The “banality of evil” is a concept created by Hannah Arendt, a Jewish political theorist who escaped Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.
The idea refers to the ease with which ordinary people can be culpable of the most evil, horrendous things if they believe, or are persuaded by a higher authority that their actions are either justified or a part of their duty.
She created this concept while covering the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal whom she found to be a small, sad little man whose complete submission to the system or what we would call “ogas at the top” (who supposedly know better) made him perform atrocities unthinkingly.
Every Nigerian has a little bit of Eichmann in them, the ability, if given the chance, to perform horrors by rationalising ones actions as survival or simply put, as following the orders or example of those before them. Goodluck Jonathan said he did not invent any of the mechanisms that enable “leakages”: there have always been yams and there will always be goats to seek out said yams, he told us.
In fact, now that the cat may be out of the bag if recent enquiries are to be believed, he says he knows nothing of said cats alleged activities. Dasuki and Diezani, if guilty, acted alone.
Corruption is so banal in Nigeria, so predictable and expected, so ordinary really that even the language used to describe it trivialises the evil it does: to “chop” is like a goat or a yam, or even like the numerous “leakages” at all levels of government, a fact of life, a commonly observed event or reality, so frequent and generalised that it no longer shocks or disturbs.
Ominous issues
The clichés behind the language of corruption and public service (e.g. “enjoyment minister”) make certain acts or behaviours seem less grave and diminish our consciousness or understanding of the ominous issues they mask (in other climes, the stress of public office gives politicians grey hair, it makes them lose weight rather than appear to enjoy “Jollof” or “party time”).
These expressions diminish our ability to be insulted or offended by the disrespectful actions they mask: such blatant contempt for the Nigerian people and their lives becomes amusing rather than disgusting.
We are no longer affected by what we see or hear of Nigerian politicians actions, we no longer think of their deeds as evil, even when detailed reports show the unabashed link between graft and the wasted lives of the citizenry: that is the banality of evil, the malicious seed that can take root in any individual given the right conditions and Nigeria has become its playground.
It is within each and every one of us to be inhumane. Everyone dreams of public office. Many of the same people crying today are simply waiting fortheir turn, or in the case of some “wailing wailers”, sad it is over.
How is it possible for anyone to sit by and watch or accept so much human suffering? This is a question I ask myself whenever I see pictures of smiling governors when the masses who voted them in are constantly degraded by harsh living conditions.
We laughed at Obanikoro and his crass campaign against open defecation but the question is, why is the quality of life in Nigeria still so humiliatingly poor? We drive past deprived and broken spirits, reduced to an almost animal state of mind, ignoring the fact that only fate, not opportunity or talent or a lack thereof, made some rich and others poor in Nigeria.
This is the banality of evil in our country: there are so many excuses Nigerians give to explain away corruption, we all pretend to hate it even as we celebrate the godlike power, status and impunity it provides.
If the accusations levelled against SamboDasuki or Diezani Allison-Madueke are proven to be true by the courts and prosecutors, the national conversation must begin to divorce ethnicity and religion, from the genocidal, political tendency to destroy innocent lives, only to satisfy the greed of a few. How many soldiers were court-marshalled by the same Sambo Dasuki?
He called them cowards for daring to refuse to fight without the adequate arms and equipment and now he is accused of assigning contracts for arms but without delivering them!
The irony is too disgusting, the accusation itself is so revolting that one can barely believe it is true: who would do this? Those who speak of witch-hunts have disrespected the lives of the dead soldiers and civilians: such a grave accusation cannot but be investigated and then tried, in the interest of all Nigerians.
Could the war against Boko Haram have been won sooner? Could the Chibok girls have been found? It is in no one’s interest to play politics with such vile crimes or allegations: Nigerians must get answers. How easy it clearly is to take money meant for the betterment of all.
History will judge Nigerian leaders harshly: they capitalise on our ignorance and differences, dehumanising and humiliating us through graft, drawing us in to support the same system and actions keeping us down. We are at a turning point in our quest for justice and equality: it is not just those accused of corruption who are on trial, it is the Nigerian mind-set, our readiness for change.
We go into politics because it is an opportunity to fleece the state and our fellow man but we rationalise this by saying the state does nothing for us. Evil is banal in Nigeria, it means nothing, it is the difference between success and failure.
But when we seek to justify it, in the eyes of the world, we paint ourselves as grotesque and terrifying. It is quite easy to render a people apathetic and unknowing of their rights and duties: Nigeria is a prime example of this.
Egotistical mercenaries
Our politics denotes personal gain by all means: even the most terrible suffering inflicted on others means nothing. How did we allow such individuals, the people who make evil seem banal, pedestrian even, control the public sphere?
Why aren’t there more academics or technocrats in politics? Why is it the hallmark of egotistical mercenaries? The slogan associated with the Holocaust is “Never Again”. But mankind being what it is, many other genocides and wars followed, based solely on humanity’s ability to deny itself kindness or interestingly, human qualities. Will we say “never again” to corruption in Nigeria, after the Buhari era? Are we ready to support the prosecution of the despoilers of our commonwealth, no matter who they are? Nothing is less sure.
Female marketers in banks
The house of representatives criticised the often ridiculous and unrealistic targets banks set for female marketers which amounts to prostitution.
Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila once proposed a Corporate Prostitution Bill, which was shot down by bankers, he recalled. The “unethical and unwholesome practices” of banks are nothing more than what is allowed or encouraged by a society where men and women would not ask certain things of their loved ones but deny others their humanity by asking them to debase themselves for profit.
It’s the banality of evil, once again.
Governor Mimiko
Some senators allege that Ondo State is currently borrowing from Nigerian banks (for unspecified projects and at ridiculous rates), reportedly only because Lagos and Edo got World Bank loans. We must learn financial prudence and management lessons in this country.
I hope the new finance minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun will watch states carefully and that we will end the era of frivolity whereby states borrowed but have little to show for it. Many governors ironically claim states cannot afford to pay minimum wage. Personally, I feel the discretionary use of security votes for example, should be examined. It is too easy to do as one pleases in Nigeria and to incur public debt while giving irrational, offensive reasons for doing so!
VANGUARD
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