In various religious, academic and social groups, Nigeria is filled with hedonistic search for individual pleasure, consumption and acquisition. Propagating hedonism, Epicurus prescribed physical[1] pleasure as the only good[2] – let us eat today for tomorrow we shall die. In Nigeria, the ability to obtain these physical pleasures is determined by the amount of money one has accumulated. It is then believed that the more an individual accumulates money, the better he becomes, and the lesser the money, the worse he becomes. Hence, some governments continue to probe previous administrations with hope of punishing them by reducing their accumulated wealth.
Legitimate governments are formed by the agreement of the people to be governed by a body they created. The governing body is organized to regulate human actions and relations in the environment for peace and progress. The governing body enables adequate education of citizens for specific roles in productivity, security and sustenance of the society. Plato opines that social good is fulfilment of one’s role/duty to the society[3], while Aristotle prescribed virtue[4][5] as the highest social good. But when hedonism captures a society, instead of virtue or duty, everything is measured by immediate pleasure.
Presently, Nigeria seems addicted to immediate pleasure of consuming various imported trends and products, far above local productivity. Therefore, the search for money (as ticket for foreign products) has become paramount in the daily life of the country. Many religious, academic, traditional and civil leaders join the foreign exchange frenzy for importing pleasure and consumerism. New regimes swiftly join the foreign exchange frenzy in order to import amenities as part of their campaign promises. They often decide to probe previous administrations to recover loots for obtaining the foreign amenities they promised during campaign.
Hence, it may be good to probe previous administrations, especially those who are suspected to have looted the country’s treasury because:
- It could help the government recover some of the loots for providing social amenities.
- It could bring justice to the nation by punishing, jailing and shaming the looters.
- It could discourage other people from looting the national treasury.
- It could increase the credibility and integrity of the present administration.
On the contrary, devoting so much energy to probe previous administrations may not be wise:
- It distracts government and people from using the available resources to produce what they need.
- The cost in time and resources could be used to reorganize the society and seal off leakages.
- It does not guarantee justice. Justice is the establishment of truth about people’s rights and duties in their interaction in the society.[6] Unfortunately, the foundation of Nigeria was not laid on truth, but on colonial invasion and exploitation. Hence, the notion of justice in Nigeria is influenced and imposed by pro-colonial force-bearers. This does not deny the presence of corruption and official theft, but emphasizes the absence of a legitimate foundation for justice.
- Instead of discouraging corruption, the constant publicity of looting for happiness advertises it more than virtue for happiness. As there is no corresponding publicity of virtue against hedonism, the social and cyberspace is filled with thoughts of looting. Soon people will desire to try it out, just to be known, even when they do not succeed in looting.
- Increased efforts to probe previous regimes and supposed enemies may not raise the credibility of present regime. Instead, for every fictional enemy it destroys, the present regime creates two or more enemies out of possible allies. In a society without basic ideals, it divides the society along ethnic lines and causes unnecessary tensions.
- Wide efforts to probe previous regimes inflicts historical, present and future damage on people’s mentality about government and the people. The people begin to suspect one another at every instance, making productive collaboration much more difficult.
- It demoralizes good people in the society and exposes the society to external negative publicity, ridicule and hostility.
Despite the urge to publicly probe previous regimes, progressive Nigerian administrations will redirect the society to collaboration for productivity.
- They can discuss and cooperate with Nigeria’s ethnic communities to reorganize Nigeria and utilize its local resources for production, instead of importing the hedonists’ pleasure.
- They can redirect the social consciousness from hedonism to virtue by identifying, publicizing and rewarding better social standards. These are standards like collaborative productivity, service, excellence, selfless leadership at different levels and other healthy qualities for social growth.
- They can provide a way out of shame for past guilty officers. So, former public officers could return their loots as donation of schools, industries or other growth entities to their own communities.
- Natural resource is like a farm that continues to produce crops, instead of a store where every item can be looted away. What makes a good farm manager is not the ability to recover the loots of the previous manager, but his ability to manage and secure the farm for higher productivity
Seeking pleasure is not bad, unless the means or extent start affecting us and other people. Yet, those whose means of pleasure have affected others are not demons to be killed, but humans to be enlightened. The factual truth may be that they looted public funds, but the practical truth is that they need chances to pursue happiness through virtue. The opportunity is the chance to collaborate with other people in using local resources for production, sustenance and profit.
In conclusion, instead of devoting much time to probe previous administrations, a good government redirects the focus of the society from consumerism by publicising and rewarding social virtues, instead of publicising evil. Probing previous administrations can be a distraction for a government with good agenda, or an excuse for a government without a good agenda.
[1] By physical pleasure, he meant pleasures derived from “taste, touch, hearing, sight smell” … Derek Johnston, A brief history of philosophy (London: MPG Books Ltd, 2006) p.46
[2] Derek Johnston, A brief history of philosophy (London: MPG Books Ltd, 2006) p.43, 46
[3] Plato, “Republic” In A brief history of philosophy by Derek Johnston (London: MPG Books, 2006) p.22
[4] Aristotle, “Nichomachean ethics”, Bk 1, 13 in Introduction to Philosophy, Edited by John Perry, et al. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007) p.576
[5] Virtue is the habit of doing good, not because others are watching or reward is coming, but because it is good
[6] Chukwunwike Enekwechi, “Why was I born Nigerian” in Restartnaija