Truss’ resignation and lessons for Nigeria

The British Prime Minister, Liz Truss on Thursday resigned after spending just 45 days in office, admitting her inability to deliver the mandate on which she was elected by the Conservative Party.

According to her, “I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills.

“Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent and our country has been held back for too long by low economic growth.

“I was elected by the Conservative Party with a mandate to change this.

“We delivered on energy bills and on cutting National Insurance.

“And we set out a vision for a low tax high growth economy that would take advantage of freedoms of Brexit.

“I recognise, though, given the situation I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.

“I have therefore spoken to His Majesty, The King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party.

“This morning, I met the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Graham Brady. We’ve agreed there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week.

“ This will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security.

“I will remain the prime minister until a successor has been chosen.”

The unambiguous speech has a number of lessons to offer Nigerians and  politicians. We can see that the outgoing Prime minister is mindful of what becomes of their economy even after leaving office. Futuristically, she still wishes her nation well. A Nigerian politician does not want anyone to succeed where he/she failed.

More importantly, it’s crystal clear in her speech that the wishes of the citizens and that of the party are supreme to individual interests. Her personal interest will not and can never keep her perpetually in office. The moment she realized that her continuous stay in office is detrimental and even jeopardizes the wish of the people she governs, it became so compelling for her to vacate the seat. She understands the concepts of democracy. It is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. Once the citizens’ interest, in terms of the mandate reposed in her cannot be met, such leader becomes irrelevant. In such established democracy, political leaders are elected to deliver a mandate, and that must be followed regimentally.

The one who is occupying political post on trust must listen to the heart beat of the people and critically analyse those feedbacks with the mandate before him and determine the practicability or otherwise of reqmaining a day longer in office.

The expressions are so clear in the actions of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, that as a political leader, you’re there to serve as against what we have in Nigeria where politicians make promises that they have determined not to fulfil. By the time they get to office, they transmute into tin gods, exacting pounds of flesh from the oppressed and “helpless” masses. In a matter that concerns the political class the law is suspended, the constitution is meant for the masses.

Unfortunately, there is no culture of demanding accountability in Nigeria unlike we have it in Britain. The economy is deteriorating. There is high cost of living with devastating impacts of the economic instability, which has unleashed massively on the populace. Mind you, their situation is nowhere close to that of Nigeria.

Truss feels she’s not having the right kind of solutions to the biting issues escalated by the inglorious exit of her chancellor of exchequer who is the first ever black Briton to have held that highest cabinet level appointment in the history of Britain.

However, Nigeria is not like Britain whereby politicians are responsive and responsible. Our own kind of democracy is imperiled by self destructive criminal acts of corruption and kleptocracy.

“Political office holders see themselves as being irreplaceable and cannot be removed, even if as it is now, that floods have destroyed many parts of Nigeria and the economy is on the brink of collapse.” It doesn’t matter if hunger should kill millions of Nigerians. Who cares if bandits should sack a whole state? No single Nigerian leader will vacate his lucrative office even if none of the Chibok girls is rescued.

The economy is comatose. The Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) recently raised alarm that the nation’s economy is on the brink of collapse. No meaningful steps have been taken, no solution in sight.

Embarrassingly, the government once declared that 80 per cent of our daily crude production is being stolen. A country with all armed forces could not fish out the “thieves.” The country is at the mercy of the thieves. One would think we are talking of pick pocketing here.

In short, the nation is currently faced with multiple challenges. The aviation industry is no go area. One can safely say that it’s a tale of a failed state.

In all these, no single chairman of one local government has come out to say, oh, I am resigning. We have failed in our duties to the nation. Sadly, our president has even scored himself high. Thanks to the wife that saw it differently, saying that she was not sure if her husband’s led government has delivered on its mandate. We have had a whole lot of policy summersaults, several anti-people policies. Let the citizenry cry from now till tomorrow, who cares. There may be no money do anything, but the political office holders must get paid. Even when they need to meet over their personal interest, they can’t get that done until they visit the UK or France.

With the examples of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, we enjoin our leaders to be more mindful of the people they govern. Political office is a call to service. Once you discover you’re not capable, honourably, resign.

Again. Nigerians too should begin to ask our political leaders to give the account of their stewardship. We should begin to ask them questions.

Our leaders should learn from Truss. Pursue and deliver on your mandate. When you realise the situation on ground is beyond your comprehension, quit the stage. The day Nigerian politicians begin to say oh, I think I can’t deliver on this or that, I am resigning, that is the day they become “honourables.”