BY BENSON OKOBI-ALLANAH
Many Nigerians, as expected have voiced concerns on the state of the nation 65 years after.
Today, October 1, while she celebrates 65 years of independence, citizens appear to be more on the criticizing part than commendation. A good number claim there is nothing to celebrate, and choosing rather to chorus, ‘we should be lamenting over a failed nation.’
Their major hit points include the rising hunger in the land, deprivations being suffered by many unprivileged but qualified Nigerians, corruption among many leaders, particularly politicians.
They brought to the fore the aimless missions of most so-called representatives in the State Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate, and others holding political offices which most of them do not deserve.
The corruption fire which has engulfed the entire country like a wild uncontrollable inferno has reduced the country’s image and given her a global notoriety as the worst corrupt country in the world with least zeal for development and wailing insensitivity for her dying citizens.
The nation has been submerged in the deadly waters of poverty and excruciating hunger, crushing starvation that promote starvation dieting, with those working on the same starvation wages, extremely low wages that hardly can take them through one week.
“In a country where electricity is not available and when it comes, it is going and coming at short intervals, and people are hailing ‘Up NEPA’, is it good news for a country or sign of backwardness?
“ It is like rejoicing over a 65-year-old man getting a job at a time he ought to have retired. At 65, Nigeria remains the dumping ground of generators with all the noise pollution that comes with it, while the manufacturers do not use them because they enjoy uninterrupted power supply in the advanced countries where these noisy generators are being manufactured “ What then do you want us to celebrate as you just asked me whether I feel the 65th independence is not worth celebrating?
“You media men are part of the country’s problem because you are the ones now adorning them; doing the praise-singing like the hunger de-mangled voters shower our so-called politicians with praises even when you know they don’t deserve it, all because they have been given cups of rice, tomatoes, and wrapper.
“The media of old as we know used to balance their report concisely without being biased; they do their reports without caring whose ox is gored; where you erred you are exposed and where you performed well, you are commended. Now, various governments have now learnt the deceptive act of paying the media, the print and electronics, particularly the television, to falsely present jobs they did not do because the media platform has been paid.
“All our ‘wayos’ we perpetrate may not be having any effect on us now, but when it starts to boomerang, it will be worse than the Tsunami we hear of. A lot of our politicians seem to be rollicking in the brook of fortune so they think, but I say again, the end will justify the means for many of them, their followers and supporters.
“A country so blessed by God with all human and natural resources but now still learning how to walk at 65, is lamentable. It is really appalling. What do we leave as a legacy to those coming behind us and those yet unborn by the time we all depart this world?”
These were the submissions of a retired Federal Permanent Secretary, and retired Managing Director of Glassbake Nigeria Limited, Lagos, Chief Dr. Edwin Egwuni, who spoke from his country home, Abakpa-nike –Enugu State via a telephone interview.
Another respondent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Farms Limited, Akwuogene, Ihite in Imo State, Mr. Onyemeziam Gbuji said he was 13 years when Nigeria was granted independence by the colonial government; and was about entering the college.
According to Gbuji, most men and women born then and even thereafter are already grandfathers and grandmothers respectively, and wondered why it has taken so long for Nigeria to evolve as a nation, why till now the country is still being referred to as a developing nation when she ought to have been at least a bit up the ladder of nations classed as developed.
He described Nigeria as a country yet to learn how to walk despite our years of being independent, saying that the country is yet to achieve the level of a toddler who has just learnt how to walk.
He said our inordinate ambition and impatience to start occupying positions and start grabbing money was what led us all to the mess we suffered in the past and still suffering presently, and did not allow the colonialists to develop the country first before chasing them out.
‘That culture to grab has not left the average Nigerian, particularly our politicians of today. We know that South Africans suffered greatly under the apartheid regime of the colonialists over there, and were very willing to liberate themselves from that shackle of oppression.
“They did that and eventually were led out of that oppression but not after their country had been developed by the colonialists. Today, that country can favourably compare with any advanced country of the world with beautifully planned cities like Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Pretoria etc lined with industries, better education system, health facilities, good durable roads, and experience, far less brain drain (if any) and unemployment rate like we see here in Nigeria.
“Today, we are constructing the Lagos –Calabar Coastal Highway while we have the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Asaba-Benin Expressway, Onitsha-Enugu Highway and others in a deplorable state, even if they now say they have plans to rehabilitate them. Wouldn’t it have been more reasonable to fix these internal roads first before embarking on a project that means less to Nigerian motorists for now? You see, we like chasing the empty wind in this country rather than the substance. It is just too bad.’ Gbuji lamented.
On his part, the One Good Turn Support Group (NGOTSUG) Founder/ National Coordinator, Prince Nwaobi Okonya, said as much as our leaders would have been seen as doing well, most of them lack good and competent Advisers which they (the leaders themselves) appoint due to favouritism, nepotism and god-fatherism.
“Most of the Advisers don’t have the knowledge and as such do not know what to do. They advise their principals wrongly. And many of the advice they give is on how, where and what they will benefit from. Some of the leaders could have good ideas but lack good and competent advisers to help them navigate the country in the right direction”, he said.
Nwaobi Okonya whose socio-political pressure group cuts across the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with Asaba as its national headquarters, says the most painful aspect of the whole actions by most of our leaders is their unrepentant posture and their inability to replicate the good things they see in the advanced parts of the world in their home country, wondering if they take delight in seeing Nigeria being referred to as a developing country at 65.
“Some indolent, short-sighted, visionless, selfish, greedy politicians have made some few serious-minded politicians with genuine mission and vision to be assessed at the same level with them by some members of the public who are themselves always generalizing in their condemnation” he submitted.
As for the Managing Director (MD) Chrisbani Pharmaceutical Industry Limited, Lagos, Pharm. Chris Ubani, he said ‘there are some politicians that are actually trying, while most of them are busy sharing money with their family members, friends and cronies at the detriment of those they are supposed to be taking care of, and the infrastructures to be provided, thereby making most parts of the states they govern look undeveloped.
“At 65, Nigeria should have by now been referred to as a developed nation if our funds are genuinely managed. I have had people say it took America almost a century before they evolved as a developed country.
“If they were not serious, or they were mismanaging their funds any how like most politicians are doing, embarking on white –elephant projects, playing politics ethnically, the only entity that would have tried political thieves, compromised, meddlesome interlopers, ex-convicts that failed politically still holding sway, detecting who goes or who does go for elections and other political positions, admitting those who do not have the flair for politics, I don’t think the country would have come this far in their development strides.
“Nigeria has nothing to celebrate about her independence. Come to Lagos State, of course you are a Lagosian by residence, you can attest to what the Governor, Alhaji Babajide Sanwo-Olu is doing, turning the state to Dubia of Africa.
“Such a Governor cannot be grouped among failed politicians but there are still other Governors too trying; but the truth be said that majority of our House of Representatives and Senate members are just there sleeping, appearing as dormant partners, busy eating their constituency money.
“Most other politicians occupying lower offices are not exempted. What then are we celebrating?”, the University of Lagos trained Pharmacist, queried with a harsh voice.
