Fear and Trembling 

EDIFYING ELUCIDATIONS BY Okey Ikechukwu

Our people say that there’s something to worry about when all known soothsayers maintain a pregnant silence, while wearing a scowl. Our people also say that neither the man who wants to wash his clothes in the morning,  nor one who wants to set out early for a distant market with a bag of salt on his head, will know what to do for sure if the sky remains overcast for long, but brings neither rain nor strong winds. My people say that the appearance of the dragonfly is a clear sign that the dry season and the concomitant harmattan wind is near. Look around you and tremble. 

Nothing has changed for the better since our Non-Partisan Roundtable on the state of the nation in May, a few months ago. Matters have gotten worse, instead. There seems to be a brewing cocktail of unpleasant events. The greater worry is that it may all turn into a frightening and inescapable cascade of   calamities. No one can give it a name as yet. Yes, no one can say for sure what it is. Insecurity, hunger, confusion, leadership illiteracy and much more are staring us in the face everywhere. 

The National Assembly is doing its best to undermine the autonomy of the Central bank of Nigeria. The value of our national currency is airborne, dragged off by the terrible winds created and sustained by irresponsible politicking. Oil theft remains a thriving industry. Depravity walks the land, as politicians tumble over themselves to convince us that they should be taken seriously. Anon, it is fear and trembling everywhere!

A piece which appeared on this page on 21st May, this year, captures much  of what is going on at this  very hour. The article in question, titled “Productivity, the Nation and Fake News” spoke of “Some of the most important conclusions of participants at a Non-Partisan RoundTable on pressing national issues, which was organized by Development Specs Academy, and which held at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja”.

The conclusions in question run thus: “(1) Increased productivity is a critical success factor for any nation that wants a strong and stable national currency, (2) Consumption patterns and product preferences have a direct impact on a nation’s Balance of trade, especially with regards to deficits, (3) The Nigerian State, and the citizenry, must consume mostly what they produce and produce mostly what they consume, or retain some of the economic debilities on the table at the moment”.

The RoundTable also pointed out that the public is “… only interested in measuring the value of every economic intervention against the background of impact, and that insecurity is one of the biggest threats to national productivity, agriculture and food security. These “… can undermine the best policy initiatives and economic intervention programmes”. 

On the State of the Nation, the RoundTable pointed out that our security forces are overstretched, not well equipped and hamstrung by a largely apathetic citizenry. It linked the perceived suboptimal performance of the police, the armed forces and the security agencies to avoidable facility, operational and capacity inadequacies. The RoundTable said that “…our soldiers and security agents are not magicians; that they need supporting intelligence from locals”.

The broad Conceptual Framework for the RoundTable stemmed from a desire “… to promote solutions-based national conversations on important national issues… figure out, design and propose specific, and readily implementable, solutions to identified problems at the end of the day”. It was not “a platform for lamentations and the enumeration of problems”.

It is lamentable then, is it not? That the growing citizen apathy we see everywhere is clear evidence of the non-inclusive orientation of many state and non-state actors? As I write, our leaders are still carrying on as if expenditure on their whims is the same thing as investment in development and nation building. “Budgetary announcements, procurement contracts, arbitrary allocations” and laundered media reports are being passed off as “proof of impact on the welfare of citizens”.

Concerning national security and the fight against insurgency, the RoundTable urged the government to “…pay close attention to the actual condition of our fighting forces. The announcements about new equipment, the cost of new war equipment, or the resolve of the Federal Government to end insurgency, do not remove the fact that the public is largely skeptical and suspicious because of the continued activities of terrorists and insurgents in Nigeria”. The RoundTable took a long and hard look at the presidential aspirantd of our various political parties, acknowledged their right to their aspirations, but pointed this out: “Change of headship of the Nigerian State, and replacement of persons holding various elective offices at various levels, will deliver nothing good if those involved do not have the interest of the nation and the people at heart”. 

From the foregoing, the points made back then about the integrity deficit of government communication is still here with us. We are still far from the government claiming “… its right to be believed, by giving clear, timely, honest and believable communication”. The national currency is still speeding downhill, because low productivity reigns. So does low remittances from the nation’s major cash cow. This buttresses  position of the RoundTable, that “…only productivity-enhancing and economy-reflating activities, in addition to consuming what we produce and producing what we consume” will save Nigeria. 

Do we see any improvement in the condition of our youths? I think not. The RoundTable under reference here “…admitted that the youths face challenges at the levels of capacity, opportunities and wrong role models. Proposed solutions to some of the foregoing include tooling and retooling our youths for a 21st Century World and … promotion of vocational skills and innovative entrepreneurship programmes, in addition to values Reorientation”.

And fake news, which also featured in the discussions? Well, it has become an even bigger industry, today. The report about a joint operation between the DSS and the US army has turned out to be false. Yes, investigations have shown that it was a well-choreographed security engagement of the State Security Service, without the involvement of the US or any other country. But that was not what was in the air for days, even with organizations that could have easily verified from the authorities before going public.  

As everyone with a phone and a social media handle can now become media owner, broadcaster, Editor-in-Chief and even a television station, the problem of fake news is compounded in more ways than one. The official counter narratives are, unfortunately, too slow in coming, too stilted, and often hamstrung by the language of officialdom; which undermines credibility and believability.

The call by the RoundTable of last May on Nigerians “…to be wary of misinformation and disinformation”, as well as the warning against the “deliberate mischief of iconoclasts, the malevolent machinations of those who distort, misquote or misrepresent audio and video content for all manner of reasons” does not seem to have sunk in.

The more we look around us, the more we see that the issues we would all like to see disappear are mutating and not disappearing. More convoluted issues are even popping out of every street corner. Weariness walks the land. The space is being progressively taken over by official marauders and state-decorated insurgents. The realities of the Nigerian state, as things are today, are being denied by those who should make it better. That is why problems are getting compounded, instead of being solved; as the road to 2023 is fraught with landmines and much more.

Finally, as observed, under “The Call for Authenticity” on this page some three months ago, “Inauthenticity walks the land! In Aso Rock, in the National Assembly, in the judiciary, in state government houses, in state Houses of Assembly, in local government headquarters, in churches and mosques, in institutions of higher and lower learning. We walk through a maze and claim to be walking under bright lights. Debauchery has been given a new name, in the hope that the discerning will no longer keep watch over disappearing values. No, the relevant eyes are still wide open, even if fewer in number than hitherto. The call for authenticity is real”.

The grip of a growing combination of very determined negative forces is on many things that have a direct bearing on our personal and community lives. With security and productivity now under severe negative pressure, we may have a lot more to worry about in the coming days, weeks and months than just elections and the value of the Naira. The auguries are not looking good at all.