“Independence Day without a party? Because there is NOTHING to celebrate. While most of our leaders are bad, more of the followers are horrible. I am VERY SAD.”
The quotation above was the last text message I received on
October 1, 2012. Something struck my mind after reading it. You are free to comment
after reading what I have to share as preamble for discussion. Sincerely, it is
very sad that we are gradually ending up having nothing to celebrate again as a
nation. And if care is not taken, our worst nightmare as people struggling to
rebuild their broken unity, economy and society might come too soon.
Yes, what do we have to celebrate in Nigeria? This year,
what have we celebrated? Who are the people actually celebrating? Who celebrated
a democracy that is not bringing good results despite all the waste? Is the
government not celebrating terrorism when the president was scared of hosting our
national Independence Day celebration ceremony at the Eagle’s Square and still
wrote a meaningless speech that blends with the need of time?
Yes, the politicians had parties in their closets, where
many miscreants and thieves were hosted to avoid public criticism. They knew
all they had on parade were the same old faces that annoy the nation because those
faces are image of corruption and underdevelopment of Nigeria. These corrupt
people are always there to rob all ages, the glory and honour of the day,
purposely to protect their loots and treacherous acts.
If it was not sad enough, then let me ask. How many
foreigners have naturalized themselves to Nigerians to play in our national sports
teams? How much foreigners come to study in Nigeria compared to the Nigerians going
to study abroad? Is our education system worth showcasing? Even the dream
killers send their children abroad and still run the affairs of our education
sector. Our healthcare delivery system is bad, the key people in government and
others desiring good health facility patronize foreign hospitals. So, what else
can we note to have celebrated or worth celebrating?
Although, this government regularly celebrates corruption. People
that are known to have acquired money through corrupt means are duly recognized
by the government, even to buy our power sector, telecommunication sector and
so on. Meanwhile, the same government claimed to have achieved restoring these same
sectors after wasting a lot of our national resources. Yet, the government
sells them to elevate the status of questionable characters of individuals as good
investors desiring to contribute into our economy. Consequently, the government
transfers the gains of investing our national resources into the corrupt private
pockets of these questionable personalities and champions of corruption. Who
bought NEPA, NITEL, Sea Ports and many other things belonging to Nigeria? Is selling
these things worth a celebration? How much are they sold, where are the money
and what have the government done with the money? Is the way this government is
being run like a cartel organization worth any celebration at all? Can Nigeria improve
under this kind of circumstances without the government being radically changed?
Obviously, Independence Day celebration in Nigerian has become
a rubbished ceremony. More money is budgeted into organizing it, but due to high
level of corruption in the presidency and across all levels of governments in
Nigeria, ‘closed door’ celebrations are now organized among the ruling class under
the pretext of protecting themselves from being attacked by Boko Haram. A situation
where the President is very much afraid of local terrorists to the extent of not
organizing such significant national ceremony in Eagle’s Square is a serious security
challenge for all and a big shame for the president and his party.
This will be the second time the President is afraid of
local terrorists attacking him at the Eagle’s Square on Independence Day. A government
that cannot protect itself cannot guarantee the security of it citizens and
foreigners. We must be realistic! We need to start waking up from slumber and start
taking more radical actions to caution make government act right before things
get worse beyond correction. Note that this country cannot grow without good security
system. In 2011 when the President held his first closed door Independence Day
celebration, the consequences later on were: high increase in corruption, terrorism,
crime, violence and bloodshed all over the country.
Therefore, if serious attention is not paid to everyday affairs
of governance in this country now, the consequences of this 2012 closed door
celebration of our 52nd Independence Day will become worse than ever.
Already, the fear is having more negative impact on our national peace, unity, development
and progress.
No genuine investor will invest in a nation that is pictured
by its own government to be under serious internal security threat that even the
government itself cannot handle. No investor will be such foolish except such
is to take undue advantage of the bad situation. Therefore, we need to draw
attention to know the foreigners that have been investing in our unstable and
crises ridden economy. Could they be genuine investors or agents of the corrupt
politicians in government? Most nations in the world know that our leaders are one
of the most corrupt set of people in the world, and still do business with them.
Some of these nations gain from the corruption perpetuated by our leaders. It is
possible therefore that these foreign investors are fronted by the same corrupt
politicians in government to take undue advantage of our bad economy, or are doing
so in other to get their own share of gain from supporting the corrupt process.
There is no doubt that this caricature Independence Day celebration
that was organized by government on October 1, 2012, will have grave
consequences too. It is unfortunate as well that national occasion like this,
which should have been used to assess how far we are progressing as people and picture
a better future ahead, is used to emphasis rhetoric, vain promises and blatant lies.
Meanwhile, the government does not have any magic solution to our numerous
national problems. So, there is no doubt about it, as this government had laid
its bed, so it will sleep on it.
It is high time for government to start using national occasions
of this nature, such as Independence Day, Democracy Day, June 12, and others, to
teach good lessons and inspire our world. Turning such occasions into campaign ground
for preaching lies and delivering wrong addresses will not help us. Had it been
the 52nd Independence Day celebration was used to hit on very pressing
security, social, religious and cultural issues affecting our development as
people, such occasion will remain memorable in our heart and impactful to all.
As long as corruption, terrorism, crime and many other
wrongful acts are celebrated in Nigeria, especially by government itself, national
problems will increase and the pathetic situation will get more worse. If
Nigeria continues to fail as a state, things will get worse too, and more
people will be forced to pick up arms to protect themselves. The weaknesses of
this government might become difficult to improve and its failure irredeemable.
It will continue to spend more and more on finding solution to the increasing
problems instead of actually solving them.
The high level of poverty that we are suffering in Nigerian today
will force many into corruption, terrorism, crimes, and other wrongful acts. It
will encourage serious rebellion against the government and destruction of the caricature
corrupt system before the people will protect themselves and have access to
basic things of life. This situation might be inevitable because the only people
that eat well in Nigeria today are the politicians in government and
collaborators who continue to budget ridiculous money as benefits for
themselves and also hijack the nation’s economy fronting false foreign and
local investors.
If you have an advice or contribution or contrary opinion to
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