We must, therefore, clinically identify where exactly we missed it as a nation so as to be able to correct our mistakes
“As it is at the moment, Nigeria reminds one of a badly wounded elephant cut to pieces but still shambling and lumbering towards an inglorious finale as it emits a fearsome rumble. The Nigerian political elite have neglected to bind the wounds of the nation or dress its suppurating gashes. Now it has gone fearfully septic and everybody is waiting for the end” – SNOOPER in Power and Politics in Nigeria, 21 May, 2017
On Sunday, 28 May, 2017 I wrote as follows: ‘Who or what messed up Nigeria? Was it the British, who colonised Nigeria, instituted discriminatory, rather than a uniform, mode of administering North and South and, rapaciously sexed up not only the census and the elections it conducted in favour of the North, but so wantonly skewed up the military it has since been a tool in North hands? Was it our founding fathers who allegedly took no more than 10 per cent as bribe? Was it our post colonial, extremely rapacious, self loving military which, though procured most of our infrastructure to date, ended up destroying Nigeria when it re-integrated itself into our politics by outrageously ensuring Obasanjo’s victory in 1999 after which our elections became the most rigged in the world with all manner of characters getting ‘voted’ into political office, ending up in our having the most outlandish National Assembly in the 8th Assembly? Or finally, is it we, the people, about the most docile citizenry, anywhere on earth?
I went further to invite readers’ comments but, shot myself on the foot by failing to indicate an e-mail address to which they should be sent. What you will be reading below, therefore, are largely comments on my Face book wall where my weekly articles are also published. Because like minds usually think alike, in the same edition in which my article appeared, my colleague columnist on The Nation on Sunday, the un-put-downable Snooper, writing on Power and Politics in Nigeria, amongst other things, wrote as follows in validating the fact that our country is terribly broken and in dire need of fixing: ”For those who can see, it is obvious that a dark cloud has descended on the Nigerian political firmament. It is full of portents and sinister foreboding. For those who can read political horoscopes of impending disaster, this one is palpable in its astral malignancy. Like a band of merry somnambulists, Nigerians are sleepwalking to a major political catastrophe with eyes wide opened. In this regard, a nation is like a human organism. Once its grievous wounds are left unattended to over a period of time, it will die a natural death. This is why the greatest nations on earth are constantly tinkering with their constitution, working towards what the Americans memorably call a more perfect union. This is why this ceaseless striving towards perfection often involves tinkering with the political alchemy of the nation itself in a way that throws up a new type of leadership such as it happened in France recently to the echoes of a glorious national catharsis. As it is at the moment, Nigeria reminds one of a badly wounded elephant cut to pieces but still shambling and lumbering towards an inglorious finale as it emits a fearsome rumble. The Nigerian political elite have neglected to bind the wounds of the nation or dress its suppurating gashes. Now it has gone fearfully septic and everybody is waiting for the end.”
As the Yoruba would say, we need to know where we are coming from to know where we are going. We must, therefore, clinically identify where exactly we missed it as a nation so as to be able to correct our mistakes.
Below are some of the comments.
Kunmi Fisher An insightful piece there. Even though some comments might stir up the hornet’s nest as you must have envisaged, facts are sacred and must be said for the health and love of the country. Nigeria is undoubtedly facing a structural problem that was deliberately designed by the British. You alluded to some of the methods they applied. To ensure a solid foundation for a strong nation, a transparent and nationally acceptable census must be conducted. We are in this precarious situation as a country because of the faulty electoral system and process. The colonialists started it and Nigerian political leaders are perfecting the unjust process.
Demola Biodun-Obanise
Again, a very deep insight into the bane of the geographical expression called Nigeria which though, many appear to know but treat with such derisory helplessness that is becoming too African in its tale. The rain started to beat us from the very day we were drenched in this consciousness of anomalies to our National life and did nothing, even till date. Of course, we mouth the solutions easily, but how docile we are to create an impetus for practical civil disobedience towards this blatant disregard to our common good by the few sons and daughters of perdition? I guess the yoke around the neck of Nigerians needs to be further stiffened unto more punishment; just may be, as the Holy Book says about a similar situation concerning a reckless Esau, we shall feel enough dissatisfaction to break the yoke. Until then, we shall continue to endure the self inflicted pains in the face of obvious chances for remediation.
No Country ever existed in history whose trajectory never, or almost, got distorted by the selfishness of some socio-political marauders but woe to that nation whose people never stood up against such evil with decisiveness to scream ‘enough is enough’. I am averse to the rhetoric of unfavourable historical murmurings behind this. Rather, I am interested more in responses laced with solutions being deployed to have these conditions rewritten to the vantage of Nigerians.
Rising from our slumber on the bed of historical inanity, let’s declare how best we want to be administered by tasking these leaders on accountability. Or for how long shall we continue to trace the history of our woes, rather than seeking plausible solutions to end the sufferings? Blame game is woebegone, rising up to say ENOUGH appears to me, the way out.
Olujoke David We get what we desire by our attitude to elected position as being a means to an end. We forget easily that people we elect are our own reflection. The family, friends, priests/imams/marabas/dibias/babalawo will get easy road to the brain box of the people in power. If we want true development we must be sure we elect people who can serve this nation and not pander to self.
I commented as follows on the above views: Fantastic interjections: you guys wasted no time in picking your culprits. While Joke is sure it is our pernicious politicians, for Kunmi it is the disabling English while Damola is certain we have to blame ourselves – an abnormally docile citizenry.
Then, almost tangentially, and in a rather narrow, unduly partisan reaction to a question so fundamental to Nigeria’s wellbeing, Iroegbu Obinna wrote: ”Politics of pretense and hypocrisy, that’s our major problem. Pretending that it never happened that a certain Buhari kicked out a democratically elected government and failed woefully in that attempt to bring the succour he promised. Hypocrisy in complaining about the system skewed to favour the North when in fact we would readily align with the same North even when all they could offer was a very old soldier whose main idea of nation building is to make sure that 97 percent of appointments go to a certain section of the polity while 5 percent (applying his own illogic and warped sense of summation) is to be shared by the rest of the constituency. Pretense & hypocrisy, these are the bane”.
To which I replied as follows:
Thank you Obi for your perspective. But were you talking here of the ’83 coup? This is just for my understanding of your ‘kicked out”. If you are referring to 2015, then please correct your premise and say Nigerians kicked out a government they believed had passed its sell by date.
I will chalk your other reason up as nepotism and there I would say you have a very valid point.
PS
Interested readers can send their comments to: Femi.orebe@thenation onlineng.net
