According to historians, like so many modern African states, Nigeria is the creation of European imperialism
“Sweet Us”, the masterpiece song by a hitmaker Timaya, was popularised by former governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
While he was in Rivers and now in Abuja, he adopted the song as his signature tune and dances to its rhythm. In fact, he relishes the lyrics every time he commissions a project.
Is he living the music? Your guess is as good of mine!
For 65 years, Nigeria has had a combination of military and democratic regimes. In all of these years, one thing has remained constant- they against us!
The ruling class smiles while we frown. They laugh while we cry. They celebrate while we weep. They enjoy themselves to the fullest while we pine in abject poverty. They parrot patriotism while they are the most unpatriotic, and they preach belt-tightening but revel in all manner of extravagance.
The ruling class has always considered itself a special breed. They use the opportunity of office to better their lots. That is why “former this and former that…” in Nigeria never know poverty again after holding public office no matter how short their exposure to power is. They use the opportunity of their office to make themselves stupendously rich.
Whether it was in the military era or in the democratic era, former and present leaders are among the wealthiest citizens. They flaunt this wealth to the chagrin on many of their compatriots.
Since Independence in 1960, no past president or head of state of Nigeria has ever been officially probed over appropriation or misappropriation of funds, even when there are stark evidences pointing to their high level of maleficence.
In all of these years, Nigeria has been mercilessly milked and raped by so-called leaders.
While the nation’s public debt stock continues to rise dangerously, currently standing at N149.39trillion (about US$97billion, there are few individuals in Nigeria that can be said to be richer than the country with no known viable businesses other than their exposure to public till.
Nigeria’s borrowing binge became a serious concern recently that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas cried out, calling for urgent reforms in borrowing practices and oversight.
“…Even more concerning is the debt to GDP ratio, which now stands at roughly 52 percent, well above the statutory ceiling of 40 percent set by our own laws. This is not just a budgetary concern but a structural crisis that demands urgent parliamentary attention and coordinated reform,” Abbas said.
But the greater concern is in the outlandish lifestyle of those who should be cautious about the perilous and state of the country. They rather chose to live above their means and drive the costliest automobiles in town in a country with high multidimensional poverty with the 2022 National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) indicating that 63 percent of the population (133 million people) are multi-dimensionally poor
Today, it is safe for leaders to reel out their efforts in steadying the economy, but at the same time they flaunt their lavish lifestyles before the traumatized citizens. Confucius, Chinese philosopher, said: “In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of; in a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”
What this means is that when a government is effective and provides for its people, the existence of poverty is a sign of a societal failure, reflecting a lack of capability in the populace.
Read also: Nigeria still treats politics like war after 65 years
Conversely, in a poorly governed society, immense wealth (such as the one being exhibited by leaders) can be seen as a symptom of corruption or exploitation of others, making it a source of shame.
Security
On this front, Nigeria has moved from a nation where citizens moved freely in the past to a point where any movement from one part of the country to another is fraught with enormous danger. Killers in the name of bandits, kidnappers, organ harvesters, Boko Haram and other assorted criminals lay siege every inch of the way, so much so that Nigerians now engage in days of prayer and fasting before they embark on interstate journeys. In those days, parents would hand over their children to complete strangers travelling with commercial busses or train to another part of the country, several kilometers away. Those children arrived their destinations in peace. Such things no longer happen today. Only politicians with heavy armada of security personnel and body guards easily move around these days. Nigeria has descended to a level where communities are signing memorandum of understanding (MoU) with bandits to be allowed to live in peace in their own domain.
Housing
This is another serious challenge in the country. With housing deficit over 20 million, many citizens live in unhealthy environments. Thousands of citizens live and sleep under the bridges and in uncompleted buildings in cities whereas their leaders in government live in palatial homes provided for them with tax payers’ money. They also own multiple houses within and outside Nigeria. A good number of public office holders are said to hide stolen wealth in real estate. High rise buildings and estates are built in highbrow areas of the country and in undeveloped places in Abuja, Lagos and other places across the country.
These buildings are left uninhabited for many years because the owners did not make the money in clean ways. Such buildings serve as store of value, whereas people are homeless everywhere.
Education
The story of education in Nigeria has moved from one that was qualitative to being wishy-washy as a result of many years of neglect of the sector. In the early years after Independence, the nation’s universities attracted students from foreign countries, who deliberately proffered to school in Nigeria to other places. They admired the quality education in Nigeria and they got it.
In those days, there were scholarships to certain levels which enabled children from poor homes to go to school. Many of them, upon graduation, got good jobs through which they lifted their poor families. But as years rolled by, those who were responsible for making policies for the nation’s education watered down everything and scholarship became a matter of “who you know.” Corruption also became entrenched in the system. Education budgets became food for the boys and government schools began to lose their charm. Then, those who used to come from other lands became discouraged and disinterested. Private schools began to spring up to the point that quality became compromised.
Public office holders and other wealthy Nigerians began to send their children abroad for studies. Although Nigeria today has about 276 registered universities (73 federal, 67 state and 136 private) according to the National Universities Commission (NUC), many of them are just existing by name. The growth of a nation’s education cannot be determined by the number of schools there are in a country. It is the quality that determines it. The most pathetic story is that over 70 percent of the graduates every year do not have a job. Many of them are forced to go into “menial jobs” to eke out a living. There is the need, urgent need for that matter, to declare an emergency in the nation’s education sector.
Healthcare
Perhaps, no other sector captures the stunted growth of Nigeria than the health sector. There is no denying the fact that a lot is being done and has been done, but they all amounted to “too little too late”. In the past, many Nigerians believed so much in the health institutions in the country. The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), University Teaching Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) and a few others were go-to places and gave Nigerians hope, but today, they have become a shadow of their old selves. Apart from chronic dearth of qualified personnel because of the “japa” syndrome occasioned by frustrating operating environment, the high cost of running the facilities has hampered quality service delivery. Today, such institutions are groaning under the weight of high electricity bill among others. The neglect of the nation’s healthcare sector became total when presidents and other public office holders began to jet out to London, France and India to treat throat and ear infections.
Deepening fault lines
Many Nigerians, except those in government, speak in tandem that Nigeria is perhaps, more divided today than it has ever been in its 65 years. The acclaimed social cohesion is non-existent, and the evidence is everywhere. What many Nigerians are seeing today is a nation that is being gradually driven to a precipice. People now talk about their ethnic leaning more than their Nigerianness. People today are apprehensive living outside their geo-political zones. These are no signs of a progressive country. And as e dey sweet the powers that be, e dey pain the people!
While the leaders revel in endless enjoyment and claim of a burgeoning nation, the masses are gnashing their teeth and the nation continues to totter.
One thing that has so much affected the country is the increasing trust deficit. Until the ruling class begins to win back the trust of the people, the expected growth may continue to be in the realm of aspiration.
