Branding, rebranding, having faith in Nigeria, we do not have any other country, etc –all meaningless words and phrases that are irrelevant to the average Nigerian on the street whose main concern is food, shelter and security. Many have lost faith in Nigeria, lost faith in the sense that Nigeria has nothing to offer, no mission, no vision, no hope .The government spends millions on propaganda selling the seven point agenda to Nigerians. Nigerians do not want words they want action. Here are some reasons why Nigerians have lost all hope and faith in Nigeria.
Why can’t INEC conduct one simple election in a state like Ekiti without heating up the polity? What manner of law makers do we have that have turned gun runners and send thugs to beat up hapless journalist as was the scenario in Ekiti. In a sane society the electoral boss (in this case-I Worst Umpire-IWU) would have tendered his resignation. What of the law makers who have decided to wear dishounorable robes by their illegal activities in Ekiti? In an orderly society they would be hiding in shame, but in Nigeria they are above the law since they are honourable lawmakers. Who loves Nigeria?
Two years down the drain all we have seen from the government on the energy sector is talk and money moving into private pockets. It’s the new cash cow for government officials. After lots of promises, committee reports and white papers there is no gas, no fuel, no electricity. Where is the much talked about energy? Or is it in the importation of fuel and electricity generating plants (aka generators)? Great Country?
Who are the people involved in oil bunkering? Are they above the law or are our intelligence units so daft that they have no idea about the cartel with connections in Abuja destroying our economy through oil bunkering? How long do we have to watch mere labourers paraded on national television as oil bunkerers while the real oil smugglers party in Abuja?
Why do our politicians always rush abroad for even the slightest medical treatment? Yet we are constantly assailed with stories of improved health facilities. Definitely it can’t be that they don’t trust the expertise of our doctors because in some cases the doctors that treat them abroad are Nigerians. Even the much touted National hospital Abuja is not good enough for our corrupt politicians and their families.
The security situation is getting worse daily. Kidnapping is no longer news, armed robbers operate in state capitals in broad daylights for hours while the ill equipped police men rely on charms and amulets to counter the superior fire power of the armed robbers who were equipped by politicians to enable them perform their casual jobs as political thugs. Just last week a lady was assassinated during a church service, in broad daylight! It’s now safer moving around at night than during the day because at night you deal only with armed robbers but during the day you have to deal with armed
robbers, assassins, kidnappers, over zealous military personnel and political thugs! Remember that catchy song some years back”…me I love Nigeria, I love the land and people, everything dey for Nigeria…”Definitely in Nigeria we have everything including the good, the bad, and ugly but it’s so sad that only the bad and ugly are in government.
Apart from the seven point agenda mantra and the rule of law song I guess the Yardua government is still looking for avenues to impact positively on Nigerians. The government recently rolled out the drums over its decision to embark upon massive road construction and reconstruction. Sadly we have been through this road before, (pardon the pun) contracts are awarded with fanfare, money is shared, shoddy work is effected on the roads and by the time the rains come the roads are worse than before the sham contracts were awarded. I guess its “the more things change, the more they remain the same.”
Unemployment is on the increase, factories are either shutting down or moving their operations to Ghana, inflation is having a good time in the market places, the capital (shares) market has pauperized families, Governors are busy competing to see who spends the most time outside Nigeria and our dear President who has failed to perform is already thinking how best to ensure that he gets reelected. We have reached a dangerous stage in Nigeria, a stage where people do not care what it takes for them to get food, shelter and try to enjoy the kind of life portrayed by politicians and their cronies. How do you explain families scooping fuel in buckets from burst oil pipe lines even though they are aware of the danger. We have a ready army of youths ready to do anything, yes anything for a morsel of food. We have definitely reached the nadir of existence in Nigeria. The quotation below captures it better:
‘The most dangerous creation of any society
Is the man who has nothing to lose”
-James Baldwin
Go out onto the streets in any Nigerian city and you’ll find people who live each day as it comes, people who have nothing to lose, people who do not care if they live or die, people to who government means nothing, people who will help anybody be it a foreigner or alien from outer space to destroy Nigeria without a second thought. Can someone please tell Yardua the kind of people he is breeding through his policies and actions (inactions)
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