When I look at the condition of Nigeria I prefer to liken her to the state of a person who is blind, deaf and dumb and also lame. faced with doubled barreled, hydra headed, multifarious problems and challenges the country seems to have no cure for its numerous ailments which has persistently troubled it from independence.
Paramount among them is indiscipline and corruption which has permeated every sector of our existence as a nation. public offices, private establishments, educational sector and even within religious institution are not left out. loot after loot, money laundering and economic misappropriation by public servants has crippled the nation. we cannot move forward because a few greedy folks takes and keeps all for themselves.
Nigeria is blind because it has refused to see through the future the world is driving at, lack of vision the Holy book says leads to destruction. a critical look at the our development shows that we have been groping in darkness. that we have failed to grow with the rest of the world. Energy drives the world and Electric power remains one of the greatest tools of industrialization and development. this has continued to elude Nigeria which keeps struggling between producing 4000 to 5000 megawatts of power for a country of over 180 million people. a country where millions of dollars invested into bringing electricity for the citizens have not yielded the much desired results. we have lost meaningful and job creating industries who leave the shores of this country to places where they can fight cheap and accessible power. “Let there be light and there was light ” seems to have been declared in every other places as Nigeria remains in darkness which has continued to rule unhindered.
What do I say about the present advancement towards solar energy happening in every other place except Nigeria. all we get is colourful statements by politicians who are not ready to bate an eyelid after they get hold of power or of the non existing power programs displayed on screens of national television which turn out to be dramatic adventures in the end. Yes, Nigeria is blind when generator sets become almost the sole provider of electricity in homes with its attendant sound and air pollution. when electricity bills costs more than house rents and the transmitted power are not even commensurate with cost. when companies spend so much in production which end up affecting market price leading to inflation and economic depression. workers are laid off and the few remaining ones are made to work under inhumane conditions. we need light. Nigeria needs electricity to grow.
Nigeria is deaf! the Educational sector of Nigeria weeps. it weeps because of low investment, it weeps because of the systemic decline in standard, the gradual but steady depreciation and devaluation occurring presently. Examination malpractice and lack of necessary equipments and facilities which aid effective learning has held the nation bound. worst still is the fact that employment is not available for graduates who go about searching for non existing white collar jobs. the very few vacancies are left and preserved for inheritance for family members by those who are currently in service. job racketeering, scam and fraud has become rampant. and the public service which is supposed to reflect federal character as provided by section 14 (3) CFRN has been continually contravened even in high places. ethnicity, tribalism, nepotism and partiality has continued to reign unhindered. How will parents be encouraged to send their children to the University and students motivated to study when the society is littered with many frustrated and unemployed graduates. when support for advancement of the educational system is not forthcoming and our various institutions left to rot in decays. learning has since passed theorizing, our professors and lecturers has failed to realize that things have changed and the knowledge of yesteryears can no longer stand in the light of recent circumstances. they have failed to catch up speed with the changing time and latest trends. you actually become what you hear. your knowledge most times is limited to what you are taught. but how can the Nigerian students learn new things when their teachers operate with old ideas. both formal and informal education suffers the same fate. our parents are becoming too busy to tell us what it means to be human in a world which is becoming overwhelming for us and our teachers are less interested in impacting us with the needed information. all this culminate into a society of uniformed people, a Legion of deaf men and women who hears and understands nothing. we have failed to realize that knowledge is power and ideas rule the world. Nigeria needs to hear, Nigeria needs to learn new things, new approach, new ideas that will drive her towards development.
Nigeria is dumb. The widening communication breach between the governed and those who govern is becoming a sad condition. where people are not abreast with government programs and activities and are not allowed to make reasonable contributions into their own governance. it’s more confusing when conflicting informations are released by government officials which turns out to be lies most of the time. our military lacks intelligence to combat insurgency. nothing can be dumber than that the terrorists groups seems to have a more coordinated procedure of operation than our military due to lack of communication. without communication relationships fails. tribal wars and religious attack has become a daily occurrence in Nigeria because of the deepening divide between ethnic lines. what our religious leaders teach in different places of worship are sadly unacceptable. hate speeches, bigotry, discrimination has torn our society into shreds . we must stop closing our mouths and begin to talk, begin to negotiate and find common grounds to unite our people. the use of force to quell the Niger Delta rebellion and protest is not the best option. killing and maiming biafran agitators does not solve the problem. shooting and detaining shiite Muslims will only create more divisions . it is high time all parties come to terms in a roundtable and start introducing measures aimed at arriving at peaceful and reasonable conclusions and agreements. the media houses and information centres are no longer true to their calling, partisan reportage and brown envelope journalism has affected the quality of information Nigerians receive. communication is key to bettering the society. Nigerians need true and unbiased information and again silence is no better option. we must also learn to be positive in our comments on national issues.
Nigeria is lame! it’s common knowledge that our roads are death traps. economic activities are hampered and hindered when there are no good roads to ply. businesses are saddled and paralyzed because goods cannot be conveyed from one part of the nation to the other. incidents of trucks falling as they transport goods and petrol tankers bursting into flames as they convey fuel is becoming destabilizing. what has been done to better the situation? nothing.! dilapidated, impaired and in complete disrepair is all we have to say about our roads. no political will to repair them and after using them for campaigns they are left just the way they are. this must have to stop. to save our nation from economic paralysis and immobility. our train services and airports needs more investments in to optimize their efficiency. the roads should be fixed to ameliorate the sufferings of the Nigerian people who have to spend more than necessary time on the road due to the bad conditions of our roads. let’s make our roads good again. and save the transportation sector from grinding to a halt. we must continue moving.
It’s obvious that we need urgent attention and help if not we are heading to a total system collapse. and to every ailment there is a particular cure. let’s cure Nigeria before we loose her to infirmities.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NJOKU DAVID CHIBUEZE is a law graduate, President Legal Ideas Forum Int’l, a legal author and writer.
Copyright Reserved
© 2017
For knowledge and Justice