During a funeral service, it was announced that everyone should go to the right-hand side for their portions. When it was time, those who understood the announcement moved straight to the right side, others went to their right side! What you regard as your right side might be the wrong side, your better half could be your worst enemy, and your virtues may count against you. A dysfunction like Nigeria can turn rich endowments into a curse and patience into bad luck.
Nigeria has many sides – the good, the bad and the ugly. Let’s start from the positive side. Nigeria has oil and gas in abundance. There are large mineral deposits varied across the country. Nigeria is a vast landmass and everywhere you go is fertile ground. In addition, Nigeria’s climate is one of the finest in the world. Nature is unbelievably kind to us.
Nigeria, with a population of nearly 170 million, is Africa’s most populous country. Most of our youths are unemployed and majority of Nigerians live below the poverty line. Despite Nigeria’s many troubles, Nigerians are fascinating and law-abiding except for a few bad ones who take undue advantage of our misfortunes.
According to official statistics, our economy has grown steadily at an average of about 7 percent in the past decade. Today, Nigeria has Africa’s largest GDP and also the 26th largest economy in the world. Government says it is making efforts to rebuild national infrastructure, as well as transform Nigeria into an attractive destination for foreign investment.
Echoes from the past remind us that “though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand”. In recent times “Good people, great nation” has become a fascinating slogan. Well, there is nothing wrong in dreaming dreams. But how is our “unity in diversity”? And where is our “peace and progress”? We are like a farmer who planted 100 yam seeds but lied it was 200. If we are lucky we might harvest some 100 yam tubers, but then so we will reap 100 heaps of lies.
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The 1999 Constitution is an offshoot of Nigeria’s root problem. The document stands on a false premise “We the people” and appears to be immune to change.
When it is convenient, the governors are the chief security officers of their respective states. But when things fall apart and evil forces move against them, then Their Excellences realise, painfully, that they are fake security officers.
The constitution requires that the president appoint at least one minister from each state. However, if today government decides rightly to trim down, are we going to have three ministers per ministry? And what happens when new states are created?
Lately, there has been a clamour for the amendment of the constitution to accommodate power rotation. However, if rotational presidency would translate to good governance then it should be clearly spelt out among the federating units. When that day comes and it’s the turn of your state to produce the president, other things being equal, the cabal shall impose on you one of their own. Then your people shall celebrate their kinsman (a crook) is elected president!
Common sense dictates that a pyramid stands on its base and not on its apex. It defies logic, therefore, that Nigeria stands upside down. Why should a community be denied ownership and control of its resources? Ours is a system that pools and shares unjustly. Maybe we should pool our brains as well and give to those without brains, or our talents to individuals who have refused to develop their brains!
The yoking together of religion and the state is chief among many contraptions that have continued to spill our blood, and bring inconsolable sorrows upon us. Any people with odd sorts of unequal yokes can never prosper.
There are three ‘arms of government’ – corruption, bad leadership, and a dysfunctional system. Corruption and bad leadership are close allies. Each fuels and protects the other in an infinite loop. At the centre of the loop is the system that breeds bad leaders, leading to a self-sustaining series of crises.
Believe me, it doesn’t cost a fortune to solve most of our problems. It might cost $470 million to install CCTV cameras but it doesn’t cost that much to make them work. They do as they like and beg others to do the right things forgetting that they govern a system that is hostile to thinking the right thoughts. After every attack, they console us that terrorism is a global scourge. They are quick to remind us that even the United States is affected. But they will not inform us that America is honestly on top of the situation. They will never tell us about places around the world that are fascinatingly peaceful. They expect us to be patriotic but when we speak truth in love they bully us to keep quiet. They detest the voice of reason but enjoy the cacophony of sycophancy.
Yes, we have problems, big problems. But the problems are not the problem. The real problem is we are busy chasing shadows. President Goodluck Jonathan, while inaugurating the National Conference, told the delegates to be at liberty to discuss our problems, all but one. Unfortunately, most of the problems deliberated upon are mere symptoms of a terminal ailment.
When the president defined a no-go area, those who understand Nigeria’s downward trajectory would have known from the outset that the conference was a journey to nowhere. To the advocates of one Nigeria at all costs, negotiating a peaceful coexistence is tantamount to discussing Nigeria’s break-up. They bark, arrogantly, that Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable, as if Nigeria is their personal estate. They boast, foolishly, that Nigeria will never disintegrate, as if they know tomorrow. Incidentally, they are largely responsible for bringing the country to the brink.
These days, we are struggling with a battalion of carry-overs from the past. Today’s troubles are gushing in fast and furious, faster than we can grapple with. Tomorrow’s problems (brand new) can’t wait to come. We may choose to continue to lament our woes until the centre can no longer hold. Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s before-it-is-too-late warning rings louder today. It would take someone who sees beyond tomorrow to convince some of us that it is not already too late. Nigeria is bleeding, and may God grant the fortitude to bear the loss.
John Adebisi