23 Feb 2008 |
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| The people who call themselves Nigerians are the biggest problem with Nigeria. One of the major reasons why Nigeria is not functioning as a country is as a result of the kind of people that are allowed to rule, speak or act on behalf of the nation.
We have over stretched the combo of greed and corruption as the bane of our progress but it is about time we also highlighted that we are not yet prepared to make real progress. It is impossible to eradicate corruption completely from any geographical landscape inhabited by humans. Still, the magnitude of corruption in Nigeria remains large on the scale. The addition of insincerity of the people to the problem brings more blurriness into the already shattered image. I have read a number of opinions where critics, writers or sponsored agents try to defend some of the terrible things or evils that have been unleashed on the common people of Nigeria. Under those circumstances, I really sympathized with those who expressed sane opinions and tried to drive home their points against an opposing camp that is hell bent on ensuring that evil persists and endures in our lives. I have been called a mad man by one Femi Omoyele on The Nigerian Muse because I wrote about doing away with Maurice Iwu as the useless head of INEC. Indeed, I am really mad because as far as I am concern, that man Iwu remains a persistent resident evil. But this article is not about him or any of those useless looters or ravagers who called themselves politicians; it is about the nature of our real problem. I have tried to express optimism that Nigeria can work as a country. However, my doubts are still there. For every prominent evil man in Nigeria, there are thousands or possibly millions of die-hard followers. For every corrupt politician or pillager, there are thousands or millions of fervent followers or worshippers. We (the ordinary citizens) are in serious trouble! There are people in Nigeria who will put pen to paper or hit their keyboards very hard just to defend their heroic looting-politicians under the past and present dispensations. They will tell you reasons why these men and women should be allowed to come back or remain in our lives. They will tell you to come forward if you have any evidence on the atrocities or crimes that they have committed. They will tell you to shut up if you cannot prove your allegations. What they will not tell you is that approximately 90% of Nigerians live in abject poverty. They will not tell you that more than five children have died in the last 5 minutes due to preventable diseases. They will not tell you that, according to Charles Soludo, more than 60% of Nigerian graduates cannot compete at the global level because of the rot pervading our educational citadels. They will not tell you that for more than 40 years, no one had made any serious plan for the youth of today and the generation of internet rats that have emerged along the line of inactions. They will not tell you that in Nigeria, the future is already stolen! They will not give you the gory details of what it means to live on less than 2 dollars a day and how hopelessness has taken over the minds of ordinary Nigerians in urban and rural areas. They will not tell you how widespread unemployment is and how it has contributed to the increase in violent robberies and assassinations. They seek evidence that more than 50 000 Nigerian women die annually from maternity related problems! What a bunch of evidence-seeking lunatics! These defenders of evil will not tell you that ordinary Nigerians like me are frustrated with the complete absence of social amenities and infrastructure that are supposed to add quality to human existence. They will not be able to explain why billions of naira had been spent on the roads that still ranked among the worst in the world. No one among these dangerous liars will tell you what fate had befallen all the monies allegedly invested or pumped into the economy. Can they tell us something on all the environmental hazards that are created in Nigeria or the near absence of the role of nature and environment to our well-being and existence? Nigeria has a long way to go. For several years, we have been going round and round in the same cycle of deceit, exhibiting idiocy and extremely shameful vices. Nigerian newsprints (and lately internet news sites) are adding to the pile of existing problems. There are opinions and essays written daily that reveal the cold war going on between certain interest groups within Nigeria. It is very obvious to see. Many of the so called Nigerian critics are now using their talents to serve the interests of their respective pay masters who have violently destroyed Nigeria. If Chief Olowolayemo pays my salary, I am forbidden to write about how he looted money from the Ogun state treasury. On the other hand, I don’t care about Alhaji Kofoworola in Ekiti State and I must use all my literary skills to bring him down for not fulfilling his electoral promises to the people of Ekiti. Alhaji Kofoworola’s nephew on the other hand runs a website where everything is done to give Kofo a good name and a perfect image. In general, many of these critics have confirmed that money is still the root of all evil. Everyone has a right to earn a living but when people throw away their moral obligations while pretending to serve the good of all, then we must begin to weigh the consequences on the endless wait for the anticipated progress in Nigeria. I am so sorry to say that Nigeria is not ready to make progress yet. Many other people are afraid of the truth that Nigeria will not work if this type of nonsense is still what we can offer or accept in the 21st century. Not only have our politicians gone mad, our critics and paid agents have messed up the whole scenario such that Nigeria is now like the biblical Babel. We have been speaking with many tongues and from all sides of our mouths and it doesn’t seem like we are going to understand one another. This manifestation of our collective insanity tilts favorably towards those clamoring for independent nations emerging from Nigeria. I am not convinced that such an approach will not create more problems. It is also obvious why a Rawlings’ Solution or people-oriented revolution will not happen in Nigeria. Nigeria is a peculiar mess! So, while we continue to seek good governance, legitimate leadership, accountability, probity, stability, sanity, re-structuring, re-ordering, discipline, pride resuscitation, economy rejuvenation and the paths to other lost tracks of our lives, it now appears that we must also take the time to seek intelligent and right thinking minds so that we are not fed any longer with some stinking regurgitated mess coming from some thoughtless nonentities. aderounmu@gmail.com
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