The Intellectuals And 2023 Gubernatorial Elections: Plateau State In Perspective

By Godfree Matthew Esq.

Introduction

The political race for the governorship seat of Plateau State generated a lot of keen interest, partly because of the participations of outstanding intellectuals that are interested in occupying the Little Rayfield, Jos, in 2023. Apart from the inspiring profiles of these aspirants, they are also maestros in their various fields. Academically, about three governorship aspirants are First Class breeds. One of the aspirants is a scientist of international repute. Also, amidst these intellectuals is an adroit advocate who was the first Plateau State indigenous lawyer to attain the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria- a status that is an aspiration of many, but a destination of few.

The First Class breeds of the intelligentsia aspiring for the gubernatorial seats of Plateau State, also left their footprints of sound academic exploits in the sand of time. Their academic and professional exploits have both international and national accolades. The intelligence of a Plateau Man is aptly captured by a sage who once commented in Hausa language that “Mutanen Pilato, ga suda ilimi ka ma za rubuta a kan ruwa,” meaning that, Plateau people are so intelligent that they can write with pen on the surface of water.

In light of the above, it is apparent to note that the 2023 governorship election of Plateau State has witnessed an influx of the political space by ingenious intellectuals. Considering the cerebral pedigree of these men aspiring for the governorship seat in 2023, a further question is “What happens when the Newtons, Einsteins, John Lockes and John Thorpes descend into the political arena”? This question is spurred by the facts that the intellectuals represent the class of the enlightened ones and perfectionists. As such there is high expectations that their wealth of wisdom will be deployed to bring about good governance.  Thus, a further question is this: is there any correlation between intellectualism and political proficiency? In responding to these questions, this article shall address five main issues. Firstly, it shall discuss the citizens’ expectations of intellectuals aspiring for political offices. The second part will examine how intellectuals aspiring for political offices will address the current waves of anti- intellectualism. In the third arm of this writing, the writer examines some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the intellectuals and political proficiency. The fourth part discussed the question on whether or not the Plateau intellectuals can disprove the views of conspiracy theories postulated about them. The last part of this work examines the agenda before the Plateau intellectuals aspiring for governorship seat in Plateau State comes 2023.

Citizens’ Expectations of Intellectuals Aspiring For Governorship Seat of Plateau State in 2023  

The involvement of intellectuals in politics comes with a lot of expectations. This follows the reasoning that the intellectuals are mostly presumed to be custodians of enlightenments and knowledge. Their display of knowledge and sophistry is what may endear others to them. Equally, there are others whose expectations about the intelligentsia are skeptical. They want to see how the sophistry exhibited by the intellectuals in classroom and symposia are translated into a concrete reality in the art of governance. The public are eager to see how the eloquence and elocution exhibited in communicating some of the ideals in classrooms and conferences, will translate into reality when ‘those who know best’ are entrusted with the management of state affairs. To the public, having an intellectual as governor, is another opportunity to watch a preacher living by what he preaches.

The high rates of public expectations about intellectuals in leadership are gingered by three things. Firstly, most of the intellectuals are good critics of everything that is contrary to established standards and theories. Secondly, they are the authors of some policies implemented by governments (both present and previous administrations).Thirdly, having the intellectuals in the helm of affairs is another opportunity to witness how they can translate the reality between political theories into practice. As such the public are expected to see how the lofty ideals canvass in classrooms and other public institutions will be reflected in political administration; should an intellectuals emerged as the governor of Plateau State in 2023. The public are expecting to see how the intellectuals will practically proffer solutions to some of the previous policies they criticized and condemned while away from the seat of power.

To cap it all, the public expectations about Plateau intellectuals is nothing but  sheer excellence and quality leadership. Anything beyond that is a denigration of their status, travesty of wisdom and breach of public expectation.

The Intellectuals, Anti-Intellectualism and Public Trust

One of the plights of intellectual in every stage of human civilization is public distrust. In ancient Greece, Socrates was executed via poisoning for his rationalism and interrogation of certain fundamentals of societal beliefs. In Medieval Era, Galileo was sentenced by the church for his belief that earth orbits the sun. In these instances, the greatest enemies of the intellectuals are the ruling class. The next question is, do intellectuals enjoy the popular supports of the masses? The answer to this is no. sometimes the Intellectuals are sandwiched between the suspicion of the ruling class and the distrust of the masses. History has it that during political upheavals, instigated by intellectuals themselves, certain intellectuals are not spared. A perfect example of this case is that of French revolutions where certain intellectuals like Antoine Lavoisier (who was the father of modern chemistry) was guillotined, not because of his intellectualism, but because of his social status. The famous story of anti-intellectualism is succinctly captured in Shakespeare’s Play, Henry VI , In Part II (Act IV), Scene 2, when a villain Dick the Butcher said, “the first thing we do is lets killed all the lawyers.” This is because Dick believed that in order to have a successful anarchy, lawyers must be silenced.

