We have come out on the other side of the Presidential election and as a people we are as usual divided across many cleavages. In spite of the many upsets for which we should be proud, we are in the middle of several conundrums. Be that as it may, today I call for calm but as we engage in that important quality.
Let’s re-examine ourselves in the journey to the gubernatorial elections. Let us take a sneak peak at those who undo and unhinge us. Unpatriotic Nigerians who betray the very essence of nationhood. There are those whose only job is to badmouth their nation for a mess of pottage and those whose only job is to shortchange fellow citizens through fraud, cheating or leading them astray.
So here we go.
1) Nigerians who sit in the diaspora and prescribe for all of us back home how to live our lives. Friends and family who ran away when the kitchen was hot and only return when their servants have fixed portions of Nigeria and demand a piece of the pie.
2) Those who never believe in Nigeria. Can’t see a single good thing. Talk about Nigeria as if its a dustbin and can’t wait to throw their nation under the bus. Those who choose other countries above theirs and only take and take from Nigeria and give nothing back.
3) Those who lie to Nigerians, be they politicians, community leaders, religious leaders or heads of families or mothers or students who lie knowing the truth in order to foment trouble.
This is Nigeria where we think doing wrong is fashionable and deceiving people is the norm. We have to change our ways if we are to rise
4) Nigerians working for foolish paymasters who snatch ballot boxes and run while frothing in the mouth about rigged elections and a bad country knowing that what they are doing is wrong.
5) Nigerians who send their children abroad and arrange for other people’s children to die in the battlefront of any violence, feeding them drugs and winding them up while pretending that other people are committing the problems.
6) Nigerians who are known brigands but who believe they should be respected and allowed to lead while spreading brigandage.
7) Nigerians who shortchange every system in the land fixing everything yet crying foul about how the nation is unfixable. Those who fix exams for their children, bribe to get jobs, are bribed to give jobs and are the first in church and mosques to cry up to God.
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8) Nigerians who manipulate using religion and ethnicity and then shout unity in the face of the press.
9) Nigerians who feed fat on the system and will not let anyone else in, cooking their ages and refusing to retire while fixing their children, cousins and nephews and nieces whenever an opportunity comes up and then sigh at a gathering about Nigeria’s crippling nepotism.
10) Nigerians who jump traffic lights, disobey one way, drive against traffic and challenge the rest of us to go to hell.
11) Nigerians who go to international conferences, do not speak for Nigeria, do not get the knowledge, collect estacode and go to the beaches and shop.
12) Nigerians who destroy our girls, destroy our boys, commit moral harakiri for exam marks and jobs and stand tall in front of citizens and expect us to respect them.
I could go on and on but here we are deceitful and fraudulent in several ways and yet we point accusing fingers and hope Egyptians will come and fix us. This is Nigeria where we think doing wrong is fashionable and deceiving people is the norm.
We have to change our ways if we are to rise. Once I met a diplomat who described Nigeria as a deal not a business. With a wry smile he told me deals are cut in the dark and in alley ways.
We must treat Nigeria as a business not a deal he said for us to do well. You are very brilliant people he added. Let’s start running Nigeria like a business, like an ethical business and stop hating those who are doing the right thing.
As we go to vote in the gubernatorial elections, let us all do the right thing. May the best man or woman win. Citizens are tired of some of their states not working.
Time to pick the right persons so the states can work. Go out and vote, period. Not for money or wrappers but vote right. Don’t betray Nigeria. The Lord be with us. Amen.
