A few days ago, I posted the tweet below asking young people to be careful in the run up to 2019. The part that riled people the most is the statement that you need to lack integrity to be a politician. One of the more intelligent commentators that disagreed was @DemolaRewaju.
Others were plainly shocked that I said so. Some even asked whether I was asking the youth not to vote by saying they shouldn’t vouch for any politician. I therefore undertook to address the issues raised by @DemolaRewaju this afternoon. So, here goes. Thread.
In order to limit the scope for misunderstanding and misinterpretation, any intelligent discourse should start with definitions. So what is this integrity that I said you need to lack to be a politician? Below is the dictionary definition of the word integrity👇🏽 
You can see that the word integrity alludes to qualities like honour, rectitude, trustworthiness, sincerity and truthfulness. These are the things I say you need to lack to be a politician. I never said they were requirements to be a politician. They are actually hinderances.
To support my assertion, I could do an anthology of centuries of political philosophical thought, but I don’t have the time for that now and, quite frankly, Twitter is not the appropriate platform for it. Suffice it to say that this issue has been debated for centuries.
In “The Republic”, Plato in 380BC painted an utopian view of a type of politics based on integrity, justice, moral uprightness and honour. He failed spectacularly as a politician & retreated to his forte of philosophical thought. Others too have tried and failed. It doesn’t work.
Fast forward to the year 1513 and to one of the most underrated political thinkers in history, in my opinion, Nicolo Machiavelli, who wrote “Prince.” In “Prince”, Machiavelli provides advice on how to seek and retain political power. He covers integrity and honour comprehensively
In this excerpt from “Prince”, Machiavelli agrees that integrity in a ruler is a good thing but says that from his experience, rulers that have succeeded have been those that lack integrity. He says the ruler must be a cunning fox, rather than someone whose words can be trusted.
Again, fast forward to Nigeria from 1999 onwards. The youth believed that moving from military rule to democracy would automatically bring Eldorado, after all, the incoming President handed over power and instituted democracy. Oh and he came out of prison and can feel our pain!
I will skip 2007 out of respect for the dead. Hopes were raised again in 2011. After all, the incoming President had no shoes. Being from humble beginnings, he knows what it is to be poor. Oh and he’s been lucky all his life and it will infect us. Naming patterns of kids changed.
Perhaps no election in our history raised expectations like the 2015 elections. After all, the incoming President is a man of integrity. He lived a spartan lifestyle and wasn’t after money. From May 29, 2015, Nigeria was going to become nirvana. The youth were HIGHLY expectant.
I have worked directly at the highest levels of government, with 1 Prime Minister & 2 Presidents, and have advised several. I will not even count governors & ministers that I have worked with directly and indirectly. I do not believe in breaching confidences, so I won’t start now
Suffice it to say that politics at the highest levels is often a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. You are (or at least should be) constantly trying to do the best for the majority. To do so, you would often HAVE TO subordinate your own morals and beliefs.
You could sincerely believe that you need to close Guantanamo Bay and you promise it in your campaign. When you get into power, you cannot be held to your words. You may draw a red line for Syria, threaten action & then do nothing when that red line is crossed when you weigh it.
Does not keeping your word make you a bad politician? I will argue that it doesn’t. What it does is actually to make you a politician. That is the nature of the game. Nothing is impossible, so we may one day find a successful politician who keeps their word.
The job of the politician is to promise a better life in order to gain political power. More jobs, lower interest rates, better housing, more food, better security, far-reaching reforms, etc. Some achieve these things better than others, but not on the basis of integrity & honour
So, if a politician tells you they will publicly declare their assets if they win, don’t stake your life on it. I have said I won’t drink sachet pure water, eat roast corn or iyan kolobe. If I ever run for office (I won’t), don’t be surprised if I do these things to get power.
So, my admonition to the youth is to temper their expectations. In my view, we currently run a political system that almost seems designed not to work. Our Constitution is unhelpful. The political structure is all wrong. Until we change that structure, we are in a one-chance car.
Does that mean we shouldn’t vote? Absolutely not! People sacrificed their liberty & even lives to get us the vote. But we need to be aware that politics is a game of hypocrisy. Does it mean we shouldn’t go into politics? Of course not but let’s understand what we are getting into
Baba Adedibu once asked Ladoja whether he could lie with his hand on the Quran. Ngige was once taken to a shrine to swear an oath. Many governors that hand over to people they select extract one sort of “solemn promise” or the other from them. Think it’s no longer happening? Lol!
So, don’t hold any politician to a high moral standard or expect them to tell you the truth or follow through on promises they made. The profession requires that they subordinate it to obtain and retain power. Don’t place your hopes too high, especially within the current system.
In conclusion, as David Runciman asks, “What kind of hypocrite should voters choose as their next leader?” It may be a cynical question but “it is actually more cynical to pretend that a politician can ever be completely sincere.” Guard your heart. End!✌🏽
