In essence, while we cannot but encourage the youths to follow their dreams, we must avoid sending mixed signals – by preaching morality, integrity and uprightness while we practise the opposite. It is a delicate dance which can destroy trust and confidence if the dancers are listening to different tunes or symphony.
Considering the enormity of the power of social media, we as parents have to be mindful of what is in the public space and may remain viral until eternity. Here are a few samples:
“We steal because you never stoned us for it” – Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State – Politics in Nigeria. “On Thursday 12th December 2013, an event to honour the life and times of former South African president and Human Rights icon Nelson Mandela was held at Freedom Park, Lagos. The governor of Rivers State Rotimi Amaechi was present at the event among other dignitaries. When invited on stage, he spoke on the high rate of corruption in Nigeria and why many politicians will continue to steal.
He was quoted as saying: “If you see a thief and you allow him to continue stealing what will happen? You have stoned nobody that’s why we are stealing. What have any of you done? If you don’t take your destiny in your hands, we will go and other leaders will come. They will continue to steal.”
“Nigerians are cowards” – Rotimi Amaechi in tape leaked by Reno Omokri – Sahara Reporters “another audio clip credited to Rotimi Amaechi, Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, has surfaced. Amaechi has been in the news over the past few days over some audio clips bearing his voice. In an earlier audio released by Phrank Shaibu, an aide of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Amaechi had said: “This country can never change, I swear. The only way this country can change is in a situation where everybody is killed. This country is going nowhere. When Magnus (Abe) was secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), I told him that this country is hopeless and helpless and he told me, ‘Oga, stop it’. This cannot be coming from a governor. But two months later in Abuja, Magnus came to meet me and said, I agree with you; this country is hopeless and helpless. All they do in Abuja is to share money.”
In a fresh audio published by Reno Omokri, former media aide to former ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, on Tuesday, Amaechi seemed to have suggested that Nigerians are cowards. “Nigerians are cowards,” he said in the eight-second-long video. “The reason why Nigerians behave the way they behave is that there is no enforcement.”
The context in which Amaechi made the comment is, however, still unclear. We also have the case of Diezani Madueke who during her brief spell as Minister of works went on an inspection tour of the Lagos/Ibadan expressway. She was shocked by the state of the road. She broke down in tears and lamented in public. That was almost fifteen years ago. As we speak, that road is still a death-trap and a recurring nightmare.
Even the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump threw caution to the wind when in a Twitter message he raised the prospects of civil war in America over the whistle-blower scandal.
“They know the only Impeachable offence that President Trump has committed was beating Hillary Clinton in 2016. That’s the unpardonable sin for which the Democrats will never forgive him. If the Democrats are successful in removing the President from office(which they will never be), it will cause a Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal.”
In essence, while we cannot but encourage the youths to follow their dreams, we must avoid sending mixed signals – by preaching morality, integrity and uprightness while we practise the opposite. It is a delicate dance which can destroy trust and confidence if the dancers are listening to different tunes or symphony. Matters are not helped by the toxic environment in which we are compelled to operate. The last word belongs to the government. However, to convince the government to shift on any matter of public policy, you must be prepared to go through the pain barrier. It can be most frustrating.
I speak from personal experience having been involved in advising government on the critical issue of fixing the salaries and allowances of political office holders and public servants under the aegis of RMFAC [Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Allocation Committee] led by Hamman Tular; and Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation under Ufot Ekaette (an old boy of King’s College, Lagos.)
I need not add that history and experience did a repeat performance with regard to removal of petroleum subsidy; and exchange rate subsidy versus realistic exchange rate. We need not dwell on the imbroglio in which the Power Generating Companies (GenCos); TransmissionCompany of Nigeria (TCN) and the Distribution Companies (Discos’) have become entangled over tariffs.
Sadly, many of the problems have been festering for over ten years while the government struggled to come to terms with or grasp the enormity of the consequences of delaying action or the price of subversive inertia. Politics has always trumped economics.
