There is a worrisome disconnect between the state of affairs in the country and the attitude of those in charge of such affairs that needs to be pondered upon. Most residents within Nigeria and her citizens as well as observers beyond the shores of the country are familiar with the need she has for basic services such as stable electricity, good roads, efficient healthcare and functional schools worthy of such description.
Unemployment and insecurity of lives and properties must be added to this long sad list of needs and we have had various opportunities in the classrooms, living rooms and board rooms to point out that unemployment and issues with security are very closely linked to the lack of those basic service earlier mentioned. I know more than a few respected development experts that will strongly argue that unemployment and threat to security are direct results of lack of basic services such as stable electricity, good road, efficient healthcare, functional schools.
As if all these were not enough, nature has even added to make things worse for the country with the recent floods. I have been assured by those in the know that God will not destroy the world with water again, but for those who feel the pain now and hence know it more than those in the know the worry is not about the end of the world, it is about surviving today. Just in case Mr President is far from the grapevine, I have some information for him: the word on the street is that Goodluck is not looking so lucky anymore more and the fear is that his goodluck seems to be personal only to him not for the country.
Beyond and above the believe in goodluck and the fear of the end of the world, the simple reality is that as things stand today this state is shaky. The problems some are witnessing and many are enduring is a result of continuous neglect of maintenance and lack of good management of public affairs, it is a culmination of incompetent and uncaring actions by people devoid of a strong vision and the will to serve their communities for a greater good and with a sense of national purpose. For too long, a lot has been left undone for the Nigerian table, too many people have sat at it just to use it, too much rubbish and debt has been left on it, too many fittings have been take from it and today it is shaky.
Whilst we cannot objectively hold responsible the present administrations, from the local councillors, to local and national legislators up to the presidency, for all the woes betiding the country, I personally accuse them of lacking to posses and to demonstrate the fierce urgency of now necessary to deal with the grave challenges the country is facing.
Their own self compiled account of their hundred days in office is even a bigger indictment than our allegations. The official reports show that most of those in power neither understand nor feel that we have an emergency here in our hands. They seem not to know that as things stand today, Nigeria is high up in the list of states likely to fail. By the way, the country is high on that list not because someone hates her or one professor says so, it is high on that sombre list because violence is erupting predominantly within societies in which the state and the federal government seems to be losing its monopoly on the use of force to warlords, organized crime, and armed rebellions. The country is high on the list because Nigeria seems incapable to sustain essential public services, provide for the public welfare and promote equitable economic growth. The government does not appear capable of maintaining domestic tranquillity and there are serious doubts in some quarters about the country’s ability to provide for the common defence.
Some might argue and ask for leniency, in defence of these administrations, that hundred days in office is not a lot given the kind of challenges the country is facing. That reasoning is wrong and dangerous. Those who think that way should go and find out what the David Cameron led administration was able to do in hundred days. It must be said that administration is a coalition littered with tensions, egos and genuine ideological differences yet they made things happen some of which are inevitable disputable but you don’t need to be persuaded those leaders are on a mission. If there is anyone out there that wants to lower our standards and irritatingly argue that yes, but that is in the UK, then let them go back to our not too long history to read what Lateef Jakande was able to do in his first hundred days in office. It was in 1979, there was no email, blackberry or mobile phones, yet that Governor was able to do a lot simply because has he explained to me they were on a mission.
Our present office holders need to realise they are dealing with a series of emergencies and act accordingly. This state is now really shaky if care is not taken it will fall.
