We celebrated our fiftieth anniversary of independence some days ago and it was a most remarkable event for many reasons good, bad and ugly (actually this sounds like a cliché and I do not like them!). Anyway if you must know I did not participate in the Independence Day celebrations as my mind was filled with many issues that seemed not to be able to go away and all of them had to do with Nigeria. Trust me I am a patriotic Nigerian but in truth I did not see any reason to celebrate except for the fact that our corporate existence as a nation is still intact.
My first grouse with the Federal Government as represented by President Goodluck Jonathan and his cabinet was the decision to spend about 10 billion naira on the celebrations. Whether it was 10 billion or even 6 billion as recommended by you know who, it was in bad taste. This in a nation where we are still waiting for the time when power supply will be uninterrupted and potable water will be made available and affordable to all. According to statistics available from international organisations, about 70% of people in our nation live on less than 1 dollar a day and we are one of the richest nations in the world in terms of natural resources but at the same time one of the poorest. That is one of the troubling paradoxes that define our corporate existence as a nation!
The bombing issue did not even help matters too as people for whom the bombs were not intended ended up being killed thus sending them to premature graves. Talk of Nigerians hitting out at other Nigerians! Violence in my opinion will never be the solution as long as social (re)engineering is still an option. I hope those concerned are listening and assimilating.
The 75 million naira cake was the most preposterous news item I had heard in recent times. If 75 entrepreneurs like me with sound minds and viable business ideas had been given one million naira each to invest in their business would that not have made better sense and impacted more lives positively. Is national independence all about eating a piece of the national cake (in the literal sense)? In a country where the manufacturing sub-sector of the economy still contributes less than 10% to the GDP of our country do you not think we still have a lot to do in terms of revamping our economy and thus improving the quality of life of her citizens?
Apparently pissed off with the inaction and double standards of the government, a group of people called naija cyber activists hacked into the website of the national assembly and posted a one-page letter on the home page. While reading the letter the only thing that came to my mind was that people were getting pissed off and could not be patient any longer.
Elections are coming next year and these same leaders who have proven to be permanently bereft of ideas will want to remain in office. Are you thinking what I am thinking? God forbid that it should be so!
Young people in the nooks and crannies of this nation must register to vote and make sure they come out to vote when the time comes. Enough of this indolence and nonchalance, the time to get involved is now.
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