I would not be caught pants down watching the American legal drama “Fairly legal” by myself. The few episodes I have watched were with my wife who somehow finds them quite interesting, very different from the epics and thrillers that I find more appealing. Home alone and deciding to do some house chores with the TV on, I paid little attention to the episode of fairly legal that was airing until I heard a remark that startled me. This 8th episode of the 2nd season titled “Ripple of hope” was about the main character, Kate who had a chance encounter with a female prison inmate during mediation between aggrieved prisoners and the prison wardens. The prisoners had embarked on a hunger strike and were demanding for better welfare conditions particularly the inclusion of fruits and vegetables twice a week in their menu. Kate was quite surprised that a particular inmate who ought to be restless and agitated like the rest was rather reasonable and helped to douse the tension. The inmate’s story was about wrongful imprisonment and maintaining her confessions of innocence when a guilty plea could have earned her parole much earlier. After discussing the option of taking up the case for a retrial with her colleague Ben, he warned her about the possibility of falling prey to the deceptions of a potentially hard core criminal. The character used the analogy of Nigerians defrauding foreigners by asking them to make deposits in anticipation of a future fortune or inheritance that would never come.
Quite a number of foreign produced series and movies have made reference to Nigeria particularly with respect to financial fraud, terrorism and religious conflict. I found it rather upsetting that one not highly rated in my books could use similar lines to ridicule my country when in fact they could have generated a fictitious African nation to drive home their point. This stigma has sadly become the best way to stereotype Nigerians by those who may regard themselves as far superior, but do we blame them?
Karl Maier in his book “this house has fallen” mentioned that Nigerians accounted for one out of every six Africans at a time when our population was speculated to be 110 million. I am uncertain if that ratio has been altered since then, I may be wrong. For a nation with such mammoth resources to be demeaned as crooks ought to trigger genuine soul searching by the individuals that bear the name of the country that we have brought more shame than honour to. I agree that most of us have never dreamt of typing that bogus mail in search of potential “magas”, nor have we stripped others of their hard earned resources. However, for every act of deliberate silence or negligence; we may as well be declared guilty of shaming the motherland.
How did we ever get to this point where we operate by abysmal moral values propelled by an insatiable desire for more, more of what only brings decay and death? We have in our minds a nation divided by stereotypes where one individual requires a super ability to anticipate the moves and intentions of another who differs in tribe, dialect, religion, education and in numerous other parameters. The Yoruba man needs to take his brain to the zone of the market controlled by his eastern brethren just as the Ife mother has to plead with and warn her sons to desist from encroaching into Modakeke land. The policeman on stop and search is ready to discharge his weapon at any “suspected criminal” that opts to engage him intellectually or dispute any fabricated charge while politicians remember their religious leanings whenever they hope to gain significantly by fomenting trouble.
How did a nation where the technology of television commenced before or just after present day world powers get to have incompetence and ineptitude as leaders? I am not sure there is any nation so blessed but plagued by those who see nothing wrong in giving excuses for failure due to their primitive sentiments. It is not enough that the ruling class constantly blame forces seen and unseen for their inability to do what is right; the president and his aides never fail to mention how Nigeria and Pakistan are similar but forget easily that there was a time when bombs never went off sporadically on our streets, shopping malls and bus parks. Why does he never look for a relatively blissful nation to model Nigeria after? They blame the opposition that is hardly any different from them for their headache and constipation. I asked a while back if the opposition were responsible for the numerous political gaffes and incredible utterances that have emanated from the president and his team. The APC must have written the script for the dramatization of grief captured at the hallowed chambers of the imperious first lady following the alleged kidnap of over 200 young women from their school in Chibok. We give ready excuses for our sluggish method of governance and attribute infancy and militarized abuse on the psyche of Nigerians as the root causes of our abnormal state. Should we not consider retracing our steps to the days before the uniformed men ever dreamt of establishing dynasties? Should that template however imperfect not be considered for review and upgrade instead of the present status quo of groping around in absurdity and uncertainty?
