The holy books say that there’s a time for every little thing in life. There’s a time to dwell and a time to die. There’s a time to giggle and there’s a time to cry. Identical to the climate, there’s a dry season and there’s a wet season. There may be winter, there’s additionally summer time. The significance of the entire above is that nothing in life is static; every little thing that has a starting will need to have an finish. Actually, for every such exercise, the beginning date signifies the tip date. There’s a Yoruba proverb, lala to roke, nle ni mbo, which accurately implies that no matter goes up should come down. It is the legislation of gravity. There isn’t any place however public service the place that is true. Each single holder of public workplace who takes workplace will certainly depart it sooner or later, whether or not the occupier likes it or not. That is finest illustrated by the frequent saying that workplace lo n rehin akowe, bi o ba fi workplace sile, workplace a fi e sile as a result of in the future he positively has to depart the workplace both by voluntary resignation, dismissal, retirement or demise. The fact of the above shouldn’t be unusual to us as human beings endowed with the flexibility to cause.

I say this due to the idea of data in all of us that life, round which all our earthly actions revolve, is transitory. There isn’t any human being born on this world who won’t depart this world sooner or later. The nice or dangerous information is that nobody is aware of the appointed time when he leaves. These are a few of God’s miracles that ought to preserve us on our toes, however which, sadly, human beings don’t respect. This explains why some folks dwell their lives as if they’ve everlasting possession or license to occupy this world. Sadly, whether or not they prefer it or not, in the future they may disappear, if not fail. Exactly within the data of this actuality, one might anticipate that the occupiers of public places of work will repeatedly try to do solely the precise factor, at all times giving their finest within the service of the folks. Public service, from the angle of all holy books, is a public belief that should not be betrayed. The occupier of public workplace is accountable to God, the folks and himself. In actuality, nonetheless, what we see and observe is the other, as public workplace holders present impunity. Holders of public places of work most frequently understand themselves as masters of the folks, not as servants of the folks. They run insurance policies and packages over folks, even the place they’re hostile, as if folks had been slaves. There isn’t any session or response.

They’re by no means receptive to folks’s concepts or options. As quickly as they take workplace, they develop into their very own gods and the folks can not method them. Within the means of governance, they trample on folks’s lives in all branches. The rule of legislation means nothing to them; the rule of man takes heart stage with attendant chaos and anarchy reigning. On the finish of the day, the folks they’re meant to serve endure a number of bruises due to their indiscretion. Individuals’s rights are violated with impunity; difficulties are imposed on them, starvation and poverty are inflicted on them. Individuals’s lives develop into largely insecure, to the extent that the nation resembles an area with out authorities. As a result of God, in His infinite knowledge, has set an finish date for each human endeavor, the time period of a public servant finally involves an finish. For elected political officers, particularly on the federal and government ranges, the utmost time period a public official can serve or impose is eight years. Subsequently, a public servant should cease working after eight years. This isn’t optionally available.

Because the curtain comes down on the time period, all kinds of regrets start to emerge, because of the departure of a public official. At this second you hear a public official lamenting like this: the opposition has sabotaged all my efforts; the earnings instantly decreased; contractors failed us (as if folks contracted contractors for them) or civil servants pissed off us by presenting hindrances. These and plenty of others instantly develop into the rhythm of the second. In fact, with out them now struggling to impose their successors in energy. The most recent craze is that the appointees are additionally scrambling to facilitate the appointment of their chosen successor. At this second one begins to surprise: why the headlong desperation to impose heirs? From expertise, though I’ve by no means been elected to the chief department earlier than, the motive appears to have often arisen from the necessity to proceed to carry workplace by proxy or the chance to proceed to get pleasure from undue patronage. The place an election ends with out an elected official having the ability to undergo his or her succession scheme, state belongings develop into the following trigger.

