- By Lanre Atere
Sir: Our beloved Nigeria is facing unprecedented economic, social and political upheaval. We are at one of our most challenging crossroads as a nation.
Yet, the most needed commodities in these trying times – patriotism, truth and honesty – are in the shortest supply. Unpatriotic, self-serving political, religious, ethnic and social-cultural leaders are using the state of the nation to feather their nests. Added to the above deadly mix are unpatriotic youths willing to sell their souls and the nation for their pecuniary gains.
No doubt, politicians have failed the country over the years through irresponsive and irresponsible conduct. The masses have also been most wicked to themselves; greed and get-rich-by-all-means antics have eaten into the fabric of society and we have stopped being our brothers’ keepers.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited a divided country, a mismanaged economy, perhaps worse than he envisaged, and a country ravaged by widespread insecurity. He won an election despite disruptive politicking by his opponents, whose unguided utterances and desperation for power heated the polity, pitted Nigerians against each other, and further polarised the country on many fault lines.
His demand from Nigerians was understanding and not pity. He has made painful decisions while urging Nigerians to trust in his policies and bear the brunt of the fleeting pain for a glorious future. His posture welcomes criticism and ideas, yet most of the criticisms have come from tribal jingoists.
It is indeed sad that at a time when the country needs nationalists, the loudest voices have been those of divisive regional, tribal and religious leaders pandering to tribal and regional sentiment, despite the president’s altruistic zeal.
It is naïve and simplistic for us to think that reversing the ugly trend of our recent history can be done with a magic wand. Our leaders over the last three decades shied from the crucial surgery to remove the cancer that is eating our country. We cannot do the same thing and expect a different result. Hence, the ongoing reforms to unshackle, plug all leakages, make our country an investment destination and deliver the Nigeria we yearn for.
Nigerian poor cannot truly breathe without removing the cankerworm of corruption, bad governance, ineptitude, insecurity, and ethnic and religious menace and insecurity that have plunged our country into the current abyss. The onerous task requires joint efforts.
Over the last eight months since the removal of subsidies on petroleum products, and deregulation of the economy, we have seen allocations to states and local government rising to levels unseen in our nation’s history. Delta and other oil-producing states are swimming in billions without commensurate growth in infrastructure or the standard of living of their people. Recent figures released by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) showed that states received N10.143trillion from the Federation Account as statutory revenue in 2013, which is N1.934 trillion (23.56%) increase over the N8.2trillion of the previous year.
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The N402.26 billion received by Delta State is about what the entire five states of the Southeast got during the period, yet the state remains grossly underdeveloped, and its indigenes are firmly under the grip of debilitating poverty.
Our political leaders must act responsibly and responsively in their dealings and conduct to gain the trust of the disenchanted people.
Across the globe, citizens are empowered to interrogate, scrutinise, and criticise the actions or inactions of their political leaders. This must be done with decorum, and criticism must be constructive, not a means of settling personal scores. Constructive criticism is not a leeway for misguided folks to malign and disparage the country and its leaders as is currently being done by people who mount the podium daily to pour invectives on the president and ‘demarket’ the country.
The negative emotions and energy dissipated on pessimisms about Nigeria should henceforth be channelled towards beneficial use to the country because our fate is tied to our country.
Our political, religious, traditional and community leaders must begin to be responsible for the needs and yearnings of the Nigerian people in their various positions of responsibility in a patriotic manner, particularly in this difficult time in the nation’s history. Our leaders must be prudent with our resources, be transparent, and sincere, and provide good leadership. This will engender patriotism.
•Lanre Atere,
United Kingdom.
