THE CHANGE TRAGEDY: THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

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Either that the Nigerian people are wholly impatient or the government of Buhari is having a disappointing and vacillating start- something is undeniably not adding up.

Prior to the 2015 general elections the status quo in Nigeria was simply horrendous. Life was as its lowest ebb. The government of the day was busy pursuing shadows. Mayhem and complete insecurity of life and property was the order of the day.

Now the elections are over. There is a new government with promises of change. Salaries of most workers at both federal and state civil services have still not been paid, health workers at different states of the federation are on definite strike, the oil prices have fallen, the currency has been devalued (as at Friday 15^th  January 2016, the rate of exchange is N305 to $1 which is the lowest rate for over 40 years), economic austerity measures are choking, the insurgency of the “boko haram” sect is not ending, kidnapping and maiming of life of innocent citizens is on a daily basis, empty political campaigns and promises for various public offices are going on unabated, political wrangling, rumors and speculation about Nigeria’s disintegration is widespread with the problematic of Biafra rising, and now our budget for 2016 has suddenly developed wings to fly out of the national assembly? There is general disorientation and a sense of hopelessness that loams large among the citizenry. One might begin to wonder what the so called general elections brought in. One is poised to think that the prospect for a better change in Nigeria is less tenable and we might just end up with another change disaster.

 With the present, there seems to be no shift in paradigm as promised by the propaganda government led by General Buhari, who hitherto, continues to make scandalously insurmountable promises that might never come to fruition. Things can only be changed for better by change-agents of vision, not some propagandist. And we are all part of this process. Nigerian situation will only change for the better through the sacrifices of such men of vision like you, who would use their time and talent for the common good. The history of great nations has always borne witness to the volume of commitments and sacrifices of its patriots and statesmen.

 I dare to say that Nigeria does not need a hoopla of a government that will ultimately do nothing different, what it needs is dedicated pragmatism for this change to occur. This entails conscious efforts directed at solving problems in practical ways. It means people would have to start thinking and acting differently from the way they used to. This is when re- orientation comes in. It is believed that for handy change to occur, good orientation has to be entrenched in the lives and consciousness of the citizenry.

This re-orientation is premised on the fact that Nigeria has lost direction at a point of our political cum social development. Thus, re-orientation implies orienting the one that has been oriented before but veered off the right path. That is what our government need. That is what Nigerians need!

The present dispensation claims to have what it takes to change the future of the country. They promised to deal with issues decisively and within time. They promised that every facet of the country would change and above all, they would hit the ground running.

Perhaps, it is not the case that Buhari, underestimated the problems of Nigeria or that he over rated his administration before coming onboard, it seems rather, that it’s the case that he has discovered that the nation is not where he left it about 40 years ago. Whether or not he knew his promises were unrealizable within the time frame that the constitution allots him would not be tenable on the day of reckoning. It is in collective interest that he makes ample use of his time, knowing full well that his days are already numbered.

Nonetheless, the collective enterprises of the citizens in service of the common good are the index of a nation’s development. No nation can develop above the well-being of its citizens, it is the well-being of the citizens that determines the parameter of its national development. The Nigerian state needs chivalrous contributions of its patriots and statesmen for the needed socio-economic transformation that everybody is preaching. The questions are: Do we really have a change of leadership? Are the citizens alienated from this mishap? Can this change be attained? Would we ever get to the Promised Land? And can Buhari be the Moses of Nigeria?

               

              Let love reign!