IT'S pretty difficult to postulate what Nigeria would have been if most of the charlatans parading themselves as political leaders came before those nationalists that fought for Nigeria's Independence in 1960. Perhaps, the British colonialists, who only saw the land as the big cow and slave camp, would have prolonged their stay since no man willingly relinquishes power no matter how he appears benevolent. The battle to save the people from the shackles of primitivism would have become costlier, deadlier and more savagely executed, going by the experience the people of South Africa and Angola in their separate battle to gain political economy from the Western world some years ago.Peradventure, if the current political maggots and predators in the country had come before exceptionally great and famous names like Chief Obafemi Awolowo; Herbert Macaulay and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria would have been reduced to one of those Latin American countries notorious for hard drugs and other heinous crimes. This is because laissez-faire would have become the norm rather than an exception in the management of the affairs of what is today regarded the hope of the Black race.Maybe, if these termites and parasites called political rulers had come before the likes of late Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr. G. O. Mbadiwe, Sir Tafawa Balewa, Chief Anthony Enahoro and many more of those nationalists, who mortgaged their personal comfort for a collective good, the name Nigeria, would have been in the ashes of history as a land, where local impostors colluded with gluttonous foreigners to plunder its riches and wealth, making a burgeoning potential economic and political power, a failed entity. It is possible Nigeria would have been a premature baby delivered by a team of surgeons and midwives guided by greed, avarice and profligacy.We are repeatedly being insulted by Nigerian leaders that we must make more sacrifices for the country to re-discover its rhythm more 51 years after gaining independence. Christmas, New Year and Sallah and other festive periods have provided opportunities for the leaders to demand belt-tightening from the people, who are already suffocating from the callous actions and treatment from a few irresponsible political leaders. Discipline is important in life. It is the precursor for sacrifice. And you can only give what you have.Unfortunately, most of the present leaders have neither internalised the spirit of selfless service nor demonstrated any convincing and discernible form of sacrifices in their life styles. So, they cannot give what they lack. The problem cuts across political divisions.From the account of many quarters, those nationalists whom a few of the present political leaders lay claim to ideological principles, patriotic zest and political sagacity had deprived themselves of personal comfort, putting their lives at stake in their dogged intellectual, psychological and sometimes physical battles to secure freedom for the country.They had suffered all forms of indignation and humiliation in the hands of imperialists and other seen and unseen agents of darkness and servitude, because of their firm belief that Nigeria must be free. Yet, they were undeterred and resolute, marching on like Trojans on the battle field. So, their legacies for posterity have become reference materials in the intellectual and literary world, as well as the political and economic spheres.Mallam Aminu Kano did not just espouse the spirit of identifying with the downtrodden. He lived it by making sure that he engaged in both private and official capacities, on matters intended to safeguard and promote the welfare of the Talakawas (the commoners). He lived a Spartan life, which was widely acknowledged by his arch adversaries.One of the strongest virtues of Awolowo was his devotion to his quest to finding solutions to Nigeria's problems. He put it more succinctly by himself in what has become a famous quote among leaders in other parts of the world. He said when other people were pre-occupied with the frivolities of life, he busied himself with trying to fix the system because of the problems facing the country. This cannot be said of many of those either dropping the names of Zik, Awolowo, Aminu Kano or Tafawa Balewa or the ones claiming to be the epitome of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.I wished many of them could once in a while abandon their comfort zones and try to ascertain the stark realities facing the ordinary man in the country. The recent festive period provide one of such opportunities. Last Saturday, I discovered that many Nigerians were stranded along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, as they headed for their country homes to mark Sallah. I realised that their predicament was actually not because of any bad road, nor largely of their making, but for the volume of traffic up on the highway.Coupled with it was the terrible condition of most of the vehicles, including most of the private cars currently plying Nigerian roads. A lot of them have seen their better days before being shipped to Nigeria as Tokunboh, a parlance for imported used vehicles. Many of the vehicles broke down as a result of mechanical faults. Women with sobbing children either strapped on their back or in their arms, were surrounded by a number of other siblings around vehicles looking dejected, desolate and abandoned.In another world was a sharp contrast. As those citizens languished under dust and scorching sun, some of the so-called Nigerian leaders were busy organising special Sallah jamborees for their political families. Musicians, who had been paid handsomely to feature during pre-election, were again hired by political contractors to play at such celebrations.Then, I quickly remembered that timeless thought of Awolowo on Nigeria's political elite, the challenge of leadership and nation-building. I thought that that many of these new 'leaders' should have engaged themselves in more meaningful and result-oriented events at Sallah like addressing some critical issues that could have direct relation to the overall happiness and good of the majority, rather than utilising the opportunity to frolic with women of easy virtues and exchanging banters with hired political thugs in the name of jamborees.At another level, my mind went to a report that period on the latest report of the Transparency International [TI] on the corruption index. The TI had startled the world with a revelation that Nigeria lost an incredible sum of N450 billion as bribes to civil servants in one year. The report came at a time the question of N450 billion indebtedness of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] to the Federation Account is still begging for an answer.To complete the vicious circle of oddities, those jamborees in the North and the South; East and West coincided with an ungodly gift from Boko Haram to Nigerians, especially the residents of Maiduguri and Damaturu, where scores of people were bombed out of existence. So, next time, we must limit our celebration to reflect the obvious realities in the land, for the repetitious calls for sacrifice from all and sundry to be meaningful. The streets must not be littered with the corpses of the ordinary man before the political leadership appreciates the enormity of the sacrifices they have consistently made, so that Nigeria can survive.Oderemi, 08023501874 (sms only pls)
Click here to read full news..
