It would be the understatement of the year to claim that Nigerians are very worried about certain strange, unprecedented goings-on in the country.
Everybody feels a sense of indescribable trauma. I have no doubt in my mind, that the blood pressure of most Nigerian adults is abnormally high, as a result of numerous devastating attacks on their humanity. Indeed, death is very cheap in this country. Innocent Nigerians have been brought to their knees by some monsters from almost every corner of West Africa. There is a general lack of capacity especially at the centre to secure the citizens. Nigerians are utterly helpless, as the blood of innocent people continues to flow like a river.
It is expressly stated in the Nigerian Constitution, that the primary responsibility of government is the security of lives and property. This is in addition, to the people’s welfare located in the domains of health, happiness, and/or spiritual fulfilment. Therefore, a common-sense analysis of the above shows unequivocally, that any political leadership which is not able to capture the all-important issues of security and welfare is a monumental nuisance to humanity.
In a healthy democracy, the legislature impeaches weak leaders in the interest of the common good. In fact, under-performing political leaders often shame-facedly resign. But this is alien to the Nigerian political culture. This underscores the reason why terrorists are mowing down innocent Nigerians on a daily basis. University students have been at home for more than five months now, and the government continues to make provocative statements. Our wonderful political leaders, out of a lack of empathy for other people’s situations stopped the starvation wages of university workers. Indeed, Nigeria-a landscape of abnormalities, has fallen from grace.
According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the rate of unemployment had gone up from about 27.1 percent in the second quarter of 2020 to 33 percent in March 2022. The recent Covid-19 pandemic, poor policies, and wild fluctuation of oil prices are some of the factors responsible for the failing national economy. Other critical factors include infrastructural deficit (deplorable roads and epileptic electric power supply), docile followership and primordial ethnic/religious sentiments. This is in addition to unbridled corruption, a gross lack of patriotism, and weak educational system. No good-quality research and consequently, no sustainable economic development. This situation engenders insecurity on a gargantuan scale.
The ordinary citizens are justifiably distrusting the leaders, as demons or terrorists (mainly of foreign extraction), working in close collaboration with some Nigerians, are kicking shit out of innocent people. The Nigerian collective patrimony is being destroyed. How could foreign criminals from such countries as Mali and Niger successfully master the physical geography of Nigeria without the support of some local accomplices? Innocent Nigerians including ASUU members are facing unprecedented starvation. This is a good case of misuse of power.
Boko Haram terrorists now have the effrontery to successfully attack police and army barracks, often with little or no resistance from the government. Even the Nigerian Defence Academy was not spared several months ago. I suspect that the target was to instil fear into the hearts and souls of Nigerians before the final colonisation. Is the fire of leadership dead? Senator Shehu Sani has been drawing the attention of Nigerians to the grand agenda of foreign invasion or cultural colonisation. Were Shehu’s comments frivolous? He was merely echoing what the Obasanjos, Mailafias, and Danjumas of the Nigerian world had said earlier.
The Kuje Correctional Centre attack on July 5, by some Boko Haram terrorists, was a humiliating assault upon the Nigerian essence. All hell broke loose at least for two hours. Where were our military forces? According to Umar Abubakar, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), over 800 out of 994 inmates escaped. They said some had “returned” to the Kuje Correctional Centre, while the 64 Boko Haram escapees are yet to be found.
Certainly, there was something fishy going on here. Several correctional centres had been attacked across the country between 2016 and 2021. More than 3000 inmates were illegally freed in the process. At least 10 correctional centres had been seriously attacked within five months, and yet the real culprits could not be identified, let alone punished.
The pace of justice dispensation is too slow in Nigeria to engender sanity. There are no symmetries of operations among the various segments of government. The judiciary, legislature, and executive do not appear to have common, people-sensitive agendas. President Muhammadu Buhari in his characteristic manner had condemned the Kuje attack. This was very commendable. However, Nigerians are tired of and thoroughly dissatisfied with mere lamentation. Innocent Nigerians can no longer sleep soundly due to all kinds of violent attacks even inside churches. All the officers or workers found guilty of dereliction of duty should be dealt with according to the law of our land. This is what Nigerians want from their political leaders. The lost confidence in our political leadership has to be restored. Effective punishment system is one of the fundamental components of healthy society. There should be no room for a double standard of morality in the Nigerian governmental operations.
Apart from the above, round pegs should be put in round holes in order to pave the way for maximum success. It is dangerous for ‘the powers that be’, to continue to put incompetent, unserious persons in leadership positions. Any country defined and ruled by mediocrities is doomed to failure. One can only share or give what one has. Cronyism/village solidarity, ethnic sentiment, and religious bigotry are Nigeria’s undoing. But despite this stone age mind-set, there should be no room for widespread apathy among the oppressed, battered masses. They must not keep quiet in the face of poor leadership because Nigeria is our corporate heritage forever. Again, no leader is more Nigerian than the led. That is to say, that the followers too, have a big role to play in the emergence of good governance. Nigeria needs justice, equity, fairness, peace, and sustainable economic progress. No to religious fundamentalism! Nigeria also needs a trust-worthy/sincere political leadership. This country is endowed with huge, world-class human capital among other things, but painfully, the finest brains are yet to be given a place to stand. Not surprisingly, maximum material poverty and unfettered insecurity reign supreme. Is this geo-polity under a spell? Mother Nigeria is now in the intensive care unit (ICU) of an undisclosed mega hospital. Who is going to resuscitate her? Is her case irredeemable?
As an optimist, I’m sure that mother Nigeria can still be fully rescued through the lens of sincere, big-minded, passionate, and patriotic visionaries capable of seeing opportunities and transforming them into practice in the interest of the common good. Therefore, Nigerians cannot afford to waste the next opportunity to choose charismatic political leaders who are fighters for justice and liberty-two critical elements of socio-economic and political development on a sustainable scale.
- Prof Ogundele is of Dept. of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan.