Nigerian Public Discourse  

Book Review 

Title:          Nigerian Public Discourse  The Interplay of Empirical Evidence  and Hyperbole

Author:         Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN

Publisher:   Quramo Publishing Limited 

Hardcover:  ISBN: 978-978-783-324-7

Softcover:  ISBN: 978-978-781-657-8

Number of Pages:    218

Year of Publication:     2023

Name of Reviewer:  Ayodele Atsenuwa, Professor of       Public Law, University of Lagos

Introduction 

Like the author, I have been engaged with the ‘Nigerian discourse’ for many years. I found the short treatise (and I say short because when you see it from afar or hold it in your hands, it seems a pretty small book) but of 218 pages wherein the author attempts to surmise the wide spectra of ideas and thoughts underpinning conversations, debates and discussions about ‘the problem with Nigeria’ and through these, offer some proposals as to how we may differently approach our interrogation of the problems.

Intriguing Book Title

The intriguing title of the book, Nigerian Public Discourse – the Interplay of Empirical Evidence and Hyperbole, I would say, is an upfront confession that this is not going to be a book with ‘The Answers’ that trump all other answers. After all, empirical evidence and hyperboles belong to worlds as far apart as the east and the west. Hyperboles are ‘exaggerated realities’ which is the direct opposite of what empirical evidence stand for; the latter may be described as ‘true realities’. 

This, simply put, is a book that tries to capture the intricate dance between reality and imagination as the world tries to understand the enigma of that African giant that has yet to attain its full stature even after 100 years of being (or shall I say 63 years of independence) in the interplay of empirical evidence and hyperboles.  

The Book

The titles of the 16 Chapters of the book are very telling of the author’s approach to how we should explore the complex interplay of empirical evidence and hyperbole, as they manifest themselves in the Nigerian discourse. 

In the first five chapters, the author delves into ‘The dialectics of a local discourse in a global context..’, and an exegesis of the jurisprudential imperative of law and order, and also undertakes what he calls a scholarly examination of the imperative of data and statistical analysis on policy formulation, and an examination of the dilemma of out-of-school children in the course of a critical examination of the country’s educational crisis. 

In the next three chapters, he undertakes a dissection of the enigma of the housing deficit, even as he tries to deconstruct the myth of One dollar a Day in his interrogation of the assertion that Nigeria is the world’s poverty capital. 

In undertaking a critical examination of the electricity dilemma, he contends that we must consider reevaluating the sharp divide between the on-grid and off-grid source of energy in accounting for energy capacity that drives our economy. When all of this is done, the author muses in Chapter 8 on whether Nigeria is not, in fact, faced with the challenge of unfair criticism in the incessant comparison with much smaller African States, without proven data on superiority of infrastructure.  

As can be expected of a Lawyer-turned-Politician, the author does not leave out his musings about the place of law, governance and civics in the overall schema of the Nigerian paradox. In Chapter 9 he turns to question whether the legal framework as provided by the Constitution of the country is not too weak to sustain the structure that encases the national polity and wonders aloud: Is our constitution is not the fundamental problem? 

In Chapter 10, he reflects on the conundrum of minimum wage, and continues his internal musings by making a case for a comprehensive remodelling of the salary structure, an ever-raging conundrum with a history dating to the 1930s. 

In the last six chapters of the book, he offers the citizen insights for how to engage with the political system with themes such as Duties and responsibilities of citizens, Governance protocols: frills and cost – my takeaway. He explores how citizens may retake the reins of the democratic system by asking the questions, ‘what can the President do for me?’ and ‘what am I voting for?’ as part of the quest for ensuring that governance and government work for the good of the people. What lessons does Brexit offer, for the clamour for restructuring for a better Life? 

The book chapters close with the author asking the all-important question, ‘how can we reinvent Nigeria?’, focusing us the rights and duties of both government and citizens.  

Significance of the Book

Does it add anything significant to the Nigerian public discourse? The answer I would state categorically is ‘Yes, it does’.

In writing this book, I dare say, the author is in some way, providing that much needed leadership.The book challenges some of the dominant but simplistic approaches, to interrogating the Nigerian problem. 

