February 14, 2009
When the call came, at the wee hour of the morning, I shrugged to pick it. It must be a Nigeria call, I told myself, but at the other end was a dead silence. I repeated hello, three times and there was no voice. I was hearing a wailing on the background, so I persisted to hear a voice. I had made up my mind to hang up after saying hello for the fourth time; but a frantic voice came up “Dede, it’s me, Chijioke”. What is it, I said? They robbed me of all my wares (handsets) and they collected all the money I have, my nephew said in exasperation and in tears. My reply was, so this has come home and it has hit me. My nephew said that the kings of the night and of the day robbed all the six flats in their building. Did you guys call Police, I asked? He said that they did but Police replied that they were engaged with other set of robbers somewhere not distant. He said that at the time of calling, I pm Nigerian time, no Police reported to take oral evidence from them. What a country!!
In the robbery incident, thank God, there was no life lost, but what I struggled with throughout the dawn was, with the financial meltdown in USA and across the world, where will I get money to start up a business again for my nephew? The story of my nephew is the stories of Jide, Fibresima, Yerima, Efe,Okoye and Danladi, it is the story of famished Nigerians, who are in forced thralldom by the likes of Obasanjo, IBB, Sani Abacha, James Ibori, Orji Kalu, the Sarakis, Achike Udenwa, Peter Odili, Jolly Nyame, Lucky Igbinedion, Nnamani (not Ken), Yar’Adua, Maurice Iwu, Anenih, Bode George, Fani Kayode, all the corrupt governors during Obssanjo regime, Micheal Aondoakaa, Okiro , Farida Waziri and all the pinheads of the House of Representatives in Abuja. These Lords of the Manors are holding Nigeria in their clutches; they don’t want to develop Nigeria, they don’t want to create jobs and they don’t want to prosecute the looters of our commonwealth. Armed robbers and kidnappers have taken over the country and instead of Yar’Adua, Okiro and Aondoakaa to develop grey hairs for these atrocities; they decided that what was uppermost in their minds was the head of Nuhu Ribadu on Pontius Pilate’s plate; and to please James Ibori and Saraki. Our own Nuhu is the conscience of the nation, the un-repented apostle of anti-corruption crusade. But corruption can go ahead, declared Yar’Adua and Aondoakaa.
The uprising in the form of incessant armed robberies and kidnappings are the fall-outs of greed, worship of immediate gratifications, a passing away of our time-honored cultural values, lack of leadership, entrepreneurial dead spirits and failure to create employment for the teeming youths. Nigeria is a failed state and the earlier we acknowledge this, the better for us to rise and search for effective solutions. Nigeria has never been known as a nation that tells itself the truth. In the days of Shagari, when the nation was on the boarders of a cliff hanger economically, Paa Awo alarmed the nation, but people like Umaru Dikko did not waste time to brand Awo as an alarmist, but what Paa Awo said came to pass. Now, nobody, Aso Rock can admit that Nigeria is a failed state.
Lack of leadership has been on the table for so long a time and the end is not yet in sight. Barack Obama inherited a hopeless economic climate from George Bush, but all that he has been pushing is how to reverse the trends of job loss in USA. A responsible government has as its most important mandates, the creation of jobs and enthronement of peace and stability.
If research is to be done especially during the eight years of Obasanjo regime, how much did the nation earn and how many jobs were created to absorb the milling heads of the unfortunate youths. What a wasted generation? Obasanjo foisted Yar’Adua on Nigeria and the precious time of this administration has been wasted on litigation, to legitimize the illegality of Obasanjo and Maurice Iwu. Where is the time for job creation if at all it is in the minds of these lunatics that call themselves leaders? Does Nigeria know the precious time and resources wasted on litigations and counter litigations after any election? For the mere fact that these marauders want to rule by all means and they found a willing instrument in the hands of Maurice Iwu to rig elections and cause mayhem, Nigeria should forgot about good leadership and the benefits of democracy. Elections in Nigeria are do- or- die and the actors are those who are supposed to be in jails and so long as this will not change, we should brace up for more dare devil armed robbers and kidnappers.
The nation is in want of good role models. As I write, there are few of them and they are not in government except slightly, Peter Obi of Anambra State and to some extent, Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State. What is happening in Nigeria is a sample of the micro systemic decay of the macro system. Nigeria worships wealth too much; you see it in the behavior of the award of chieftaincy titles, you see it in the choice of cars we cannot manufacture, you see it in the urban and sub-urban celebrations of events, you see it in the tastes of our young women and you see it in the unbridled penchant of our young men. We steal to showcase our latest car which the manufacturers cannot even possess. We steal to take overseas trips with our families; my Mercedes Benz is bigger than yours. If you cannot take your family to overseas for summer holidays, you have not arrived, only in Nigeria. We steal to take our Mistress to overseas and build everlasting wealth for our families. We need to change our attitudes.
Our young men and women see all these things and they copy them. We need value orientation and leadership classes if we are serious for national development. We need cultural revival and orientation. I have lived in USA for 15 years and there is no other continent in this world that can near the African culture. We need to go back to basics. When I was growing up, my father would never stop to ask me where I got money to buy a new shoe. This attitude in our fathers has to come back, but the bad news is that the fathers of today have been disempowered by lack of jobs and early retirements. Some even depend on the money received through prostitution of their daughter and robberies. We are now at the stage of “man must wack”.
There is no day that passes now in Nigeria without countless incidents of robberies, kidnappings and roads accidents, a mark of leadership failures. Can we have statistics of deaths resulting from bank robberies, road robberies, house robberies, kidnappings, unemployed youths and prostitution rates?
