Buhari: a Burden of Expectation

W

e, the people are most grateful to God, the powers that be and everyone that contributed to the success of the just concluded elections in Nigeria. My reserve of hope had slowly ebbed over the years that I wondered if the beauty of change would be witnessed in my time. I thought the usual win or die; sit-tight syndrome would manifest itself again.

Whilst I would not add my voice to the cacophony by others’ clamoring for a Nobel Prize for Mr. President for taking the honorable path, I would be gracious in commending him. Yes, absolute power corrupts absolutely and if you’ve ever been in a position of power, you’d appreciate the will it must have taken to concede defeat. I am by no means any fan of his, but in this I say Well Done Jonathan!

For years, I had sat by; sometimes vocal, many other times silently, in my small corner wondering where it all went wrong with Nigeria. Being a child of the 80s, I grew up learning to run at the sound of gun shots, carrying all shades of green leaves to indicate your non-partisanship and neutrality during riots, screaming Up-NEPA every time our room became dimly-lit by the inglorious thing called electricity. I had a beautiful education, but I learnt that handouts were the safest way to guarantee success; I learnt that N50.00 is ticket to drive on roads designated as ONE-WAY; I understood it was the norm to throw all sort of stuff on the road and pee on anyone’s fence. As I grew older, the moral shock around me increased. The corruption net had been specially designed to catch the really small fish and let the big ones loose. Then I heard that CORRUPTION was/is not what we thought it was, but MERE STEALING. The list has grown endless that sometimes, I wonder is the ordinary Nigerian knows the right way of doing things. If you happen to be my kind of person, you are a moral extremist.

You can imagine my dismay that this is how the number one citizen felt on the very issue which I believe threatens the fabric of Nigeria’s sustenance. The famous Yam and Goat analogy.

We resolved to vote this man out, and vote we did. The Tahir Squares, Libyas and other like incidents around the world had shown to us that the wind of change was blowing. It was only a matter of time before it arrived at the shores of Nigeria. It came eventually and we welcomed the whirlwind with ready thumbs through the ballot box.

I am writing to the incoming administration because I feel we are at a point when the ordinary Nigerian actually has a voice and can be heard.

Dear Buhari, the converted democrat and the Erudite Osinbajo, the list below is for your attention:

1.     We do not want promises, we want action. I have read the APC agenda, I am educated enough to know that lofty goals without proper planning remain wishes.

2.     Power is the bedrock of every civilization, please fix this and watch Nigeria grow. I do not have a magic wand and no one does, but this problem needs to be solved to encourage industrialization of Nigeria.

3.     They say there are no jobs. Nigerians have proven to be industrious, please provide enabling environment and deal thoroughly with all cases of injustice. Encourage small industries and individual through business friendly policies and investments. 

4.     The world thinks we are a one-commodity economy. I disagree, we are blessed with numerous resources including the most important – HUMAN CAPITAL. Harness them productively. P-P-P is and remains a brilliant but poorly implemented strategy. Revise the strategy and broaden the scope across all sectors to explore opportunities that have remain untapped.

5.     We are 200 million people strong. There are not enough houses for upcoming families. I don’t think its rocket science why: when you expect low income earners to buy supposedly low-cost government housing at N5million and above. Lagos added a meager 10,000 housing units in 8 years according to recent statistics. Look for cost effective ways of delivering housing to the common man. Embrace technologies that produce materials at lower prices. It’s being done in China and other countries

6.     I read daily that we are Africa’s largest economy. The poverty indices do not justify this tag, more people are hungry than are fed. Invest wisely in agriculture and infrastructure that will support development. We don’t want operation feed the nation; we just want our farmers to be able to meet demands at profitable but affordable prices. A hungry man does no one any good.

7.     I cannot vouch for the quality of education. I mean this honestly and not to spite anyone. Revamp our educational institutions. We can compete with the best in the world if we have the right education. Nigerians from the east to the north are brilliant and only need the appropriate foundations and environment to thrive and prove their mettle.

8.     Please encourage our elected leaders to use our local hospitals. The needy do not wish to die alone in the shacks we have today. Perhaps, if a few of the elected officials died there for lack of oxygen or light during a surgery, they will take health seriously and improve the sector. Our doctors need to be retrained and encouraged. The ethics of their profession do not justify all the strikes we contend with.

9.      Transportation needs no introduction. Work assiduously to re-invent the railway system and diversify means of transportation nationwide e.g. waterways, cable-cars etc. Also, make the airspace safer for us, our airports need serious facelift, they are like bus terminals.

10. Hmm, what shall I say about the Force (Army, Police and Navy)? They have become uniformed terrorists at whose sight, the ordinary man should fear. Give them a re-orientation, teach them that their job is to protect and not harass us. They are not above the law and should also live within its dictates. They also should be rewarded and armed properly as is required of the risks they carry us.

11. The Judiciary remains the last hope of the commoner. You say you are a converted democrat “abi”? help to uphold the integrity of the hallowed chambers by punishing those who seek to pervert justice.

12. PLEASE WORK ON CORRECTING THE MENTAL MAKE-UP OF NIGERIANS.

There is a reason the last point is in bold types. I am not shouting at you; rather it is to draw your attention to the fact that it is the very reason Nigeria is where it is today. All the impunity, corruption, moral decay and lack of progress we complain about are because we have come to believe that WRONG is RIGHT while RIGHT is FOOLISHNESS. Please let people know that corruption is not mere STEALING and that we were not Just Kidding when we voted for Change.

