The current tragi-comedy in Nigeria gives credence to Prof. Wole Soyinka’s book titled: A Season of Anomy. The above article’s title is borrowed from his book. It’s unarguably a season of anomie in Nigeria. If William Shakespeare were to be alive today, he would have effortlessly written a book on Nigeria’s political conundrums. Nigeria is so unfortunate to be saddled with a colony of corrupt men and women of clownish characters. A habitat whose majority of its inhabitants are very unserious people.
I watched Nigeria ChannelTV news live recently, and what I saw was a show of shame being displayed in the NASSty house in Abuja. Members of our National Assembly are nothing but political bugs and a big embarrassment to the nation. What are the criteria being used to get these people elected into this national legislative monument?
Peruse the manuscript of administration of Governor Ayodele Fayose in Ekiti, it is a compendium of political tragi-comedy. Browse through the political archives of a diarrhea-mouthed Femi-Fani Kayode, and google the opportunistic buffoonery of Senator Dino Melaye, you will be forced to trigger an inquest into how we got to where we are as a nation. These corrupt and unserious individuals share in common the same vainglory, grandstanding and political opportunism. Corruption and stupidity are intertwined, the two have never produced any meaningful development anywhere. It is high time Nigerians stopped celebrating mediocrity. Meritocracy needs to flourish in a land full of so many befitting resources.
In retrospective, how my people in Ekiti ended up with Governor Ayodele Fayose as a governor is still a mystery to rational mind. Why is Governor Ayodele Fayose not taking a cue from Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s revolutionary government in Lagos State? While Ambode is full of imagination, my governor is shortsighted with 18 century display of nothingness. While Abode is busy commissioning laudable projects in Lagos State, my governor, Fayose is busy patronizing tailoring houses and Buka with regurgitation of Ponmo and Eba. The hogwash of our governor in public forum is not only adolescent, it is a big embarrassment to Ekiti, a state that prides itself as a fountain of knowledge.
In utter astonishment with pungent and serious questions: Is governor Ayodele Fayose now the spoke person for palm wine joints in Ekiti? Is he the information commissioner or the caretaker of food joints in Ado-Ekiti? What manner of Chief Executive of a State is our Governor in Ekiti? Is he a leader or a ruler or a motor park Chairman? All these disturbing questions may remain unanswered as long as Fayose’s shenanigans remain unchecked. The most troubling issue is that good people look askance for these corrupt people to fester and flourishingly destroy our image and the future of the citizens. Nigerian leaders certainly need psychiatric test. International political watchers and analysts are stupefied by the shenanigans in our body polity today in Nigeria.
How many phases will Nigeria pass through before it gets its acts together to meet the 21st century challenges, or align with the rest of the developing world? Has the remaining political elders in Nigeria asked themselves how Nigeria is ebbing into lower nomenclature among the comity of nations? How many of these leaders have traveled to United Arabs Emirates recently to see the structural transformation of Abu Dhabi? In the 80s, economically, Dubai was struggling as a nation. Now, the architectural designs and structural wonders of the world are springing up in all corners of Abu Dhabi. Presently, Dubai is one of the fastest growing hubs and destinations for tourists in the world.
What of Malaysia and Singapore? These two countries came with their delegations to Nigeria in the 80s to understudy how our agricultural economy worked. While the northern part of the country’s storage of groundnut was dazzling the world with its architectural designs, the exportation of these agricultural products increased Nigeria’s GDP. It was a beautiful period in our nation’s history. Sadly, apart from agriculture, we have places that can turn Nigeria to destination for tourism and trade, but hedonism, graft and corruption, selfishness, religiosity; penchant and unholy accumulation of wealth have been the bane of Nigerian structural development.
The spirits of Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Lagoke Akintola, Chief Bola Ige and other deceased political elders will be in some heavenly tremors now. They’re looking down on Nigeria from the cosmic world with regrettable stances. There is certainly some restlessness and sadness in their graves to see what they have existentially labored for in Yourubaland sauntering into a hall of defame. Most of the disciples of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo have betrayed him; his unique and progressive principles and ideas are being violated with impunity and corruption.
In retrospective, decades ago, Yoruba political elders are known for their charismatic display of intellectual prowess, not the current vainglory and opulence on display. Today, what we see is the crude, garrulous and grotesque grandstanding of the political entrepreneurs. Their political neophytes are also soiling the landscapes of Nigerian polity unhindered. While other nations are transforming the lives of their people through good governance, Nigeria is still figuring out how to govern her own people in this 21st century democracy. Once there’s “money for hand,” it is a nauseating “back for ground” all the time for the unserious Nigerian plebeians.
The bane of Nigerian underdevelopment seems to be the symbiotic relationships between the leaders and the people they lead. Instead of fighting the political cancer that has metastasized their lives, Nigerians are used to fighting the solutions that can cure their intractable problems. Because of few dollars to their pockets or palms from these mindless politicians, people continue to mortgage their own lives and the lives of their children. Regrettably, for want of instant gratification and the fear of “known of unknown,” compulsive corruption and mindlessness are insignia of honor for most Nigerians.
It is imperative that Nigerians don’t completely consume their cakes before they have eventually have them. It might be too late if this abnormal situation in Nigeria is not brought under normal control. We are in the midnight of our journey to the future. What we do with this chance at this crucial moment existentially counts for our future!
A stitch in time saves nine!
