FEATURE ARTICLE

Temple Chima UbochiSunday, October 5, 2014
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Bonn, Germany

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NIGERIA@ 54: THERE’S STILL A REASON TO CELEBRATE


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Life itself is a privilege, but to live life to the fullest- well, that is a choice (Andy Andrews)

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent (Thomas Jefferson)

Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more (Tony Robbins)

We have not fought, not really, or not enough. And if you do not fight for your rights, nobody will fight for you (Justice Chukwudifu Oputa)

I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death (Leonardo da Vinci)

omebody asked this writer whether he supports the celebration of Nigeria’s independence anniversaries, and the answer was “yes, for only one reason“, and that was because we are alive in the land of the existing (majoritty of Nigerians are no longer living in that country). As long as we are alive, we must see a good reason to celebrate everytime, because, if you visit the hospitals and see those whose only prayer is to be given a chance to live, then, whether rich or poor, highly placed or downtrodden, beautiful or ugly, weak or strong, we will appreciate the life God Has granted to each and every one of us. It’s a privilege from God that we are alive, so always find the reason to be happy. Moreso, since we do not get what we want from our governments in Nigeria, not celebrating or being angry puts us in double jeopardy, because, being angry makes our heart to get cold. The problem with Nigerians is that we do not ask our rulers the pertinent questions about what they have been doing with our patrimony, rather we see everything through the tribal prism and are ready to stomach every bullshit from any politician who shares the same tribe, language, faith etc with us. The problem of Nigeria is not only bad leadership but also bad follwership as Edward R. Murrow (1908 – 1965) wrote that " A Nation Of Sheep Will Beget A Government Of Wolves" It's up to Nigerians to become more like wolves to keep the government more like sheep who will follow what we direct them to do. Atanu Dey tells this figurative story about an old man who lived in a small village somewhere that does not matter. It all began when the man’s sons came to him and told him that some people from the neighboring village had stolen a chicken from their farm. The old man told his sons to go after the thieves and recover the chicken.

The sons said, “Father, it’s only one chicken. We have hundreds of chicken. One won’t make a difference.” The old man said, “Do what you please.”

A few days later, the thieves stole a goat. Once again the old man told his sons to not let them get away with it. The sons said that they have dozens of goats and it’s not worth the trouble. The next week it was a horse. Once again the sons rationalized it away saying that they still had six horses that the farm needs.

Finally, the next week the sons came back to report to the old man and said, “Father, our sister has been abducted. What shall we do?” The old man said, “It’s too late. You should have recovered the chicken. Now there’s nothing you can do.”

Yes, Nigeria has a government of wolves because it’s a nation of sheep. The corrupt leaders know precisely well how much oppression the Nigerian public is willing to endure, that’s why the rape of the land and the people, literally and figuratively, will continue. Nigeria is not a democracy but a kakistocracy- government by the most corrupt and the least principled (government by the worst persons; a form of government in which the worst persons are in power). And among the elected or selected or appointed are criminals who have been charged for corruption, murder etc. The problem is that when some Nigerians started waking up to the reality by realizing that somehow the system was not working, and then gather to register their protest, the government following the time-worn strategy of attack being the best form of defense, will send in their baton-wielding policemen and the crowds, their leaders too, will then beat a hasty retreat. As someone pointed out; now is the time when the people (the educated people) of Nigeria should take power and the governance in their hands. Only sitting at home and watching all this mess in government won't work. Unless we transform our thoughts into action, it is all useless. It is not impossible to change the system, as history tells us (neither easy too). The only thing which a middle-class Nigerian lacks is the courage to be the one to start the process of revolution. Everyone wants to be a mere spectator and audience. That's the problem which should be taken care of immediately. On the leadership side, Nigeria has been having it rough, because, none of our previous leaders had zero tolerance for corruption, as none was incorruptible. If Nigeria gets a leader who does not tolerate corruption, who preaches that “the wages of public corruption is death”, then the other rulers will sit up and act accordingly. Archbishop Akinola once declared that it was high time Nigerians criminalize corruption, suggesting that any leader or politician who was proved guilty for corrupt practices should be sent to exile.

