COLLECTIVELY STABBING OUR SUFFERING MOTHERLAND

O. Jason Osai reckons that the nation’s hope for a better tomorrow is a collective responsibility

Nigeria Independence came with strong feeling of excitement and happiness. Euphorically, we celebrated in expectation of the great socioeconomic transformation associated with the concept of self rule. Enthusiastically and collectively, we sang the National Anthem inter alia thus:“Nigerians all, are proud to serve our sovereign motherland”. As we sang, the portraits of our heroes, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa and Obafemi Awolowo and a host of others were engraved in our minds as personifications of patriotism and epitomes of our emancipation from colonialism to nationalism. They were our Knights in Shining Armor of Freedom.

          Profusely perspiring under the scorching sun in the highly humid Niger Delta afternoon same as across the mosaic landscape of Nigeria on October 1, 1960, we proudly waved our Green-White-Green while tenaciously clutching our beaker with our fragile pre-teen fingers; we couldn’t wait to get home to have a drink of water from the water pot with the rather beautiful and unbreakable beakers. Even without our knowing the essence and actual import and impact of the celebration, it was a blissful moment.

          Sadly, bordering on tragic, a realistic contemporary rehash of that portion of the National Anthem would justifiably read thus: “Nigerians all are proud to stab and starve our suffering motherland”  hence the title of this piece.

            A recent statement credited to Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State holds thus: “Irrespective of their differences of tribe and religion, members of the elite are united in preserving their advantages over the masses. [The masses] don’t have the capacity to unite because they are burdened by poverty. We [the elite] have taken away from them their dignity, self-esteem, pride and self-worth so that they cannot even organize”.

            Straight from the horse’s mouth! The above is a candid admission that it is the elites that have kept “the common man” wretched and “in hell” despite the nation’s enormous wealth. They are feverishly outdoing each other in building private Taj Mahals, which are trophy houses and mere magnificent mansions of future melancholy for their successors. Everyday Nigerians see the ruling elite quarreling and calling each other bad names—but it’s just a game intended to fool the public: in reality they are quite united in quietly sharing the loot from the treasury and delivering little or nothing to their various constituencies. They have a stake in keeping the citizens exactly as they are

-poor, weak, confused and, therefore, easy to exploit. Sule Lamido’s statement is a revelation; it is as if lightning suddenly flashed, pushing aside the darkness and revealing the entire landscape for one brief moment. Truth is, Nigerians are now conscious of this fact.

            Today, the dollar, which was inferior to the naira exchanges for N800; one liter of petrol sells for more than N500; one 50kg bag of rice sells for N40,000; one bag of cement has gone from N800 to N5000; a standard loaf of bread from N300 to N1000; cooking gas from N180 to N850, and our debt profile has shot from $9.7bn to $98.6bn. In all, public servants, including professors, have been shoved below poverty line.

          The fact remains that 63 years after independence, Nigerians from all works of life across the ethnocultural and religious hedgerows, viciously stab at the ribcage of Nigeria, our Motherland, which is suffering under the burden of scoundrels systematically striving to sink the ship of state. In stead of leaders who are patriotic and purpose driven, what we have are bleeders who plant conduit pipes in the heart and other vital organs of the national treasury with the sole intent of savagely dealing the economy a mortal blow.

          Bureaucrats and technocrats have all turned to rats that encourage snakes and elephants to swallow billions of Naira. Professors and lecturers (my professional colleagues) shameless and boldly demand gratification in cash and/or in kind (including the ignominious “horizontal installments”) from hapless and helpless students for grades. Also, the judicial service delivery system has been brazenly compromised thereby discoloring the erstwhile adored wig of the bench and bar.

          On the streets and highways, structural violence is epitomized by the policemen who have turned checkpoints into tollgates some of which are located in multiples within five hundred meters. Down the line of the social hierarchy, market men and women, transporters, oil marketers and everyone in the service sector is seeking ways and means of exploiting everyone.

          The following two anecdotes illustrate how pervasive the act of “stabbing our suffering Motherland” is. First is the story of Singer Nigeria Ltd. (SNL). Not too long ago, Singer had factories where they manufactured television sets, radios, refrigerators, standing fans, etc., in Nigeria. Interestingly, the company had a peculiar marketing strategy that encouraged and supported marketers. They sold to their dealers ON CREDIT in an effort to generate a formidable sales network towards greater profitability. Sadly, many people began to apply as wholesalers using fake business names and addresses. Soon thereafter, they packed the products and disappeared into thin air. Resultantly, SNL became insolvent and closed all her factories in Nigeria in 1996 thereby elongating the already nervous unemployment line.

          Second is the case of Cocoa Industries Limited, Ikeja; it was similar to the experience of Singer. As the company was at the verge of closing shop completely, an officer of the company narrated the experience thus: “All the top officers colluded with their drivers and security men in loading products without proper documentation; the products were then delivered to their relatives at different locations and no proceeds were remitted to the company.” He furthered that “of all the more than 150 companies owned by the conglomerate, none was functioning any more. All the companies suffered from over-invoicing of services and non-invoicing of products. Eventually, only the companies jointly owned by private sector were operational.

          The factors that contributed to the ruination of Nigeria are not recent phenomena. It was through indiscipline, deliberate impunity, arrogant exercise of power and authority, ineptitude and pervasive excessive greed. Sadly, these malfeasances have become more audacious and endemic in recent times. Meanwhile, Nigeria is a nation of champions.

          Reacting to the historic achievement of Miss Ifeoma Amuche, who delivered the valedictory speech as the best graduating student in a Chinese University, someone wrote that Nigerians bear the mark of success anywhere. We are Champions. We can rebuild our great country. We should build a strong Citizen-Patriotic driven Nation where every citizen will stand tall anywhere with pride to announce that he or she is a Nigerian!  We should build a strong diaspora community that will form a strong synergy with citizens at home towards a strong Nigeria Nation that works for all.  

            One knowledge that is native to fisherfolk and riverine communities is that the process of decay starts from the head. In a television interview, Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labor Party presidential running mate, averred that “Irresponsible governance has been responsible for the situation [Nigeria is] in”.

            Simply put, Nigerians are collectively stabbing our suffering Motherland. The nation’s hope for a better tomorrow is not only in the hands of the leadership; it is a collective responsibility. However, it requires a credible, competent and compassionate leader, a role model who epitomizes the moral standards of Nigerians; a leader with a clean record of service to drive the desired change.

 Osai PhD, DSSRS, is a

Professor of Development Studies,

Rivers State University,

Port Harcourt, ozomogoosai@gmail.com