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| Former President, Goodluck Jonathan (L) presenting the handing over notes to President Buhari |
By Ofonime
Honesty
This
is certainly not the best of times for Nigeria.This rich country of poor citizens
is in comatose. Our predicaments are headlined by a ferocious famine which is
threatening to wipe us away thus shattering our long standing record of being
the most populous black nation on planet earth. The consensus school of thought
is that, in the history of this country, we have never had it so bad.And to
borrow the words of legendary pen-man, Chinua Achebe, things have fallen
apart.
Dear
readers, our chequered evolution as a nation is well documented. From the pre-colonial era, colonial era,
independence, oft interrupted civilian rule,military rule and the return of
democracy, Nigerians have really seen things. To use street lingo, we don see things sotey our eyes don tear.
In
1999, we heaved a sigh of relief when the much hyped democracy returned.
However, much to our chagrin, the political players refused to repent. The only
change was that they were donning agbada,
kaftan, suits and designer shoes
instead of military khaki and jackboots.
Under
successive Peoples Democratic Party’s administrations, Nigeria was a
self-acclaimed giant of Africa with the attributes of a dwarf. The PDP became
(and is still) an assemblage of persons propelled by the ill desire of milking
the citizens dry.Our leaders bold-facedly displayed maniacal idiosyncrasies.To cap
his undemocratic modus operandi, former president Olusegun Obasanjo famously
defined election as a “do-or-die affair.” Another president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, unequivocally told those who cared to listen that “stealing is not
corruption.” Under GEJ, public funds literally grew wings and flew away from
government coffers. Nigeria’s money was siphoned abroad, buried in strange
places or shared to cronies. PDP really transformed Nigeria. Yes, Nigeria was
transformed into an absurd theatre.
And
as we heaved a sigh of relief and readied for the actualisation of the much
hyped “CHANGE”mantra of Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress
(APC), the cookies crumbled. Hope crashed, confusion set in.Dissenting voices
which were dormant for years started wafting.To worsen matters, Nigeria’s
economy began nose-diving.
One
year elapsed, and the economy continued its downward journey.The International
Monetary Fund (IMF) screamed telling us that Nigeria’s economy was heading into
recession yetthe federal government dismissed such claim. Government is always
‘‘on top of the situation.’’The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),
Godwin Emefiele, famously came out to blast IMF, saying Nigeria’s economy is
suffering from Stagflation, not
heading into recession. Those in positions of authority always give flimsy
excuses and sometimes create words, give it weird meanings just to ensure that
they shield anomalies in the polity.
Now
that full-blown recession is here,instead of formulating a foolproof strategy
to rescue us from the present economic quagmire, the present administration
revels in trading blames. Yes, PDP ‘‘gang’’ stole money. Yes, Nigerians are
very tolerant otherwise given the large scale corruption which pervaded the
polity, by now people’s heads should be hanging on poles, but truth is, PDP did
not steal Nigeria. They did not steal the huge natural resources which are yet
to be put to use.Not only oil, in the nooks and crannies of this country, there
are so much untapped natural resources. As a remedial measure to the long-term
agricultural programme, this administration should do the needful.
The
fact that Nigerians no longer afford three square meals on daily basis should
worry Buhari and members of his kitchen cabinet. The economy is the paramount
concern of Nigerians. Yes, corruption is being fought but as ace columnist Ike
Aboniyi once penned, “Nigerians want the president to listen to
voices saying that the fight against corruption is supposed to be an aspect of
governance and should not be pursued at the expense of governance.”
During
the days of large scale corruption, food was affordable. The three basic
necessities of life are food, clothing and shelter. Of the three, food is more
important - that is why a mad man, who is stark naked and does not have a place
to call home can be seen picking decayed food from waste bin to eat. No living
creature survives without food.
And
the present situation has emboldened many to liaise with the PDP in the ‘Bring
Back Our Corruption’campaign. You can’t
blame them much. Even in the days of yore, similar incidences took place. To
cite one example, in the Bible as recorded in Exodus and Numbers, the children
of Israel were slaves in Egypt. God later chose Moses to lead them out of
bondage. After the miracle of the Red Sea wherePharaoh’s army drowned, Moses
and the Israelites had to traverse the wilderness in continuation of their
journey to the promised land. A wilderness being a place of no food or water,
the Israelites became fatigued. When they remembered that despite their status
as slaves in Egypt, they had enough to eat, they confronted Moses. In Numbers
Chapter 11: 5-6, the Israelites said thus: ‘‘We remember the fish, which we did eat in
Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the garlic, but now our soul
is dried away; there is nothing at all…”
In
Exodus 16: 3, they even lamented that it would have been better to die in Egypt
where there is much food. Hear them: “Would to God we had die by the hand of the
Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots and when we did eat
bread to the full; for you (Moses) have brought us forth into this wilderness,
to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’’
Throughout
their strenuous journey from Egypt to the promised land, the Israelites complained
with reckless abandon. And God was kind to them that at some instances, He sent
down Manna for them to eat. At other instances when God instructed Moses to
strike rocks with rod, water gushed out for them to drink.
Compared
to Nigerians, the Israelites were somewhat lucky. In the Nigerian situation,
there is no miracle Manna. And many Nigerians are of the opinion that Buhari is
a fake Moses. President Buhari even pointedly warned us not to expect miracles
from him.
Mr.
President was voted for a four year tenure which expires in 2019; economists
are now predicting that the situation won’t improve till 2020. Will Nigerians
be patient enough and continue enduring this brutish economy? Remember, a
hungry man is an angry man.
Now,
it’s all about making a choice. Methinks ‘‘slaves’’ should not totally fall in
love with chains because of food but on the other hand, as legendary Reggae
musician, Lucky Phillip Dube, sang: ‘‘What is the point in being free, when you
can’t get no job?; What is the point in being free, when you can’t get food?;
What is the point in going out to work, when others can get it for free?; What
is the point in being free, when you don’t have no home?; Now that you’ve heard
it all, you’ve got to make up your mind…’’
Dear
reader, the choice is yours! But can’t we be well fed free men?I beg to pause
awhile.
(Ofonime
Honesty is a journalist and general affairs analyst. He writes from Uyo, Akwa
Ibom State. 08025286082 honestyofonime@yahoo.com)
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