Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: government

  • Our Winter of Discontent

    Our Winter of Discontent

    By Dapo Akande

    Free provision of food and water. Atypical orderly queues. Free medical care. Free legal representation. Spontaneous crowdfunding to purchase a prosthetic leg for a female amputee protester who refused to be deterred. Fund raising target was N1.5m in one month. N4.1m raised in three hours. Lesson; accompany compassion with will and anything is possible.

    Raised banners. Fluttering national flags. Impassioned anthem singing…then a rain of bullets. Sudden tragedy. Eerie screams. Pandemonium. So who amongst these were thugs? Tuesday, October 20, 2020 was yet another dark day for our fledgling democracy. Yet another, because it wasn’t the first. Over 300 Shiites were reportedly killed in cold blood by our armed forces in 2015. The IPOB propagators suffered a similar fate. Lesson; injustice meted out anywhere is injustice everywhere. Never turn a blind eye because it doesn’t directly affect you. One day it may arrive at your doorstep.

    Many western nations are preparing for a potentially harrowing winter as Covid 19 cases spike. The annual season of influenza approaches and portends a winter of discontent, if we’re to borrow a line from Shakespeare. Nigeria, blessed with comparatively low cases of the dreaded Coronavirus has yet again used it’s own hands to invite a disaster that should never have been. The utterly heartless and cowardly slaughter of unarmed and peaceful protesting youths, has foolishly ushered in it’s own winter of discontent.

    Fed up with staring hopelessly into a bleak future, our youths finally came of age to say enough is enough. Attracting the admiration and respect of all well meaning Nigerians, they took to the streets in the most spontaneous yet orderly, legal and organized fashion to register their discontent. I, for one, doff my hat to them not just because they’ve finally woken up to the fact that power resides in their hands (no matter what anybody says) but because of the incredibly efficient, clever and united way in which they did it. They displayed a front of solidarity rarely seen on these shores, which thankfully put a lie to the tribal, religious divisions that the old guard have sold to us for far too long. It brought tears of pride to my eyes to watch as the Christians amongst them formed a wall of protection around their Muslim brothers and sisters as they took to their Friday Jumat prayers. The Muslims reciprocated by standing by the Christian faithful during the Sunday service. Such simple gestures of camaraderie speak volumes and to me signify the birth of a new Nigeria. One where the lies of the past have finally been exposed for what they are, lies.

    By far the largest demographic group in the country, with about 70% of the population under the age of 35, whichever way they go, the country must surely go. They only needed to come to that realization and it looks like they finally have. Their time has come and no bullet, no senseless thugs, no method of intimidation and no divide and rule tactic can stop them. They hold the future and by God’s grace, they will arrive there.

    It pleases me that people are finally waking up to the fact that we shouldn’t have to fast and pray for God to elevate one of our relatives or friends to a government position before we should hope to enjoy the good life. We can no longer wait patiently for crumbs to fall off our “benefactor’s” table. Every Nigerian, no matter where he hails from, his religion or who he knows or doesn’t know, should have high hopes of living the good life as long as he’s willing to work hard and work smart. Ask those in societies that work and they will tell you that you don’t need to be a millionaire to live a comfortable and meaningful life. You don’t have to be rich to buy a new car, give your children a good education, have peace of mind that any medical eventuality would be met without much struggle or even take your family on annual holidays; something considered a luxury by 99% of Nigerians but which Oyinbo has since realized is critical for his health and a sense of well being. It takes its place amongst the plethora of factors which determine a nation’s average life expectancy and partly explains the gap of over 25 years between that of Nigeria and that of Western Europe.

    About 70% of illnesses can be linked to stress and unfortunately, we have plenty of that here. Is it the endless hours spent in traffic or the absence of constant electricity supply which makes restful sleep an impossibility for the majority? Or is it having to sleep with one eye open because of the horrendous security situation? Or the constant harassment by security forces and the agony of having to part with money that was already not enough? Stress is something we have adapted to living with but only few realize that adapting to it does nothing to minimize the damage it does to our health. Contrary to popular belief, you’re not strong or tough because you’re able to work like a jack ass without taking commensurate rest, you’re just foolish. Sooner or later one’s body will tell one that. Don’t let that be you.

    Back to being rich or not rich. I will add this. In countries where leaders lead and don’t rule; where leaders respect the rights of the people to aspire to a good life; where the social contract is clear about what the people should expect of their government and what the government should in turn expect of their people that will enable them (government) fulfill their obligations, you don’t even have to be rich to own your own house. Lee Kuan Yew read his people well and concluded that a people opportuned to live in their own houses will be more patriotic and will fervently protect the stability of their society because they have too much to lose. Acutely conscious of their tangible stake in it they’ll never watch it burn.

    All we need to enjoy all the above is good governance and that can only be the fall out of having leaders that care. To our most recent fallen heroes, may you rest in peace, in the knowledge that your ultimate sacrifice shall not be in vain. A grateful and mournful nation acknowledges you and says thank you.

    Changing the nation…one mind at a time.