The above historical antecedents on anti-intellectualism are recurring in our present state of global affairs. Currently, Anthony Fauci’s role in COVID 19 pandemic and the vaccination conundrum made many people to detest the intellectuals. Some specifically called for the sack of Anthony Fauci. In United Kingdom, about 40 Engineers were attacked by masses. They were suspected of conniving with telecommunications companies to spread COVID 19 pandemic. In Nigeria, the gap between the rich and poor is similar to the gap between the educated and the illiterate masses. This class distinction may be a political advantage or disadvantage depending on how circumstances unfold.

Another flaw of the intellectuals that spurs anti-intellectualism is poor human relations. Psychologist believe that because of their thorough intellectual commitments towards ideal and strive for perfection, the intellectuals are less sociable, thereby having poor human relations. Thus, while they posses rich mental intelligence, the intellectuals have poor social intelligence. They found it difficult to accommodate people outside the spheres of their intellect. They emphasized so much on protocols (odium of the masses). They are idealistic and sometimes too rigid. Only few people are exceptional here.

However, in politics, it is ironic that the few intellectuals want the votes of majority illiterates, whom some of them don’t want to identify with. Or are the Plateau intellectuals hoping to explore Robert Michels’ theory of iron law of oligarchy? This postulates that for effective administration, the decision making should be made by few elites; a sphere that favours the intellectuals.  But within the context of politics, intellectual oligarchy is not a strong force to reckon with among political power brokers. In democracy, the real power brokers are those who identified, mingled and interact with the masses without any shows of class distinction. In Plateau state the power brokers are those who understand the social, cultural and pedestrian dynamics of the masses. The power brokers are sound street sociologists who rely more on people as their subjects of studies, than relying on institutional influences. Abraham Lincoln understood this well, when he remarked that “God loves the poor, that is why He created them more.” Perhaps, that is what inspired Lincoln’s definition of democracy from the populist view.

Another, political dilemma of Plateau intelligentsia comes 2023, is that even the elites (within their social class) don’t trust themselves with political power. This is partly because the power brokers are afraid that handing over power to an intellectual is like entrusting a cat with custody of fish. In a typical Nigerian setting, politicians want successors who will be submissive and loyal to them, even after their are out of power. They want their successors to clean up the muddy footprints of their previous administrations. They want somebody that can cover up for their wrongdoings after their garment of immunity is over.

But it was noted that from the stock of the intellectuals contesting for Governorship seat in Plateau State, none of them can guarantee their predecessor that they can cover his misdeeds. Or pledge absolute loyalty and be subservient to him while in power. All of them are adjudged guys with class, pedigree and political wits. These virtues are so ingrained in them to the extent that they cannot even pretend otherwise. They can’t act a good script on political pretense. They are not good actors of ‘political pretense.’ They will be miscasts when filming a movie titled, ‘pretense.’

The plight of Plateau intelligentsia contesting for 2023 elections could be two-fold. They may have the odium of the masses (especially the middle-class) who might be intimidated by their track records and political elites who are insecure by their pedigree. Some may dislike them because of the psychological and social gaps in the status or ethnic background. Some elites may dislike them because of the fear of ‘the known’- these guys are superlative upstairs and cannot be manipulated.

Despite the odds against the intellectuals in governance, it is objective to state intelligence is a virtue in politics and not a vice. If that is so who is afraid of having an intellectual as the next Governor of Plateau state? Why are people skeptical of having intellectuals in power? The response to these questions are answered at the next arm of this writing; conspiracy theories about intellectual in political leadership.

