Let me quickly mention here that the non-homogenous nature of the Nigerian nation and the associated impact is not lost on me. Nepotism, ethnicity, favoritism, sensationalism and the like are weapons we have sadly consistently used to short change ourselves. The Nigerian leader of the future would be that person who would be able to galvanize hearts and compel a more nationalistic approach to living and functioning as a Nigerian.
As it is, consecutive Nigerian governments have maintained a posture as though their sole purpose with governance is in pushing incremental, outrageous allocations to the military in the name of securing the country. While that is critical, one can only wonder if this all important mission could be actualized side by side with say an authentic job creation drive amongst other things. Did I mention that most of these security allocations are largely unaccounted for? No surprises there. Early on in the year, the Nigerian Defense Headquarters, made a stunning revelation that at least $2 billion dollars (about N826 billion), would be needed yearly, to tackle the worsening insecurity in the country.
Sadly, many Nigerians have now come to a place where they believe that nothing will ever change. Many are putting actions to this stance by leaving the country; Nigerians are leaving the country in droves! Those who’re unable to leave or choose to stay, are focused increasingly on protecting their mental health against the relentless onslaught of gross wastage, mismanagement and horror stories cum incidences.
The exodus appears really unfortunate. The only group who think differently about this odd phenomenon reside in government. In this regard, the manner of communication emanating from those quarters remain deeply disturbing. Going by the constituents of the political parties, the despicable criteria for running for political office, the consistent misplaced priorities of successive governments, truly one wonders if there’s really any hope.
If there is any glimmer of hope that is worthy of extraction from this piece, it would be with respect to re-echoing John Obidi’s ‘Personal Sovereignty’ philosophy.
In expounding this concept John charges [especially] younger Nigerian population to intentionally make moves that ensure they take their destinies in their own hands; by identifying and embracing opportunities that exist globally as opposed to waiting around for Nigeria or its leadership configuration to change. Let me also add that it is a fact that the world has become a lot smaller and access to global opportunities is indeed now more possible than it was say some five years ago. Working as a Management trainer, HR Coach and Agile Culture Consultant, I can say categorically that the best work opportunities in my career have come about as a result of the digital shift occasioned by the pandemic.
Other options being proffered especially within Church circles revolve around a shift away from the more dominant ‘me, myself, and I posture, to a more communal interventionist approach. It is a call for Church people to more than ever before consider the successes secured via their work, vocation and areas of influence as a call to save Nigeria from the destructive path it’s on rather than one meant for personal aggrandizement. This call to my mind speaks also to an approach that’s focused intentionally at sidelining the political leadership terrain; almost like an admittance that it is futile to imagine that anything good can come out of the current political system.
A more futuristic option, also largely emanating from the Church is that of an aggressive push for well-meaning Nigerians to join political parties with a view to vying for public office. The move is an admittance that ‘good people’ have watched the monumental leadership failure from the fringes for far too long and it is time to just get involved and save the day – in any way possible. Leke Alder recently throwing his weight behind this confirmed the humongous potential financial hurdle to be crossed. He highlighted the need for the building of strong financial coalitions to support this drive albeit with a long term strategy in view. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next decade or so.
Even for the leader with the best of intentions, it’s going to take a while for Nigeria to get out of the hell it is in right now. Hopefully soon, she truly finds a leader who is keen about her deliverance as opposed to the norm where her leaders emerge either accidentally or again, as a bucket list ambition situation. The sooner that day comes the better for everyone.
Time will not permit me to delve into the matters of Inflation which is at its highest ever! The body language of leadership in this regard and vis-à-vis correcting the anomaly is non-existent. Also the case with the Nigerian Customs and the dilapidated $120Milliion worth of scanners. Up until the time of this article, it is unclear if anyone has been held responsible for the phenomenal wastage in question. And the flourishing crime syndicates operating in broad day light at the airports?! Truly an embarrassment of international proportions! Pray! Is there really a minister in charge of that domain? I mean someone who earns a regular pay for being in that role?!
So back to the unfortunate situation at Ikoyi, if the conversations in groups and social settings, is anything to go by, clearly, many Nigerians are skeptical about the purported investigation. They insist that nothing will come out of it. How so? It’s precedence.
Nigeria does not have a history of truly being retrospective, investigative, tackling issues and forging ahead in a productive manner. It is the reason why for example the civil service isn’t particularly performance driven and there is no established pattern of consequences for bad behavior even where proof of such exists.
Many believe that any sitting government that attempts to prosecute offenders within the service would be moving against the grain. By attempting such a measure, they could get their hands burnt or fall out of favor with power brokers. It is believed that [as is clearly often the case], there’re too many untouchables in the value chain.
So do we infer that the many innocent lives lost in the property are simply ‘collateral damages’? Well, I’ll simply respond to that with a popular but ominous Nigerian prayer: ‘May Nigeria not happen to us!’
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