By Chigozie Igbo
3:24am is the time, morning is few hours away, and this thought of writing about a country that has so much pissed Nigerians cropped up. Initially I just waved at the thought of penning this down, but the urge kept coming back. For quite sometime now, I have gone on leave, most times discarding the urge to write, because most of our countrymen rather watch videos, mostly comedy skits, than read. Reason, its said “if you want to hide anything from us, pen it down” Their assumptions might be right, but I believe there are few that still read.
The topic of discourse, Nigeria a thorn of many parts came to me as a direct message. Yes, Nigeria is a thorn of many parts. A thorn as we know it inhibits, also making it impossible for goals to be achieved. The Igbo’s call it (Ogwu). The adage of money is in thorns can give one a view of what thorns imply, (Ego di na Ogwu). Nigeria as a country is so blessed that the indigenes of this country have no reason to be poor. However, one may still wonder why Nigeria is among the poorest country in the world so to say, even as the giant of Africa with the largest GDP, followed by South Africa.
Travelling round the country, I meet with other Nigerians and their concept of Nigeria remains the same. No patroticism, no passion for the country Nigeria. When asked do you love being a Nigerian, the answers most times are mixed. The masses blame the leaders, the leaders also blame the masses, in the long run, everyone suffers the outcome of our flaws as a nation. But let me ask, is Nigeria truly a thorn of many parts? To give a general overview, Nigeria has not done well in the area of managing its resources to better the lot of many, and as such, has become a thorn of many parts to the majority of its citizens, who are down trodden. Maybe, these thorns are the real reasons Nigerians do well in every field of endeavour they find themselves outside the shores of the country. This will be a discourse for another day.
In a matter of days, Nigeria will be celebrating its 63 Independence Anniversary, which will come with the usual fanfare curried with deceit by our political class, and the reeling out of many of their achievements, which most times is basically on paper. Nigerians themselves also most times fail to ask questions and have resigned to faith, and with the use of religion, the political class succeeded in making the masses align to faith, even when they suffer. Growing up in the 80s I used to listen to Fela Anikulapo Kuti sing about "Suffering and Smiling Yeye Rolling", I never knew it was real until I started catering for the needs of my family. Nigeria;s thorns are diverse and many, in fact in all facets of living, nothing is perfect, but Nigerians derive joy in enriching themselves from an imperfect system, against their country men, is it in education,health, transportation, agriculture, judiciary, law making, administration etc , name it, the list is long.
Nigeria’s thorns are embedded in the quest for self, rather than country. In Nigeria nobody cares unless he or she is directly affected. But all thanks to nature for proving them wrong and showing them that developing the country will be in the best interest of all. I know most of us, must have forgotten what happened during the covid and how it could have been different if we did not play down on our healthcare infrastructure for health tourism. Many died, most of them of the elite class, while God still protected his children from the dreaded disease. The same thing happens in all facets of the Nigerian polity, everyone is after what he or she benefits, without caring about what the country stand to gain or loose in the long run.
The Nigerian system seems to have collapsed and everyone today worships and adores money rather than the substance that makes money. This has further enabled the many thorns in the country to manifest abundantly and has continued messing up the system and these days it does not only affect the poor, but the rich also get a bite from it. The question is, who is to blame, the people or those in positions of leadership? This question remains unanswered because of so many factors, bordering most times on who we are as Africans. The reason why the Nigerian system has become thorns to the people is not because there are no laws, nor people to implement it, rather the major problem has been that those in the corridors of power who influence what happens have not been fair to the Nigerian nation. In Nigeria, laws are made for some people, while others are at liberty to disobey such laws.
In all sincerity why would a Nigerian family go to bed hungry? Why would a Nigerian mother deliver her baby paying through her nose, which most times breaks down the family because of the financial involvement. Why would a Nigerian child pay through his or her nose to go to school only to start hassling after school? Why would Nigerians cry about the rise in PMS when we have abundant alternative sources that should have been put in place to work? Why would gas still be flared, when its need to power our homes abound? Why would a bourgise molest a poor man and go free? There are so many why’s and I wont want to bug you with them, but the many thorns that have brought the giant of Africa to its knee is from the people, both the rich and the poor.
In all, the main thorn is that of leadership. Most of our leaders think that because they have the mandate of the people, they should not listen to any idea or thought lines from outside their line up. Recently, in trying to give out information of an impending political disjoint, about to happen because of neglect in government policy I was shouted down and the phone banged on me. Who am I to go that route again? I will only leave them to their doom. The political class has not been fair to Nigerians, as they have constituted the major thorn in Nigeria. Ideals rule the world, China,India, America, South Africa, France, Israel and the rest of the developed world are where they are today, because of good leadership.
But in the Nigeria, the reverse is the case, as most people go to the extent of using political positions to fight their supposed enemies. With the Nigerian political clas, the concept of continuation of government policies are lacking. Most of them want to erase what the others has done using tax payers money without recourse to what the people will say, because the people are minding their business and praying that God come to their rescue. Funny as it is, that is the true scenario. Instead of looking inward to see how partnerships can work to set up production chains in the country.
On the part of the masses who have gotten so disillusioned because of the rot in government, and the myopic disposition of those in government, they have their own blame too. This starts from their own duty post. As a teacher who wants the best from the pupil or student, are you doing the right thing? Are you indeed a role model to these children? To the policeman standing on the road are you doing your job as it should be without fear or favour? As a trader are you cutting corners because you want to make a hell of profit even to the detriment of your customers? As a government worker are you discharging your duties well as required, without collecting bribe and kick backs? These questions are posers for the masses who most times blame the leaders for all the thorns in the country, even when they contribute part to it.
A friend the other day told me about a deal, he is having with the Chinese on how to automate and reduce emissions and cost of transportation in Nigeria and I asked him to give me an insight, he automatically obliged of his plans to make Nigeria pay less for transport. And I was wowed, but he said, " my brother, my problem be wetin we go face with this people in government" I asked him to explain more and he said that there was nothing to explain. As the Nigerian factor will take it's place. He already has a mindset coming into that industry and clings himself to the norm. He did not see what was wrong in giving government revenue out. Rather he preferred his business and what he gets.
AS we now know, that Nigeria has many thorns bedeviling its growth as a nation, its high time we sort for ways to combat this trend, so that the system can work. This requires the contribution of all Nigerians no matter the section or sector you find yourself in. This is the major reason for the dissenting voices all over the country. The nation has all it takes to remain the giant of Africa and not a kneeling giant who has gone with cap in hand begging for crumbs. While we have what it takes to give the crumbs, which is the raw material. Nigeria is blessed with natural and human resources in abundance that is still under utilised. Most of which is still grappling on how to make it work for the people.
Everyday, when you go to the internet, you see promising Nigerians with one invention or the other, but unfortunately, the political class see it as nothing, but hail and applaud technology from China which most times originated from Africa. As we celebrate Nigeria’s 63rd Independence Anniversary on the 1st of October 2023, we should note with concern, that we need to start producing instead of depending on importation for all we use. Government should as well make deliberate efforts to support industrialization of the country, which is the only way we can get back to work as it used to be in the 60s. Nigeria can longer sit idly by, and watch our human and natural resources waste because of cheap political gains, which to me is meaningless. This will in the long run, help whittle down the many thorns that has continued to hold Nigeria down.