Nepotism according to the Cambridge Dictionary is “the act of using your power or influence to get good jobs or unfair advantages for members of your own family”. Furthermore, for this article, nepotism involves cornering for oneself; one’s family, friends, relatives, local communities, hometown, home state what everyone else is equally deserving of same. For example, if every Nigerian as a person or Nigerian community where you lead or/and are responsible for deserves a university education or a university but you only ensure your family member or hometown gets it before everyone else gets it, that might be considered nepotistic.
In America, the anti-nepotism statute was passed in 1967 to stop public servants from hiring their relatives as their staff. It is believed that this law was principally motivated by President Kennedy’s appointment of his brother; Robert Kennedy; as the Attorney General. However, this law was not targeted at high-profile appointments alone but even at lowly positions.
Above is the exact phraseology of America’s anti-nepotism law. And this in a wider form can be deployed in Nigeria, as the unparalleled incompetence recorded and the state failure can be largely attributable to nepotism. For nepotistic practices undermine the credibility of public officials and erode the confidence the population will have in the authorities. These practices weaken the morale of the public servants and the entire system. Hence, everything must be done to make nepotism a thing of the past in Nigeria.
However, the nepotism discussed in this statute is a mild form of the one being practiced in Nigeria. Here, we have a virulent version now tagged, “ prebendalism”. Prebendalism according to Wikipedia is a political system in which people working for the government or in positions of power use such a position to benefit their supporters, ethnic group, co-religionists, or any other person or group they share an affinity with.
It’s because of prebendalism that the current regime in Nigeria seems to favour people that look like the president. On his watch, at least a university and a polytechnic and other federal government projects have been taken to his hometown; projects not allocated to other equally deserving towns within his home state and around the country. It’s because of prebendalism. that a Chief of Naval Staff in Nigeria will allocate a Naval Base to his hometown less deserving of such than thousands of other towns within the country.
Juxtapose such with Nigeria’s early leaders after independence. While Ahmadu Bello from Sokoto allocated the premier northern university to Zaria; hundreds of kilometres away from his hometown. Even Nnamdi Azikiwe when pushing for a university did not take it to Onitsha his hometown but Nsukka and ditto for Obafemi Awolowo with the University of Ife in Ile Ife town instead of Ikenne his hometown.
Granted, the hometowns of the people in government or positions of authority are deserving of developmental projects just like any other. However, leadership demands that you prioritise others ahead of yourself. Leadership is not about escaping harm alone or saving yourself first and leaving others to their own devices. But rather, you ensure everyone is rescued and you are the last to leave. And until we have leaders like that, we may not have it right. We need leaders who think; every senatorial district in Nigeria is deserving say a world-class hospital, then they go to work on doing that and making their hometown or home state or community last. This behaviour will ensure results and will ultimately redound to the leaders’ glory. Because your own place is last, then you would ensure things are not only done speedily but well. And when you mark this attitude as your hallmark, then you will achieve matchless success. Imagine every project that Daura has on Buhari’s watch is replicated all over the country!
Making Nigerian leaders jettison nepotism will guarantee performance and humongous results and betterment on an industrial scale for all Nigerians.