THE WAY TO SELF-RUIN
By Aderoy
South West England, UK
I wake up every morning with the thoughts and prayers of the potential greatness of my beloved in my heart. The thoughts ran in my heart through the day hoping that the decadence in my beloved will be uprooted with systematic equanimity. How did I allow my beloved to get so enmeshed in the evil of national prostitution laden with evil vice that were uncommon among her founding fathers. These were the thoughts from a caring and yearning heart.
Just 3 days ago I read that Merrill Lynch ranked Nigeria as the World's Safest Economy. Although this did not come as a surprise to me given the sustained improvement in the Nigeria's fiscal management for the past 3-4 years. The statistical calculation in Merrill Lynch's results does not however take into account other factors (or economic variables as others may refer to it) such as social unrest, prevailing poverty level, infrastruture, GDP, etc. (Source 1: http://www.thedeal.com/dealscape/2008/11/nigeria_the_safest_place_to_in.php), (Source 2:. http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=128275). I so much proud my self in the self-belief that that singular report coming from one of the world's leading financial management and advisory companies has boosted Nigeria's image positively in no smal terms. It's no small means that Nigeria's horn in financial revolution- Prof. Soludo, along with other world renowned economists and financial analysts was recently appointed to a United Nation's high-level task force reform global financial system.
"Safest Economy" declaration is a huge image laundering for Nigeria, and rightly so given the "brutal revolution" (albeit with a positive mindset and positive results) of the banking sector introduced by the CBN management headed by Prof. Chukwuemeka Soludo. We must not rest on our oars but must extend this "brutal revolution" to all sphere of the economy. Need I reiterate that the political terrain in the country still leaves a lot to be desired although with signs of improvement given the latest democratic proceedings as in the case of the new Edo State Government elect-Comrade Oshiomole. My assertion is based on realistic facts emanating from the EFCC that the management has suspended its Director of National Finance Intelligence Unit (NFIU) over "alleged" complicity in illegal transfers of millions of illegal funds from Nigeria's coffers with his full knowledge (Source 1: http://www.efccnigeria.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=475&Itemid=34), (Source 2: http://allafrica.com/stories/200811200872.html). What on earth is going on? Can't we get our acts together and do the right thing as a nation? I was ruminating so hard on this thoughts when I stumbled on a piece of article "Only The Best Is Good Enough For Us" on nairaland (Source: http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-195700.0.html ) then I mumbled under my breath (Oro pesi je)?
That article touched my bone marrow to say the least and I retorted "if only we have ears and the minds of a wilful change as a people". But come to think of it what is stopping my bride to dig deep into her conscience to rejuvinate those cultural and morale values taught in the early days. The morale values of my beloved bride have gone to the dogs and we now celebrate superfluous mediocrity in the name of celebrity and overnight get-rich affluence. I am quick to say here that I am not a cynic but a realist and I am one of those to stand up and offer foreigners explanation of the true situation in Nigeria and of most Nigerians in the face of the fact that most foreigners have been fed with news that all Nigerians are "potential" (in the strongest of terms) scammers. I have had to provide non-professional explanation and advice via e-mails and phone to foreigners (mostly Europeans) after posting an article http://www.saharareporters.com/www/letters/detail/?id=349 and another comment on http://www.africanloft.com/can-the-nigerian-mobile-phone-companies-handle-the-46-million-subscribers/
I recall an ensuing discussion with a young Belgian chap after reading one of my articles on scamming and had supposedly been "hypnotised" into thinking he's got a cute Nigerian lady online he intends to marry within months. The lady by the name Stella Gibson (allegedly a "guy") claims to be a Nigerian-American raised in Ashebury in North Caolina and had come to Nigeria to take care of her ill mum. I have had to ping pong e-mail and telephone conversation with the Belgian by arranging a private investigation on the identity, address and location of Stella Gibson. She (allegedly) provided the Belgian with her home address somewhere on Opebi Road Ikeja and I called for a search party of friends and family members in Lagos to verify the identity of this suspect. It will be a disservice to Jean (the Belgian) to outline results of the investigation here in this context. However the taking from these is that there a large number of Nigerians (especially young Nigerians) who engage in nefarious activities in a get-rich quick scam such that there activites tarnish the image of Nigerians at home and abroad.
