Nigeria at 53

I choose this occasion of Nigeria's 53rd independence anniversary to break my 27-month blog silence. Some of my friends "accuse" me of being an idealist, and my only defense is that ideas build nations, and the "working" Nigeria of our dreams is an ideal. This does not mean "unachievable". It only means "yet unachieved". I am however thrown aback every time I am surrounded by my fellow country-men. All agree that we live in less-than-desirable conditions, but everyone has at least 2 "solutions" that differ from everyone Else's! It does not matter that you interview 10 Nigerians or 10,000 of them. You are bound to have "solutions" at least twice the number of respondents! This is a result of years of myopic symptom-treating mentality. We only see perspectives from our view, without taking in a wider view of the bigger picture.



 

“What in the world could be wrong with Dr. Tunde Bakare? Is there no end to his new-found political ambition?”. Those were just a few of the incredulous remarks from some sectors in the country. First, he convened a national pressure group called Save Nigeria Group (SNG), then he grabbed at the Vice Presidential seat, becoming General Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate. This latter decision, reminiscent of the near-chaos caused by his “Obasanjo is not our messiah” sermon, back in 1999, has become the major focus of political street-talk. Interestingly, the most vilification has come from his own people – the so-called Christian fold, who also turned out en-masse to vote against him.

My 4-month blogging silence was deliberate. I was involved in mobilizing voters to participate in the recently concluded rounds of general elections in Nigeria. Followers on Twitter and friends on Facebook are aware of this. However, I refused to become partisan on this medium, as this would defeat its original purpose of encouraging and propagating thought-provoking discussions, good citizenship, and progressive participation in governance by all. This commentary post is all-inclusive, not partisan or divisive.

My little experience in life has taught me that you may not agree with me on some of the points I will raise. No problem. The world thrives on diversity. However, I know a few things we may all agree on:

We all want more money? I beg to disagree! You do not want more money (except you are insane!), you only want more things money can get you (possessions, power, respect).

“If you believe, and I believe, and we all work for it;
Almighty God will grant us grace, (and) Nigeria will be saved.
Nigeria will be saved, Nigeria will be changed
Almighty God will grant us grace, (and) Nigeria will be great!”
- Anthem of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG)

Faulty belief systems have been laid down as the foundation of our individual mindsets, and by extension, our national psyche. 50 years after independence, the country still wallows in abject mindless and directionless existence, because we have been wired to do nothing, while expecting every good thing to fall on our laps! A ‘do-nothing’ is a ‘get-nothing’.

You probably know the story of the rat trap in the farmer’s barnyard:

The farmer put a rat trap in his barnyard to eliminate the rodents spoiling his store. The rat saw it and raised an alarm to all other animals: “There’s a rat trap in the barnyard!”. He ran to the hen, but she was not interested. “So what? Do I look like a rat to you?”.

The rat went to the pig in the sty, but the pig was indifferent. “Go away, fool. My feet are too big to get caught in a rat trap”. Off went the rat to the cow, who was bigger than the other animals, and commanded more respect: “There’s a rat trap in the barnyard!!!”

“The essence of this piece is to bring to national consciousness, what has been lurking in my (as indeed, OUR) subconscious. It is to highlight our responsibilities and the pro-active roles we must play. God has blessed several Nigerians with several ideas that would ensure that we seize the moment and so, I’m sharing mine with you with the hope that you will share yours with me and every Nigerian; holding nothing back.”

Those are the words of a well-meaning (I hope) Nigerian, Ezekiel Nya-Etok, as published in a paid advertorial on Page 16D of This Day Newspaper (Thursday, September 16, 2010). I hope the money he sacrificed to have this advert printed will not go to utter waste. It is in this hope that I wish to join my voice with his, to reach as many Nigerians as possible, with only ONE message: You NOW have your political future in your HANDS, literally.

Collective responsibility is a concept or doctrine, according to which individuals are to be held responsible for other people's actions by tolerating, ignoring, or harbouring them, without actively collaborating in these actions.

God save Nigeria

Collective responsibility is about being responsible to oneself, and for the actions or inactions of others. You are part of a society for a reason. If you live in isolation, the tendency for a short, hard and insecure life is high. On the other hand, being part of a social grouping (political, national, religious, or otherwise) guarantees some form of protection, as safety is more assured in a crowd. However, whole civilizations have been known to perish without trace. This makes one wonder: Could they not have had safety in their number?

Michelle Obama returned to USA last week, after spending 5 days holidaying in Spain, with her 9 year-old daughter, Sasha, a list of friends numbering about 40, and a retinue of her personal and security staff on White House pay-roll (tax-payers’ money). In the middle of the first week of holidays, the American voices of probity and dissent were raised to question the economic rationale behind her apparently ostentatious stay in Spain. Many questions were asked about her spending, who paid for what, and why such display of affluence must go on in the face of the wounded American economy. We often wonder why Americans are so proud of their culture, nationality and lifestyle. The answer is not far fetched – there is inclusion, probity, and accountability in governance.

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Pamela Evbota, the self-styled Chief Helping Officer of Ladiesnetworking.com, is a certified Helpingpreneur, speaker, and teacher. A Helpingpreneur™ is anyone involved in providing help or support to other people/entrepreneurs for a living. She works with women who are at a cross road in their life, work, and/or business. These women want to get crystal clear focus on what their purpose and passion are in life.

How Governors Rig Elections, By Donald Duke
Sunday, 18 July 2010 00:00 From Alifa Daniel, Asst Political Editor, Abuja.

This is worth reading, folks. May God save Nigeria. Amen.

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