The title may be misconstrued somewhat, but the intended message therein is both unequivocal and unimpeachable. By faith, I'm not, in the slightest, referring to religion, but rather our individual faith, a total lack of it, or differing levels of it, in the so-called ruling (or ruinous) elite. We have been on this of attitudinal, moral and economic renaissance with President Buhari and his APC government now for the better part of sixteen months. There's no contending the fact that it's been hard, real hard, for the vast majority of us. The pain cuts across boundaries (age, ethnicity, religion, business, profession, educational attainment, gender, and so on.) The very few people that have remained largely untouched are those that are still bleeding us dry and bitterly fighting to continue feasting on the ignorance of the vast majority of us. Many of us are ignorant, or else we wouldn't be supporting the cause of those that have been asked to give account of the sources of their incredible wealth; and lending credence to the cries of persecution and witch-hunting by the accused. Many of us are ignorant because we steadfastly refuse to attribute our hardscrabble existence to the evil perpetrated, and still being perpetrated, by those in the corridors of power.
The promise of the future has been severely compromised by the consummate evil of the past, and yet we turn our nose up at any attempt to extract our pound of flesh. I often hear some say 'the past is the past; let bygone be bygone.' I thoroughly agree with the first phrase, but not the second. The wrongs of the past have to be righted for the promise of the future to be attained. While I do not subscribe to whataboutery (which is often used by irresponsible and unresponsive leaders the world over), I consider it an obligation for any responsible government to go after our stolen commonwealth wherever it may be, and with whomsoever it may be, in order to reward the longanimity of the vast majority of Nigerians. While it is praiseworthy to right the wrongs of the past, the wrongs of the present have to be dealt with with even more vigour. Allegations of corruption in the current government must not be swept under the carpet, and absolute transparency must be brought to the fore. Had it been that Nigerians, by and large, were not endowed with an irrepressible sense of joie de vivre, even in circumstances that are not entirely eudemonic, many a Nigerian would have sunk in the sea of despair and buried under the mound of utter desperation.
The slogan of 'change' has been demonized by many, been derided by many more and been laughed at by even many more. There may be some reservations in its execution, but should that be enough reason to discount it outright? The slow pace of change may be vexatious, but should change be substituted with inertia, thereby oiling the status quo? I have particular problems (as indeed most Nigerians) with the pace of change, but shouldn't we take a look at all the organs of government, with particular attention paid to our peculiar judiciary? Isn't justice delayed justice denied? The other day I watched an interview with a so-called anti-corruption crusader doubling up as Patience Jonathan's legal advocate (Devil's Advocate?) and I sobbed all the way to bed! How on earth could this man have qualified as a lawyer? Such was his incoherence and inconsistence that he was even arguing with himself in a language no one would have recognized, in a zillion years, as English! That's indicative of the sorry level to which the 'learned' profession has sunk in our dear country. Now, how many days so far in this legislative calendar have the Senate and the House of Representatives sat? They have more recesses than the most incontinent of pigs, and spend more than half the days they sit bickering. For the life of me, I don't know how they qualify as lawmakers. Yet, we expect Buhari to morph into a necromancer and turn the country's fortunes around overnight.
The longer we tolerate idiocy and mediocrity in our political system, and the more we are accepting of the disgraceful ways we're being governed and treated, the darker Nigeria's future would be.
We deserve better and we should demand better. As I said in my last piece, to effect change we, ourselves, must change. Our change must begin by acknowledging our own shortcomings in the way we have embraced and 'rankadede'd' the thieves in office. We must wake up to the fact that we're united by fate, and must not let ourselves be divided by our faith in them. Our faith in them must be shattered to smithereens until there's a sea change in their individual and collective behaviours, and we must begin to vehemently and uncompromisingly demand conscientiousness in public office.
