Nigeria is right on the eve of its umpteenth independence anniversary. Although since 2015 when the current sheriff hit town (apologies Presidential Spokesperson Femi Adesina) the celebratory decibels have reduced maximally especially at the centre, we should not quit raising the alarm because some components of the other two tiers have continued to make October 1 a business-as-usual subhead. This serving is forced by this latter class, who may yet again be taxiing to roll out the yearly-ritual drums. Rather than waste our scarce resources on lowkey or highkey celebration, President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders in Project Nigeria should immediately reassess why our national ailment has defied the overdose of policy diagnoses, prescriptions and injections as well as garner the courage or political will to purify themselves first.
More than even our hydra-headed national problem, the greatest challenge that bedevils Nigeria -as I see it- is the vehement refusal of the Nigerian elites to remove self from the picture. Take the case of medical tourism, our silliest shot in the foot, which at once drains our commonwealth of the much-needed hard currency, makes mockery of and frustrates our attempts at building healthcare infrastructure and in addition keeps us at the mercy of foreign healthcare providers. Yet, we continue to play politics with it!
Let’s keep lying to ourselves. Nigeria is not going anywhere, medically/educationally/economically speaking, if Nigerians of means would not stop travelling out for what they mouth is available at home. If President Buhari tells us that his administration has ensured an infrastructure and personnel renaissance in the sector but flies away anytime he requires some check up here and there, not even his very patriotic wife, Aisha, would have faith in the set-up here at home. And, if the First Lady doesn’t, why should my own wife?
This is the main problem with the Nigerian Problem. This is the reason the National Question has remained unanswered. What to do is: first, tackle the Nigerian Factor. Our leaders must begin to show some honesty if they mean business vis-à-vis rescuing the Nigerian ship of state and redirecting it on course.
We the citizens are no fools. We see through every policy and strategy of the men and women that we trusted with power. Day by day, we see that from the top there’s too much of self, too much of nepotism, too much of clannishness, too much of ethnicity, too much of pretence, too much of hypocrisy, too much of deceit, too much of mediocrity, too much of everything vile and bile. This rainfall of corruption weakens the bottom, which is the point the bible makes when it laments what hope there is if the foundation be destroyed!
It might sound simplistic but I believe I have found the cure for our chronic national headache. Eureka! This is a clarion call to those of us who love Nigeria and are desperate to thwart its impending doomsday. Let’s arrest the so-called Nigerian Factor, chain its hands and legs, tie it to the stake, execute it, burn it at the stake and thereafter bury its ashes severally!
The foregoing is to be double sure it neither ever springs back to life nor reraises its ugly head against our country. With the Nigerian Factor out of the way for eternity, self and all the other vices of leadership that have tormented our society to no end would die off naturally. When we uproot corruption which is the family name for self, nepotism, hate, mediocrity and sundry minuses of development, we would be stunned to see that the perennial Nigerian Migraine -that has confined our people and country to the minor league called Third World- is only but a lupus (a medical science term for a systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs). Nigeria can bounce back and survive forever once the Nigerian Factor is exterminated!
And exterminate it we must. No more self, no more lip service, no more ‘mago mago,’ no more Stone Age politics, no more betrayal of trust, and no more self-destruct. This is the only way to go and now, if we truly love and want a country to hand over to our children and children’s children. God bless Nigeria!
Who else is waiting for own time?
What exactly does it mean to say I am waiting for my time, or you your time? No, this is not about fixed timelines such as graduation or birthday or wedding. Yes, this is about waiting for/on Nature or Heaven or God to show up for us!
The way life is wired, no other human effort or expectation is more demanding or exasperating or even perfunctory. Too many people miss or delay their destiny because they cave in to frustration or temptation after waiting for what they believe is too long. But, who between God and the human being, determines that the wait on Nature is too long?
Crazy stuff, that! Stop feeling entitled or you would kill yourself for nothing! And, you would get buried and yet life would go on; with God continuing to be God; no shaking; no loss!
Impatience is one of man’s numerous self-destruct buttons. It’s a lousy, worthless internecine stratagem that at best only generates pyrrhic victories, if any. Impatience is a terrible sin before God!
For the man or woman or child determined to profit from God and be at peace with Him to the end, wisdom is in waiting and praying and watching, and waiting. That will come with mockery and humiliation and sundry comedowns; but isn’t it better to endure all that and arrive safely than fly all the way only to crash land? Never say I am waiting for my time, or you your time; we all only wait for God’s time!