14 Jun 2009 |
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Christopher Odetunde “Our enemies are the political profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high and low places that seek bribes and demand ten percent; those that seek to keep the country divided permanently so that they can remain in office as ministers or VIPs at least, the tribalists, the nepotists, those that make the country look big for nothing before international circles, those that have corrupted our society and put the Nigerian political calendar back by their words and deeds.” Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, 15 January 1966. Nigerians of different walks of life are clamoring for a move in different direction from where Nigeria is right now, the sleepy, no drama, dreaming, see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil state. Some have advocated violent revolution. Some are asking for milder type of revolution while some are resorting to and calling for a holistic review of the non-humanistic 1999 constitution. For those demanding violent revolution, I refer them to the 1966 coup which moved the nation from the ten percenters to the 100 percenters without even executing the projects. Is it not time to question the seriousness of those calling for a change? Do they mean real change or the usual pretentious change without the willingness to do what it takes to cause a change? For a change to take place, we must all be willing to give up our pecks and reject the type of changes used to within the past several decades? To have a revolution, there must be a significant dissatisfaction of the status quo, from god-fatherism to undeserved religious favoritism/intolerance which tends to take hold in our politics. The youths must be ready and willing to also reject the status quo created by previous generations. The generations before mine destroyed the very fabric of humanity that would have bounded my generation to the next. They eradicated the middle class for a quick get rich quickly class resulting from corruption and laziness. Nigeria is yet to estimate the hidden cost of corruption (manpower losses, capital flight, and human suffering). Our past compromises have only lead to death and destruction. The present call for revolution is so iconic and laughable especially from where it is coming that it is no longer funny. By the standard of our own benchmarks, Nigeria, it seems, needs a revolution of some sort in order to correct the anomaly in leadership and in governance. Right now, each change of government (military or civilian) brings more vicious and deadly groups of marauders, thieves, heartless, selfish and cold-blooded leaders who hang to their position at all cost and who refuse to listen to the cries of fellow citizens. It seems that the present leadership especially the president does not care about the cries and the hardship citizens are going through neither does he seems to be swayed about public opinions. These are ingredients for disaster. Let us face the truth which will set us free, almost of the governments we’ve had so far have been anti Nigeria, anti-citizens, repressive in nature, and anti–economic development except if such development favors the few members of the cabal. Our economic policy may end being a re-establishment of parallel Foreign exchange market that favors the Northern oligarchies. They are very serious in re-establishing this parallel market even if their lives depend on it. This is where a privileged few from the North and their appendages from the East and West command the Governors of Central Bank to loan millions of dollars for a week, take it to the parallel market, turn it over (over 100% profit) and return the money without incurring interest back to the Central Bank without anyone knowing. We must resist this with all our strength. A revolution must begin by addressing this myopic economy of scale if there is to be any revolution at all. Well meaning citizens must resist spurious kingdoms transforming into full kingdom. Most well meaning Nigerians are always sitting on the fence because the current economic situation favors them or because they know someone in government. They forget that governments come, governments go but life is cyclic. If this kingdom establishment is not attacked frontally, the children of these leaders will take over from their non-performing parents and the cycle continues while we continue to whining. For those who think leadership in Nigeria is a birth right, they should re-think. For an educated leader who refuses to recognize that non provision of stable electricity is a violation of our collective rights, he and the nation are digging a hole we’ll one day be prematurely buried in. Why will a visionary leader not recognize that the provision of stable electricity needs immediate action? Stable electricity will increase capacity utilization, improve Gross Domestic Product (GND), reduce poverty, reduce unemployment which will increase idle life, in turn improves safety of lives and properties. When a leader refuses or is incapable of noting that the generators that are main source of energy powering our homes and businesses emit poisonous gases will reduce the life spans of citizens, he is not worth being a leader of his own house hold not to talk of being the head of a nation. Isn’t it in our common best interest to place qualified Nigerians in positions to help a leader with his policies and help navigate the treacherous economic world