ON ZONING...Whatever we touch, we tend to corrupt.

Let's use the South west as an example.  There is APC southWest,  PDP southwest,  APGA southwest and other political south wests. And then there is southwest as a zone. 

When politicians say they have zoned an office to a particular zone,  what they are saying in essence  is that they have zoned such an office to their political allies and partners in that zone and not exactly for the zone generally.   

If an office is truly for a particular zone,  then it should be made to be for the zone without any political affiliation or preconditions. 

Ethnic politics is bad enough.  Making appointments based on zoning further worsen our chances at meritocracy, good governance and best practices in public service.  

It is very possible to have an inclusive government without necessarily zoning appointment and offices. Problem is that in a chop-I -chop Nigeria Limited,  appointments  habe since become something that people share like wedding cakes for personal and group power building.  It is hardly ever about ensuring that the job is available for the most competent man for the job. 

If you are looking for the reason why our public services sectors consistently continued to underperform,  look no further.  Occupants of public service institutions hardly have a strong sense of direction and purpose,  because they are there not by the power of the people,  but by virtue of political affiliation.  Loyalty is to the power block and never to the Nigerian people or state. 

The idea of quota system is not to make appointments exclusive to a particular party,  but to the best person possible for the office, whilst fulfilling the purpose of inclusive governance. But just like any management principle,  leadership style or democratic practice,  whatever we touch,  we tend to corrupt. 

If you study the American Affirmative Action principle which basically seeks to entrench inclusive governance across the American national life,  you will see that implementation of this policy,  regardless of existential criticisms,  does not in anyway look like what we have in quota system here. 

Here , should the  person that best suits the position on the table  not be a member of any political party or where he or she is even a member of opposition,  what happens? You inadvertently begin to build micro empires and patronage driven system of leadership selection. 

Point here is that a zone consists of people who belong to different political parties.  If truly the appointment on the table is for the zone,  it will be void of political affiliations and its related preconditions. 

It is important that people make effort to think well,  when it has to do with nation state development.  Meritocracy  must be prioritised  above political party affiliation. 

Quota system as it is today needs to be revisited and reviewed. It has done nothing more than build microempires across the socioeconomic and political divide.  Today,  people are loyal to politicians and not parties.  People are even loyal to government (administration)  and never the nation. 

Quota system that works will prioritise merit,  eschew incompetence, entrench a system that encourages and embraces diversity in unity. 

#justathingtonote

A. M. O