The yahoo yahoo business has so much grown in the belly of my beloved country and unfortunately among teenagers - the fruit and future of her womb. I am sick to my stomach to see young boys and girls of tender age who can't even make a complete statement in their indigenous language let alone in English spending time in cyber cafes to send scam e-mails. And Oh "yahoo yahoo don pay oo" that is the sort of response you get from these confused teenagers bred by the societal norms they found themselves. If you take time to discuss with any one of them (at least i have on numerous occasion), the general belief among these young chaps is, to put it in their own words, "the are trying to get back all the money the white man has stolen from Africa" (sic). It baffles my imagination that sycophants in the name of popular musicians are now glorifying such nefarious activities in Nigeria as though its a thing of joy. Else how can one explain songs like "yahoozee" by Olu Maintain and "maga don pay" by Kelly Handsome. (Source 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ1YLL9mvBU ), (Source 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7iJzgxoFiM )
Basking in the euphoria of my seeming success with a few of those I have advised on the issue of scam, I took a trip to Paris to meet with a friend (I wouldn't want to use the word 'client' as I do not do it for profit) to whom I have been introduced few months back and was subjected to ridicule at the UK airport on the return leg of my trip. My offense (I should have known better) is I carry a green passport. I must quickly add here that I wasn't referring to the "American Green passport" but an official Nigerian passport. I was subjected to "special guest" treatment to put it positively while other passengers walked past giving a deep thorough gaze towards me as if asking rhetorically "what have you done?" To say the least, I was filled with bile but I took the under control, asking another Immigration Officer pertinent questions as to how enjoyable she finds her job (as if I was "toasting" her in my Nigerian parlance), while her colleagues carry out thorough primary and secondary searches on my hand luggage. I played the cool as though I was in the dark as to the motive of the search.
A few days later I read through some Nigerian and International online newspapers as usual to learn of how a renowned Nigerian Pastor was subjected to outright ridicule at an airport abroad (Source: http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2008/oct/15/national-15-10-2008-003.htm). Going by the revelation I just had to rest my case that if a man of his status could be suspected a fraudster (until proven otherwise) who am I to complain of my harrowing experience in the hands of those O' level holding Immigration Officers.
Is my bride on the way to creating a healthy and wealthy nation or she is head-rolling down the hill to self ruin, I wonder. Nigeria can be and will be great, my heart resounds, but the question that beats my guts out is WHEN? We have all collectively in one way or the other seek untenable alibi as a nation in letting our beloved nation stoop so low into a state of despondency. Someone once retorted, "Starve the people of information and you'll be able to take them captive" I stand to be corrected on my next statement and unapologetically so (at least at the time of writing this article from a hurtful heart); the Nigerian system has systematically withdrew valuable information from its citizens in order to impoverish her 150 million population. Nigerians have been starved of quality education and the void has been replaced with the belief that one can only get rich by cheating the system.
Few years back, I learnt among other things the famous Karl Marx's statement that "religion is the opium of the masses". Having been born and bred in Nigeria before striving hard to top my education with a Masters studies in the UK, I began to carry out societal and cultural comparison between Nigeria and other countries. The religious clout on the psyche of Nigerians is so powerful that we all (annoyingly so) attribute our collective failures to the will of God. While engaging in a discussion with a friend recently, I mentioned that wouldn't it be good for Nigeria to assess the level of poverty vis-a-vis the population and promulgate a law to limit the number of birth per family to, say x-number of children. True to my pessimism in asking the question, I got varied answers, a lot of which has religious intonnation from both christians and muslims alike. I began to question my sanity at that moment - Do I think differently from these chaps and if in the affirmative, WHY? Why can't we look at facts and figures of the population vis-avis the poverty level and take a positive approach (although may seem radical) to stem the skyrocketing population growth, which should benefit every Nigerian in the next 20 - 50 years, for example. We are so enmeshed in our religious clout and fail to take hard-decisions as a nation to better future generations. We (both christians and muslims) are culprits in this crime - Do we continue to quote religious verses in support of "staying glued to old norms, bearing children like guinea pigs without adequate plan for those children?"