our nation is ill-prepared for? Why do we still follow the policies that put square pegs in round holes? The present government is accused of northernizing all ministries or placing Northerners (Kaduna, Kano and Katsina indigenes) in strategic ministries. If this is the case, President Yar ‘Adua will be no better than those uneducated leaders in the past. He will be known as a parochial leader. Parochialism tends to retard the unity of a nation. Someone has to advise Yar ‘Adua to reverse the course. What we want are qualified Nigerians that can help to move our nation forward and advance the course of human dignity. I had expected President Yar ‘Adua to correct the inequalities that the colonial masters established and the past leaders selfishly propagated because his handlers sold him to us as an educated and kind man who means well for Nigeria. All what these leaders have enjoyed is social engineering experiment and sanctimonious oppression of low self-esteemed and robotic people. Continuing this will be uncivilized for any leader coming from North, East or West. It is said money can’t buy love; surely, corruption cannot bring about sane governance. A government that refuses to recognize the importance of stable electricity in the development of a nation is not worth being called a government. A government that does not improve the education of its citizens is a dead government. A government that grows poverty like growing weeds is a government of visionless leadership that ought to willingly abdicate the office. A government that embarks on corruption and causing capital flight is more dangerous than the armed robbers they jail every day. A government that thinks foreign policy is giving concession to foreigners without deep and abiding negotiation is a government we do not need. Most of us foreigners in Nigeria anyway while foreigners are acting as citizens because Ghana must go bags exchanged hands. Aren’t we tired of this situation? When citizens are disenfranchised, they become restless. Restless citizens are dangerous. President John F. Kennedy said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.” For revolution to take place there must be, first and foremost, initiators and real heroes who are willing to give up their lives for the benefit of the next generation. Unfortunately, most Nigerians are willing, ready and capable of looting the treasury but absolutely unwilling to die for the wellness of the nation. It is said that life is short and it is a loan. The loan Officer is God! Unfortunately, the terms of the loan payment are not negotiable and since death is sure, why don’t we attempt to leave a good legacy for the next generation while we are still alive? No matter how we despise Nzeogwu group, these Majors meant business and were ready to die for their collective believes. As Ademoyega stated, “There was no decision in our meeting to single out any particular ethnic group for elimination or destruction. Our intentions were honorable; our views were national and our goals idealistic.” We remember these “heroes” with sadness but with privilege and twenty-twenty hindsight. Those presently calling for revolution come to the fore in the FAST TRACK of convoluted reasons. Revolution is possible and violent revolution can be a reality only if it is a commonly agreed upon and most patriotic citizens buy into it. Such revolution if executed will be barrel-of-gun resistant. The brawny yet elegant style call for serious violent or mild revolution underscores the aesthetic appeal of those staged by the military. Previously staged violently military takeovers have been cyclic in nature and have led us nowhere but hellish living except for those who took us for granted. We now have a burning desire for an alternative course by shedding the past retrogressive position lead by visionless and half educate leaders. The recent Iranian riot resulting from perceived election malpractice is unlikely in Nigeria because even our youths are compromised. May be our revolution should not be violent but we may just need to make examples of those that have the temerity to loot our treasury and transfer the loots out of Nigeria. If these non-patriotic citizens think they have the effrontery to steal, they must have the courage to leave the funds within Nigeria and face the consequence when caught. There will be no greater assurance of a real revolution for Nigerians than to see citizens say enough is enough and finally mean it. We must agree within the context of the above construct that our current democracy is nonsensical. It is full of blend of Formex tradition and extravagance imagination expressed by the fast track corruption laden with closet skeletons of abuse and raping of those who democracy is meant to serve. Instead, our democracy manages to show Nigerians lots of limits: limits to think, economic limits, scientific limits, political limits, spiritual limits, moral limits and limit to transform citizens from robotic to productive citizens. We need to wear our short knickers and get the nation going. We need to figure Yar ‘Adua out and help him govern the nation to our collective and not Northern advantage. Or we may need to find a way of showing him out of the door in a sensible non-violent way. I cannot be in hell and wait to see my children and grand children be visited hell upon. This is the time for Nigerians to start reflecting on what they want Nigeria of tomorrow to be.
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