Now that we are in trouble

By Samuel Akinnuga

Sir: The experience of the recent weeks has not left us without the expected do-as-I-do-not-as-I-say disposition of government officials. When you expect decency or exemplary leadership, they take the bar even lower. And then there are also those who put their faces everywhere like we are in the election campaign heats.

The level of denigration of the common man is so despicable that one would not expect it to come from their so-called leaders. If some had their way, they would have put their faces on the distributed grains so the beneficiaries never forget to whom they are to be indebted. The reality has not set in for many in this class. How unfortunate.

We are in trouble. But the trouble is not in the mere fact that we are not in the best place; no country is. The trouble is a lack of sensitivity to our new reality. Business, or better put, politics, as usual, will not take us further than this, except to a total collapse. Many may argue that we are already in a state of total collapse. That may be largely true but we have a great opportunity before us to recalibrate our national bearing and prioritize the things that matter.

Nothing can be done now but that doesn’t excuse the fact that we can start to alter our national beat to one that the majority of Nigerians can comfortably follow. We have a great opportunity to rewrite our history. Now that we are in trouble, let us, more than ever, be determined to ensure that we will come out of this stronger and be committed to the enhancement of the welfare of Nigerians. Now that we are in trouble, we can build our country again. Let’s get serious as a country. Enough of self-deceit.

When this COVID-19 episode becomes history, Nigerians will not forget. We will remember the jokes that were made about social distancing and lockdowns. We will remember how we begged our leaders to show leadership. We will remember those who led by bad example.

We will remember how we copied the right things, wrongly. We will remember an important lesson that we cannot run from the woes we create. We will remember that we are only as safe or comfortable as our neighbours. We will remember the loved ones we lost during this period. We will remember the unpatriotic characters who played politics with the lives of people. We will also not forget those who went beyond the call of duty to bring succour to their fellow countrymen. I hope that we truly learn the right lessons from this experience.

• Samuel Akinnuga, Lagos.