A nation that refuses to engage her youths, those youths will engage themselves in anything. For the fact that there is no enabling environment in Nigeria, the required infrastructures, the entrepreneurial spirits are dead in that country. What will you do with a training welding if there is no power supply? I pray, I will not get such call from my nephew again, and I don’t wish it to anybody, but we must engage our youths positively. For now, shame to our past and present leaders!!!
*Chukwuma Iwuanyanwu is the Executive Director of Harcourt Foundation, Inc., Los Angeles, California.
[email protected]
In the robbery incident, thank God, there was no life lost, but what I struggled with throughout the dawn was, with the financial meltdown in USA and across the world, where will I get money to start up a business again for my nephew? The story of my nephew is the stories of Jide, Fibresima, Yerima, Efe,Okoye and Danladi, it is the story of famished Nigerians, who are in forced thralldom by the likes of Obasanjo, IBB, Sani Abacha, James Ibori, Orji Kalu, the Sarakis, Achike Udenwa, Peter Odili, Jolly Nyame, Lucky Igbinedion, Nnamani (not Ken), Yar’Adua, Maurice Iwu, Anenih, Bode George, Fani Kayode, all the corrupt governors during Obssanjo regime, Micheal Aondoakaa, Okiro , Farida Waziri and all the pinheads of the House of Representatives in Abuja. These Lords of the Manors are holding Nigeria in their clutches; they don’t want to develop Nigeria, they don’t want to create jobs and they don’t want to prosecute the looters of our commonwealth. Armed robbers and kidnappers have taken over the country and instead of Yar’Adua, Okiro and Aondoakaa to develop grey hairs for these atrocities; they decided that what was uppermost in their minds was the head of Nuhu Ribadu on Pontius Pilate’s plate; and to please James Ibori and Saraki. Our own Nuhu is the conscience of the nation, the un-repented apostle of anti-corruption crusade. But corruption can go ahead, declared Yar’Adua and Aondoakaa.
The uprising in the form of incessant armed robberies and kidnappings are the fall-outs of greed, worship of immediate gratifications, a passing away of our time-honored cultural values, lack of leadership, entrepreneurial dead spirits and failure to create employment for the teeming youths. Nigeria is a failed state and the earlier we acknowledge this, the better for us to rise and search for effective solutions. Nigeria has never been known as a nation that tells itself the truth. In the days of Shagari, when the nation was on the boarders of a cliff hanger economically, Paa Awo alarmed the nation, but people like Umaru Dikko did not waste time to brand Awo as an alarmist, but what Paa Awo said came to pass. Now, nobody, Aso Rock can admit that Nigeria is a failed state.
Lack of leadership has been on the table for so long a time and the end is not yet in sight. Barack Obama inherited a hopeless economic climate from George Bush, but all that he has been pushing is how to reverse the trends of job loss in USA. A responsible government has as its most important mandates, the creation of jobs and enthronement of peace and stability.
If research is to be done especially during the eight years of Obasanjo regime, how much did the nation earn and how many jobs were created to absorb the milling heads of the unfortunate youths. What a wasted generation? Obasanjo foisted Yar’Adua on Nigeria and the precious time of this administration has been wasted on litigation, to legitimize the illegality of Obasanjo and Maurice Iwu. Where is the time for job creation if at all it is in the minds of these lunatics that call themselves leaders? Does Nigeria know the precious time and resources wasted on litigations and counter litigations after any election? For the mere fact that these marauders want to rule by all means and they found a willing instrument in the hands of Maurice Iwu to rig elections and cause mayhem, Nigeria should forgot about good leadership and the benefits of democracy. Elections in Nigeria are do- or- die and the actors are those who are supposed to be in jails and so long as this will not change, we should brace up for more dare devil armed robbers and kidnappers.
The nation is in want of good role models. As I write, there are few of them and they are not in government except slightly, Peter Obi of Anambra State and to some extent, Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State. What is happening in Nigeria is a sample of the micro systemic decay of the macro system. Nigeria worships wealth too much; you see it in the behavior of the award of chieftaincy titles, you see it in the choice of cars we cannot manufacture, you see it in the urban and sub-urban celebrations of events, you see it in the tastes of our young women and you see it in the unbridled penchant of our young men. We steal to showcase our latest car which the manufacturers cannot even possess. We steal to take overseas trips with our families; my Mercedes Benz is bigger than yours. If you cannot take your family to overseas for summer holidays, you have not arrived, only in Nigeria. We steal to take our Mistress to overseas and build everlasting wealth for our families. We need to change our attitudes.
Our young men and women see all these things and they copy them. We need value orientation and leadership classes if we are serious for national development. We need cultural revival and orientation. I have lived in USA for 15 years and there is no other continent in this world that can near the African culture. We need to go back to basics. When I was growing up, my father would never stop to ask me where I got money to buy a new shoe. This attitude in our fathers has to come back, but the bad news is that the fathers of today have been disempowered by lack of jobs and early retirements. Some even depend on the money received through prostitution of their daughter and robberies. We are now at the stage of “man must wack”.
There is no day that passes now in Nigeria without countless incidents of robberies, kidnappings and roads accidents, a mark of leadership failures. Can we have statistics of deaths resulting from bank robberies, road robberies, house robberies, kidnappings, unemployed youths and prostitution rates?
A nation that refuses to engage her youths, those youths will engage themselves in anything. For the fact that there is no enabling environment in Nigeria, the required infrastructures, the entrepreneurial spirits are dead in that country. What will you do with a training welding if there is no power supply? I pray, I will not get such call from my nephew again, and I don’t wish it to anybody, but we must engage our youths positively. For now, shame to our past and present leaders!!!
*Chukwuma Iwuanyanwu is the Executive Director of Harcourt Foundation, Inc., Los Angeles, California.
[email protected]
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });