Rehoboam Syndrome And The Reform Nigerian Politicians Need To Make

There is a very interesting story in the Bible that has much relevance to what is happening in Nigeria’s political arena today.

In that story, the Assembly for the coronation of King Solomon’s successor was to hold at Sheckem. Historically, the city, Sheckem was regarded as sacred within the territory of the Ten Tribes. Prior to the coronation ceremony, the Assembly had requested for certain policy reforms in the previous administration of King Solomon, Rehoboam’s father. Prominent among the reforms requested was materially reducing the power of the royal exchequer and the discontinuation of the magnificent building projects that adorned the very expensive Solomon’s Court. Continuing with the project meant that the people would continue to be heavily taxed.

The older men in the Assembly advised Rehoboam to address the people politely over the issue. But the new king preferred to seek the advice of his age mates – the younger men who had grown up with him. They advised the king not to make the mistake of showing the people any sign of weakness. They also asked him to tax the people more, to show he was in control. Rehoboam did as his mates recommended.

Addressing the people, he said: “whereas my father laid a heavy yoke upon you, I will increase your burden by ten times. Whereas my father flogged you with whips, I will whip you with scorpions. My smallest finger is indeed thicker than my father’s loin and your backs which bent like reeds at my father’s touch shall break like straws at my own touch.”

The people were hounded financially because of the elaborately magnificent building projects King Solomon embarked on and the life of extreme opulence he lived – with his numerous wives and thousand concubines. The people had hoped that their new ruler would see reason to ameliorate their suffering under Solomon, his father. But that was not to be. The result of Rehoboam’s reaction to the reforms demanded by the people was that Jeroboam rebelled with the people. Jeroboam was one of King Solomon’s former officials, an Ephraimite.

While  Solomon  was still alive and Jeroboam was working for him, a prophet named Ahijah told Jeroboam that God would take ten of the twelve tribes of Israel away from Solomon’s son Rehoboam and give them to him. This judgment against Solomon’s house came about because they forsook God and worshiped idols. Along with the announcement that Jeroboam would be king, God gave him a conditional promise: “If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you”

When Solomon heard that God had chosen Jeroboam to rule, the king tried to kill Jeroboam, and he fled to Egypt. After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king, and Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

But Rehoboam was a vain and foolish man. Jeroboam, a “mighty man of valour,” warned Rehoboam not to make the same mistake his father had made by taxing the people heavily to finance a luxurious lifestyle. Rehoboam defied the advice to lighten the yoke of oppression. He insisted: “My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions!”

The people responded to Rehoboam’s harshness by rebelling against the new king and making Jeroboam king over Israel. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin followed Rehoboam, son of Solomon. The other ten tribes sided with Jeroboam. King Rehoboam gathered 180,000 warriors in an attempt to take back the ten tribes, but God prevented it, saying, “This is my doing.” So King Rehoboam returned to the capital of Jerusalem. Jeroboam reigned from Samaria.

The ten Northern tribes broke away and formed the Kingdom of Israel (also known as Samaria, Ephraim or the Northern Kingdom). Rehoboam was left to rule Kingdom of Judah after the revolt that split the Kingdom into two.

This story, in many ways replicates what is actually going on in the political arena of today’s Nigeria.

It is very common to find top politicians – governors and their deputies, speakers and their deputies, the senate president and his deputy and other top political office holders appoint what is probably a wrong choice of advisers. Like Rehoboam, they bestow the sensitive office of Adviser to their age mates and in cases, officers who are younger than themselves.

Among the majority of the population, it is common knowledge that these “hustling” young advisers often misadvise their Principals in an attempt to enrich themselves in office as has practically become routine in the country.

In my opinion, if public office holders need genuine advisers who will help them effectively grapple with the challenges of their office, they should be looking up to people who are older than themselves, people who have the relevant experience and would be happy to see the public office holder succeed in his career. The older man knows he has to be trusted by his Principal. He will see his appointment as sacred and so will be committed to advising his Principal genuinely. He will not bother so much about his remuneration and can occupy the position of adviser with very minimal pay. He would probably have finished training his children in the university and therefore he will be more able to deal with state or national issues dispassionately and without bias.

A younger man will have his eyes on his own pocket. He will think of sending his children to expensive schools. He will want to live in an expensive apartment. He would like to drive an expensive car and so on. To stay in the good book of his Principal, the younger adviser becomes a praise singer for his Principal. If the people despise his Principal and see him as harsh, impossible and wicked, he paints a different picture for his Principal, making him feel the people are seeing him as mild, attractive and compassionate. And, like the story of the Emperor’s new cloth, the top politician deludes himself in the belief that he is beloved by his people who in actual fact hate him.

An experienced older man will act differently. He is more likely to tell his Principal the truth about the feelings of his people for him. He is more likely to go all out to find a solution to the problems that challenge the public office of his Principal.

This choice of younger advisers by politicians is one grey area in Nigerian politics that urgently needs a reform and until that reform is put in place, until Nigerian politicians begin to put the right people in the positions of advisers, the Rehoboam syndrome will continue to be a part of the Nigerian social problem. The reform may look simple. But it will go a long way to change the way things are done in government. And it will give Nigeria a new sense of genuine direction, far from the hustle and bustle mentality that has led the people in public office to nowhere genuine.