As I took off from Dublin Airport last week, my thoughts were still on the recession ravaging the Irish economy. It was having a direct effect on my own plans: after being made redundant, I have to be careful with my money, so I chose the cheapest (and longest) flight available.
As luck would have it, my route to Owerri – the heartland of the defunct Biafran republic – went through Istanbul in Turkey, whose airport is named after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, an individual revered by many as the middleman between the east and the west. It gave me some more to think about on the final leg of my journey.
Currently people are giving plaudits to the governor of Lagos State for his top performance in administering the most hectic city in Africa. A senior advocate of Nigeria, Governor Fashola has apparently performed above his peers, who continue to wallow in embezzlements and maladministration.
However, though I did not spend much time in Lagos before departing for Owerri, my own assessment was much more critical. So I had to ask: why do my thoughts go contrary to those who believe things are on a positive course in Lagos, and Nigeria as a whole?
Nigerians are a passive bunch when it comes to resisting the horrible style of leadership the military had bestowed on the country. Since the collapse of the first republic and possibly the civil war, the top military brass have laid siege on Nigeria, leaving a bad legacy for our generation which includes sycophancy, a lack of will to fight injustice and unnecessary bickering among the numerous ethnic groups over power.
The culture of sycophancy in particular is quite alarming. At the state level, the governors hold sway over money meant for the public, while the masses suffer in penury. The current three-tier government structure emasculates the local government set-up, allowing governors to loot the treasury funds intended to support rural development. Under the scorching sun, citizens of all ages toil for their daily bread which seems just within reach, yet gets pulled ever further out of their grasp by senseless state policies and corruption.
In my home state, the governor has spent huge sums of government cash on propaganda billboards from border to border. He and his ilk are spending their states’ cash as if they are self-made millionaires, and their recklessness is reflected in the indiscipline that remains rife in all other aspects of life.
In my view, any hope of rescuing Nigeria does not lie with the current leadership. It also requires a more demanding attitude from the people, who rarely see the dividends of good governance and as such make so much ado about what little achievements are made by government functionaries.
Like the great Fela Kuti said, Nigerians suffer and smile at the same time. They are very passive, with a great sense of tolerance to their leadership despite how bad the stewardship has been.
In all honesty, Nigeria needs a miracle to carry on, because the stench left by this generation of leadership is far worse than toxic waste. This is why those in the diaspora must awaken from their deep sleep to take action, instead of relying on others to do it for them. We must act now to save Nigeria from ourselves.
Ukachukwu Okorie is originally from Nigeria and writes weekly for Metro Éireann. Visit his website at www.olumouka.com
