Nigerian Bigmanism
By: Deji Yesufu
When a society has fundamental problems, every person living within that sphere becomes an overnight sociologist. We all try to proffer solutions to these problems with the hope that we can solve societal troubles. A cursory look at Nigeria’s history will reveal that this country has never had a short supply of solutions to our problems. Books have been written; academic papers have been published; the radio and TV are filled with social commentators; etc. Everybody appears to know what the problem is with this country but the solution continues to evade us. I might have accidentally found the solution to our problems but before I mention it, I must trace out a little history of this country.
In 1949, Obafemi Awolowo called a few friends to a meeting in his house and shared with them the idea of forming a political party. He told them that the party was going to be birth in secret. Having been in politics long enough, the sage had realized that many good ideas have perished in Nigeria because people see what could become of those ideas and because they will not be primary beneficiaries of it, they ensure it is killed in infancy. Between 1950 and 1951, when the political party would be announced to the public, numerous meetings were held; key offices in the party were enacted; ideas were shared; policy papers for the party were formed; etc. Eventually, they came to the question of what to call the party. After a few deliberations, Awolowo suggested that the party should be called “Action Group”. He argued that the main problem with Nigeria is not lack of ideas, it is just that Nigerians love to talk; they love to hear the sound of their own voices, but they hardly have the will to do the things they were talking about. Awolowo told his associates that the Action Group will be known more for what it does, than for what it says. The Action Group government that led South-west Nigeria from 1952 till 1960, remains the most successful political organization in this country’s history. Their success arose essentially from the fact that they pursued to actualize the things they promised the electorate. They allowed their actions to speak for them. By the time they finished government, many of the ministers in Awolowo’s government, including himself, were in debt. They served the people of Southwest Nigeria and much of what they did then is still standing as a witness to their work here in Ibadan.
What is the Nigerian problem? The chief problem with Nigerians is that we love the allure of office, while we are not so concerned with using that office to meet given goals. Nigerians will kill to get to positions of influence, but they reach those offices and spend most of their time there flaunting the fact that they are “Mr. this” or “Chief that”. I had always been aware of this fact about the people of my country. I however did not know what to call it. I was on a phone call with a man I now regard as a mentor who told me that that thing I have successfully identified should be better called “Nigerian Bigmanism”. I will explain what the two words mean, and how the phrase they both form is relevant to the question of solving the Nigerian problem. Nigerian Bigmanism is essentially a Nigerian thing. There is no doubt there are many places around the world, even in developed societies, where this ugly human trait shows itself – but one could argue that it is more pronounced in Nigeria. Everyone in this country wants to appear important. Everyone wants to occupy office. We pursue degrees and certificates, not because we want to solve societal problems but because we want to be called “doctor” or “professor”. We are offended when we are called in public without our given titles. Family members spend time wanting to know the ages of other family members so we can remind such persons we are older than them. Nigerian bigmanism is a Nigerian thing. With what I have written above, one can safely deduce what “bigmanism” means. But in case you have not, bigmanism is simply the corrupting of two words: “big” and “man”, and then an attempt to make the two words into a noun. The big man is everything in Nigeria. Many times he might just be big in name, and empty of any substance within.
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Having identified this problem of bigmanism in Nigeria, the next thing is to attempt a cure for it. To be able to rid ourselves of its corrupting influence, Nigerians must first and foremost accept that we have this problem. To write this article, I have settled within myself that because I am Nigerian, I am also plagued with this problem of bigmanism. Like Alcoholic Anonymous, I must say to myself “I am plagued with bigmanism” and I must submit myself to a program to rid my mentality of this problem. Alcoholic Anonymous takes its principle from the Christian message that calls men to repentance if they will experience any redemption within their lives. When we accept our sins, we are on the path of being forgiven and of being rid of them. Therefore, every person reading this article, if you happen to be a Nigerian, you must accept that you are plagued by this disease.
The second thing that every Nigerian must commit themselves to do would be to talk less and do more. Like Obafemi Awolowo encouraged his political associates to do, we can allow our actions to speak for ourselves. I believe when we began to suffer in this country was when Nigerians began to pay little premium to merit, and give more effort to the question of who and who you know. When a problem arises in Nigeria, the first question that is usually asked is: “Who do you know in that place?” You need to know someone in an office for your case file to be treated; you need to know someone in a hospital to see the doctor; you need to know someone in a political organization to get a job within a system; etc. When merit died, nepotism and cronyism took its place. At the close of the day, Nigerian institutions are no longer known for what they produce; but mainly for what they used to be. If this country will not go under eventually, we must rediscover merit, and we must be a people with the ability to translate vision into work. Productivity must heighten in this country, and the people who can deliver on a project must be called to occupy office; not just that they know somebody, or they possess some certification; or, any of these silly sentiments that carry the Nigerian big-man toga.
There are many other things Nigerians must do to rid themselves of bigmanism. But I think this one last thing cannot be avoided: Nigerians must understand the true meaning of meekness. The meek man is the person who has power and ensures he does not abuse it. The meek man knows that the position he occupies already gives him a vantage point and strength, and he ensures he does not oppress those under him because of the position he occupies. A meek man makes humility his pursuit. He never announces himself. Even when the work begins to speak for him, he still ensures that he is humble. A meek man enters the office to use the office to meet set goals; not to uplift himself and belittle others. The meek has his strength under control. When we realize that our time in office is fleeting, and one day we must leave our position for someone else, we endeavour to treat other people the same way we wish they would treat us when they are in places of authority. Nigerian bigmanism dies in the face of meekness. When we have knowledge of some history – and realize that many men of power have lived, died, and are mostly forgotten, we want to humble ourselves – because we also will become of one those numbers one day. We should hope that our time in office will leave a mark for many to remember. We should hope that there will be landmarks that are tied to our names in the future. We should hope that a generation will rise and say, like they say of Obafemi Awolowo, “We went to school because of this man’s vision of free education”. Nigerians should pursue to actualize the given vision and stop basking in the allure of office. There are many things wisdom teaches. Bigmanism is never one of them.
The Nigerian problem is not rocket science. It is easy to solve. I will not mind if this essay joins the scrap hill where Nigerians throw away good ideas. I will however endeavor to commit the rest of my life to ensuring that bigmanism dies within me. I hope that if and when I occupy the office, I will spend more time being productive than enjoying the perks of the office. I hope I can be an example to people via my actions, and maybe then people will discover this article from the scrap hill of ideas and realize that I have been championing these thoughts long before I came into office.
Deji Yesufu is the pastor of Providence Reformed Baptist Church Ibadan. He is the author of HUMANITY. He can be reached at [email protected]
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