We have adult decisions at this 100 year junction in Nigeria’s life. We have bombs exploding and multibillion naira thefts and with millions displaced and tens of thousands injured and dead of the wounds of surviving in Nigeria. Yet, we are not ‘At War’. Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, NISER should quantify the mental, physical, family, work and other costs of being a ‘Centenary Nigerian’, The Centenary Nigerian survives okada mayhem and exists without a predictable salary, pension, mortgage, monthly house rent, water, electricity. In addition banking COT, borrowing and high naira exchange costs have made life a 100 year misery and short life expectancy, 47 years.
Every good thing arrives late for Centenary Nigerians, be it childhood vaccinations, electricity to study and work and play, books for education, medicines in hospitals, jobs and joy and justice, good roads, affordable accommodation and mosquito nets. But they still say ‘Thank you!’ though ‘justice delayed is justice denied’. Things expected from government are mis-labelled ‘government cannot do it alone’ and are delayed, denied, undelivered or delegated to the private sector in a PPP – Public Private Partnership.
Evil federal polices brought Nigeria to its knees from internal slavery. Government even refused to buy sports equipment for schools while officials stole billions weekly. Sorry, Centenary Nigerian children! ‘Nothing for you’ as Lagbaja says. When in Nigerian education history was the meeting held which cancelled ‘history’, ‘sports equipment’, ‘library books’ and ‘science disposables’ from Nigeria’s education budgets? Whoever did it is probably a ‘big’ retired ‘respected’ Minister or Director of Education and ‘hiding’ in Senate.
Centenary Nigerians have suffered needless trauma over the last 100 years from failure and abandonment of leadership opportunities – electricity, transport, security, and education. I see it every day in the preventable suffering of my patients and in the pigsties mislabelled ‘schools’. Yes, many Centenary Nigerians are amazingly ‘content with nothing’, accepting what they see on TV as ‘unattainable’. This is Centenary Nigeria where only the sun is free – so free that we refuse to give CBN or other loans for solar equipment! Of course we have several ‘working’ officials. But we require a critical mass of good Centenary Nigerians.
Our problems are corruption and incompetence. Corruption can stop today, overnight. We must quickly change to survive the huge rock of corruption, far greater than the meteor that hit Russia. Corruption devalues every government naira to 30kobo. Our recent wonderful 2013 Orange Africa Cup of Nations football success belongs to the team, not us, because Centenary Nigeria did too little. And there are even better players, undiscovered because no one gave them footballs, opportunity or scouted for talent in their LGA. Ditto for all sports and many academic programmes which need organised systematic LGA, State and National Sports Databases. Centenary Nigeria could so easily replicate this football success story in events from shooting to swimming. Sport is neglected job creation. This football success revealed how easily Centenary Nigerians overcome mass suffering whenever transient hope and joy appears. But living in hope without much expectation is lethal.
We are a blessed people but cursed with many corrupt leaders in corrupt party politics and a rotten greedy civil service. If the survival of Nigeria is paramount we must eliminate political party corruption to save Centenary Nigeria@100.
With the ‘2013 Amalgamation’ of some political parties into APC, remember that Organised Political Party Corruption, OPPC is traditionally the greatest Nigerian corruption. Are political parties entitled to 50-70% of the budget? By what right do political parties steal? Let political parties study international political party funding etc, and stop stealing from budgets and taking high percentages of contract fees, consultant fees, tax task force funds and Internally Generated Revenue to fund political parties and personalities.
Before Nigerian Centenary amalgamation celebrations, we need delivery on developmental centenary projects and goals. The private sector is not spending its own money for the centenary celebration. Government will still spend billions on junketing, hotel, transport and ‘palliative’ allowances. The private sector is spending the money you, Centenary Nigerian, paid for excessive bank and cement charges etc. So Fellow Nigerians, you are paying to celebrate the 1914 amalgamation and have paid for the post-amalgamation suffering during the last 100 years. QED!
At least the Centenary film showed us heroic figures including Olaudah Equiano, the first Nigerian best selling author and slave who is not yet taught in Nigerian schools. Every student should have a copy of Olauda Equiano’s Book, ‘The interesting narrative of the Travels of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa.’ We in Educare Trust have given out hundreds of copies of the book and run a reading club called The Olaudah Equiano Poetry and Prose Club. You should start one in your school or university as an Amalgamation Project on Nigerian heroes.
In Ibadan, we have a newly reconstructed bridge in Bodija, and the Mokola flyover. Amen. Something new, money well spent by Governor Abiola Ajimobi. During construction the poor alternative routes have cost Nigerians millions of hours and naira daily in fuel and time. Some ‘suffering’ is necessary during development but much Nigerian suffering will be reduced merely by tarring and smoothening alternative routes. Even today though the Davies Bridge is repaired, the Tewogbade, Veterinary and Mokola alternative routes need urgent maintenance and pothole filling, to ‘make our paths straight and smooth’. Building a flyover is good but adding smooth motorable alternative routes during construction is better. Make smooth their path, nationwide please.