The trouble with Nigeria is that both the leaders and the led have no conscience whatsoever again, otherwise things would have been better in the country. But what is conscience as many talk about it without really understanding the meaning. Conscience is often found as a feeling of remorse when a human being commits actions that go against his or her moral values and beliefs. Conscience is like an aptitude, intuition or judgment of our thoughts and behaviours that distinguishes right from wrong. The Encyclopedia of Spiriuitual Concepts says that people with conscience find it hard to do evil. This is simply because there is a voice within them which allows them no rest until they reverse their evil actions or altogether prevent them from doing evil. Conscience is therefore, a form of inner voice. It is given to each human being and prevents us from burdening ourselves with guilt. It is therefore, protective in so far as it prevents wrong doing. There are varying degrees to which people have conscience. Some have a very strong conscience and some have none. Why is it that some people have little or no conscience? Is it not unjust that some people have an abundance of this obviously protective implement? There is no injustice in the Work of the Creator! If some people find themselves with little or no conscience, then it is their own fault. Conscience is given to all and sundry. Many human beings, through the course of many earth lives have allowed their inner voices to wither and die because they have never listened to it or they stopped listening to it a long time ago. Because of this lack of use, it withers away and dies and consequently they lose their consciences and as a result get entangled in all sorts of evil because the protective tool, which was supposed to prevent this, is lost. The strange thing about us human beings is that we often spend a lot of time and energy searching for ideas, and answers which often are found within ourselves. Many search and blame the world and everything they can and some often find their answers within. One of the most important answer we often seem to seek is: if we are doing the right thing? Or is what we are doing good for us? And as many accomplished and successful people have pointed out based on their own experiences: “listen to your inner voice ”. Somehow this inner voice seems to know all the right answers and helps guide you often to the right things in life. And when we do something wrong it begins to eat us up from inside with guilt. But this inner voice is only heard if one pays attention and takes the effort to query or listen to it. And it only works if you take the necessary positive actions to do the right thing. This magical phenomenon that all of us have been gifted with is almost like a divine compass and it is called Conscience. This is also often referred to as the inner God, or the God within us. Like all the greatest gifts that we have, Conscience is also another intangible and immeasurable possession like love, feelings, thinking etc.

Bringing it down home: Because the majority of Nigerians cannot do anything to bring those misruling them to justice, we can only appeal to the conscience of the rulers, so that they may be touched, by their own conscience, to steal a little while doing more for the good of all. The few elected officals rendering quality services to their constitutencies are not doing so because of any pressure from the people, as such is non-existent because the people are too inert, rather, these good officials are doing their best for the people because they see it as their obligation, and that’s the Conscience we’re talking about. Take for example ex-governor Peter Obi of Anambra State; the incumbent governors of Ondo, Cross River and Jigawa States respectively and a few others (who are the few best we have). There had been no indication that these people of good conscience have been acting under duress; only their Conscience has been the driving force behind their good actions. We hope that soon the bad governors and other officials will emulate the governing styles of these very good ones mentioned above.

INEC has just releasedthe election guidelines for 2015, and many thieves, deranged and queer people have started warming up to contest one post or the other. Now, they are courting the people, answering man or woman of the people just to entice the poor, promising them heaven on earth if elected, but, once they get into office, they will fail to fulfil any of the election promises , and they will create a big divide between them and the ruled who were their fake “darlings“ during the campaign period (but their enemies after getting elected). This writer was in support of the former EFCC Chairlady‘s call for psychiatric evaluation for aspiring individuals, to determine their suitability for public office. In a Press Statement of September 29, 2009, released ahead of political contests in 2011, the then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ms. Farida Waziri, said: “having dealt with many corruption cases, I am inclined to suggest that public officers should be subjected to some form of psychiatric evaluation to determine their suitability for public office. The extent of aggrandizement and gluttonous accumulation of wealth that I have observed suggests to me that some people are mentally and psychologically unsuitable for public office. We have observed people amassing public wealth to a point suggesting “madness” or some form of obsessive- compulsive psychiatric disorder”. And now, the All Progressives Congress on Thursday, October 2, 2014, also recommended psychiatric test for candidates seeking political office, saying this would improve the quality of governance in the country, and to prevent people with mental imbalance from taking over the affairs of state. In the Party’s words: ''We do not want buffoons who have found themselves in power to take us to those days of buffoonery, days of anarchy as witnessed in Uganda and elsewhere".

Apart from celebrating b’cos we are alive, there’s no other reason for that, in the face of massive hunger, insecurity, lack of electricity, joblessness, decayed infrastructure, brazen corruption, impunity, threat of insurgency, weak leadership, etc Nigerians are experiencing. Archbishop Akinola regretted that the leaders could not satisfactorily give account of the huge sums of money allocated to them to use to improve the lot of the masses. Why should "Nigeria celebrate 54 years of wastefulness, 54 years of tortuous journey and 54 years of hopelessness?" The cleric while praying for the emergence of selfless leaders, said: "We should fight anything that threatens our corporate existence, pray for adequate health care system, security of lives and property. The pertinent questions are many: Does Nigeria have a future. Are we genuinely united to rally round the imperatives of that future? What sort of future do we have in mind? Judging by our empirical history and what we see around us, can we really, meaningfully talk of a future for Nigerians? Unity in the context of today's Nigeria is still very fragile, we are only patching up this marriage of inconvenience because of oil, remove it and Nigeria goes in pieces. The nation's fragile unity was constantly threatened by religious disharmony, fanaticism and sporadic crisis. The cleric lamented that political, religious, traditional and academic institutions celebrate and honour the rogues with all sorts of titles, society hails them and call them excellencies.In his words: "We ask what is excellent about those who use their political offices to rob the nation of its resources, those who steal what belongs to all? We now have a militarised democracy in which money is lavishly used to buy compromise and silence and in some cases voice of opposition is not tolerated but violently attacked and silenced" .

