Nigeria: A Clay Footed Giant
It is no longer news that the lives of our people are being devalued on daily basis by a group of persons under the pretext of national development. As the wealth of our nation increases, the poverty level of the populace increases by leaps and bounds. It is quite an irony. There is no reason for us to be endowed with abundant human and natural resources yet; we remain under-developed, hopelessly and doggedly poor. Nothing works in this country. The only reason, of course, can only be located in our inept and rapacious leadership which have since substituted ‘keep to cracy’ for our hard earned democracy. Every now and then, we wake up to the shocking and devastating news of organized lootings of the public treasury by our supposed men women of integrity in positions of authority. In fact, it has become the eleventh commandment in Nigeria to steal in high places but be sure you are not caught.
The activities of the perfidious kleptomaniacs in leadership positions have crippled every aspect of our development as a nation. What we now have in place of development are collapsed infrastructure, comatose economy, massive unemployment etc, and all these put together, have continued to heat up the polity almost on daily basis. We are all living witnesses to a series of industrial actions and strikes against the federal and state governments. Name them, the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Joint Health Workers Union, Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Garri Sellers Association (GSA), Food Consumers Association (FCA) etc. all these unions and associations at various times, had either threatened or embarked on warning or full scale strikes, because of the prevailing socio-economic conditions in the country to demand for the betterment of their lot from the mostly insensitive, unlistening and arrogant government. Some of our youths have since embraced militancy, kidnapping and other violent crimes not only as means of livelihood but to also vent their anger on a system that has no provision for them. Every year, thousands of our youths are turned out from the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education without prospects of being employed. Our roads have become death traps; the education system almost a ghost of its former self and people are dying helplessly because of the unfortunate condition of our health-care delivery system.
These issues pose a great challenge to us as a nation to rise from our slumber and take bold steps towards a genuine national re-birth and sustainable development. Oh! It is quite shameful that our country, Nigeria, that prides itself as the giant of Africa is nothing but a clay-footed giant. There is a very urgent need for great national re-orientation and appreciation of our fatherland. It is high time those in positions of authority allowed their conscience turn them off from embezzlement of public funds. They should realize that they were elected into public office not to serve their personal interests but our collective interests. They should also realize that we as a people worked hard for this democracy. Many shed their blood in the process.
The only option for our elected leaders to move the country forward is to uphold the tenets of good leadership and manage our enormous resources for the benefit of all. Those in government should stop their dubious ways in high places and focus on improving the well- being of Nigerians. They should invest in the county, and desist from acquiring mansions and other luxuries abroad, and create job opportunities for our jobless youths. Things need to change for the better, and urgently too. Further delay could spell doom for the leadership itself.