The intention of the author from the title is to try to separate the wheat from the chaff, when it comes to the factors critical to understanding the problem of and the problem with Nigeria. I dare say the hope of the author is to assist readers to modify how they reflect on the Nigerian problem. The book contents straddle ‘real facts’ (forgive the tautology), that is empirical evidence on which critical reflections and analysis of ‘the problem with Nigeria’ can verily rest, and ‘imagined’ realities (forgive the oxymoron) far removed from the truth on which ‘the problem with Nigeria’ is simplistically but often erroneously deduced and summarised, and from which simplistic proposals for redress are offered. Through this approach, the author appears to be urging that in depicting and in analysing the Nigerian problem, there is need for a more valuing of facts (accurate data and other forms of empirical evidence). 

The book offers a lot, for citizen enlightenment about the political system. Specifically, from Chapters 11 to 16, the author challenges citizens to interrogate their assumptions about their vote, the powers of the President, as well as the powers of officials of other arms and other tiers of government. Though he does not state so explicitly, from the combined reading of the Chapters and especially Chapter 15 which offers lessons from Brexit and even the former Yugoslavia, the author seems to be advising that those agitating for restructuring will do well to manage their expectations.    

I would say the greatest value of this book, lies in the author’s consistent charge that in engaging in interrogation of the problem with Nigeria, Nigerians must stop for a moment and question their assumptions about the tools of interrogation – the neutrality of traditional methods and tools of scientific and socio-scientific inquiry derived from Western cultural ontology. The approach of the book, without explicitly alluding to the post-modern, critical theory and post-colonial theories and without necessarily adopting the associated jargons of these theories, espouses most of the values of the alt-theories and alt-fields. Hence, whose dollar a day is the measure of poverty.   

The use of logic, and more of logical reasoning is the resounding preachment of the book. 

The Lawyer-author would wish that all citizens be like him in their value for accuracy of information, as the society moves ineluctably towards a higher value for evidence-based planning for development.True, most Nigerian languages and the emergent Nigerian culture exhibit a high tolerance for hyperboles and imprecision in use of language. However, the Lawyer in the author has little patience for that, as seen in many parts of the book. A succinct illustration of his tendency to precise use of language, is how he points out in Chapter 10 that Item 34 of the Exclusive Legislative List speaks only to wages and not salary. With the two words having distinctive meanings, he submits that there is no basis for the Federal Government to dabble into salary negotiations, other than for its direct employees. Conflating the two distinct words over the years has portended much ill for the peace and development of Nigeria, pitting government at the different levels against one another and government and the citizens against one another.  

Criticism 

Without denuding the value of this book for all that has been said above, I cannot but note that in its style, some would criticise it for reading like a set of apologetics in defence of governments they believe have performed at subpar level and in which the author has served. This is because in many parts of the book, the author devoted much emphasis to  showing the efforts of governments at delivering good governance through appropriate policy and law reforms, financing, and programme interventions. It may also be argued that the approach that focuses on urging modification of the basis of measurement of the indices of good governance and development, stumps the lived reality of many citizens who have had to live through the pains of falling through the cracks. 

 Still others may criticise the author for being tedious in his consistent urging for adoption of pristine approaches, such as precision in the use of words to describe situations and perfect accuracy of data. Again, they may ask, how does that ameliorate the pains that real people affected by governance deficits feel?  

The author’s firm belief that having all facts laid on the table makes citizens less vulnerable to misinformation and manipulation by those in pursuit of other self-interests, seems to be the guiding principle. 

Conclusion 

That said, would I recommend this book? Most certainly. The book is what it says it is – a book on Nigerian Public Discourse exploring the interplay of empirical evidence and hyperbole. It is written from the perspective of a citizen-politician who has gone to the front and has returned, and who has a written a book for citizens like himself. 

It is not a political treatise, nor is it about proposals for law or policy reforms, or even structural reforms. It is not a book written for the Government and its officials, or any non-human entity. It is a book that seeks to speak to citizens. as the other side in the government-citizen relations. In doing this, it offers much insight as can help citizens reconstruct their perspectives and redesign their approaches as they seek to engage the Nigerian problem in the course of public discourse. 

The book is written in simple, easy to read language. As stated above, it is short enough not to weary the readers. Although well-grounded as an intellectual piece, the work is not cluttered with expositions around any political or economic theories and or any other theories for that matter.  

I commend it to all.