By Idris Ismail
I congratulate the Nigerian citizens for the commemoration of another official independence in our history.
I must say sincerely that this nation and her citizens have not benefited expectedly from her official independence despite the departure of the colonial Masters .
The offering of official independence started with a legendary patriotism and seal to take the nation out of wood and to assert her independence, taking her proper place in the commity of Nations .
Truly , after independence various regional leaders were aggressively developing their regions with the spirit of healthy competitions. Each region developing what seems to be their comparative advantage especially in term of agriculture. Western region was taking cocoa which is their own immediate advantage to enviable heights as the north is building the groundnut pyramids with the east soaring high in their palm productions with each earning a huge revenue with which they were developing their region at their pace..
Practically , each region were developing infrastructures and human capital with sense of commitment and looking at a future of better regions and nation. It was that spirit that built the University of Ibadan, UNN, ABU, OAU, the western Regional Television Station, the Liberty stadium, the Cocoa House and similar infrastructure across other regions .
This development was consistently like this until 1966 when it appears that the ‘bastard’ has been born. My people will always say “if a community is tranquil , the bastards are still toddlers”. This development occurred in the categories of military guys that cut short the life of some of the best crops of leadership ever produced in this nation therefore permanently sowing the seed of mistrust, greed and mutual suspicion .
It was the beginning of the development that propped up the greediest element in the history of any nation placing them one after the order in both military and civilian garbs in Nigeria leadership.
After this development, the resources of the country scarcely serve the country. The nation becomes victims of wicked, insensitive and unpatriotic leadership in both military and civilian format. The leadership of the Nation has been handled since 1966 by crop of elites who are far from patriotism, who replaced people with self and prefer personal aggrandizement and accumulation against developing the nation.
It was the beginning of the scramble for the soul of the Nation and the serial raping and reeping of the national resources began with legendary desperation and aggression.
Nigerian nation became a mystery where wealth is bathing poverty , abundance is giving way for deprivation, where self afflicted helplessness prevail over a nation that is supposed to be flourishing . The son of a butcher is now grappling with bone . Sad situation any one will say !
The mystery Nigeria country has become was such that she has human assets that is not serving her. We got a good land that is not growing enough food for us. We got fuel for instance among other natural resources that is becoming source of pain for the citizens. We got so much good people but we have in place of leadership the people who have least compassion for the masses of this nation. The nation got so much professionals and preponderance of intelligentsia but the expertise and knowledge is not duly cultivated for national growth. Frustration has rather led to exodus of the best of our hands in the name of japa .
The leadership has constituted Nigeria to apartments or property that each person got a room where he collected his personal rent and only give Nigeria nation a pittance to exist but not to grow .
The jackal and hyena that the leadership has become has devoured the fortune and future of the younger generation. They are the houses they are supposed to lived in through never thriving Federal housing programs . They ate their education through the poorly funded university system. They ate the provision for their health through various hospitals that will never get the needed drugs. They ate their security through the insecurity that has invaded the land so that they would live forever in fear. They are their employment via lip service paid to creation of enabling environment.
So challenging has been the situation that when the political elites coined a program that is supposed to grant mercy and compassion to the citizens it is most time more of caricature , they will corner the best part and end results will be harsh on the people again. Case study of various developments in the ministry of humanitarian in the last five years. Where there is not a story of humanity but beastiality and financial brutality always.
The civilians like the military elites has not shown tendency to change the story and narratives of the masses of Nigeria that has been going through pains and pangs over the years. What seems to change is the name of the government ( military or democracy)the attitudes of accumulation, greed insensitiveness, self aggrandizement and unpatriotism to leadership is common with them. We all know some citizens are relapsing to political apathy as a result of continually dashed hope.
The greed and avarice was so deep and ripe that to massage it , they will rather reduce quality of projects, create non existing projects to loot officially or got money for project officially without the project delivered . Sad case study was those who delivered empty vessels during the mystery of fuel subsidy regime. The withdrawal or not is still another mystery that has resulted in increased pain for the innocent people of Nigeria. Though, the subsidy payment was said to be scam but still no scammers has been arrested that we know.
The last one year has not indicated a departure from the past pain, groaning and regrets . The skyrocketing cost of food , transportation and other essentials occasioned by upset in our fuel -driven economy, the unmitigated inflation, the continuous high cost of governance and dwelling in luxury yet call for citizens’ endurance and sacrifice.
Citizens are honestly groaning in pain and the people around the president should help him with the truest situation of the country so that he will lead with compassion, consideration and mercy.
As we we celebrate 64th year of official Independence of Nigeria as a nation , the leadership of this nation should make the citizen feel the sense of true independence by demonstrating patriotism, making our resources work for us, fixing the infrastructures of this nation, restoring hope and generating patriotism right from the leadership trickling down to the followership.Demonstrate the spirit of sacrifice by reducing the huge cost of governance not living in luxury then asking citizens to sacrifice , that is undoubtedly double standard.
My understanding of leadership and followership is just like bottle and water. The leadership is the bottle as the citizens are the water. The water will always take the shape of the bottle. The citizens disposed according to body language of the leadership of the nation. The citizens can as well be liken to chameleon and leadership, as environment. The chameleon takes the color of the environment. We plead for quality leadership to birth quality following.
I encourage my fellow the citizens to also be patriotic and be protective of the government infrastructures and facilities provided within and around them. We should understand leadership is 360° just like the title of a book on leadership, each must lead well at her degree. We all have obligations to make this nation work.
God bless my nation, Nigeria
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