It’s a month since my birthday and then my son’s birthday is tomorrow. I have not written much in the last two months on the experiment called Nigeria.
The more I look at the future of this ‘thing’ called Nigeria, the more scared I get. Our President, the ‘fastest’ President in terms of work pace is in far away Egypt attending the Non-Aligned Movement meeting and his message to the body is laughable because I think it aptly describes him and his style in the reverse.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
President Yar’adua said that the movement had to play an active role…Can someone tell Mr. President that Nigeria under his watch has played no such role.
The President insisted that we deserve a seat at the table. How can the impoverished people of Nigerian get a seat even on the floor? He called for both cohesion and coherence and I wondered was it the type in PDP?
Yar'Adua said, we have consistently honored rhetoric at the expense of concrete actions." I CANNOT BELIEVE HE SAID THAT…Yar’adua actually said that
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });
The Nigerian leader called for a balanced sanctuary…blab la la la and la against the backdrop of a lack of balance and alignment at home.
The slow motion at the top of government has gathered momentum at the bottom, this is no news but the impact is of grave concern if we are thinking of making headway.
We are no longer talking about a slow down but what may be best described as an abrupt stop in governance and government activities. The only thing that has not slowed down nor stopped is government stealing, on the contrary the pace of lootocracy has increased in leadership and we at the tail end are hypocritically pray that a miracle will happen.
The fast pace we are witnessing are in the wrong directions, Only last month while paying my electricity bill, the power office was using generating set to power the system so they could do receipts and only that particular room had light.
As I write this, workers of the power company are on a warning strike, not that anyone cares or has even noticed because we do not even get the light. In parts of Abuja people lodge into hotels to have their clothes ‘pressed’.
Like a comedian puts it, even the candles that we buy these days have grown thin, soon we will be left with just the rope and no wax.
I listened in on a group discussing Yar’adua and Obasanjo, and the consensus was if it was during Obj, Obama would have not dared visit Ghana without Nigeria. Well away from that, truth is that Nigerians are missing the comedy that Obasanjo’s and his government was. At least we got some comic relief.
While the Iranians have simmered down, they showed us how not to take rigging, on the contrary we as usual drown our frustrations by writing, at least we are consoled that it is better than doing it at the local pub. We do not have a revolution in us and sadly it is the truth.
With one more year added to my years on earth, I ask how much time do I have left, with the life expectancy figures, with the reality that is Nigeria, how much change can I, can you and can we cause to occur?
Take a look at Nigeria today…In Ogun State, we have gone back to the ritual days…I swear by the isi ewu in mama risika’s joint and legislators suffering from juvenile delinquency. It is the same Ogun state that a cook has several millions in his account. In Plateau it is PDP 1 and PDP 2 and the return of ‘Monsieur Dariye’.
In Anambra, it is the mystery N250M and the forthcoming elections in Nigeria’s most troubled state.
Bauchi saw Yuguda do the betrayal dance and move to the PDP. Did I forget the 900 aides, no 900 ‘aids’ that were milking the government treasury? As usual there has been the diplomatic solution to the plane that landed in Kano.
Abia State is second on the list of kidnap alert state; it’s not about oil but business, kidnap as a means of survival.
We have started borrowing money again, long term, short term, interest free and going not just in circles but illusionary lines.
We keep hearing millions, billions, trillions, but we do not see the end results. Simple budget tracking rule says, if you do not understand all the arithmetical jargons and statistics, JUST follow the MONEY, If N10M is meant for drugs in hospitals, let’s see the drugs in the hospital.
In a country where the unusual is the usual, as usual teachers are on strike in four states, doctors shelved one yesterday, and nurses are still on strike. Radio and Television workers just called off theirs.
When will the poor man strike?
In my last one year I have learnt not to expect much so that I do not get disappointed in matters concerning Nigeria.
The likes of Ibori are growing stronger, Igbenidion after restituting a small portion…like 0.00002 of his loot, he is ‘wacking’ his money. Dariye has been forgiven by PDP, Bafarawa is still in school, I don’t know where M’auzu is, Danjuma Goje while still in power has paid himself pension. Orji Kalu is having a chap write a weekly column for him on leadership.
Some 30 years ago, asked in an interview on why Nigeria was not moving forward compared to Brazil and other nations in same league. The late Aminu Kano replied the reporter “Do they have Yorubas, Hausas or Igbos?”.
I will end this by saying I am back, I will write, I will write the truth, I will try my best and hope that somewhere, you are also doing your best. We may yet get somewhere.
Great People yes….great leaders….Lord No, is it a great nation, shaking my head…I do not know.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });