30 Jan 2005 |
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Along with wrong priorities, another major reason why we remain underdeveloped is that we simply lack the collective will to elevate this nation. Basically, while corruption and all her unhelpful cousins may have contributed in no small way to our backwardness, the crux of our underdevelopment lies in our inability to muster the resolve to leap ahead. This failure of determination continues to haunt us even now as we haggle over humdrum considerations such as which village potential leaders come from, what dialect they speak, what name they call God and what we stand to gain personally once they are in office. In other words, despite the well-recorded fact that these parameters have no bearing whatsoever on ability to deliver stated goals, we continue to mortgage our collective growth through our tendency to ‘agendarise’ everything in tribal, regional, religious and personal fiscal shades. And yet, we are living witnesses to the fact that where these considerations were discountenanced or at least downplayed, and the necessary will to act was duly mustered, significant progress has been recorded. Thankfully, we do not have to go far to see a clear example. I love Abuja Some years back, the montage “I love New York” used to adorn t-shirts that were rather popular. We should rip that off and make the “I love Abuja” variant to celebrate the fact that Abuja is the biggest city built in the 20th century. Whatever anyone is going to make of that, the ‘unagendarised’ truth is that that is a tremendous Nigerian achievement. The import for me therein is that we have the capacity and wherewithal to do remarkable things. Incidentally, we all get off on lambasting the military for having ruined the nation. However, the Abuja we have today, as flawed as it may be, is largely a rendition of the military’s will, which, despite its pre-eminently deceitful disposition, did enthrone some pockets of improvement amidst its general unwholesomeness. Today, we’re all crying because billions get appropriated and then the stupendous sums are blatantly looted. When the ‘armed robbers’ disagree on how to share their loot, they merely let us in on snippets of their misdeeds which the government invariably covers up as ‘family affairs.’ Let’s keep crying, perhaps heaven will hear us. As we cry, let’s not forget that the military that began the large scale looting of the public treasury did muster the will to forge ahead with Abuja. Hisses and snickers Meanwhile, as inconsolable as many of us are over the near-stagnation that seems to characterise the Nigerian Project at this time, there is still hope for us. For even as we add retiring Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun to an agonizingly long list of untouchables, we are nonetheless very familiar with the dance steps of the masquerade he wears. So while we may never see him prosecuted in a court of law, we will nevertheless hiss and snicker in our homes when he starts collecting chieftaincy titles all over the country, as we already do with others of his ilk. Of what use are the hisses and snickers? Well, that’s the only tool of reprove available to us for now. A snake and its head Our seemingly ineffectual form of reprimand for traitorous misdeeds will have to serve until such a time when a leader with the will to carry out appropriate penalty according to the law happens on the scene. For to ask the present government to do anything other than pay lip service to the concept will be akin to asking a snake to swallow its head. That, you must agree, is not only an unfair proposition but one that is most unlikely to happen. The snake may swallow an errant rat here, a pesky frog there; it might even nibble at its own tail if the component itches unbearably, but to swallow its own head is out of the question. After all, for a snake to love its own head is not necessarily a manifestation of narcissism, is it? Seems to me that’s more an understandable case of self-protection than anything else. Indeed, perhaps we should applaud the snake for its determination to preserve itself, a trait possibly more admirable than the spuriousness displayed by the honourable men and women of the National Assembly who, it would appear, have nothing better to do but to debate dress codes. The National Assembly and spurious issues If that’s the tack they’re inclined to follow, here are a few heavyweights they may consider taking up as soon as they’re done with a law that stands as much chance of being obeyed as the extant laws on abuse of office and graft. How many police-issued passes should a citizen have to move from Area One to Berger Junction here in Abuja? Perhaps four? And if a citizen dares to move from Abuja to Kaduna? The National Assembly should pass a law requiring such a troublesome citizen to obtain no less than 200 police-issued passes, possibly one for each kilometre. When they’re done with that, they may just consider that bill on a walking code. Should we begin walking by placing the left foot in front of the right foot or vice versa? More importantly, what should be the measurement between steps? Next, they men and women in the National Assembly should mull over legislation that regulates the amount of air and sunlight each citizen is allowed in a day. This is imperative as it may end up having a bearing on their all-important dress code. The last thing the National Assembly should do is insist that the relevant bodies enforce existing laws regarding abuse of office and graft. But I guess that is asking for too much. After all, if the executive has never shown the will to do so on its own, why shouldn’t the National Assembly go to sleep or lark about? Our politicians’ lack of will to build this nation seemingly encourages others to give the matter a shot. But we already know about those others, don’t we? We’ll keep crying to heaven because, regardless of its seeming helplessness on these shores, on democracy we need to stand. And if we fall thereon, at least we’ll know exactly who to blame: ourselves for pursuing priorities of dubious merit and lacking the will to grow.
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