Yes!
I mean that! You must be trying to reconcile the paradox right? Now let me take
you on my journey…..
It
was Christmas; a time to make merry, to meet friends after a long while of
“hustling”; a time for family re-union; a time to re-establish connections with
loved ones, to celebrate, to make people feel loved, and most significantly, a
time to lend a helping hand. One evening, my mom returned from the usual
sharing of “Christmas gifts” organized by St. Vincent de Poor group of the Catholic
Church, and was complaining bitterly of how low their turn up were. Just five
days after, in the heat of the December sun, we heard a rumble outside our
house, with cries of a wounded woman and her child strapped with a torn cloth
to her back. She was bleeding from the ankle and her child seemed to have had a
bruise on the forehead. Blood was gushing out from her son’s head like water
from an overfilled tank. This woman had fallen into the gutter in the midst of
the rancor. Those around gave no attention to her or the baby, because they
were engrossed in what appeared to be a battle for survival. In fact, it was
during the process of this struggle that she fell into the gutter nearby. Ahead
of the unscrupulously disarrayed crowd, comprising mostly of women of low
economic standing (as it appeared) and children with clothes similar to the toilet
mop stick of our neighbor, was a small platform with a Mercedes Benz (G-wagon)
and a truck parked beside it. Inside the car was a female figure who seemed to
be the “boss”, giving orders and ranting like a confused lioness. In the truck
were items that could be classified as “essential commodities”; they included
rice tied in small polythene bags, tissue papers of cheap quality, cartons of
Noodles, some bags of salt, a number of Chickens that resembled birds struck
with the flu with a touch of Ebola; baskets of onions amidst other items. These items seemed to be the bane of this
injurious struggle. Each person wanted a package of these “goods” and so must
struggle to the front where the show was hottest. Upon inquiry, we discovered
that the woman in the car was the wife of the Local Government chairman and the
items been shared were their “Christmas gifts” to the community. They were been
showered with praises and prayers by the women (recipients of this “kind”
gesture). They were “heroes” who came to the rescue of the people.
Now
the indices………..First, this LG chairman was earlier arrested for embezzling the
money meant for building a market for the community and for renovating the derelict
hospital in the community. The roads within the community were nothing but
death traps. Secondly, during his campaign, he promised to pay all outstanding salaries
to the local government workers and to give loans to all promising young
entrepreneurs to start up small trades. All of these were not met even after
the first term in office. Thirdly, this was the same man who bought cars worth
N350, million for himself and his wife on their return from their “world tour”
and told the people that they were gifts and I asked: which road are they going
to drive them on? More so, the people had not seen 24hrs electricity or a trace
of it since his assumption of office. (Four years and counting). And these people
are the people’s heroes! But instead of giving the people dried and broken
fish, why not teach them how to fish by providing them the implements and environment
for fishing which are their entitlements? Oh no! They are our heroes. The funny
thing is that after Christmas, everything went back to status quo. And these
“heroes” went again, into hibernation.
Have
we not noticed recently that there are many lies, rumors and half-truths that
are paraded in the media, social media networks? These are handiworks of
politicians and supporters who would go any length to win elections and to
sustain their perceived “heroic” personalities. The trend is same. Facts are
distorted and shared daily as truth. Pictures are manipulated and shared as
originals. Everybody has turned to video producers, as we make and share video
clips that are either full of lies or half-truths. Some hitherto reputable
broadcast stations have thrown professionalism to the dogs, as they join in the
“show of shame.” Events such as the one pulled at the front of our house are
paraded as been “in favor” of the people.
Prior
to the 2015 general elections the status quo in Nigeria was simply horrendous.
(As we were told by the opposition), 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,
there is a new government with promises of change. Salaries of most workers at
various strata of government are still been negotiated; health workers at
different states of the federation go on and off strike, oil prices have
fallen, the Naira has refused to stand up to its peers in terms of value,
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”;
there is general disorientation and a sense of hopelessness that looms 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. But where are the “heroes” that promised to bring change?
With the present, there seems to be no shift
in paradigm as promised by the propaganda government that hitherto, continue 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
propagandists who share polythene bags of rice as a show of philanthropy. 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 she
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. We need to start seeing our acclaimed “heroes” for who they really
are- pretenders!
This
re-orientation is premised on the fact that Nigeria has lost direction at a
point of our political cum social history. Thus, re-orientation implies
orienting the one that has been oriented before but veered off the right path.
That is what our government needs. That is what Nigerians need! The present
dispensation claims to have what it takes to change the future of the country. (Well,
have you really seen anything different? Or the future is not yet here?) 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 they underestimated the problems of Nigeria or that they
over-rated their administration’s ability before taking the paddle sticks; it
seems rather, that it is the case that they discovered that the nation is not
where it was about 40 years ago. Whether or not they knew their promises were
unrealizable within the time frame that the constitution allots them would not
be tenable on the day of reckoning.
On
the other hand, 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 to
work hard against the “tragedy of the commons” and she needs chivalrous
contributions of its patriots and statesmen for the needed socio-economic
transformation that everybody is preaching.
The
concern is not entirely with the politicians though. It also pinches the followers.
Nigerian political supporters are known to be fanatics, who only see the good
in their leaders and are ready to “violently” defend anything negative said
about them. When properly “tuned” and “wired” they can go to any length. They
are very “ignitable” at any slight prompting. We are witnesses to the aftermath
of unguided statements by some politicians before, during and after elections
in the past. Some fundamental cum reflective questions I pose to fellow citizens
are: after you have consumed these perishables given as charity and/or bribe,
what next? Will you wait until the next public celebration before you eat? Can
we not avoid the situation of that woman and her son, wounded whilst they
struggle for what should be their rights, rather treated as scavengers and
refugees in their homeland? And after been manipulated by these “heroes” during
elections, what next? Why have you not realized that it is your right as
citizens to be paid salaries after work, to aid your living and not a privilege
given to you at Christmas or other celebrations? When will you realize that you
are entitled to good roads, good water, electricity, and other rudimentary
amenities and not some “handbag” rice with some “leprosaic” chicken given by
those who, should in the first place, provide for your resources; not out of
their own self-acclaimed “goodwill” but from the state’s provision, which you
are entitled to, by virtue of your membership. When will you see that these
gifts are peanuts compared to what you deserve as a citizen? When will you see
these “show of kindness” as mere propaganda to keep you locked in the vertex of
cumulative want? When will you wake up from you ignorant slumber and realize
that our “HEROES” are our problem?
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Eroma 'Ruona Paul-mark
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