OURS IS DEFINITELY A RADIANT GLOOM
Olanrewaju Ojuoluwa
"...even though turbulent time as we are presently experiencing was prophesied before now, let it be known that we have successfully fast-tracked our own 'end time' and, I doubt if it can be gloomier than this, for ours is that of a radiant gloom!" - Sharpminds
While the world around us is evolving; new innovations springing forth daily, competitive inventions rolling out every minute, science and technology taken to the next level and a number of milestones achieved by everyone else but us, we are busy languishing in disunity, political instability and poverty. Speaking of poverty however, we have done well enough to make Nigeria its world headquarter.
In the nineteenth year of the new millennium, we are still struggling with meeting basic needs of life as a people while others have gone beyond meeting primary and secondary needs, to meeting tertiary needs. Structural and infrastructural inadequacies keep costing us lives worthwhile. Hope against hope, visions upon visions; it is getting more and more difficult to fulfill one's dreams, visions, ambitions and aspirations in an opportunity-dry country like ours.
Watching the TV yesterday, I saw Festus Keyamo boasting on behalf of the President, how Buhari's administration has changed the story of Nigeria for good; how insurgency and any threat to civil living have been 'drastically' dealt with. He said those rubbish on Aljazeera! Pathetic, isn't it? It's a pity that many Nigerians are being subjected to the most inhumane treatments ever, being made refugees even in their home country all because we have failed woefully.
I cannot agree more with Chinua Achebe when he said, “the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically 'wrong' with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership.”
Obafemi Awolowo did more justice to the above statement when he said, "...the influence which a nation exerts, the respect which it enjoys, and the prestige accorded to it on the world scene, depend on two important factors: the size of its wealth and the calibre of its leadership. Granting an incorruptible, courageous, public-spirited, enlightened and dynamic leadership, the wealth of a nation is the fountain of its strength. The bigger the wealth, and the more equitable its distribution among the factors and agencies which have helped to produce it, the greater the out-flow of the nation’s influence and power." Chief Obafemi Awolowo said this in a speech he delivered in London on November 3rd, 1961, a year after Nigeria's independence.
We have come to that point in our national life when we have to tell ourselves the gospel truth. Nothing is truer than the fact that Nigeria is at a record low because nothing seems to be working. Nigeria leaders over time have caused her to retrogress more than they have 'attempted' to make her progress. If nothing else, at least we all know that the same sets of people have been parading themselves in the corridor of power since 1960.
It is shockingly embarrassing to know that anyone would still pride in being a leader of such a devastating place like ours. Oh, how time flies, [b]leaders used to willfully take their own lives when they failed the people in times of old, those were the days when men were honourable! [/b]Even if this present breed of shameless ignoble marauders parading themselves as leaders would not end their own lives honourably, it is at least a reasonable thing for them to vacate the seat! How beautiful it is for rulers to be Noble!
As a young boy, I witnessed the first riot by market women in my town when price of foodstuffs 'skyrocketed' suddenly without prior notice. A Congo/mudu of garri suddenly became 7 naira from its initial 5 naira, and the same applied to aroso rice (imported) which became 15 naira from its initial 10naira. Everybody knows how badly these commodities have skyrocketted now. The former costing as high as around 200 naira and the later costing as high as around 800 naira respectively. I remember when I used to buy pms (petrol) for 11 naira per litre, I would go to the 'Total' filling station across the road with a 20 litre keg and get it filled up with 220 naira, a few naira more than 145naira which is the official price of a litre today!
Without mincing words, 'a national day for cursing' should at least be set aside annually to lay curses on everyone who has contributed to Nigeria's undoing in anyway. I mean, this same 50 naira that can hardly buy cookies today used to be my pocket money for a whole term when I was in boarding school in those days (even though it wasn't the standard then). I didn't only witnessed, I also partook of it when the transport fare between Ikere-Ekiti and Ado-Ekiti was just 5naira, it's now 150 naira (3000% increase)! I'm talking about a time as recent as two decades ago! For crying out loud, where did we get it all wrong?
It is mere self deciet if we believe that any of those who have spoiled us so far would come around to fix Nigeria, it's nothing but a very glaring lie which would be bought only by a gullible people. We've chosen gullibility as a core value. An obnoxious attitude injected into us as part of a long term plan by greedy politicians in order to remote us cheaply. We've been treated so badly that sometimes we forget that we are human beings, hence, we behave like animals. We forget that government exists because of the people. We forget that, our representatives are suppose to be answerable to us. We stoop so low, extremely low for God's liking, limiting our own options. Even if we are under a curse, our actions and inactions have made such curse more effective on us.
God, while seated on His throne in heaven must have most times wondered how His investment on us has not yielded reasonable fruits, having situated us in a geographical location flowing with milk and honey, where nothing short of bliss is expected in return. We have by our misbehaving turned God's blessings to curses; still needing aid from countries with less than 10% of our resources. It is a misnomer that we are where we are presently!
It can only happen in an 'insane' society like ours that few months to a general election, the praises of marauders who have been in the business of embezzling our Commonwealth are still being sung everywhere. Heaven only help those who help themselves they say. As a religious people who believe in God, it is unfortunate that even the Supreme Being cannot help us as long as we aren't ready to do away with bad leaders who keep robbing us of good lives.
On a final note, a tsunami is coming, it will be worst than a horrible tempest, it will sweep away many, especially those who have benefited from Nigeria's problems. It would not matter if they are young or old, former soldiers cum politicians or religious leaders, they will all be swept away. The soul of every innocent Nigerian who has been a victim of their game of doom will fight back. Today as a Sabbath day is more fitting for a day of praying than being a day for cursing. Therefore, that day is left for you to choose. However, as it stands, we are not just hopeless as a people, our hopelessness is actually gross darkness. A radiant gloom!
I am Olanrewaju Ojuoluwa, a Youth Advocate and Social Reformer. I believe in a New Nigeria where things work.