The Conspiracy Theories about Intellectual in Politics   

Before discussing the conspiracy theories surrounding the proficiency of intellectuals in politics, the stories of two eminent scholars are necessary for illustrations. These intellectuals are Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Isaac Newton, who because of his exploits in his fields of study, was elected by his people to represent them in the British Parliament. This was a person that is celibate, as he never married (he believed in the relationship between intellectual proficiency and celibacy). Nevertheless, he was called to represent his people in the parliament, because of his achievement in sciences. However, according to Hansard, when Isaac Newton got into parliament, his only contribution throughout his stay in the Parliament (in his first tenure), was an instruction to parliament staff, “shut the window”.

The story of Albert Einstein is equally interesting. When he discovered his famous theory of relativity he became a global icon. In fact, the name Einstein is synonymous with high intellect. When the state of Israel was created in 1948, the Prime Minister Ben Gurion offered him the position of President Israel. Einstein humbly turned down the offer and remarked that he spent his life dealing with objective matters; as such “I am not good with people.”

The contrasting stories of Newton and Einstein are good pointers for intellectuals contesting for political positions to have a sober reflections and asked, where can I pitched my tent between the camps of Newton and Einstein? Can I be like Isaac Newton and perform abysmally or restraint myself like Einstein and retain my honour? Newton was more preoccupied with natural sciences than political science. May be his inspiration to join politics was to satisfy his fans. His story shows that they could be difference between intellectual ingenuity and political proficiency. Einstein, on the other hand was candid to tell the world that he cannot mixed intellectualism with politics.

One of the conspiracy theories about intellectuals is that once they assumed power they ceased to uphold the tenets of their teachings. They distanced themselves from the theories and sound propositions they used to canvass at seminars/ lectures. They now joined the pool of politics and its politricking. A story was told of a Nigerian Professor from a renown University in Northern Nigeria. Prior to assuming the status of a Senator, this Professor was known as a staunch Marxist; he doesn’t wear a tie, very conservative and critical of capitalism. When he became a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria hopes were high among the communists that Marxist’s ideals will be reflected in parliament. But as he started to enjoy the dividends of democracy (perquisites of capitalism), he eventually divorced communism. One day his student met him and asked:

Student: It’s been long we heard from you Prof.

Senator/Prof: I was really pre-occupied with national assignments, specifically legislative engagements……

Student: Sir, we noticed that there is high inflation in this regime and the wage of workers is static, and you are mute.

Senator/Prof: I’m not in the executive arm of the government, you know,…

Student: I see Sir, but Lenin said that when it comes to advocating the welfare of the proletariat, a comrade should not be restricted by class stratification imposed by exploitative capitalist system….

Senator/Prof: (Laughs), Lenin made that statement in 20^th century during the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. We are now in the 21^st century, where we are gearing towards modernization. You see Lenin views are more apt to the reality of classroom than in politics, and not in tandem with the reality of a globalizing 21^st century.

This story clearly shows that in honor people change their attitude and proponents of ideas could easily compromised their stands once they have access to opportunities that exposed them to new realities. Only few individuals are born to be exceptional to this reality. It takes real men of value to stands for ideal amidst temptations.

Another conspiracy theory postulates that, people don’t like intellectuals in governance because once they have access to political powers, they helped in destroying the age-long established norms and values of their various professions. This can be done either by action or omission. In Nigeria, a trained educationist can be a minister or president of the country, yet teachers will be struggling with the payment of their salaries and literacy level will be poor. A medical doctor may be president of the country, yet doctors will be going on strike and hospitals will be starving of health facilities. A journalist may be a president or minister of information, yet there will be gagging of press and brutalization of journalist. A lawyer may be a president or minister of justice, yet court orders will not be obeyed, rule of law will be abused and judges intimidated. The most unfortunate situation is that when these leaders are in power, perpetrating these anomalies (even violating their respective professional ethics); their various professional bodies will be given them awards. And when they are out of office, they will rarely be sanctioned by their professional bodies.

Furthermore, there are some conspiracy theorists who believe that intellectuals are poor in social intelligence. They believe that their devotion to research and studies have alienated them from social lives. Most of their social networks are limited to certain classes of people such as colleagues within their professions, students in educational institutions and other experts of like mindedness. Also, intellectuals deal with people that are highly rational and schooled, who view a lot of things from the prism of formalism. However, this is in sharp contrast with political leadership which accommodates various set of human characters- which includes more informal people than the formal ones. More electorates and followers in Nigeria are from the educationally backward constituency. The tendency of intelligentsia to rule over them with the world view of formalism associated with the elitist class is what they may distaste.

