I’M an angry Nigerian and I have my reasons! Nigeria is in trouble and
only God can save her! She’s hemorrhaging with excruciating felicity
and only the Stone of Israel can say whether or not it is well with
her soul. Dear country’s socio-economic landscape is in dire straits
and it’s as if we are unjustly suffering for the impetuousness of our
leaders. The leadership is far removed from the followership and one
begins to wonder where relief and deliverance for the poor will come
from. Unfortunately, while those who have held the country hostage are
unwilling to let go, those who are struggling to rescue her do not
even know how to approach this important task of life-saving for a
country in distress.
Keen observers will admit that the situation on ground is so
terrifying that one is at times tempted to ask: is democracy truly
what we need to survive as a country? If our major undoing was
military dictatorship which held Nigeria by the jugular for the better
part of half a decade, why haven’t sixteen years of uninterrupted
civilianization brought unto us the desired reprieve? Why must we have
to wait until a man “with a reputation of integrity” like Muhammadu
Buhari returns to power before we are cleansed of our corruption filth
and why did Osun State have to grapple with impassable roads for so
long before a man of steady nerves like Rauf Aregbesola came to its
rescue? Expanding the horizon, why is Africa unable to manage its
successes in democracy and why do African leaders prefer to die on the
throne? Why have attempts at forcing western democracy on countries
like Libya and Iraq not brought about peace to their hapless citizens?
Nigeria is a country where patriotic citizens are reduced to mere
means of self-satisfying ends. So far, ours has been a case of “bread
and butter” politraders exploring the womb of ‘rice and beans’
politics with acidic fundamentalism and humor-infused activism.
Inherent in our socio-political advancement is the introduction of
tribal primordial sentiments. Many have been unjustly cut down in
their prime while numerous others have unnecessarily lost their means
of livelihood; only the more fortunate ones end up as exiles. Added to
it is the administration of justice which oftentimes punishes the
heroes and rewards the villains.
I have argued elsewhere that Nigeria’s major shortcoming as an
independent nation is her clashing contradictions. Another challenge
is that the memory of her people is short; indeed, too short that
since we tend to forgive and forget the past so easily, it has become
practically difficult for the sinners of, especially, our immediate
past to either repent or be treated to the real wages of sin. For
instance, despite Yakubu Gowon’s geo-political absurdities and
socio-economic silliness, he is now Nigeria’s chief prayer warrior.
Sani Abacha, the Maximum Dictator, is now seen as a saint compared to
Olusegun Obasanjo, the Maximum Democrat; while the Maximum Democrat is
already comparing his place and space in history to Abraham Abraham
Lincoln. Emeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, who rated personal ambitions above
national pursuits, eventually became “the voice of the injury of the
Easterners” while Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff, that military governor
who once humiliated professionalism, is now seen as the ‘beacon of
hope’ for the oppressed and the depressed people of the Niger Delta.
Besides, while Michael Ani, Victor Ovie-Whiskey, Eme Awa, Ephraim
Akpata and Abel Goubadia died without treating Nigerians to what
derailed their plans for the country, Humphrey Nwosu, on his own part,
was literally too dull to comprehend what his job as umpire entailed.
And Maurice Iwu only ended up wooing Nigerians into another round of
electoral mess. Tragically, we now seem to have lost interest in our
ability to put things right that, even, in the face of mind-boggling
revelations of how our commonweal was recklessly abused and selfishly
converted, we think ‘go and sin no more’ remains the best approach to
issues of governance.
One important message I took away from Ijebu-Jesa Grammar School in
1985 was Adebola Ademowo’s charge during our Valedictory Service that,
unlike the popular saying, the struggle, for us as secondary school
leavers, was “just beginning.” Things being what they are, one can
safely say that the Anglican priest actually conducted a spiritual
scanning of Nigeria’s socio-economic environment before coming to that
conclusion. But that was thirty years ago, when all things about
Nigeria were bright and beautiful. That year, Nigeria was just 25
years old as an independent nation, with only seven leaders’
experience. Incidentally, Buhari, Nigeria’s sitting president, was the
Head of State for the better part of that year.
This is Nigeria in 2015! Thirty years after, times and things have
gone so bad for dear country that Ademowo’s exhortation looked more
like a prophetic picture into Nigeria’s future. How do I mean?
