I know you know about the Ten Commandments. Somehow, I suspect you also have heard about the eleventh: Thou shalt not be caught. If you hadn’t, now you have. Whoever you are, whatever you do, make sure to never get caught -even if, not in Nigeria.
Well, perhaps, this is a general malaise. It is not perculiar to just Nigeria. Still, I’m worried that Nigeria is not immune; as with all the other negative global vibrations. Plus -trust Nigerians to have lowered the bar and with that, deepened the low.
Nigeria has no living heroes, no living heroines. Not that Nigerians don’t achieve extraordinary heroic feats. Not that Nigerians don’t aspire heroically. Not that Nigerians don’t give their all, honestly, patriotically, and totally?
Of course, we do. Some Nigerians work really hard and sacrificially for this country. Before, during and after the decade -between 2009 and 2018- that I lived and worked full-time in Abuja, and by virtue of the nature of my profession, I have been privileged to encounter nationwide incredible compatriots, who as public and civil servants, approach service or nation-building by arising every day to obey Nigeria’s call. These ones have never failed to serve our fatherland with love and strength and faith.
These heroes, past and present, are everywhere in this country: in our schools, in our offices, in our prisons of all places, on our roads, at our markets, everywhere. They are in the far north, in the middle belt, in the west, in the east, in the deep south, everywhere in this country. These special patriots are in our churches, in our mosques, in cult groups, in different occults, in herbalist homes, everywhere in this nation. Alas, the labour of these heroes of ours -past and present and God forbid, in the future- have been in vain and -again, God forbid- may forever be in vain.
Many of our compatriots serve with heart and might. That truth stands by itself and speaks for itself. Nigeria is blessed with some of the world’s finest people. Unfortunately, this one nation has refused vehemently to be bound in freedom, peace and unity.
Even more unfortunately, the brunt of the blame for the foregoing cannot and should not be borne only by our leaders as we always rush to do. The citizenry as well must bear a greater chunk for the way we distract and undermine or plot to sabotage leadership and sundry compatriots we ought only to celebrate or support. I was telling you earlier about my time in the nation’s capital. I couldn’t count how many times I came across policemen in some dark spots, sometimes in the rain, putting their lives at risk so citizens could enjoy safety and peace.
Yet, it is these same policemen that we deride at every turn. What about our armed forces and our paramilitary agencies? You only need imagine the deprivation and danger that their families and they face day by day vis-a-vis national security to understand they deserve respect not the bad-mouth they get. Don’t let us talk about our political and civilian leaders, elected or appointed.
Those are like our whipping boy. No matter how selfless, how achieving, how diligent, how prudent and how different they are, we hatefully classify them as failures, thieves, fools, incompetent, clueless. Nigerians are too critical, too demanding, too judgmental, too hypocritical and above all, too unthankful.
Nigeria is where it is because Nigerians are waiting for spirits -not even Godot. Contributing to a better Nigeria is a thankless enterprise. The Herculean task that we said in the sixties must be done has remained undone in the twenty-twenties because only saints from on high could meet our qualifications. Which way, Nigeria?
Going forward, we must do something urgently about our reward system. Teachers, students, officers, men, women and children who perform wonders must not need or have connection to be celebrated quickly and publicly. We need no better talismanic incentive if we seek to encourage or to inspire or to rally Nigerians to give our all to this beautiful country. It is the way to go.
Furthermore, the time to have driven out hate and hypocrisy and jealousy and politics and religion from Nigeria was yesterday. The fivesome have done Nigerians enough damage. We cannot and should not grant them access anymore. In fact, their residence permit had since expired and must never be renewed.
As we approach the end, let me use two recent examples (one, national; the other local) to drive home my point. Until FBI came from afar afield as the United States of America to wake up Nigerians rudely from what was clearly a rare national beauty sleep, our belief was that we had found at least one hero, a living legend. DCP Abba Kyari was seen as a supercop by both admirers and enemies. I don’t have a problem with what FBI have done, after all, why not?
My grouse though is about the almost instantaneous 180° volte-face by Nigerians. I am sad and ashamed that all this turncoatism happened when FBI made the allegation. If a mere allegation could convince us to throw someone we unanimously regarded as a hero under the bus, pray, what would we not do when a final court of competent jurisdiction must have tried the matter and ruled conclusively? One more thing, please: what if DCP Kyari comes out unscathed?
How would we fix this mess occasioned by our hasty first-stone-casting? Also, would we be able to return him to the top of our national heart? Can we? And, are we learning anything, at all?
Elsewhere: in my home state of Akwa Ibom, where Governor Udom Emmanuel and Deputy Governor Moses Ekpo, MFR, have added tremendous value, all-round, a cabal of councillors in one out of the 31 local governments are desperately trying to stain the state administration’s immaculate political record. Six years and counting, Mr. Emmanuel has played sweet politics; no vindictiveness whatsoever. Notwithstanding that Akwa Ibom people talk about this virtue everywhere, at home and outside, these few councillors have clearly sworn not to follow this godly example.
Rather, a day or two after the Aniekan Bassey-led State House of Assembly voided their March 2021, haphazard impeachment of the local government council vice-chairman, Hon. Abasiama Etukakpan Jnr, the councillors hurriedly regrouped in the trenches and issued another poorly-worded impeachment notice. It is something everyone should laugh off, but this is politics Nigeriana, which nonsensifies excellence and excellensifies nonsense. You ignore such matters at your own peril. Still, someone of note in that LGA or state must intervene and rescue those guys from themselves before they force Akwa Ibom into the national book of booby prize winners.
Finally, to tidy up things, there’s so much to glean from the Kyari and Etukakpan experience. No matter how guilty or clean you may be, always ensure never to be caught, let alone brought out to be judged. You may be fatally-shocked to see first-hand that even so-called family and friends and erstwhile sweethearts had all along been hoping for your downfall. Therefore, I charge you to always remember the 11th commandment: thou shalt not be caught.
God bless Nigeria!