A public official begins to grab all movable and immovable state property he can get his palms on. By the point he is accomplished with this accident, he now realizes the necessity to begin being humble, a advantage he is deserted in his previous few years in workplace. Now all can be worshipped. The ultimate vacation spot of all of the above tales, which is the core of this dialog, is that individuals are essential to him now. They’ve, in a method or one other, been offended and require appeasement. That is the season we allude to within the thread above. Lest I neglect, within the marketing campaign for his or her successor, some types of apology would additionally seem, simply as a method to win.

At each alternative, the departing public official begins to apologize for his misdeeds and improprieties that he knew had induced struggling to the folks, however for which he noticed no cause to apologize till this era. Typical examples are the present Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. Let’s recall that a number of weeks in the past we listened to the governor apologizing to these he could have offended and asking for his or her forgiveness. Equally, President Buhari additionally adopted the identical trajectory in looking for forgiveness. This isn’t uncommon, as I mentioned earlier than, we simply discover the timing of such apologies from public officers on their means out unusual. Simply as we’re pressured to consider that God forgives our misdeeds, excesses, and transgressions, so we’re anticipated to forgive our neighbors. Subsequently, due to our spiritual nature, actually not piety, Nigerians are prone to forgive evil and inhumane leaders who’ve been wasteful over time. That is excellent news in regards to the nation and its folks. It’s our nature and character to rapidly depart every little thing we are able to to God. This identical spirit governs the forgiveness of our leaders.

The place Nigerians are so disposed and so they certainly forgive the mentioned leaders, such a public official can be anticipated, as God has ordained, if he finally occupies one other public workplace, to be repentant and virtuous in his official duties. Alas, that’s by no means the case as a result of they proceed to get pleasure from the identical or extra dangerous misdeeds towards the folks. That is the place one will get shocked and wonders what sort of folks our so-called public workplace holders are? In any case, for what it is price, Nigerians will forgive them of their spiritual strides. Nevertheless, will Nigerians neglect their misdeeds? I extremely doubt it as a result of some acts or omissions of those leaders are so dangerous and deadly that the wound can by no means heal. In case you like, think about them irreparable accidents or injury accomplished by these leaders.

Consider somebody whose beloved one has died preventing to entry their checking account or these whose livelihoods have collapsed; somebody whose beloved one died due to a nasty well being facility or a ravenous highway; able-bodied one who misplaced his job whereas holding public workplace; somebody who collapsed throughout a battle for gasoline; how do you anticipate the household to neglect such folks? This may go on and on advert infinitum. So, as for forgiveness, we are able to afford to present it up, however as for forgetting, it should stay a mirage. The general public officers involved ought to due to this fact not anticipate folks to neglect their misdeeds, even in a rush. Forgetting these misdeeds of such public officers will recommend that the folks themselves are silly and brainless and due to this fact shouldn’t willingly be entrusted with public duties once more.

Election time has come once more and residents shouldn’t make the error of electing the identical official to a different place. Aside from the above, a very powerful facet is the authorized penalties of their actions. This means that the place such misdeeds intrude with crime, the legislation should be allowed to take its course. There isn’t any means Nigerians or the system could be anticipated to simply overlook these discrepancies the place they break the legislation. They will need to have their day in courtroom, identical to another Nigerian. Whereas they’re in workplace, we respect the impunity, sorry immunity they get pleasure from, however after they’re in workplace they have to reply for his or her actions.

Though now we have witnessed some makes an attempt on this regard with former governors, there are nonetheless none so far as the President or his Vice President is anxious. Why should they continue to be insulated from post-service investigation and prosecution? In different areas, now we have seen how this class of public servants is handled the place they’ve violated the legal guidelines of the land. Within the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, the previous president, had his day in courtroom and at present he cooled down in a well-deserved place. In probably the most democratic nation of America, Donald Trump, the previous president goes by prison prosecution. Why ought to the scenario in Nigeria be an exception? It’s my opinion that whereas we get pleasure from this season of apologies, we can not neglect the misconduct of public officers, neither is the state or Nigerians keen to guard them from prosecution if they’ve fallen foul of the legislation. The rule of legislation should be promoted and maintained, apology or not.