The debate is usually centered on where the source of our much needed change ought to come from. Should it be from the top or from the bottom? Government sympathizers are quick to quote the late American president John F. Kennedy who told Americans to ask what they could contribute to their country instead of what they could gain. They want Nigerians to volunteer services to a country that they owe no allegiance, a country they are convinced has not done anything significant for their careers and welfare but constant harassment and ridicule both home and abroad. The ruling elite indulge in gallivanting around the globe with state resources where they meet with Nigerians in diaspora from time to time and encourage them to return home and/ or invest their human and material resources to develop the nation of their birth. Those who return must truly have green blood flowing through their veins or must have been guaranteed seats at the table where the national cake is mutilated. Those that choose to ignore the invites are not any less patriotic. Common sense should dictate that it is not wisdom to leave the relative comfort and security of a nation that has welcomed and given them opportunities for the uncertainty of insecurity and corruption. A nation where the primitive act of stealing from the state treasury is just like a son taking meat from his mother’s pot of soup without permission. That should not in any case deserve more than a talking to and should not be confused as corruption of the mind. It is absolutely normal for governors to allocate incredible benefits to themselves and generations unborn after leaving office just before they relocate to the retirement senate chamber where meagre sums are allocated for their general upkeep.
We have a system where those who have gone ahead or privileged to have opportunities remove the ladder to prevent others from reaching the heights envisioned in their dreams but not before helping their children, kinsmen, lovers and conspirators get a head start. Our values have been so eroded that it is acceptable to speak with both angles of our mouths, words devoid of honor and integrity. Our political parties have no ideology while our religious bodies lack integrity; they roll side by side and share the limelight with the ruling class. Why would any intelligent mind who has hustled his/ her way to raise millions of naira for tuition to earn a degree and possibly a good paid employment in a foreign land return home and get shot in cold blood by armed robbers and policemen because of an international drivers’ license they may not be familiar with? Why would anybody give his life for a country that does not acknowledge his existence nor remembers his sacrifice and if necessary, death? Many in the civil and public service see their offices as a means to advance up the predatory food chain. There seems to be a sense of insecurity and lack of faith even in the educational system. Those who ought to preserve and strengthen basic educational are busy scrambling to get their wards into schools at home and abroad that is more or less beyond the capacity of their pay grade. They only need to indulge in petty theft and little kickbacks here and there to fund and sustain these lofty aspirations. Appointments into government establishments are based largely on politicking and familiarity with the king makers. Competence is not a prime requirement but it could come in handy in the long run. Appointees soon find themselves only loyal to whoever they owe the opportunity to feast, maladministration ensues and anyone that is bold enough to challenge the way they run their empires are either invited to lunch or constantly blackmailed to shift ground.
Those that choose not to challenge what is wrong mostly do so because they are too timid and fearful of losing their livelihood or are simply holding out for their own opportunity to indulge without the similar distraction of naysayers. Those who benefited from opportunities to study on scholarships both at home and abroad have now taken quality basic formal education and technical training beyond the reach of the average young person. Those who gained admissions or employments on merit have now resorted to lower the standards to accommodate their children and wards at the expense of more deserving candidates; they pull their strings and work everything down to youth service postings and then go to church to give testimonies about his wonderful deeds. We have lecturers and professors that victimize students and in many cases set questions they could never have solved when they were students. Education is severely underfunded, scholarships are diverted to benefit only a few and now government and religious bodies established institutions are beyond the means of hardworking parents who are too ashamed to steal even a little. Some of us are still grateful that we had the privilege of attending Federal government colleges, the quality of education and values imbibed during those years of relating with teachers and fellow students have contributed in no small measure to what we have become now. I may not have gone to the University of Ibadan at a time when beddings were changed regularly or when free meals abounded at the various campus cafeterias, I still got to pay 90 naira for accommodation albeit for only my fresher year. Those who protested over a reduction in the quantity of free chicken served on their campuses now turn their noses up at young people who protest for their fundamental rights. The air we breathe in Nigeria must be capable of causing retrograde amnesia and irreversible hysteria whenever an undeserved portfolio drops freely into our laps. That is the only logical explanation.