Again, there are those who belief that most intellectuals, especially the academic and professional breeds, are highly theoretical in their approaches to national issues. They approaches to issues are suggestive backed by sound eloquence. They have the tendency of misconceiving politics and policy.

Another conspiracy theory postulates that the intellectuals sometimes have the tendency to underrate those that they are governing because of their intelligence. The celebrations of their achievements by their students and other professional colleagues sometimes built the ego of ‘I know it all’ in them. They see themselves as learned while others are merely educated, but unlearned.

One conspiracy theory alleged that the intellectuals sometimes have the tendency of viewing things mostly from the prism of their professionalism. As such they lack versatility and variety, as a result, they found it difficult to adjust and adapt to the political realities at hand. They tend to look at everything from the perspective of their professions. That is why sometimes, a doctor may view everything through the ‘lens’ of stethoscope, a lawyer will view everything from the perspective of legalism, a scientist may view everything with the mindset of laboratory analyses; the list goes on. The saying that he who is good with hammer tends to think of everything in terms of nail, aptly described the bane of intellectuals in political leadership, according to this theory.

Another arm of conspiracy theory about the intellectuals is the political philosophy of logos, ethos and pathos paradigm. This theory postulates that when it comes to politics, the strengths and weaknesses of intellectuals revolves around the troika of logos, ethos and pathos. The ability of an intellectual to satisfy the criteria prescribed by these paradigms is a sign that he will be a good political leader.

Logos deals with the power of logical reasoning and persuasions, where statistics, analyses and eloquence are displayed. Logos is an asset to intellectuals considering their backgrounds in research and analyses. That is why most intellectuals are best debaters, avid critics, counselors, special advisers and policy makers.

The pathos deals with the issues of trust and credibility. While most intellectuals are presumed to be of good standing as role models to their students and other professional colleagues, still it is not conclusive that they satisfy the requirements of the pathos. In other words, can the electorates trust the intellectuals with their votes? This is not a yes or no answer, as trust is an expensive asset in human relations today. If the society is skeptical of trusting clergymen, how more will it be to trust a ‘wise man’ who is a politician?

Ethos on the other hand, deals with identifying and respecting the societal norms and values of the electorates. It is concerned with how a politician will appease to the emotions, sentiments and realities of the masses. It deals with the knack of a politician in adapting to the street-like and pedestrian worldviews of the electorate. This requires extraordinary interpersonal skills and social intelligence. This ideal is no doubt a distant entity for some elitist intellectuals to meet. This is where many intellectuals and their ideals are strangers to the electorates.

The above conspiracy theories may be appealing to the grammar of politics. But a curious reader may be prompt to inquire further whether these conspiracy theories regarding the proficiency of intelligentsia in politics are conclusive? A response to this poser is that these theories are not conclusive and true reflections about intellectuals in politics. This is because sometimes theories don’t really described the true reflections of social facts. They are based on isolated instances of accidental incidences. Also the philosophy that to every general rule there is an exception, may favour the intellectuals against the accusations of conspiracy theories

Is There Any Hope for the Plateau Intellectuals Aspiring For Governorship Elections in 2023 to Rebut the Speculation Postulated by Conspiracy theories?

An intellectual can still be a Governor of Plateau state, if the political permutations favour him. Having an intellectual as a governor of Plateau State is an asset to the state. Incidentally, history favours the intelligentsia, by having one of them as the First Governor of Plateau State (then comprising of Benue-Plateau State), that is Joseph Dechi Gomwalk. He was an intelligentsia in all fours, professionally and intellectually.

Coincidentally, among the recent crops of intelligentsia contesting for the Governorship of Plateau State, there are many equals of Joseph Dechi Gomwalk in terms of intellectual capacity. However, as of their leadership proficiency, it will not be fair to conclude that none of them can outdo him, since they have not yet accede to the position as Governor of Plateau State. This thought is also a pointer and a challenge to the intellectuals vying for Governorship seat that someone of their pedigree was there and has set a standard for them.

As a rebuttal to conspiracy theory against the capacity of intellectuals in political offices, contemporary history abounds with intellectuals who impacted the political arena positively. They were able to apply the theories  espoused in the classroom with the reality of political space.  For example, Margaret Thatcher was a scientist. She was the one who developed emulsifiers that is very useful in making ice cream.  Jimmy Carter was a nuclear scientist. Bill Clinton taught constitutional law in University of Arkansas before venturing into politics. Similarly, Barrack Obama was teacher of Constitutional law in University of Chicago. Angela Merkel is a PhD Holder in Quantum Chemistry, while His Holiness Pope Francis is a Chemical technician. In Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, a scientist, equally contributed to healthy democratic practices in Nigeria.

