Prior to the carving up of the continent of Africa by the European warlords in Berlin in 1884, Africans lived in communal settings where the welfare of one, was the concern of the other. Society, though then not an el dorado, was at least liveable. There are certain terminologies in African relationships which the European will certainly find strange. For example, when an African says 'my stepmother', he does not mean the Oxford English dictionary definition of the woman, who you are related to, as a result of your father marrying again before or after your mother.What he/she simply means is my father's other wife and they all probably live in one and same house.That was the time when household chores and economic assignments like farming were jointly shared. Every member of the family's needs was planned for and so, responsibilities were promply attended to, depending on the economic power of the individual family.The care of the family was the responsibility of the father, who heads not just his family but also supervises that of his junior siblings, while the society was cared for, and planned by a committee with a king or chief at the helm of the hierachy.That has gone to the winds now. But much more painful is the fact that the replacement is an unseeing government to which nothing seems to matter, except probably rhetorics.That tomorrow, Nigerians will celebrate 51 years post-independence in muffled tones, is an indication of the decay that has set in since the traditional value system was replaced by an unfeeling copy. Now, everything, even the simulation of the traditional that yet remain in the guise of traditional institutions no longer serve their purpose.When the late nationalists fought for and ensured Nigeria gained independence in 1960, expectations were obviously high but probably, if some of them had had the opportunity of consulting a Crystalball gazer, who let him/her into what state the country would be in, 51 years after independence, maybe, they would have been less zealous in pursuing their cause. But then, a (wo)man has to try and make an effort at achieving a dream.What keeps baffling one is that when some of our administartors analyse the socio-political situation in the country prior to their ascension to power, you cannot but agree with some of their postulations as the reality stares one in the face. The question, however, remains what usually then goes wrong, when they ascend positions of power where they have the capacity to effect changes that will make life meaningful for the generality of the people'Nigeria is being run like some family without leadership. Or how do we explain that there are hadly any added infrastructure that have meaningfully impacted on the peoples' standard of living since those erected in the 60s and the 70s.All the pipes laid for water supply are , in most places, still the steel copies of the colonial era, rusty, busted and watering the roads when the world has an improved version in the PVCs. Most new areas lack potable water or basic amenties like accessible roads even though house owners pay huge sums to town planning authorities as approval fees. What amenities are these fees meant to service' New areas hardly have roads extended to them, as plans towards that only catch up, if it manages so to do, after the area has grown unweildy with the enlarged population of city dwellers who increase daily.All the foreign plans (both rolling and swimming) nurtured by WHO, IMF and other such trained technocrats have failed to offer us the badly-needed succour. This is the time to build on whatever remaining strands of Africanness which remains in us. The qualities that make one to care for the other, the quality that ensures that deviants are frowned at and criminals dully punished to serve as deterrent to others, that ensure that work meant to be done actiually gets done and that plans are carried out to the letter.This may just be the time for us to sit down and renegotiate a plan that succeeding generations can build upon meaningfully, so that while other countries are building enduring infrastucture and institutions that will ensure their sires live a better quality of live, so that ours do not curse us even in our graves for leaving what ought to be done undone.Lewis, omotayolewis@yahoo.com (08055001746)-----------------------------------------------------------------REACTIONSIbadan flood, not a natural disasterExperts said in 1980 that the channelisation of the Ogunpa river will curb flooding in Ibadan. Pathetically, as the channelisation was being done, other waterways are being blocked by illegal structures. Government officials who are in charge of town planning prefer to take bribes than enforce the law. Unless the governmnet clears tne waterways, we shall continue to have man-induced flooding in Ibadan and other cities. Debo Fakayode, Oyo. 08052119383
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