Those that choose not to challenge what is wrong mostly do so because they are too timid and fearful of losing their livelihood or are simply holding out for their own opportunity to indulge without the similar distraction of naysayers. Those who benefited from opportunities to study on scholarships both at home and abroad have now taken quality basic formal education and technical training beyond the reach of the average young person. Those who gained admissions or employments on merit have now resorted to lower the standards to accommodate their children and wards at the expense of more deserving candidates; they pull their strings and work everything down to youth service postings and then go to church to give testimonies about his wonderful deeds. We have lecturers and professors that victimize students and in many cases set questions they could never have solved when they were students. Education is severely underfunded, scholarships are diverted to benefit only a few and now government and religious bodies established institutions are beyond the means of hardworking parents who are too ashamed to steal even a little. Some of us are still grateful that we had the privilege of attending Federal government colleges, the quality of education and values imbibed during those years of relating with teachers and fellow students have contributed in no small measure to what we have become now. I may not have gone to the University of Ibadan at a time when beddings were changed regularly or when free meals abounded at the various campus cafeterias, I still got to pay 90 naira for accommodation albeit for only my fresher year. Those who protested over a reduction in the quantity of free chicken served on their campuses now turn their noses up at young people who protest for their fundamental rights. The air we breathe in Nigeria must be capable of causing retrograde amnesia and irreversible hysteria whenever an undeserved portfolio drops freely into our laps. That is the only logical explanation.
How really difficult is it to govern in Nigeria? A people so resilient and demanding only basic amenities to live their lives in satisfaction and loyalty. That is why young mothers would trade their votes for a branded bag of rice or a keg of vegetable oil. The reason why a young man will allocate his vote to anyone capable of buying his drinks at the football viewing center and the old and frail grandmother will convince her children to vote for the cunning politician who gives her 1000 naira on a monthly basis. The sky is so vast for every flying creature to glide without collision. The soils are so blessed; a particular region can feed the others with enough left to process and export. The people so gifted; they could dwarf others across the globe in arts, sports and sciences amongst other spheres. A nation of over 150 million people despite a hugely significant infant and mother fatality rates cannot in this present time produce a fleet of short distant sprinters capable of regularly dipping under 10 seconds for men and 11 seconds for women. The relatively tiny islands that make up the Caribbean are never in short supply of such from their processing plant that is not even financed by crude oil and natural gas reserves. The giant of Africa is so impoverished that she resorts to choosing the sports to participate in at major international competitions deceiving herself that medal hopefuls exist in only those sports. They eventually attend and usually return empty or well short of the lofty targets set by the administrators completely cut off from reality. Every individual that is appointed to supervise sports in the country assumes by default that sports equate football. What does being an infant democracy have to do with this sort of confusion? We pride ourselves as a major footballing force on the continent; one that is perpetually cap in hand before the government patrons for funding. South Africa is not necessarily blessed with as many footballing talents like Nigeria; they however have a well packaged and properly run league independent of state funds. I usually like watching the present South African minister of sport on TV, the man is everywhere sports is organized in his country. School sports, white sports, black sports, swimming, cycling; just name it. Our own administrators would not even listen to any request for funding shooting, sailing or kayaking, those sports do not command the side attraction of a jamboree like a trip to the beaches of Rio.
The people below have their issues as well; we are untrained to be timid and tolerant of mediocrity. How can one explain away the embarrassment of the pseudo-office of the first lady and the numerous nuclear weapons that are detonated by the occupant of that illegal office? How can individuals who have been through the perimeter of a school and earning O-level, Diploma, Bachelor and postgraduate degrees excuse the wife of the supposed highest citizen in the land for her numerous infantile grammatical blunders and thereafter blame it on the fact that English is not our mother tongue? On a trip from London to Lagos via Madrid in November 2012, it would have been beneficial if I could for once deny my citizenship. We arrived in Madrid in the afternoon and had to locate the boarding gate for the connecting flight to Lagos. The huge edifice of the Madrid Airport meant that we had to cover a significant distance to find our gate. We soon came across the gate for passengers going to Accra and I could not help but observe the tranquility of the passengers headed that way. A quick look ahead and it was clear where the flight going to Nigeria was set to board; we just had to head in the direction of commotion. My fellow Nigerians caused a scene to delay the boarding process of the plane in order to force on excess hand luggage they did not want checked in, they did not even give way for mothers carrying babies or the elderly to precede first into the plane. The conversations I was able to overhear during the flight ranged from beating the Spanish banking and loan system to becoming “baby mamas” for Caucasians in order to get a permanent stay. It was so disheartening to learn that fellow Nigerians have to resort to prostitution, deception and fraud to earn a good living. I wondered why such people even had to leave the relative comfort of their home nation in the first place. Some of the male passengers were soon seated on the edges of their seats chatting like they were on a chattered flight; they hounded the Iberia air hostesses who appeared used to them for more wine. The most hilarious part was when a female passenger stood up to open overhead compartment and retrieve a foil paper wrapped mass of fried chicken from her bag. Then I understood the reason for the commotion prior to boarding. One would assume that a people that have been downtrodden for so long ought to know what is best for them but this is not always the case with Nigerians. The ruling class always seems to have unhindered access to the reset button that controls the minds of helpless Nigerians. We could have in fact murdered our messiahs in the past without knowing.
