By : Comrade Lekan Badmus.
Few days ago, the former military president ( never mind the abberation of the nomenclature), General Babangida stirred honet’s nest when he posited that the next president of Nigeria should be a young chap. Characteristics of his maradonic style, the statement was a tacit exclusion of the two major probable heirs apparent to the presidency.
Arguably, IBB does not just talk. He is not a loquacious. But when he does or sneezes, he is not suffering from flu but one that is highly impregnated with proverbs. It is not therefore a misconstrue of intention to infer that the statement was political – an apparent reference to the doyen of contemporary politics; Asiwaju Tinubu and the serial presidential Aspirant, Alhaji Atiku. It however remains to be seen whether the statement was borne out of patriotism, innuendos or parochial sentiment. Known for who he is, IBB may be using age as a bait to play upon the intelligence of the public and a comical way to discredit the duo.
An objective periscoping of the statement of the evil-genius is not a bad idea in view of 2023 election. Thus, the correlation between Aging and Degenerative Disorders as contributory factors to optimal functioning of the next president.
Presidency is a real business. An herculean task, energy-sapping and highly demanding. The occupant of the coveated seat requires absolute fitness or health especially at this time of depressed economy in which the instincts of survival have become very acute and stimulated all faculties, leading atimes, to tilted and disturbed physical and mental states.
The grey hairs on the heads of most of our leaders do not necessarily imply old age but a consequence of stress; associated with physiological changes – the expression of which is coordinated by hypothalamus – located at the brain and the Autonomic Nervous System. The physiological changes that take place within a man, are to a large extent beyond his control.
Ironically, the demanding fitness of the would-be president is a relative term. From the interpretation of health by the World Health Organization-WHO (1948), ” Health is a complete state of physical, mental, social and emotional well-being of an individual; not merely the absence of diseases or infirmities”. An infraction from the above shows that no man could be absolutely healthy. Every man is a mortal. Really, health is dynamic. A quality of life which enables one to live most and serve best .
Be that as it may, the opinion of IBB was personal and so could not be fostered on the nation. The letter of the constitution is crystal clear on the qualifications which are requisites to political aspirations.
Efficiency is a product of experience, maturity and political will. The fact that an Aspirant has come of age should not be seen as an excuse to exclude or disenfranchise him.
Aging is the continuous wearing away of body tissues with the consequent decline in function of the body. Chronologically, a person is deemed to be aged when he clocks certain calendar years. However, he may appear old or young depending on his lifestyle and the magnitude of insults on his body within his environment. Physical signs of aging are multi-facetted. The skin loses suppleness, wrinkles, grey hair, teeth dropping, shrinking of body and facial distortion. All these changes are gradual and are accompanied with decline functions. Other physical traits are senile or dementia.
The greatest psychological problem which the aging encounter emanate from neglect and cynism of the society which seems to say that the aged and aging are useless. Prejudice against the aged as exemplified by IBB is displayed in several ways in our obsession with desiring to be youthful.
Evidences relating to mental efficiency of the aging show that intelligence does not decline with age. Although, certain degenerative disorders begin to manifest.
Aging is associated with degenerative disorders which are often referred to as diseases of old age. They cannot be rightly considered as being in the same category as other diseases especially communicable diseases. However, an interaction of the other factors in the causation of diseases can affect the diseases in this group. Degenerative disorders which are as a consequence of aging include arthritis (joint disorder), menopausal disorder, cataracts, hypertension, cancer, obesity, diabetes to mention but a few.
To a large extent, these diseases are inevitable because they are manifested in the wake of the gradual deterioration of the body tissues with age. In other words, if a politician lived long enough to escape the hazards of the environment, or adopted a healthy lifestyle, he would inevitably needs medical check- ups of the vital organs of the body. These organs have life spans. Therefore, it is not something strange for the likes of Tinubu, Atiku, Buhari, Obasanjo even IBB to seek medical attention outside Nigeria.
Truth be told, aging may not impede efficiency in as much as dementia has not set in. As long as a man is not physically incapacitated, he is as fit as a fiddle. Robert Mugabe of Uganda, Nelson Madiba Mandella of South Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, George Bush and Donald Trump of US were of age; yet, they performed excellently. These eminent personalities were older than Jagaban and Turaki.
Old age is synonymous with wisdom. The ability of a leader to assemble competent professionals, technocrats and politicians of good repute is all what an aged leader needs to excel. His ability to harness these potentials, ditch directives and ensure sincerity of purpose are essential. Once such a leader is able to identify hypocrites and sycophants, success is a sure bet.
This piece should not be misconstrued or distorted to mean a campaign against the younger generation. Infact, the youth are not too young to govern. General Gowon was twenty-nine when he became head of state, Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso was about twenty-seven when he rode to power, Pa Awolowo was about thirty-seven when he gained prominence. Governor Bello of Kogi state was sworn in when he was barely fourty, Oba Abdulrasheed was a young lad when he was made the Oluwo of Iwoland. The reigns of these fresh bloods are outstanding.
Succinctly put, what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. In as much as the constitution does not bar the sixties from throwing their hats into the ring, it would be prejudicial to begin a campaign of calumny against their aspirations.
Comrade Lekan Badmus is a freelance writer and public opinion Analyst.