Our governments recognize this self evident truth and since independence have exploited it fully. The oft quoted Fela's quip (I no wan die) has become a generational and national shame, a self fulfilling prophecy as we continue to moan and complain in our small corners, whimpering like a mouse whose food the ever present cat has grabbed again!
Of all the qualities that are admirable in Nigerians, the absence of moral courage has unfortunately come to define us. we are such a cautious people and little wonder we are still led by the self confessed 'wasted generations' who have no ideas beyond how to 'come and chop'; a group that can never dream, whose only ambition is to be the lord and master within 500miles of their residence! In a transparent and merit driven society, they would have become relics of our better forgotten past.
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The result is not just that we are stagnating as a nation but we are deteriorating faster than our worst nightmares. Worse, we are also leaving ourselves open to the same questions by future generations--why didn’t you guys do anything when all these happened? We are setting an example to the young lads that government is almighty, a demagogue or leviathan that we should never challenge. Yet as a former US president once wrote, ' when a government fears its people, that is democracy, when a people fears their government, that is tyranny'. We fear our government in a 'democracy' because the leaders got there thorough 'do or die' tactics and thus do not owe us anything. Politics is a war and we are a conquered people. Yet we cannot do anything about it!
And what a nation we are now! Simply nothing works. Yet we have yearly budgets and oversight committees funded by public money. What we get everyday is an ever depressing dose of government incompetency by an irredeemable clique whose genius is only in conjuring huge white elephant projects that are designed to fail. Such projects are merely channels to siphon money meant to turn Nigeria into the land of new promise. Our states and Federal Governments are actors in a comedy of errors, while our local governments have become a marketing 'niche' where chairmen and their 'godfathers' have only one constitutional responsibility, share the money. And we do not care?
While the rest of the world, less endowed than us have conquered space and spit the atom, we are descending into a whirlwind of kidnapping, insecurity, national darkness and hunger. What is our reaction? Where is our moral courage? When can we say enough is enough? What will happen to make us so angry to demand accountability? When we will stop accommodating, rationalizing and philosophizing? When are we going to take our country back?
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Nigeria is a nation of immense resources, high potentials but without moral courage we are a country of wimps -without a single conviction. That is why a national strike can not last beyond the third day in Nigeria- yet when the price of bread was increased by 2 cents, Venezuelans poured out in the street for 2 months until their government resigned. Same is true of Indonesia and Thailand. The recent protests in Iran were over the suspicion of rigging, not our own that we see 'koro koro'. You see why we are all COWARDS.
We think we can succeed on our own struggles, our 'hustling'. Yet without a functional government, we have a ceiling, a limit we cannot break. We will continue to be a country were dreams die fast. You can do 10times better than you are doing now if electricity, security and infrastructure is provided. Our reaction is 'find way and check out' and so the embassies and immigrations of the Western nations know that we are desperate to get out from the hell that is Nigeria. And they treat us less than animals. And why not? When we will rather run than fight? When we want to 'come and chop' where we did not sow? When we are not ready to confront the clear and ever present danger in our home? Why would not they treat us like s..t when they know that we have no government to protect us.
The tragedy of Nigeria is not bad leadership. It is indifferent citizenship because evil strives when good people present no opposition. Of course, we are a people that were not brought up to consider the general good before our individual self; or to delay instant gratification for future reward; or to make sacrifices for people whose names we will never know, whose face we will never see. But is the fault in our stars? When are we going to own our destiny, our commonwealth, our future, our pride?
It is 'rare and powerful. It is a source of tremendous strength when odds are long. It is a foundation that will help you both to defend and challenge your own beliefs and in situations where you may be tempted to silence or sit back, your moral courage'. See why we are a nation of cowards!
CHIDI C. IWUCHUKWU
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
COVENTRY,CV4 7AL
ENGLAND
MOBILE: +447501936296
Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
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