Nigeria@47: Toiling On

Today, as I consider the situation of things in Nigeria on this 46^th anniversary of Nigeria's Independence, I am gripped by feelings of sadness. Indeed, I see no reason to rejoice when I consider the wasted years; I see no cause to be jubilant when Nigeria staggers behind in virtually every socio-economic index despite being blessed abundantly by material and human resources; I see no motivation to celebrate when all I see and hear about Nigeria are dispiritingly sad tales of poverty, wretchedness, strife, administrative ineptitude, unbridled corruption, ethnic violence, religious violence and crumbling infrastructure. This is made even more painful when you consider the bounteous and shocking revelations of presidential, vice-presidential and gubernatorial misappropriation of public funds and executive lawlessness splashed on our newspapers regularly.

Nevertheless, ordinary Nigerians must not let themselves be permanently frustrated. Yes, even though elites and members of Nigeria's conscienceless, plundering political class have determined with shameless gusto to loot this country to her knees (and into abject penury), ordinary Nigerians must realize that they should and can still bring the force of the majority to bear in the direction of the country. This is the 21^st century and ignorance of the behavioral constitution and political precedents of current political office-seekers must not be allowed to rob the great mass of Nigerians the capacity to make informed judgment in the next political dispensation. To that end, it has become necessary to demystify and debilitate that titanic force of unaccountability and political hegemony called the PDP. Also, as more and more Nigerians read and familiarize themselves with the stinking corruption on the part of their political representatives, it is my hope that when next they go to the polls, they do not let themselves be blinded by the deceptive campaigns of political jingoists and sycophantic seekers of filthy lucre who would unmistakably arise to launder the image of many a discredited politician. Furthermore, public support and open campaigns should be given to those officials and institutions/organizations who are dedicated to equity and restoring sanity, fiscal accountability and discipline to the polity.

On the other hand, the frightening thing is that Nigeria's many problems—as well as possible solutions—have been extensively discussed in the past and are still being tackled in many treatises now. In general, any Nigerian who has bothered to search or ask questions is intimately familiar with possible solutions. But why have these familiar solutions not translated into success in Nigeria? It is precisely because of the collapse of the law-enforcing arm of the government and its unquestioning service to the whims and caprices of a very corrupt center. It is no wonder that many people who are now opining on the way out of Nigeria's mess are beginning right at the base—which is to radically restructure the current political structure of this geographical expression. This alternative remains very attractive if the end-result is an across-the-board sanitation of the polity in true Rawlingesque fashion; devolution of power away from the center; and the facilitation of the ascendancy of skilled and principled men and women whose motivation is public service and not illicit material gain.