Nigeria, now world’s 7th largest country has also been rated as the
world’s 2nd most deadly country. No thanks to the terrorist activities
of Boko Haram and its affiliates! Again, Nigeria is not only the
largest economy in Africa with over-$500m dollars in Gross Domestic
Product (GDP), she also ranks as the 21th largest economy by nominal
GDP. But more than 60% of her population is below poverty level,
courtesy of poor government and administrative laxity. Though Nigeria
now ranks 6th in agricultural output globally; and first in Africa,
her food exports continue to decline even as imports are on the
increase. As if these are not enough, Nigeria is ranked 10th largest
country with illicit financial flow even as her debt profile under
former President Goodluck Jonathan alone was about 34.2% of Nigeria’s
total debt. The country’s services sector is 63rd in the world but her
economic situation remains precarious, thus making life “an absurd
desire” and lack “a sign that we were born wrongly”.
In 1985, Nigeria had 19 states, with a population of 83.9million. Now,
it has 36 states, and Abuja, her capital city; and with a population
of about 177,155,754. By that year, Nigeria’s per capita incomes had
dropped to about one-quarter of their 1970s’ high; and oil had become
the major source of income for the government. Then, our oil export
stood at 1.82 million barrels per day; and the cost of a barrel was
US$18. Now, Nigeria produces about 2.52 million barrels per day with a
barrel selling for less than US$45. Naira as at 1985 exchanged at
NGN0.894 to the dollar. Now, it hovers between NGN200.00 and NGN250.00
to US$1. In any case, we need not forget that it was the introduction
of the infamous Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) by the Ibrahim
Babangida-led junta in 1986 that eventually changed the face and the
fate of the naira-dollar relationship.
Thirty years ago, a prospective secondary school leaver would gladly
aim at lofty and profitable ambitions that would make his family
proud. Babangida came and unwittingly mortgaged the spirit of courage
and creativity of Nigeria’s youth. Before Judas Iscariot was Judas
Maccabaeus. But Judas lost its place and popularity among Christian
and Jews alike after the Betrayer came to fulfill “all things …
which were written in the law of Moses.” Now, our youth would rather
prefer graduating as ‘yahoo boys’ to appreciating the true meaning of
meritocracy and social justice.
That said, where do we go from here and how far can the president go
in clearing the Augean stables? What can this land, which currently
sacrifices transparency on the altar of efficiency, do to feel the
beauty, tenderness, and freedom of healing that the Buhari
administration is bringing on board? Indeed, this is why I am deeply
worried!
In its July 17, 1966 reaction to Nigeria’s first coup, The Sun (a
prominent British newspaper), described democracy as a “sophisticated
form of government needing time and economic security to develop.”
Students of history will readily admit that Nigeria’s political space
is full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Of course, that’s why I
don’t envy the president. Amid this chaos however, it is gratifying to
note that Buhari has within a short period of time in office done a
lot to close up the gulf that has hitherto weakened our collective
resolve to forge a common front. Needless to repeat that its results
so far have been awesomely impressive. At least, we knew how Nigeria
was before former President Jonathan took over as president in 2011
and we also knew how bad things had gone by the time Buhari was taking
over on May 29, 2015.
Let me by way of conclusion state that the hallmark of a leader is his
ability to realize that change begins with selflessness and sacrifice;
that discipline is very germane to effective leadership even as war on
corruption ensures better service delivery; and that political process
gets corrupted when unfettered pursuit of money becomes a way of life.
Therefore, irrespective of constraints like age, party patronage,
artificial sentiments and class solidarity, Nigerians see in Buhari a
man who understands better the complexity of the issue at stake as
well as how to confront all those stubborn situations that’ve hitherto
resisted remedy. So, as he defines concrete objectives with a view to
raising the vision and showing to the world that a sustainable pathway
to development is possible, one can only pray for him and wish him
well! After all, who knows but that Buhari has come to this
presidential position for such a time as this?
May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us
peace in Nigeria!
*KOMOLAFE writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)
abiodun KOMOLAFE,
020, Okenisa Street,
PO Box 153,
Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.
Tel:- +234 803 361 4419
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