I sometimes laugh my head off when Nigerians (in our show of undeserved pride) refer to ourselves as the giant of Africa. I would gladly support the notion that we are potentially a great African nation but not the empty, undeserved and unsubstantiated claim of being the supposedly "Power House of Africa". Are we a happy nation? Yes. Do we have a military power house to be reckoned with in Africa and the world? Yes of course, we do and I pay my respect to the men and women in the Forces who put their lives on the line for the good course of stabilising other nation in Africa. Oh the Nigerian military? No, no, no, that is a monstrous national cult and a law unto itself. I will leave the Nigerian military to another article premise. I must not however fail to give a hint of some nefarious activities of the men in "kaki" uniform. Some senior army officers wilfully deduct from the salaries of junior officers right before the monthly salary payment, or is it the usual "take this money to buy plantain in the market, take it to my house to cook" statement from male senior officers to junior female soldiers in the rank and file of the Force - the Army being a major culprit.
Can someone answer a painstaking question: Is it in the Armed Forces Decree for senior officers to treat junior officers like a piece of trash? Is it in the Forces decree for a male officer to issue command (sic) to a female officer to go and cook in his house or that she should be remanded by a "red neck" (those in Nigerian military circuit will understand this term) in a guardroom for disobeying that order. My heart bleeds for a structured, institutionalised, corrupt and morally bankrupt Nigerian military. The canker of corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of the military to an extent they parade themselves as gods. For those who may be seeking for evidence of my allegation, I must state clearly that I am a son of a retired officer and was partly raised in the barracks. I have friends, some of whom have served and are still serving in the Force - both the military and the Police. Ah The Nigeria Police keh!! "That one na another case". Just a hint here on the extent of canibalism of this monstrous institution called the Nigerian Police: It is on record that NPF is the least paid Force in West Africa let alone comparing with other Forces in the whole of Africa. Again this is not surprising to me given the extent of canibalism in the Force to such an extent retiring Police Officers cannot and will never get their gratuity and pension claims unless they pay "egunje" and guess who they have to make such payments to? Colleagues in various Departments of the Police Force of course (Source 1: Close confidants whose parents have served Nigeria only to be trapped in the cabal called the Police), (Source 2: http://www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicpage.asp?id=70001 )
"Giant of Africa we are", someone retorted in order to bring out a serial dose of venom in me. Right to his thinking I snapped - Yes we are giant of Africa when it comes to epileptic roads and electricity, non-functional education and health care system and institutionalised corruption, Giant of Africa when it comes to looting public coffers in broad day light and using same proceed to oppress the same people that elected (sorry, selected) politicians into offices. We are giant of Africa when it comes to putting perfection to silencing journalists for raising the power of their pen against the power that be. I think I should allow Sahara Reporters to put flesh on this bone (http://www.saharareporters.com). What a show of shame to be called "The Gaint of Africa".
We are, as a nation, going the way of self-ruin either as result of blatant denial of the complexity of our problem or in submission to the same religious creed we have always retorted to in the phrase "one day, one day e go better by the grace of God". Do not get me wrong, I do not in anyway suggest religion to be taken out of the equation. Far from it, the clime is we have bastardised religious belief in Nigeria to such an unprecedented scale that we now attribute everything that we ought to sort out by careful and purposeful planning to God. We seize every opportunity to add religious undertone to common sense issues we ought to sort out as any sane being. Pastors and Imams in churches and mosques have not helped matters as well. So many have led their followers to debacle of misguided religious ideologies, withdrawing vital information to set them free while feeding them with radical and obsessive religious doctrines that "keep them (the followers) coming for more" while they surfer in penury at the expense of affluent "bigmanism" lifestyle of the Pastors/Imam.
Let's take a critical long-overdue assessment the "Bride (or is it the Giant) of Africa" and let each one of us ask him/herself "Are my actions or inaction putting my beloved Nigeria on the way to self-ruin?" As my mum will always say, he who has ears let him take heed.
Roy
aderoy01@yahoo.co.uk
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