In my list, I did not mention corruption, I voted for you knowing you are an anti-corruption crusader. Now that you have won, my expectations have only scaled up in accordance with the exigencies of the times. If I wanted a corruption fight only, I would advocate for you to be in charge of EFCC, but I want more from you, I want a man who has the will, the desire, the plans and people to tackle Nigeria’s myriad of issues. A man who has made 4 attempts as you have surely must have something to offer.

I also know that you are advanced in years, and some people would have me believe you are a geriatric who suffers a similar condition to their mothers’. I don’t mind at all, I was taught to respect elders and drink from their fountain of knowledge. I pray that God will grant you the grace to carry out the duties of your office responsibility and with a conscience that will not condemn you.

Please note that, if you fail, 4 years is no longer eternity and we have endured worse. We, the Beautyful ones are just waiting in the wings to offer the TRUE CHANGE Nigeria wants.

Chichidodo- The Nigerian Way

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, the word “Corrupt” simply means immoral, impure, dishonest, depraved, et cetera.

All that is western world grammar (no offence meant), which is his idea of the phenomenon called corruption. Here in Africa “Nigeria,” it means much more than mere words, it simply is a “way of life”—the only way.

Ayi Kwei Armah’s “The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born” throws up a valid argument. His lead character, “the Man” had asked How long will Africa “Nigeria” be cursed with its leaders? There were men dying daily from loss of hope (hunger and poverty…measured in terms of knowing what to eat the next morning) and others were finding gaudy ways to enjoy power they did not have…Fat and Cynical with eating of centuries of power they had never struggled for.

Good question indeed. Are we truly cursed? The best answer to this question would be Yes and No. Why? Is it not a known fact that followers eventually become leaders?

Corruption is not only a leadership or elite syndrome it is a societal problem. It is a continuous cycle of insincerity on the part of followers and leaders. It is deep-rooted on our system. It starts from individuals to families, houses of worship, to schools, to offices on and on till it reaches the leadership.

It is no longer news the kind of despicable practices that go on in our higher institution all in the name of good degrees. A situation which involves cash payments and the engagement of other performance enhancing factors for success in examinations, like the hiring of mercenaries to write papers as witnessed in JAMB, WASSCE and the likes.

In tough times like these, churches that used to preach morals and holiness have become messengers of prosperity, good transition I must say (not a good idea to be left behind). We at least heard the hotel story. At the time of the event, it was considered a blessing to the church, a typical case of misplaced objectives and the power of money.

At various bus-stops, a lot of companies have been incorporated into our society. No one can deny knowledge of the presence of touts collecting toll from hapless bus drivers and the popular “Okada” riders. I dare say they are fronting for those who swore to uphold the law, those whose fundamental duties are to protect life and property, safeguard our rights. Where are they when you need them, it’s either ‘fuel no dey,’ ‘driver don comot,’ or ‘bullet don finish.’ A simple refusal to part with 20 fibre (as Naira is called) by an aggrieved citizen results in an accidental discharge.

The judicial system is riddled with a lot of dramatis personae. Laws are interpreted to justify the action of certain untouchables. Pronouncements are made to sound like a rehearsed line in a blockbuster play. Cases, which ought to elicit the involvement of the judiciary, are termed family affair and rightly so the judiciary goes to bed. Only God knows whose script they are acting and in whose favour verdicts are given, the just or the unjust?

The various allegations against some state governors and key political figures show that this country is rife with corruption. Yes many claim such stories are unfounded and that they are the handiwork of political detractors. How true is this? There’s no smoke without fire the wise say. But we all know how the stories usually end, just another family brouhaha.

Ministries, parastatals are all thickly involved in the running battle against corruption. EFCC (Enhanced Financial Crime Code), ICPC (Informative Code for Public Corruption), Due Process (Embezzle legally) and others were established in the name of this fight. The Anti-corruption bill was also designed for the same purpose.

We know how much has been sunk into these ventures. We recognize this type of dealings when we see them. They are just ways to refine and improve the efficiency of the corrupt.

Ayi Kwei Armeh’s “the Man” enlightened us on how there was so much noise about some investigation designed to rid the country “Nigeria” of corruption. Designed by whom? For whom? Where we the people in power who were incorrupt themselves? The net had been made in a special way (immunity clause) that allowed the really big corrupt people pass through it. A net to catch only the small dispensable fellows trying in anguished blindness to leap and attain comfort “the only way” it could be done. And the big ones floated free like the slogan “End Bribery and Corruption.” How ironical?

An escape from the inevitable decay of life and its eventual disintegration would be an unimaginable thing “the Man” went on to say. But if a man must lead a life of integrity, he must learn to say no to “the only way.” He should dare to achieve through the right ways that are corrupt-free and dignifying. He should learn to live with the antagonism and stigma that comes with this choice. He should be ready to be called “CHICHIDODO”—the bird that hates shit with its soul but feeds on the worms—not only by friends, but also by loved ones. He must dare to differ.

It is a clear issue that the onus is ours collectively. No one person can win the battle without the support of his people. We all must stand against this dreadful disease that threatens our existence as a people.

I however disagree with Ayi kwei Armeh on one small issue, that is, “The Beautyful Ones Are Here,” they are biding their time.

A Country seeking POWER

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