Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the Afrobeat legend (may his great soul rest in perfect peace) said it all, as reflected in his timeless hit songs. Like the famed Nostradamus, who saw tomorrow he captured in vivid verses the parlous portrait of the average Nigerian’s response to poor political governance. If in doubt, please listen to the enduring messages crafted and rendered in Suffering and Smiling, Vagabonds in Power (VIP) and Sorrows, Tears and Blood (STB). Sadly, over the decades we have exhibited an obscene level of acquiescence, ignorance, uncommon but stupid resilience mixed with sheer folly, in the face of unjustifiable and preventable poverty and pains, foisted on us by the class of successive conscienceless, political leaders. Such is the mixed bag that readily qualifies us to have a space in the Guinness Book of Records.
In fact, it is often said in saner climes that Nigerians ‘can take any shit’ thrown at us, swallow such and still lay prostrate to thank our oppressors for allowing us to breathe God’s free air! Were it not so, how do we begin to explain a sad situation that would elicit undue acrimony from ill-informed people against Citizen Idibia for exercising his fundamental human rights? That he wants to lead a peaceful protest against the pitiable, state of the nation and what the entire world sees as preventable penury of Nigerians in the midst of plenty, especially our vast, God-endowed, natural resources is most welcome. That is especially in countries where the base sentiments of ethnicity, religion and political persuasion are the exception rather than the rule. But not so here.
In such countries, political helmsmen are true servant-leaders, whose mandate and acts of governance are people-oriented. They are never for once viewed as demi-gods who cannot do any wrong. They do not come to the pedestal of political leadership, ill-prepared; to always look back to put the blame of their cluelessness on the foibles of past administrations. They know that governance is a continuum. Understandably, once one inherits any institution he does so for both the assets and the liabilities. For, it equates to a collective insult on our psyche and souls for any individual to vie for political office if such a person is not ready to find solutions to prevailing economic challenges.
Good enough, President Buhari has admitted that he was aware Nigerians are going through preventable suffering. He once pleaded for understanding and patience. But six months of governance without ministers has stretched to one humdrum year and inching closer to two. His media handlers’ repeated excuse and belligerent castigation and traducing of the Jonathan-led administration that no kobo was left in the national treasury have since metamorphosed into a cliché. It does not hold a drop of water anymore! At least, to those who can sift between the corn and the chaff. So, where do those Nigerians who see no wrong with the current administration; no pain, no poverty in high fuel prices, escalating transportation fees and food prices get their comfort from?
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), food prices rose by an average of 9.9 percent in June, 2014. Those affected were cereals, bread, meat and fish. But some two years later, precisely by May 2016, the cost of living in Nigeria had skyrocketed by as much as 100%. Taking Abuja and its environs, as a case study, a mid-2016 market survey showed that food stuffs such as rice (50kg bag) had risen to N18,000 from N9,500. Similarly, the cost of a basket of tomato had risen from N2,500 to N6,000 and basin of garri stood at N3,500. The smaller basket known as the dustbin basket which sold for between N400 and N500 in March, 2016 rose up to between N4, 300 and N6,000 in some markets. One wonders therefore, if those against Idibia’s inspired protest go to markets other than the ones the common Nigerians attend for buying and selling?
How come we can no longer speak with one voice? That is my source of worry. For instance, one of the worthy attributes of the well-structured socio-cultural milieu I grew up with in Oboroke-Ihima, in the present Kogi State back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, which I will forever cherish was the prevailing high moral standard then. There were agreed bench marks on Wrong and Right. My age mates and I were weaned on the fresh milk of doing the right thing at the right time. But why?
It was all because we knew full well that there were grave consequences and strict punitive measures waiting for those who flagrantly violated the cultural ethos. Traditional norms were there in our lifestyle as guiding credos, irrespective of one’s religious beliefs. Elders were there as brothers or sisters, uncles, aunts or cousins to punish with the right hand and correct with the left. And we obeyed the rules for our own sake, so as to evolve as well groomed citizens, useful to ourselves, our communities and the country as large. And thank God, that such norms were sustained and even strengthened in the educational and religious institutions we attended.
As Chief Ebenezer Obey, the iconic juju music maestro would say,’ what is bad has no other name’. Oh, yes, President Buhari took over power at a period of dwindling oil revenue. Also, we have had long years of dysfunctional political structure, with a payment skewed in favour of the political elite. The obnoxious over concentration of political power at the bloated centre is our common undoing, like it or not. Restructuring, as one has insisted for years is the best way out of the wood. Much as one would not heap all the blame of our current economic mess on the Buhari-led administration, the onus lies with him, as the chief pilot of our ship of state, to correctly read the compass and show us the way out of the stormy, economic waters. No base sentiments here, but the national interest, which supersedes all.
