2 months ago
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In the global arena, sovereign states ‘hustle’ really hard to be ‘very demure, very mindful’, very value-driven in their exchanges with other states, and are expected to maintain a dignifying degree of productive steeze. To be globally relevant, every sovereign state needs distinct systems and defining qualities in every human endeavour. The recent recreation of the hip-hop slang of the 1980s that combines the words ‘style and ease’, gives Gen Zs a woke sense of a slick, cool and effortless way of carrying themselves. But how do countries position themselves to evolve and carry themselves with distinct styles, culture and efficiency that match the demands of the emerging generation, and define their sovereign essence? The answer lies in the deliberateness of a state to develop and productively prosper.
A sovereign state’s distinctive steeze and composure stem from the ability of the state to organise power domestically, and to accumulate power internationally. Every state is judged by its ability to exercise the monopoly of legitimate use of physical force in enforcing law and order, as the basis of the unwritten contract between individuals and the state; and the state’s ability to secure its productive interests within the global system. A state has a safety steeze when every inch of its territory is governed and is relatively safe for citizens’ industrious interactions; Germany, Japan among others have engineering steeze because other countries drive their cars around the world. Despite being at war, Ukraine has sovereign steeze because the Ukrainian government can still afford to donate 25,000 tonnes of wheat grain to Nigeria in order to alleviate the hunger crisis in a Nigeria that is not at war.
When Buckingham Palace announced that the 75-year-old King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and was to undergo treatment in a London hospital, and not in any hospital in any other country, it was apparent that the United Kingdom had the bragging steeze of a truly sovereign state. The fact that some once colonised countries like Singapore, India, Malaysia and even territories like Hong Kong, could develop on their own terms, shows that development is deliberate.
While the nations with steeze are busy building emerging technologies that will change the way we live and help avert climate disasters, steezeless states are busy investing in powerful prayers and clinging to religiosity as an alternative to mainstreaming meritocracy, hard work and measurable excellence. Leaders of states with steeze regard and treat their citizens with respect as human beings, while leaders of steezeless states see their citizens as objects of exploitation and oppression. Leaders of states with steeze harness and manage the resources of the state in such a manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen based on social justice, rule of law and equal opportunities; while leaders of steezeless states plunder, steal and shamelessly parade themselves as ‘untouchable, rich and powerful.’
States with sovereign steeze build an environment conducive to their citizens and for the world’s benefit, while the elite of steezeless states prefer to patronise developed countries, at the expense of their own country. In a steezeless state like Nigeria, citizens pay more than “N1.04 billion ransom to kidnappers in just one year” as reported by Daily Trust, yet the defence sector receives the highest budget item line in the budget.
It is a shame for a state’s political elite and public officials to take pride and preference in foreign services instead of investing and building such services in their own country. It is a shame for a president of a state with more than 200 hundred million sovereign people to sneak into another sovereign state for medical care. Imagine a president of other serious-minded countries coming into Nigeria, without the Nigerian government even noticing that such a president is in Nigeria for days. A President of a country is a reflection of the country’s sovereign identity and prestige, and cannot afford to disrespect his or her country by entering into another country without recognition, honour and mutual sovereign respect.
To reclaim Nigeria’s steeze, we need a country of equal opportunities for everyone, a country of consequences for our collective actions and inactions, a country where the rule of law is sacrosanct, a country that offers hope, a country where power truly resides with the people, a country where leaders are ashamed of themselves whenever they fail in their duties, a country where a majority of Nigerians are safe, a country with efficient service delivery systems, a system that rewards excellence in service, honours creativity, and help deter future bad behaviours.
Our country, Nigeria, needs human agents who are cultured and disciplined enough to enforce our laws and can stand strongly against powerful forces that constantly seek to undermine our collective good. Nigeria must be a country where political leaders must stand for something more important to the state than just re-elections. As Nigerians, we owe it to ourselves to do our best whenever an opportunity to serve our nation arises, because this shelter called Nigeria deserves and is worthy of our best. Our country demands non-stop sacrifices, commitments and an appreciable degree of sincerity in service to the country and to the people.
As Jools Lebron tells us of her dressing, our leaders must learn to clothe our country with works that dignify us, hard and real works that “have a little chi-chi out’ and not just the “cho-cho” of cheap talks, and our leaders must learn to respect us by stopping the ineptitude and incompetence that come with inferior services, poorly executed infrastructure and the accompanying over-quoted procurement contracts. It is time for our country to grasp the gravity of underdevelopment and the shame of being at the tail end of global affairs. We must urgently draw a line and work to turn the tide in our favour as a state. Fortunately, no state has a permanent monopoly of sovereign steeze; any state can develop at any time, provided all the variables of social change are meticulously followed.
Ekpa Stanley can be reached via [email protected]