    Oladapo Akande is a Surrey University (UK) English graduate with a Masters in Professional Ethics. He’s an alumnus of the National Institute for Transformation and a two time author; The Last Flight and Shifting Anchors. He writes from Lagos.

  • Power Is Nothing Without Control – Part 2

    Power Is Nothing Without Control – Part 2

    By Dapo Akande

    The Aussies, known for their love of beer or the Amber Nectar, as they like to call it, are an interesting people. If you think you’re a big beer drinker, then try challenging an Australian to a drinking contest. I can assure you, he’lI drink you under the table, any day. Aussies literally drink like fish.

    There was a great advert in the United Kingdom for Castlemaine 4X which parodied this, several decades ago. In preparation for a barbecue (another thing Aussies are known for) party, two men were seen leaning on a truck in the outback (desert like area of Australia) and patiently watching while the drinks for the party were being loaded up. What were they being loaded unto? A trailer. What were the variety of drinks? No variety, only Castlemaine 4X.

    Only after totally overloading the trailer with Castlemaine 4X beer to the point where one could clearly hear the trailer creaking under the sheer weight of it, did they remember that they hadn’t packed any drinks for the women. Very casually, with folded arms and a can of Castlemaine 4X he was already drinking in hand, one of the two men said to the other who was doing exactly the same, “I guess we better add a couple of bottles of wine for the Sheilas (ladies)?” His friend agreed and promptly, two bottles of wine were plonked on top of the hundreds of crates of beer. The two men were shown looking satisfied that they had done a good job and then the camera quickly shot back to the trailer as we heard the creaking increase and before we knew it the trailer came crashing down. Without the slightest hint of any panic but with undisguised regret, one of the two men said to the other, “I guess we over did it for the Sheilas”, to which his friend in equal regret just uttered, “yeah”.

    The men in the advert above who felt, “Na we dey there” packed the trailer to overload with beer, pampering to their selfish whims and giving little to no thought to the interest of others. Their greed, powerlessness to rein in their voracious appetite when opportunity came knocking to satisfy it and total misuse of position and chance to meet the needs of all, eventually caused the trailer to collapse, so it could not even move anywhere. In the end it didn’t serve anyone’s interest as the drinks were needed at their party.

    Forecourt of the State House/Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Nigerian Government seat of power.

    But the saddest part about the whole scenario was this; they didn’t ascribe the trailer’s collapse to their greed at all. They blamed it on the two bottles of wine they patted themselves on the back for so thoughtfully including for the women.

    Likewise, the problem with Nigeria from the perspective of our political leaders is not current poor leadership but the people who are in too much of a hurry to enjoy a good life. The same good life the majority have been denied all their lives, frustratingly in the midst of plenty. Our leaders will brag in the media about accomplishments which the ordinary man can barely see or feel and explain it away with the usual mantra that government resources are limited, therefore people should understand.

    As far as they’re concerned, the lack of good hospitals, good roads, good educational system and the most dismal looking future for coming generations of Nigerians actually has little to do with their current performance and only to do with the corruption and profligacy of past leaders. Like the two Aussie men, they calmly try to explain away something which is so painfully obvious.

    We urgently need to do something about the average Nigerian’s “do you know me?” attitude. “Don’t try me, I’m a mad man. My head no dey correct o” mentality. It beats me, why anyone would boast of not being normal in the head. I just can’t understand why people brag about something which should ordinarily be a source of concern to any normal person.

    Both the “big men” and “small men” in the streets boast of their “power” and threaten to show their antagonists who they are. It’s just unfortunate that neither the big nor the small oppressor has yet realized that they’re both in the same category – they’re both small minded people – who only feel big by demeaning others. All such are nothing but “small men” no matter their position or financial wherewithal.

    I don’t see how such oppressors are any different to wife beaters. Included in this category of wife beaters are the few bad eggs amongst our uniformed men, whose presence ought to be a source of comfort to the citizenry but decide instead to use it to physically or psychologically brutalize those unable to fight back. In the same category are people in positions of authority who instead of using their position to provide an enabling environment and make things happen opt instead to plant endless bureaucratic bottlenecks and strangulate all effort to catalyze industry, just because they can. I ask you, how different to wife beaters are those who boast of past appointments held, not to remind us of how well they transformed the lives of ordinary Nigerians while they were there but to now brandish such credentials as a licence to intimidate and belittle those they supposedly went there to serve? All the above are “little men” but if only they knew. Nigerians are still reeling from one such case but I doff my hat to the individual in question for offering an unreserved apology to the victim and Nigerians in general; a rarity in these climes, I must say.

    Sadly, like the case of the two Aussies who were presented with a golden opportunity to meet the needs of all but were blinded by an unrestrained desire to satisfy themselves only, the ship called Nigeria is stuck and currently appears to be moving no where. Power, just for the sake of it is far from a blessing, it’s an albatross.

    Changing the nation…one mind at a time

    Oladapo Akande is a Surrey University (UK) English graduate with a Masters in Professional Ethics. He’s an alumnus of the National Institute for Transformation and a two time author; The Last Flight and Shifting Anchors. He writes from Lagos.