For the most part of a century and counting, there’s this seemingly-little but dangerously-spreading fire that Nigerians have been playing with. We play politics with everything: with life, with democracy, with government, with governance. Even worse, we all grin sheepishly at this mannerism as if to say that we know what we are doing is bad, but it won’t hurt us. Nigerians carry on like drug addicts and armed robbers: we understand the terminal danger of our obsession but think that ‘anyhow, anyhow’ we would escape the consequences.
Since no one has yet been charged let alone sentenced for this petty treason, it can be argued that there have been no consequences hitherto. But, we cannot say that of the country because everywhere one turns her walls bear signs of the various degrees of burns suffered. Swellings, blisters, wounds and injuries hamper movement. Who continues to wonder why Nigeria makes so much motion but very little movement?
Nigerians play politics with everything. Starting with something as priceless as life, are we not alarmed with the state of our hospitals, indeed of the health sector? In spite of humongous budgets every year, these life-giving and -saving centres have become deathtraps because someone somewhere misappropriates the funds. Mind you, this is not peculiar to low hospitals: Mrs. Aisha Buhari, God bless her, once blew the whistle on Aso Rock Clinic that should ordinarily be the best in Africa since it has the responsibility of overseeing the health needs of the continent’s number one presidency!
Alas, all that revelation by no less a person than the wife of the president drew blank. Not one person to-date has been questioned over the criminal neglect of the presidential clinic. If the fire dealt with the tortoise so blisteringly, we should stop wasting time looking for the fowl. It is because things have so degenerated that tertiary health institutions like university teaching hospitals are now the first choice for those with primary healthcare challenges such as headache, fever, etc.
Our best medical hands ship their expertise abroad; fake drugs flood our chemists; common people die in their numbers; leaders squander our commonwealth on the new elitist pastime codenamed medical tourism; but we sit there doing nothing except perhaps prayers. We carry on as if nothing is wrong while our country burns; slowly, steadily. Poorly-funded and understaffed teaching hospitals, most of them with leaking roofs and dirty environments, may soon crumble under the overweight of expectation and patronage. Is Nigeria prepared for that catastrophe?
Furthermore, the way we play politics with democracy are we sure we would withstand the horrible aftermath if things go kaput again? Look at our puerile partisanship in a fundamental ad hoc element like election. It is now political incorrectness for any party overseeing a state to allow the opposition to win even one councillorship seat. Nigerians consider party and such other nonsensical subheads above excellence in picking leaders but expect Nigeria to fare better.
Aren’t we waiting for Godot when we also play politics with government and governance? See the quality we put forward. Imagine the discourse, always about chaff never substance. And, we think Nigerians can make Heaven even here on earth?
Something big needs to happen in our leadership-followership relations. Enough of criticisms that come across more as hate speech. Granted that during the build-up to 2015, the man who is president today along with his party sowed seeds for this new low, paying them back with the same coin would hurt not accentuate our 2019. Nigerians must rise above hate.
I now spend more time in my home state of Akwa Ibom than in Abuja where I reside. These six months, I have realised that listening to the radio, reading local papers, belonging to a whatsapp group or generally mixing with the people is tantamount to taking a course in hatemongering. Of course, these bad people’s number one target is Gov. Udom Emmanuel. Well-educated persons, most of whom were in government not too long ago, take delight in maligning and insulting the person and office of governor at every turn.
I don’t know enough of other states but because President Buhari also suffers this fate, I can say that this is a national emergency. The National Assembly and National Orientation Agency working with their state equivalents must devise a carrot-and-stick approach to check this wildfire. In the meantime, handlers and minders of a chief executive made a butt of these insults must learn that the answer doesn’t lie in returning fire for fire. In fact, these aides must know that it is an unforgivable comedown for a leader or his/her team member to join issues publicly with anyone, much less someone within jurisdiction.
Last Wednesday, a public relations guru, Dr. Udeme Nana, wrote some instructive literature entitled Ronaldo’s latest lessons. The don talked about what transpired the night before between Juventus home fans and the Portuguese international when Real Madrid, visited for the first leg of UEFA Champions League quarterfinal match. The Italians simply picked on Cristiano, booing his every touch and move. Yet, the five-time world footballer of the year refused to lose focus.
At the end of the game, the same fans rose in unison to salute the thorough professional’s five-star performance complete with a brace one of which came from a stunning bicycle kick. He simply bowed and applauded them. Dr. Nana’s classic conclusion namely that if political leaders ignored distractions intended by hateful criticisms they could perform so well that the same mob that chorused ‘crucify, crucify’ would sing ‘hosanna, hosanna’ is one optimism that’s commonsensical and achievable. God bless Nigeria!