Saying Nigeria has a myriad of problems is stating too much of the obvious, and seemingly playing a broken record that has lost so much of its tone, it now sounds rhythmic. A baby born into the Nigerian state knows from day one, that it’s been thrown into a labyrinth of confusion, dysfunctionality, frustrations and misplaced priorities all wrapped up in a system that has refused to conform or yield to normal solutions adapted from any part of the world.
The problems are many-fold; structural, fiscal mis-management, politics to political orientation, systemic failure, leadership and citizenship disorientation,and wapped mindsets -everyone knows the problem but shies away from it because of pecuniary considerations wrought about by poverty, both of the stomach and the mind, in an environment where survival is the major consideration.
Nigeria, a country richly blessed by everything any nation would wish for is wallowing in abject lack! Its human resources are so talented and populous, that they excel in many field in any parts of the world they find themselves, even for those who were forced to japa due to the situation back home. The country’s natural resources are so abundant that foreign exploiters troop in to steal it as it were, because they know the system is so broken, they can have a field day and smile to the bank daily.
The natural and human resources in Nigeria is enough to make any serious nation a world super power ten times over!
So what is the problem with Nigeria, and better steal, what is the key to getting it back on track?
Unfortunately, the major issue is that key to Nigeria’s problems was misplaced a long time ago, and has not been recovered so far.
The central problem with Nigeria which has been sang times without number, is that the right leaders have never been in charge of its affairs. Coupled with that, is that, wether by design, or just fate, the citizenship have never had a sense of belonging in the nation’s affairs. They seriously don’t believe they have any stake or any business with Nigeria, save for survival.
The leadership Nigeria has mostly been blessed with are individuals who fight to gain political power and control of the nation’s rich resources and treasury. Hence little consideration is given to genuinely improving the lot of the average citizen popularly called ‘the common man’. If not, how is it explainable that anyone fortunate to attain a public office in Nigeria becomes stupendously rich far beyond what the office they occupy pays as renumeration. Same way anyone closely related to them, by blood or friendship, also amasses crazy wealth enough to cater for generations unborn.
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No wonder, a great percentage of politicians find it very difficult to survive outside public office. Which begs the question; why do they fail to apply all the wisdom, intelligence and desterity they claim to have when seeking public office, or while occupying it to their private lives or businesses.
The citizens of Nigeria are actually a major problem of the country! They have been so conditioned and traumatized they now believe they don’t matter in the scheme of things, or they have no say in how their society is governed or managed. If not, how does any sane person hear that their common patrimony, enough to make them live like kings, is being plundered by a few individuals, subjecting them the owners of the wealth to lives of penury, and they just shrug it off and move on to their next hustle.
Nigerians fail to understand, or even appreciate the fact that every naira embezzled or mismanaged from the public purse subjects them to more suffering. The long convoy of bulletproof SUVs being paraded by public official is the reason there are no drugs, or competent staff in hospitals, it’s the reason the public schools are a sham, it’s the reason the roads are a death trap, it’s the reason the public power supply is epileptic, when available, it’s the reason the system does not work.
Citizens fail to understand that the retinue of heavily armed security personnel shielding the public official is the reason there’s so much insecurity in the land. It’s why they can’t sleep with both eyes closed, or why citizens can’t move freely in their motherland. It’s why the farmers can no longer produce food. It’s the reason for the high cost of consumables in their local markets.
Nigerians do not ask important questions from those running the affairs of the country, or they don’t just care. How do you explain a situation in which citizens provide virtually every infrastructure and amenities for themselves, yet government budgets huge amounts of monies regularly for same purpose.
To beat bad roads and terrible public transport system, citizens struggle to buys cars which breakdown regularly due to bad roads. To power businesses and get comfort in their homes, citizens struggle to buy generators, or as has become the case now, install solar power systems. When sick, the public hospitals are a no-go area – those who can afford it, go outside the country for medical care. They send their kids to private schools to give them good education. Every home has either a borehole or well to have water. People employ private guards in homes, streets and communities to have a sense of security, since they can’t depend fully on the police and other security agencies.
Yet government budgets billions, nay, trillions of the people’s money every year for the same purposes. The same people do not bother to ask the very important questions; where do these monies go to?
The wapped mindsets of the average Nigerian citizen makes them fail to understand that monies being expended on, and by public officials can go a long way in making life better for residents. It is everybody’s money, it does not belong to the public office holder, the politicians only hold the monies in trust for the people.
It’s similar to this anecdote: a very rich man has three children from the same mother; James, John and David. He bequetes his wealth equally to all three kids. Upon his departure the bank hands them their father’s ATM card. They deliberate and choose David to be in charge of the card. David in turn withdraws millions of naira regularly from their father’s account, built a big house, drives a number of flashy cars and lives a flamboyant life. Meanwhile, James and John share a squalid one room apartment and trek or take the public bus to go hustle everyday. They’re lucky if they feed twice a day. From time to time, David gifts John and James some petty cash. They hail him and boast to everyone about how their brother is a ‘big man’.
That is the story of Nigeria! David represents the politicians and public officials. James and John are the masses.
Unfortunately in Nigeria, when a public official is accused, or indicted for stealing or financial embezzlement, citizens who should demand fair trial and justice, resort to defending the suspect based on religious or tribal sentiments. Most times they just hear they story, shrug it off, and move on with their hustle. Hence it makes no sense how a public official is accused of stealing billions of naira that can otherwise build and equip schools and hospitals, construct good roads, cater nicely for security and other needs, yet some people will carry placards, not calling for fair trial or justice, but calling for his release because he comes from a particular ethnic group.
It’s not all gloom though. There’s still plenty of hope for the country. It can still become a land where things work, a prosperous nation where lives matter, and standard of living makes sense. The hospitals can still be made to save lives, the public schools can compare with others in any part of the world, the roads can be made motorable, and descent housing provided for all. Farmers can plough their fields and people can move freely, not relocate due to insecurity and attacks. The public utilities can function, infrastructure will be available, prosperity can flow.
The key to our problems as a nation which has been misplaced is very easy to find. Leadership has to be responsible and accountable to the people. The people, masses have to hold leaders to account and demand performance. Every naira must be judiciously accounted for.
Leaders in a democracy are not doing the people any favour by doing their duties of governing. Enough of the jamboree anytime a project is completed. Enough of attaching politicians’ names to projects and so called empowerment programmes sponsored by government funds.
The people have to recognize that the politician and public officials are servants, not lords. They exist because the people let them. The day the standard and quality of life of the politicians becomes at par with the average citizen, that is the day Nigeria would have found the key to its problem. When a commissioner, local government chairman, a councillor or even state governor takes the public transport system to work daily, and nobody cares who they are, that is the day Nigeria has arrived.
By: Edirin Etaghene
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