SIR: It is already very glaring today that insecurity has crippled the Nigerian economy and that there is no solution in sight. All facets of the society, from economic, religious, and social-cultural to the environment are not spared by the devastating insecurity in the country. For anyone who experienced life in the late 70s and 80s, Nigeria was a destination for citizens of many countries, particularly African countries.
My first encounter with nationals of other countries like Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Cameroon was at the Meteorological Institute in Lagos and they all wished they were Nigerians during our training at the institute. It was also a similar experience during my stint in the defunct Nigerian Airways. At the time, many Italians, Spaniards and other European nationals liked flying with Nigerian Airways because the airline had many aircraft and experienced pilots. Aircraft in its fleet that we’re usually deployed on its international route include Airbus, Boeing 747, as well as MacDonald Douglas’ DC10. Nigeria Airways used to fly to destinations like Rome (Italy), London (United Kingdom), New York (United States), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), and later Zurich (Switzerland).
Nigerians do not need to sleep at embassies of other countries or pay a fortune to acquire visas from such countries. Manufacturers of shoes and suits in Italy used to come to Nigeria often to plead with their embassies to always give visas to Nigerians so that they can travel and patronise their business.
This was because Nigeria was tagged a rich country in Africa. The Nigerian national currency, the naira was almost at par with the British pounds sterling. I remember vividly that I bought my first Gucci pair of shoes for N10 (ten naira) after converting the naira to the Italian lire.
Today, Nigeria is a shadow of its former self. Among other things, insecurity has wreaked havoc in the country. Political leaders at various levels do not seem to care about the future of the country. The ordinary Nigerian on the streets too does not help matters because everyone focuses on short-term expectations.
A cursory look at this problem of insecurity, for instance, suggests that it has to do with a lack of patriotism among the populace. Rather than the love of the country, today there is ethnic hatred, greed, wickedness, religious animosity, as well as corruption, which is the mother of all vices in the country.
One would like to know if a nation without national baptism will go anywhere. A course-mate of mine at the Meteorological Institute in 1980 told me that in Ghana, nationalism is taught at the three levels of education in the country, from primary, and secondary to tertiary. He went further to say that the country’s first president, the late Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah (of blessed memory) introduced the teaching of nationalism into Ghana’s system of education and that Ghana will always be the Black Star of Africa. As Ghanaians were leaving Nigeria in droves in the early 80s, all they were saying was that no matter the suffering they had passed through for many years, they were going back to rebuild Ghana. That must have sprung from the spirit of nationalism that Nkrumah bequeathed to them.
As Nigeria prepares for next year’s general election, citizens must exercise their franchise carefully. The current wave of insecurity in the country must be tackled before anything can work in Nigeria. Nigerians must vote for a leader that can unite the country for the task ahead.
There is a need for a tweak in the system of government that will give every Nigerian a sense of belonging and that will rekindle the love of the country that we once had before the military bastardised the governance system. Top security personnel are only interested now in their states, tribes, and ethnic and religious affiliations instead of that of the nation. Rather than for the security apparatus to begin to inculcate the national interest of the country in the course of doing their job, they seem to be more concerned with their regional or sectional interest alone.
- Ted Isaiah Omobude,
Jos, Plateau State.