Former presidential candidate, Professor Patrick Utomi once said that unless politicians in the country change their social lifestyle in which they display affluence and waste public funds on frivolities, Nigeria may continue to be backward rather than progress. He emphasised that the lifestyle of politicians in the country has been a major reason why the nation has not been making progress but argued that such wasteful spending and reckless lifestyle of politicians can only come to an end if Nigerians decide otherwise. The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party tickled this writer’s fancy when he “lamented that poor Nigerians fight themselves in a bid to protect the interest of politicians”. According to Muazu, members of the ruling class whom the "poor and helpless" fight their cause are more united in achieving their political dreams. In his Independence Day message, the PDP national leader said the masses must reject the "divide and rule" method of the ruling class. The PDP Chief said that "The disunity and division in our nation are more visible among the poor and the helpless. Even those who divide you are united”. So tell me how things can change for the better in Nigeria?

The point here is: If you are alive, be grateful; celebrate, not because the security forces are protecting you from the terrorists, kidnappers, armed robbers, ritualists, rapists etc. Celebrate not because the roads you are travelling on are in better shape; celebrate not because the hospitals are equipped to deal with every case; celebrate not because you are better or more righteous than those who have died due to lack of governmental care, but because it pleases God to keep you alive in the land of the existing.

At 54, why is it that Nigeria, a land blessed with the best of all resources, be it fertile soil, fresh water, crude oil and human resources cannot give its citizens the basic amenities like electricity, piped water, good health care system, good drainage system, good roads, financial supports from the government, and cannot feed its citizens? Inibehe Effiong, a Human Rights Activist, summed it for us, when he wrote that at 54, we are yet to agree on the system of government that is best suitable for us; we are still running around from one useless Conference, National Conference and Political Conference to the other. We are still debating whether Nigeria should be a secular or theocratic state; we are still killing and fighting in the name of religion. Even as we approach another election year, the debate today is not about the issues- education, unemployment, infrastructure, institutions, health care, human rights, poverty, etc. But whether the next President should come from the North, core North, South South and whether he should be a Christian or a Muslim. We are busy cursing and fighting each other because of zoning when saner countries are talking of going to the space, finding a cure for Ebola, cancer HIV and other terminal infirmities.

Is it not very shameful that at 54, Nigeria lies prostrate, heading irredeemably towards the precipice, occasioned the well-integrated forces of corruption, bad governance, poverty, decayed infrastructure and other myriads of problems besetting our nation? At 54, our president who preaches "transformation" sees absolutely nothing wrong in associating with and appointing individuals standing trial for corruption into ministerial and other executive positions. President Jonathan has turned the National Honour Awards to a yearly criminal feast of shame where those who are fleecing the nation to death are celebrated.

At 54, the Nigeria police Force and security agencies are still operating with the colonial policing mentality with its usual trademark; extra-judicial killing, rape, extortion, illegal detention and other gross human rights abuses. Life in Nigeria today is not just worth less than a coin, but short, nasty and brutish. Nigeria today is a preparation ground for what the religious sects called 'Hell Fire'. Indeed, whoever has survived in Nigeria will find hell fire a place of solace and comfort. Can any place be more hellish than Nigeria? It is debatable.

Amidst this state of excruciating hopelessness is the nauseating imbecility and selective amnesia of a suffering and smiling citizenry, totally destitute in civics. Nigerians today are bordered about anything but their collective agony, we seem so comfortable with our present shared sorrows that we are ever prepared to abuse, curse and denigrate whoever dares to urge us to do something. We are ferociously ready to defend the stupidity, corruption and tyranny of the vagabonds in power who falsely pride themselves as our leaders once they are of our tribal, ethnic and religious leaning. Simply put: we are slaves madly in love with our chains.

Given our fatal failures at 54, we should not be talking about celebration. Rather, we should be on the streets protesting; demanding good governance and better welfare. For us to dissipate time and resources in the name of celebrating Nigeria's 54th Independence Day anniversary is to show the world that we are doomed as a nation and people. Some people will ask whether I have not seen anything worth celebrating, my response is that that is sheer mediocrity.

Why should I celebrate when Chibok girls have not been rescued? Why should I celebrate when people are going to bed with one eye widely open? Why should I celebrate when the poor is getting poorer and the rich richer? Why should I celebrate when our hospitals have become death centers and our roads death traps? Why should I celebrate when graduates have no jobs? Why should I celebrate when we are more divided than ever? Why should I celebrate when corruption is now an official state policy? Please tell me what or why I should celebrate?

As a citizen, I am not happy, so I cannot wish Nigeria or anyone happy independence. Rather, I say to fellow countrymen; arise, fight and take back your country before it is too late.

But, let’s not forget to be grateful for being alive, despite the odds; and on that note, you can celebrate while thinking of how to making those misruling us accountable to us (That’s our collective responsibility)!

TIT BITS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAaWPcKoYI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE4WokN5Z6s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooH80diDEXk&list=RDooH80diDEXk#t=4

THE THANX IS ALL YOURS!!!

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