I read Bode George, a political heavyweight in our dear country of Nigeria, who recently claimed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had set some kind of record by giving the country uninterrupted democracy for 14 years.
I didn’t know whether to smile or cry! We got independence from the Brits in 1960, more than half a century ago, and a public figure comes out in public today to say his party should be lauded for having given us our longest streak of democracy of just over a decade?
Reading George’s article further shows the only sense the old man made – and that was pointing out the flaws of the alternatives to the PDP. This ex-convict was dead right on that one. If going with the PDP can be likened to taking a stroll in the Sahara (and all the ills that come with it), then the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is like sunbathing at the gates of hell, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) like stoking hell’s furnace itself.
We saw recently the show of shame that went on at the Rivers State House of Assembly when Chidi Lloyd, man who is meant to be representing the people, hit another on the head with a heavy metal mace in a full public spectacle. Taking a moment to ponder that incident, isn’t that attempted murder? I’ve seen enough police procedurals to know he deserves to be in jail for that. But hey, it’s Nigeria! And this Chidi Lloyd person, I can be almost completely assured he will not be brought to book.
It makes me ask, do our so-called leaders have any sense of decency at all? I mean, Transparency International currently rated Nigeria the eighth most corrupt nation on earth. Honestly, the only surprise to me is that there are seven nations more corrupt than Nigeria!
Let’s put it all into context: our government is corrupt; our leaders are literally trying to kill each other in public; our social amenities are non-existent; the state of security is alarming; unemployment is the norm – and a public political figure comes out wanting credit for giving us the best we’ve ever had.
Folks, I think the problem is bigger than we thought! And it isn’t just our leaders doing wrong, it’s our leaders not recognising wrong! Shouldn’t they all be hiding their faces in shame? Should they be giving press interviews?
We seem to be a country where the ones with little or no sense of decorum make up the elites of the society. We have a first lady who, according to what I’ve read, used to be a lecturer in an educational institution, yet couldn’t speak enough English to get an extra kidney. We have a federal cabinet that claims things are getting better; a senate that has allowances probably bigger than every other one in the world; a police force that is often scarier than the criminals. We have public officers who are more interested in getting into office than looking after the people. And worst of all, we’re getting used to all of this.
I feel scared for my country. The only sense of consolation I get is that there are good Nigerians out there, everyday people who have it in them to do what is right for the country, both living in the diaspora and within the borders of Nigeria itself – a Nobel laureate, Hollywood actors, business giants, academic heavyweights and the like. Yet the smart ones are called common and the crass ones are called elites. I call them pseudo-elites, and unfortunately these pseudo-elites are the ones governing us.
Olajide Jatto is a software engineer and writer based in Dublin.
