In a country with life expectancy put at 49, it then means that any citizen that clocks 50 could be regarded as a Methuselah (the man reported to have lived the longest at the age of 969 in the Hebrew Bible). Six years above 49 is purely a bonus! It could therefore, be said that every Nigerian is expected to record all his/her achievements within the 49 years bracket!
Today, Nigeria, the touted giant of Africa, is 55 years old. It has however, remained a toddler as far as maturity is concerned.
Her mates in the comity of nations have clearly left her behind. She has retained the unenviable attribute of being potentially great, a tag that was affixed on her right in the morning of freedom in 1960.
Within this period, the country has been run by a battery of leaders who were either military heads of state, elected presidents or interim head of government. But in all, one thing has remained constant- bad leadership. And this has kept the country stunted ever since.
The Nigeria story can be likened to that of a 54-year old man who refuses to marry, still living under the same roof with his parents and also being fed by his aged father.
The tragedy of it all is that the young man’s younger brothers of 40 and 37 have since settled down with their individual wives and children.
The 45-year old man carries on as if he was not conscious about the world around him and that time waits for no man. He remains nonplus while his relations bother themselves so much about his sorry state.
In the last 55 years, a good number of the nation’s leaders have been plunderers, who used their position to amass wealth and deprived the poor. While in power, they behave as if they were blind to the nation’s woes. Curiously, as soon as they leave office, they begin to pontificate and make all manner of suggestions how the nation can be moved forward. Today, those past leaders have become arm-chair critics, sermonising on the need for citizens to make sacrifice for their fatherland. That is also the Nigeria tragedy.
Over the years, Nigeria has reaped trillions of dollars from the sale of crude oil. But greater part of the proceeds ended up in private pockets. These monies were not invested in the country, but in foreign lands with trillions stashed in banks abroad. Meanwhile, some of the former leaders who are alive are sitting pretty on their loots in a country ravaged by poverty and deprivation.
Those who rode on the back of the electorate to power have since abandoned the hapless compatriots. In Nigeria, the electorate is used as a cannon fodder.
In most of the 36 states, there is nothing to show for the huge allocations that had accrued to them over the years from the Federal purse. Such allocations are usually shared by governors and their cronies. Today, 55 years after Independence, unemployment is endemic in the states and there is no meaningful development even at state capitals.
At 55, Nigeria has continued in futile hunt for investors all over the world. Every government, both at the Federal and state levels have always amused themselves with endless junketing abroad for foreign investors. Since the inauguration of the Muhammadu Buhari government on May 29 this year, he has been to many countries begging for assistance. The tragedy of it all is that those foreigners know the Nigeria story more deeply than the so-called leaders themselves. This is why such investors do not take Nigerian leaders seriously, even after making lofty promises.
At 55, corruption is still a big issue. The incumbent president has, for four months, delayed appointment of ministers to work with him. He said he did not know who to sign on as a result of their ugly past. Today, whose sources of stupendous wealth are suspect have found themselves sitting in the seat of judgment over others on the same matter. The tragedy of it all is that the hypocritical life of those exhibiting the “holier than thou” posturing is an open book to many Nigerians. They claim to love Nigeria more than anyone else, yet, perpetrate the worst vices that have marred her image, nationally and international.
Zebulon Agomuo