General elections have been scheduled for February 2015 and there is no clarity of where we are headed. Important issues are not being headlined to determine where the electorate may be tilted. The incumbent repeatedly assure a “free and fair” election but they seem not to have a clue what that phrase means. How is an election where one aspirant has access to state funds and machinery while the opponent(s) trek fair? How can an election where the incumbent does not turn up for a scheduled debate to showcase knowledge and competence be termed fair? The judiciary is another matter for another day; they are yet to prove their undivided loyalty to the survival of the Nigerian state. The same gullible followers may however still be hardworking and resourceful. They are still able to use whatever comes their way to earn a honest living.
Numerous privately owned businesses have sprung up with meagre resources; shoe makers, cloth designers, furniture makers, comedians, event managers etc. without the knowledge of the governments that ought to assist them. This is enough proof that if the enabling factors are available, it would be impossible to stop the average Nigerian. YouWin or whatever potentially laudable contraption by any government can only go so far in meeting the demands of Nigerian youths. Such programs in my opinion have only served as a channel to enrich a few government apologists and at the same time raise a battalion of misguided sycophants that would go online and offline to wage war on perceived enemies of their benefactors. Many would say “wait till you get there, you would do even worse”; I understand the likes of Reuben Abati appeared to have sold out just like many others including media outfits have in the past. What about those that never did? What about those that have been through hell or sacrificed for what they regard as just, right and fair? Do they have two heads or two livers? I believe strongly that a man is exactly what he thinks in his heart; it goes beyond what he says or writes. If one ruminates on self-preservation and luxury, such would yield and bear fruit when placed in a suitable and convenient environment provided room temperature remains constant.
Numerous privately owned businesses have sprung up with meagre resources; shoe makers, cloth designers, furniture makers, comedians, event managers etc. without the knowledge of the governments that ought to assist them. This is enough proof that if the enabling factors are available, it would be impossible to stop the average Nigerian. YouWin or whatever potentially laudable contraption by any government can only go so far in meeting the demands of Nigerian youths. Such programs in my opinion have only served as a channel to enrich a few government apologists and at the same time raise a battalion of misguided sycophants that would go online and offline to wage war on perceived enemies of their benefactors. Many would say “wait till you get there, you would do even worse”; I understand the likes of Reuben Abati appeared to have sold out just like many others including media outfits have in the past. What about those that never did? What about those that have been through hell or sacrificed for what they regard as just, right and fair? Do they have two heads or two livers? I believe strongly that a man is exactly what he thinks in his heart; it goes beyond what he says or writes. If one ruminates on self-preservation and luxury, such would yield and bear fruit when placed in a suitable and convenient environment provided room temperature remains constant.
Nigeria as it is can best be described as an unsellable bad product. No amount of rebranding like the now deceased Dora Akunyili tried in vain to do in 2009 can remedy our image. The “good people great nation” toga remains superficial. As long as the people that constitute the entity called Nigeria do not see the good and benefits inherent in others, the call to imbibe change would only be unpleasant sounds in their ears. There is no amount of tagging God as an alibi for our evil intentions and deeds that would miraculously give us a good name. We should not be deceived by any expressed or subtle endorsement given to corrupt politicians by religious leaders; what is wrong is wrong and God’s name should not be used in the same sentence with corruption. The green passport would for a long time appear like a curse and the land many of us call home would be constantly desecrated even on our TV screens until we arise to fight for the soul of our country. We have a reason to fight even if we do not think we can yet win in our lifetime, our children will overcome eventually.
Jide Akeju
12/06/2014
12/06/2014
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