Allow me to borrow a
piece from late grand-daddy of soul’s repertoire (Marvin Gaye), as I ask this
mind boggling question: “what’s going on?” All things considered, I know I’m
not “blessed” with selective amnesia, nor have I been “chilling” under a rock for
the past X years. But still, one has to wonder what the antecedent is of all
the madness, mayhem and chaos in Nigeria.
As my primary school
math teacher taught me many years ago, when solving problems, it is important
to go from the known to the unknown. Therefore, what do we truly know?
*disclaimer notice: the writer of this article cannot be held
responsible for the mass confusion in Nigeria, nor the way the following facts
are to be outlined in a confused manner…also, do not blame the writer for this
disclaimer notice, because the writer does not wish to be “Dele Giwa’ed” nor
“This Day’ed.”*
Ehhe, so where were we?
Yes; in Nigeria: our premier leader/citizen studied Zoology, which the Oxford
English Dictionary defines as “the study of the behaviour, structure,
physiology, classification and distribution of animals”…divine irony, if you
ask me. Also, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu state was M.I.A (missing in
action) for more than 4 months; and his absenteeism, from the helms of affairs,
was swept under the proverbial carpet on health grounds. Following the example
of the aforementioned state leader, Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross Rivers state
took a 3 month hiatus on health grounds as well. Both incidents were excused on
the constitutional lacuna that does not specify vacation limits for state
governors in Nigeria. Then again, who are we to challenge the powers that be,
when a past president, in this very country, pulled a David Blaine/Fadeyi Oloro
right before our very eyes and disappeared for 3 months; then was smuggled back
into Nigeria, with the lights turned off at the airport. I know what you’re
thinking: yes, that was the biggest game of hide and seek in the history of our
nation…which none of our past military leaders could boast of.
Who or what else is on
the list? Aha! Mr. Facrook Rolling-Dollar! Pardon my Freudian slip of fingers
*regains composure*; I mean, Mr. Farouk Lawan. One can only wonder if it is
necessary to address a thief as ‘Honourable’ *in deep thought*…in the words of
C&C Music Factory, “things that make you go hmmm.” According to a press
release, Otedollar, sorry again, Otedola offered a $3million bribe and made
good on his promise, to the lawmaker, with a down-payment of $500,000; for
which Mr. Lawan was nearly let off the hook by our Justice System, if not for
the intervention of several concerned citizens and bodies. On a similar but
unrelated note, Mr John Yakubu Yusufu, the former Director of The Police
Pension office, took it upon himself to line his golden pockets with ₦23billion,
which belonged to retirees of Nigeria’s finest; yet all he got as repercussions
for this heinous act was a 2 year jail term, which is somewhat comparable to a
slap on the wrist. One might wonder if crime actually pays.
Recently, the Police
Commissioner of Kwara State, Mr. Chinweike Asadu, was gunned down in front of
his own home in Enugu state. This leaves little doubt about insecurity in the
entire country.
One of the biggest
jokes I’ve heard this year is a fast one Kim Kardashian pulled on many Nigerians.
The aforementioned prima donna apparently demanded $500,000 for co-hosting a
concert with Dare Art-Alade; made an appearance for 45 seconds on stage and
zoomed off “faster than a speeding bullet” *STILL lol*. One might wonder
whether it was the acrid flavours of smell exacerbated by heat in our Nigerian
air, or kidnappers, or maybe even Boko ‘Haramites’ that had her ‘Hossain
Bolting’ out ASAP. Quite unfortunate for some who shelled-out as much as
₦2million to get a glimpse of the idolised diva. This theme for this joke
should be ‘misplaced priorities.’
On a more sober note,
there are several other existing & on-going issues which all stem from a
singular root cause…a deviation from core values on an
individual and national scale. To paraphrase what someone once said, our
leaders emerged from our midst; they weren’t brought from Uranus *pun
intended*. Considering that our values shape our thoughts (subconscious &
conscious), words, actions, reactions and eventually character, the question to
guide every Nigerian’s quest for true, personal and sustainable change is “what
are my values?” Every person, body and organisation that has made conscious
positive impact in the history of our world had sound values which guided their
ideals, actions (proactive & reactive) and very existence. I am no prophet
of doom, but unless things truly change in our nation, disaster conspicuously
lurks down the road. That “change” can start from you.
SOURCE: eGist
SOURCE: eGist
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