GODFATHERISM: LIFE AND SURVIVAL IN NIGERIA SOCIETY: A PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH

Abstract

Godfatherism is an ubiquitous phenomenon in modern day Nigerian polity. The godfathers in Nigeria are sets of oppressive elites whose stock in trade is the installation of unpopular persons into political offices as chairmen, governors, president, members of legislative houses, Vice Chancellors and the appointment of University governing council.. They could be seen as political slave merchants while the godsons are political slave articles for sale. The godsons are purchased with big sums of money under demonic oath with the aim of gaining office/appointment and enjoying payoff as soon as the godson assumes office. These important agreements compel them to engage in actions that impoverish the people and the nation. Such actions include appointment of incompetent and unqualified persons into offices, embezzlement of public funds, corruption in all its ramifications and insecurity of lives and properties.   This paper contends that “godfatherism” has impacted negatively on the lives of Nigerian youths. It establishes that there is a direct relationship between godfatherism and impoverishment of Nigerian youths. The paper argues that godfatherism has gone beyond the political scene veering into tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The godfathers use various student bodies to actualize their inordinate ambition. They use them as thugs, assassins, etc to outwit their opponents. Hence the Nigerian youths is encouraged or exposed to violence and because they pay them heavily they imbibe the culture of the end justifies the means in pursuit of wealth; knowledge, hard work, respect for life and cultural value system are thrown over-board. Values are considered so important that they affect everything we do. A value system is a coherent set of values adopted and / or evolved by a society, an organization,or a person as a yardstick or standard to guide behavior. Thus, some percentage of Nigerian youths graduate from the university without acquiring the necessary skill, knowledge and value system they need to contribute their quota to national development as future man powers. Any nation whose future leaders are made up of people who are not educated and lack value orientation are prone to underdevelopment. It is therefore being concluded that the menace of godfatherism should be checked to forestall it’s negative impact on youth development in order to ensure that Nigeria as a nation would  one day  be extricated from the shackles of lack of value system and underdevelopment characterized by poverty, unemployment, corruption and dictatorship ,etc.