All
things considered, I think Nigeria has been punched into coma and only God can
bring her back to life!
From the man who opted
for a bag of rice in exchange for his son; to the pregnant woman who stole
N300.00 to answer the call of a normal symptom of pregnancy, there is a rise
in Nigeria's socio-political temperature and no one really knows where Nigeria
is headed. Warningly, inflation rate is on the high side
and
our
Gross Domestic
Product
(GDP) growth rate
is
unsmiling
either. From the cosmetic to the substantive, politicians have chopped our
country into pieces with each of the parts selfishly kept to themselves even
as the gladiators continue to fight in another person's corner. Dollar gets
worse with each passing day, which in turn deeply traumatizes the fortunes of
our country.
Even as
a Buharist whose fierce support for
'Change'
has been
unflinching, I believe it's time government clipped the wings of this
trajectory of sham and uncertainty that is capable of corrupting our national
cohesion and national peace. The threatening trend of poverty-inspired suicide
cases among Nigerians calls for concern and the Muhammadu Buhari-led
administration must find resourceful means of destroying
this
deadly temple
of
want and
turpitude before it springs into something else. In strict terms, Nigerians
are tired of the ritual of wringing hands in lamentation. So, relevant
authorities must devise creative means of putting value on intentions before a
line damages an entire song.
2019 is
around the corner and ahead of this politically-charged and highly volatile
socio-economic environment lies a fiercely-loyal-but-highly-critical support
base. As we are aware, one of the biggest challenges in running Nigeria's
socio-economic landscape is that of ensuring that best practices are employed
in creating ventures for the economy to pick up. However, the irony of our
policy somersault in this part of the world is that it sympathies with the
criminals but penalizes the victims. Basically therefore, the fear of failure
should encourage the Buhari to travel back to the past, look at the risks,
weigh benefit options, then make decisions which show greater consistency,
courage and determination in preventing 'Change' from being a threat to
our survival.
I am
not an expert on economy-related issues. But, beyond economic jargons, being
in a state of recession, in my own view, is not the end of life. Instead, what
matters is what is done to navigate through the temporary setback. United
States of America, United Kingdom and Canada, have at one time or the other in
their chequered history hit this bottom but they all came out of it, possibly
bruised but unbowed. South Korea, incidentally, Asia's fourth largest economy,
is currently having her technical dose of it while South Africa, Africa's
touted largest economy, narrowly escaped it in the second quarter of this
year. So, what Nigeria needs at a time like this is a bit of creative wake-up
by introducing higher dimensions of consciousness into the complexities of
governance.
With
the benefit of hindsight, Buhari comes across a very different, special leader
with a magnetic and personable charisma, divinely positioned to rescue Nigeria
from the damaging and dangerous remnants of the past. But, in his efforts at
righting past wrongs, he should always remember that rumblings of dissent or
wrangling of misery among members of his party can gravitate into a catalyst
for implosion. So, he will be doing internal democracy a great deal of good
if, within the dictates of the law, he dines with situations that are
incapable of promoting unity within its rank with a long spoon.
Nigerians are also never in doubt of the president's ability to move the
country up out of the fantasy of ancestral authority and the excitement of
collective captivity that have become predatory threats to her survival into a
hub of business and cultural opportunities. Along this line is the saga of
unpaid salaries which is currently rocking no fewer than 27 states. Government
needs to proactively solve this problem before the next General Election if
the ruling party must retain the confidence of this integral part of the
electorate. Also in need of renewed vigourin its prosecution than it is
witnessing at the moment is the anticorruption war, lest political
principalities, terrorists and businessmen shortsightedly exploit its manifest
weakness as a bargaining tool for access to power in 2019.
Contrary to claims in
some quarters, Nigeria's large and diverse voting public is not always the
classroom professor or the parasitic analyst but the poor folk out there who
is even ready to die for
a cause he
believes in. So
far, this class of Nigerians has been the president's strongest pillar of
support and most-treasured asset. The toxic truth is that things are currently
not looking good for them and this isas a result of government's rather biting
policies. It is therefore in the president's interest to roll out practical
solutions that can help lighten their yokes and give them some sense of
direction before things get out of hand. If he succeeds in doing this, then,
Buhari will be chasing a place in the record books as the best president
Nigeria ever had!
I've commented
elsewhere that the way the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
is
preparing for
the battle of 2019has not been all that encouraging and the party has to
address this particular temptation, especially, now that ovation is still
ascending. Elections in some parts of the country have shown that
infrastructure development without an accompaniment of its human complement
often carries along with it tremendous negative consequences and this may not
be the best for a party that is seeking relevance in the consciousness of the
people. In my considered view, a situation in which committed members are
treated as permanent beggars precariously scrambling for crumbs under the
table of some clique is not a strong point in the defence of progressive party
politics. It is interesting to note that quite a large chunk of its patriots
who committed
financial and material resources
towards its
success in the last general election are still out in the open, with their
innocence shattered and their expectations plummeted. Unfortunately, there has
been no strong statement coming from the president or the National Chairman of
the ruling party who by law is its operational head.
By the
way, will Buhari seek a 2nd term in office? For now, the sky is cloudy and
response can be confusing! Constitutionally, it is his right! Yet, it is his
call! Well, while opinions may differ as tothe propriety or otherwise of
adventures in power, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Lee Kuan Yew, Robert
Mugabe, Nelson Mandela, Jerry Rawlings, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, even,
Goodluck Jonathan have provided varying shades of opinions on this topical
issue. Though what these people earned or did not earn for themselves in terms
of untainted esteem and unrubbished sympathy is left for historians to ponder,
it is my sincere desire to dig deeper into this area of special interest in my
subsequent interventions.
Reckless temperaments! Hateful instincts! Appearance of impropriety! Why are
the people hungry and angry? Why are they poor and unfed? How come we have
suddenly become a decadent and polluted society swimming, irresistibly, in a
dysfunctional economy, culture of recklessness and pattern of hypocrisy? For
God's sake, why do people delight in profiting from others' misery and why are
the led preferably kept in perpetual poverty for them to continue slaving and
serving the purpose as dictated by the master? On the other hand, how come the
abolition of Navigation Act, which ship-owners had once predicted would be the
ruin of British Shipping, eventually turned out to be one of the greatest
periods of expansion in the history of shipping in Britain?
May the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!
*KOMOLAFE
writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)
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