Change is difficult and can be hard to stomach at times, but to improve our lot, stomach it we must. As I write this, the words of Arnold Bennett (May 27 1867 - March 27 1931) echo in my ears, "Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." In unambiguous agreement was Mitchell Baker when he said "I've learned that for many people, change is uncomfortable. Maybe they want to go through it, and they can see the benefit of it, but at a gut level, change is uncomfortable."
As unremarkable and uncomfortable as the journey thus far may have been, it would be remiss not to wish Nigerians a Happy Independence Day ahead of Saturday. I wish our great nation a better deal in the coming years; and may the pace of real change quicken up and may the promise of a brighter future be realized.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its beautiful people.
The promise of the future has been severely compromised by the consummate evil of the past, and yet we turn our nose up at any attempt to extract our pound of flesh. I often hear some say 'the past is the past; let bygone be bygone.' I thoroughly agree with the first phrase, but not the second. The wrongs of the past have to be righted for the promise of the future to be attained. While I do not subscribe to whataboutery (which is often used by irresponsible and unresponsive leaders the world over), I consider it an obligation for any responsible government to go after our stolen commonwealth wherever it may be, and with whomsoever it may be, in order to reward the longanimity of the vast majority of Nigerians. While it is praiseworthy to right the wrongs of the past, the wrongs of the present have to be dealt with with even more vigour. Allegations of corruption in the current government must not be swept under the carpet, and absolute transparency must be brought to the fore. Had it been that Nigerians, by and large, were not endowed with an irrepressible sense of joie de vivre, even in circumstances that are not entirely eudemonic, many a Nigerian would have sunk in the sea of despair and buried under the mound of utter desperation.
The slogan of 'change' has been demonized by many, been derided by many more and been laughed at by even many more. There may be some reservations in its execution, but should that be enough reason to discount it outright? The slow pace of change may be vexatious, but should change be substituted with inertia, thereby oiling the status quo? I have particular problems (as indeed most Nigerians) with the pace of change, but shouldn't we take a look at all the organs of government, with particular attention paid to our peculiar judiciary? Isn't justice delayed justice denied? The other day I watched an interview with a so-called anti-corruption crusader doubling up as Patience Jonathan's legal advocate (Devil's Advocate?) and I sobbed all the way to bed! How on earth could this man have qualified as a lawyer? Such was his incoherence and inconsistence that he was even arguing with himself in a language no one would have recognized, in a zillion years, as English! That's indicative of the sorry level to which the 'learned' profession has sunk in our dear country. Now, how many days so far in this legislative calendar have the Senate and the House of Representatives sat? They have more recesses than the most incontinent of pigs, and spend more than half the days they sit bickering. For the life of me, I don't know how they qualify as lawmakers. Yet, we expect Buhari to morph into a necromancer and turn the country's fortunes around overnight.
The longer we tolerate idiocy and mediocrity in our political system, and the more we are accepting of the disgraceful ways we're being governed and treated, the darker Nigeria's future would be.
We deserve better and we should demand better. As I said in my last piece, to effect change we, ourselves, must change. Our change must begin by acknowledging our own shortcomings in the way we have embraced and 'rankadede'd' the thieves in office. We must wake up to the fact that we're united by fate, and must not let ourselves be divided by our faith in them. Our faith in them must be shattered to smithereens until there's a sea change in their individual and collective behaviours, and we must begin to vehemently and uncompromisingly demand conscientiousness in public office.
Change is difficult and can be hard to stomach at times, but to improve our lot, stomach it we must. As I write this, the words of Arnold Bennett (May 27 1867 - March 27 1931) echo in my ears, "Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." In unambiguous agreement was Mitchell Baker when he said "I've learned that for many people, change is uncomfortable. Maybe they want to go through it, and they can see the benefit of it, but at a gut level, change is uncomfortable."
As unremarkable and uncomfortable as the journey thus far may have been, it would be remiss not to wish Nigerians a Happy Independence Day ahead of Saturday. I wish our great nation a better deal in the coming years; and may the pace of real change quicken up and may the promise of a brighter future be realized.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its beautiful people.