These people did well in global and national politics as well as international relations. The testimonies of these guys should serve as an inspiration to the Plateau intelligentsia aspiring for governorship seat. With this ray of optimism, it is positive that Plateau intellectuals can hopefully contest and become a Governor of Plateau State.

The Agenda before the Plateau Intellectuals aspiring for Governorship seat of Plateau State in 2023    

If an intellectual emerged as the governor of Plateau State what should be his priority towards the state? Some of the probable agenda that citizens will be expecting from their governor comes 2023 include human capacity building, diversification of economy, addressing insecurity, education, infrastructural revolution, creation of Bureau for criticism and appointments of technocrats as commissioners.

Plateau state is known to be the breeding hub of famous people in sports, entertainment, politics, religion and other spheres of life. Therefore any person that emerged as a governor has the tasks of harnessing the human resources of plateau state towards positive progress. Once this is tackled, it will replace the ingenuity exhibited in criminal acts such as kidnapping, ritual killings and youth restiveness. This will bolster quality human capital development in Nigeria. To ensure that these ideals meet with reality, educational, health and sports institutions should be rejuvenated in Plateau State. Sport festivals like Governor’s Cup in football, basketball, handball, scientific and local crafts competitions, etc should be encouraged.

Economy plays a vital role in good governance. There is the need for diversifications of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) considering the vast resources of the state. The agricultural and tourist sectors shall be stimulated to reflect the real heritage of Plateau state. To this end, the BARC farm should be resuscitated. The Main Market should be given serious attention, even if it means partnering with foreign investors in a 50/50 arrangements formula. The beautiful geography of Plateau State should be transformed to a tourist, research and excursion centers. This will activate the long abandoned potentials of the state.

Security and intelligence should be given utmost priority by the incoming Governor of Plateau State. The killings on the Plateau need to be halted. The citizens are expecting nothing less than this. They want an end to the series of the killings in the state. They want an emphatic Governor that will feel where their shoes are pinching. They want a Governor that will advocate for the advancement of the peace and security of Plateau Citizens, and not to exchange the heritage of his people for the adulation of others. They want a governor that will cry and smile with them; a governor who will sacrifice his personal ambition for the good of his people.

Education is another sector that should be given special attention by the incoming Governor of Plateau State. The concerns of the teachers should be vigorously pursued. This will boost confidence of the teachers. Constant capacity building should be encouraged. The current literacy level of the state is a paradox of its erstwhile famous educational institutions like the Vom, Kuru, Gindiri, Nakam Memorial, etc.,.

Also, more vocational and scientific educations should be encouraged. 70% of the state scholarships should be geared towards sciences, technology, agriculture and entrepreneurship. There should be research grants to people who are willing to explore these spheres of educations. These priorities should be vigorously pursued.

Infrastructural revolution is indispensable in redesigning a 21^st century Plateau. The frightening infrastructural states of the health institutions, social amenities, transport services, etc., need attentions. The health institutions like Specialist Institutions should live up to its true essence. Water board needs resuscitation from its comatose. State should invest and encourage indigenous competition in power sectors.

In order to ensure public participations in governance, they should be a Bureau for Public Criticism. This office should serve as an inter-face between the citizens and government. It is meant to constructively criticize the ongoing policies of the government in power and draw the attention of government to other better alternatives. The Office shall be a government medium that hears and sieves the views of all citizens (including non Plateau Citizens and Members of the opposition) party. A Director-General shall be appointed by the Governor to oversee the operations of that Office. This office shall direct the collation of constructive criticism from various professionals, associations, NGOs and other similar interest group. The Office shall also evaluate the said criticisms and revert back to the public on how and where the government has honour their criticisms/suggestions. The only cases where publicity will not be encouraged are those dealing with security and other sensitive matters. Doing so will bolster citizen’s confidence, give them sense of belonging and promote inclusive government.

Lastly, there should be appointments of technocrats as commissioners with portfolio. They should be given specific tenure of 2 years to perform. They should be given some levels of independence in the discharge of their duties. At the expiration of 2 years, their tenure can be renewed. The Governor, his deputy and the Secretary to the State Government should supervise compliance and non-compliance of the designated portfolio by the Commissioners.