, political craftsmen that can weave together for effective development; these arrays of differences that provide for centrifugal forces that are often ready to pull us down and push us to the abyss. We need socio/political engineers, that will build something admirable and development focused, out of the irreconcilable differences, called Kwara State.
There may not be another state like Kwara in the federation of Nigeria. A state where more than two third of the population speak Yoruba but more than half of the two third do not have or believe in Yoruba ancestry. A very high percentage of the Yoruba population are dreaming of “going back home”. A state where important traditional, political and business leaders still believe in the conquest of the 18th century and still take pride in the Caliphate flag. A state of the Nupes that have the greater chunk of their kith and kin across the Niger. The Bartonus of Kwara even have the chunk of their people across Nigeria and I believe they are more at home with their people in Benin Republic; than they are with the rest of Kwarans, where they make do with the status of ethnic minority. Where is the wisdom that made Ilorin the melting point and a home to the Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Kemberi, etc? Where is the wisdom of the early Emirs that knitted together people of diverse history, culture, skills and reconciled differences so as to build a thriving community out of challenges of differences? Where is Emir Abdulsalam, not necessarily in the Palace, but now in our Government House to preside over the unification of Kwara, for the desired progress?
The complete neglect of the philosophy of equity, fairness and justice in governance especially at the dawn of the 4th republic, is worrisome and a matter for serious concern in Kwara State. There are some areas where we are equal. We are equal in the area of being citizens of Kwara State. We are equal in the areas of human basic needs of food, shelter, clothing and security. We should be treated equally in these common areas of common needs of man. Progressive governments all over the world know the value of education to alleviate human suffering, they have treated their citizens equally in the area of providing free qualitative public education system for the people. Just because health is wealth, good governments also provide quality health system for the people, especially the poor. These are two programs that will make children of nobody to be somebody.
I have studied the development trajectory of Kwara State especially in the areas of infrastructural developments since 1999, the outcome of the studies is 75% for the state capital, while the communities at the periphery share the balance of 25%. Employment both at the state and Federal levels follow the same trend. Where therefore is the practice of equity, fairness and justice in the governance of Kwara State? Where the development focus is like this, there can never be shared prosperity. Yoruba says, “ajoje ko dun, bi enikan ko ba yo” meaning, (sharing common patrimony can never be appreciated when one is cheated) I just believe that many of our Governors governs our money and not our people. Governing our money is insensitive sharing of the resources and projects of the state with complete disregard to the welfare and the goods of the components.
Unfairness in governance is a betrayal of trust, especially in a democracy. For how can it be reasonably explained, that there is no discrimination in search for winning votes and there is, in distribution of rewards. There is no local government in Kwara State that is not important to the winning of elections, either as earning of majority of votes or in the specified geographical spread of votes. Those neglected in the proper spread of dividend of democracy are often betrayed. Discrimination creates crisis of confidence, endanger peace and destroys harmonious relationships. Our pride as the State of Harmony is false, as it is presently a sort of calmness created by fear, intimidation and avoidance of unjust punishment from the powerful. And for how long can this state of intimidation and fear lasts? It should be noted that harmony of the grave yard induced by fear, is inferior to active harmony anchored on justice and fairness.
When the condition of unfairness persists for too long; it becomes a norm or even a culture of the people. The political leaders that are controlled by the wicked value of injustice and unfairness have a dead conscience that justifies iniquities and wickedness. It is not uncommon to justify deprivation of others with the philosophy of “turn-by-turn” belief system in politics. That must be the reason why a high-profile political leader in position to better the lots of all sections of Kwara; recently told leaders of the North to unite, so as to produce the next Governor of Kwara State, without which there will be no development in the Senatorial District. So, he knows that the North is so much deprived and not in the development agenda of his government, but he wants to wait for the election of one of their own, to bring development to the area. It is the case of rotational governorship principle providing sectional governors. And if they do not produce governor of northern extraction, there will never be development in that region.
Then what must we do. Usually, a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and with other diversities as we have in Kwara State, must be weaved together by some provisions of the law backed by political will for proper implementation. A diversified Nigeria has in the Part 2 of the 1999 constitution, fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy. This policy objectives talk about social objectives, this is about equality and justice, equal rights and opportunities for citizens of Nigeria. This part of the Constitution also talks about human dignity, suitable employment, balanced economic development and many more. Though, this section is not justiciable, which means that any government that fails to observe them cannot be made accountable in the court of law. The good thing about this provision of the Constitution is that it could guide any governor that strive to follow the provisions. It also means that the provisions being part of our law, is not unconstitutional if adopted for implementation by any governor that desires good governance in his territory.
The problem of governance in Kwara State is that we often do not have governors with home grown initiatives to solve our peculiar problems. I still continue to wonder why governors cannot see the mismanagement of our diversities as clogs on our developments. Leaders often pretend that all is well and run the affairs of the State as if the arrangements on the ground that are not working, should not be disturbed. I wonder why governors cannot see rural/urban drift as a major problem of Kwara State. I am amazed, when governors sell to us London, Washington, Cape Town or even Lagos solutions to solve the economic challenges of rural Kwara. The essence of federalism is that component units must grow at their own pace and in any economy, the development of the people is superior to fanciful projects.
But if we must enthrone equity, fairness and justice in Kwara, we must be deliberate and intentional in fixing the problems created by not embracing this philosophy of proper integration. That is why am of the opinion that for the twenty-six years of democracy in this state, we have not interrogated the wickedness of our inherited system. We have taken unfairness and injustice as normal. Governors are not concerned about neighbors. To them, the first rule of political power is self and the second, their own locality. They have never deployed the use of power for the welfare of the people: I mean the whole state. If they believe that state resources are common patrimony, the gap between the center of power and the periphery will not be this wide.
In my own considered opinion, two things must be done. The first is to enact into law, a Kwara State Diversity Commission (KSDC). This commission is very much like the Federal Character Commission. The law should put in place the criteria for location of projects, relatively even distribution of government projects, distribution of employment opportunities, promotion and internal transfers in the public service of the state, etc. If this had been in place, Kwara State University in Malete will not be thriving, while the Osi and Ilesa-Baruba Campuses have not taken off, seventeen years after the establishment of the main Campus. Osun State multi-campus University did not start that way. If we have this Commission, whose membership cut across the state and who must not be politicians but rather people with impeccable record of character and integrity, more than 80% of State resources will not be concentrated in less than a kilometer of road in the state capital. This type of law will curb the excesses of governors whose conscience is seared in the exercise of political authority.
Secondly, I believe we can all live together as Kwarans with one destiny without nostalgic desire of any section to want to “go home”. Unfairness and injustice are negative virus. This virus produces hopelessness and melancholy about the present state of relationships among the composition of the state that have been forced to live together for more than two hundred years. If arms brought us together, we must device a policy of peaceful co-existence. Our history is full of aggression and war of heroic defeats. We are being socialized into the history of the past exploits of war and destruction. A boy developing under that culture, who sees himself as the scion of a conqueror, imbibes the belief, carriage and image of superiority that leads to entitlement mentality. After wars, there must be pacification; this mentality has to be overhauled by the intentional creation of positive steps of equity, fairness and justice. Let us begin to write books for our primary and secondary school students about the values we should share as a people. I mean books that will de-emphasize the defeat, aggression and destruction of the past and replace it with shared values that should lead to shared prosperity in all areas of our state. We can even create an agency to handle a new process of socialization.
The responsibility of all of us is to look for leaders that can convert our differences to advantages.
This can be done as we approach the next election.
