NIGERIA marks 52 years of political independence today, sadly, with heavy heart, following years of dashed hopes and unfulfilled aspirations. A young nation that in 1960 beamed with great promise, taken to a higher level with the prominence of crude oil in the 1970s, now ranks as one of the most backward in the world. That it is plagued by virtually all vices under the sun, ranging from corruption, nepotism, greed, inept leadership to heinous crime and religious bigotry, is no longer news. Nigerian leaders today cannot afford to sing the old tune of false praise and self-delusion that has been the norm. The country may have survived as an entity, against all odds and predictions, but it remains only a land of great potentials, hitherto unrealised.It is no wonder then that Nigerian citizens are dissatisfied and disillusioned with their condition and the state of the nation. They see no hope of escaping endemic poverty in the midst of so much opulence exhibited by a handful of persons. As the years rolled by, they saw their hopes dwindling and their problems growing in size and number. The degradation permeates all facets of life, from education to health, infrastructure to the economy, and even sports. Nigerians helplessly watched as other nations continued to make great strides, while leaving the country behind in a hopeless situation now compounded by self-inflicted security backlash. The country's founding fathers must be turning uncomfortably in their graves at the violent desecration of their dream for the fatherland.In the midst of this rot, one factor has remained constant, namely, poor leadership. Over the years, the leadership of this country has failed to match the competence and high aptitude of ordinary citizens, who thrive in all spheres of human endeavor, but continuously embarrassed by the ineptitude of those in charge of the country. Nigerian professionals are praised, appreciated and decorated around the world, but cannot function on their own soil. Why is the system so warped that it does not permit excellence to flourish' Is the fault in the people or in the structure of governance, or both' Why is the system seemingly impossible to redeem despite huge expenditure of public funds and an endless string of ideas' Why is it that those charged with running the country seem completely clueless as to how to confront the enormous challenges facing this country' They seem to expect that we would wake up one day and all the problems would simply go away. More troubling is the fact that by their actions, our leaders may be inadvertently working towards the fulfillment of all the doomsday predictions against the country.Poor leadership apart, corruption has been singled out appropriately, as the country's most debilitating problem. The level of the scourge in the country is simply confounding, such that it provoked a nationwide protest that lasted for more than one week in January this year. Money that went down the drain through corruption in public places could have made a tremendous impact in the national condition had it been handled differently. Without doubt, many other problems that have hobbled this country, including the current security situation, can be more easily tackled if corruption is curtailed.Complex as the nation's challenges may be, the current political leaders and holders of public office must seek to disentangle them. Their job is to solve the problems facing this country. President Goodluck Jonathan must spearhead the efforts. The president should be worried that Nigerians in 1999 looked to democracy as the panacea to end their travails from prolonged military rule. Now, 13 years down the line, no reasonable person can conclude that the country is moving in the right direction. Not only are things worse now than at the onset of democracy, but it appears that sundry crooks and criminals have found a way of exploiting the lacuna in governance to wantonly convert state resources to personal use, and would not be bothered by the increasingly desperate condition of ordinary Nigerians.More than ever before, the country is on a dangerous point. It will require very deft and drastic steps to pull it back from the present knife-edge. Sadly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has been governing at the federal level since 1999, cannot wash its hands of blame in the present state of affairs in the country. Most of the personnel whose actions or failures provoked or aggravated the country's problems at all levels of governance are either members or friends of the party. For so long the party appears unwilling to change its largely negative track. Now, it has no choice than to change or be abandoned by Nigerians as a party lacking in character, competence and a grand vision for the country. Worse still, it may be confronted with the prospect of presiding over the eventual collapse of the country.Today should be an opportunity, not to indulge in extravagant fanfare or celebration when in truth, there is nothing to celebrate. Rather, the President, governors and other public officers should be loudly rueing their failure to redress the ugly situation and initiate policies and programmes that would benefit the people of this nation. Values have all but collapsed in the country. The present political system is fostering a kleptocracy that is essentially unsustainable and inexorably doomed. Indeed, the system is creaking dangerously at the seams, and needs to be completely reworked. President Jonathan should lead efforts to institute a change in the political structure of the country, to restore the people's sense of freedom, give them hope and prevent eventual collapse. When the people have no hope, and the leaders have no clue, the only option is to dismantle the existing political structure and jointly institute a simpler and cheaper system that will deliver what Nigerians have been yearning for, for 52 years: a truly great nation.
Click here to read full news..
