When the Jungle Matures

 

 

 

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ (Jeremiah 31v29)

 

 

One word readily describes the macroeconomic environment called Nigeria. That word is paradox. Nigeria is a paradox. Or how else do you describe a nation so blessed with abundance of resources yet majority wallow in abject poverty? In the piece I express solemn thoughts on the most populous black nation which has remained a potential for decades. This is my lamentation for my fatherland.

 

 

There was a country is what a son of the soil recently asserted about a beloved nation. The elements that make a nation is lacking in the Nigerian set up was what another said. A failed state is what many outside her shores proclaim about her. They have even predicted her breakup with dates earmarked. Ungovernable she has become. Her soul bleeds. Her children  are sacrificed on the altar of wicked lofty enterprises. Her innocence is taken away in a sudden flight. She is raped and plundered by those who love her not. The best of her has failed. Her jungle has matured. The day has broken.

 

 

So what is wrong with her? What or who is responsible for her woes? What will become of her? These are the questions on the minds of those that give a hoot about her. There are many versions of what could pass for truth. It is self preservation to test all things to be able to hold fast to what is true. The good book instructs the wise to despise not prophesying. Maybe there is truth in everything that is being said about us? or maybe not?

 

 

I have been taught that a nation deserves the type of leaders she gets. If this  philosophy is true, then it means that there is something fundamentally not right with Nigerians or maybe not. We cannot separate nationals from the nation. Can we? Indeed, Nigerians make Nigeria what she is. It is only logical to reason that a nation is a constellation of its people. 

 

 

The legend has it that this land was not always like this. The story been told is that there was a time in this beautiful land when dignity of labour and human life counted for something. Where sincerity of purpose was a prized virtue. Can the same be said of us today? They call it the good old days. Where has the good old days drifted away to? Have they disappeared like the Garden of Eden guarded with the cherubims?

 

 

Could it be that the siege in our then nascent democratic governance engineered by the maiden military intervention in politics created the anarchy which we now live in? I heard when the military came on board, they suspended the constitution to rule by decrees. They did more. I heard they also forcefully retrenched the top echelon of the civil service. These are not far fetched or are they? I witnessed as a child the much bastardizations by the men in Khaki. It is not news that the military reigns and rule supreme using force to gain legitimacy (the acceptance of authority).

 

 

So when they retrenched these civil servants, men who conveniently led a comfortable life had to suddenly adjust to a new reality. A man who could afford to pay his bills without having to corner public funds had to live on shoe strings budget. The gun men took away his lifestyle. They forced him into the survival mode. You can be sure that the elephants never forget. The junior staff in the civil service saw with their eyes how their forerunners were treacherously dealt with. What do you think that does to their psyche?

 

 

If this theory (conspiracy or not) is true, then it is logical to conclude what exactly is wrong with us. Today, an average Nigerian is perpetually living in a survival mode. He is reminded what it means to be at the base of the pyramid where your meagre income is constantly raped by the harsh forces of stagflation (severe inflation + unemployment). I guess Abraham Maslow was right after all. The survival instinct is strongest in man as a specie. This is the bane of our society. This is what is responsible for our many woes. Did I hear you say no wonder?

 

 

I have often rhetorically asked why the most cherished reward in this country is material in nature? The answer is up in my face. The culture of my country is built on filthy lucre (money). Corruption permeates every membrane. It is everywhere you turn even in religious institutions. It cuts across the social ladder. Everyone is trying to survive at all cost. If you ever get the chance to escape the snatching grip of lack to become at least comfortable, you will never want to go back. The poor is trying to survive by all means possible. Hunger does not recognise rules.

 

 

So where do we go from here? Or do we keep hoping that someday a miracle will occur to transform this nation? I personally doubt if galactic intervention alone will be sufficient for us to become a nation of goodly values. Most of us seem to agree that we cannot continue like this because, this is not sustainable. I even heard our oil wells will soon dry up at a not too distant future. I believe that time does not change anything. Our choice to re-define out pedestal is what delivers change. Every object remains at a state of rest until an external force acts on it. Many things must change but first and foremost we must change. I will take the liberty to highlight some things that must happen for us to become a nation where dreams come true. These are not exhaustive but mere insights into what has come to me as practical.

 

 

1. The life of a Nigerian (irrespective of who or what they are or have) must count for something. There is a piece of God in every Nigerian. Every Nigerian deserves the Good Life.

 

2. We must have consequences. We must let go of our culture of impunity. A nation where anything goes is like a city without walls. Such an arrangement leads to anarchy. We should know by now that we cannot pay lip service to doing the right thing. Justice is a prerequisite for achieving order. We need equitable justice at every level. The love of the country must be first in order.

 

3. A nation is first a spiritual entity. The religious entities must quit the unbecoming commercialization of the God idea and play genuine role in the spiritual maturation of the society. God is the Governor among the nations and let every one that calls the name of God depart from iniquity.

 

 

To the most important bone of contention which bothers on how and who must lead the change? I agree that we need a critical mass of people in critical sectors who will lead the change. It is desirable to for instance have a national leader (President) who embodies the attributes of a level five leader. We have been taught that humility and empathy are the principal qualities of leaders who lead from Good to Great.

 

 

Bill Clinton posited in his memoirs (Back to work) that America is at its core, an idea where if one is willing to work hard and pay the price, one's dreams should come true. Nigeria may have failed the acid test ratio of a country. Perhaps we lack the critical mass of the patriotic sentiments that makes a nation but, there is a Nigerian Dream espoused in our nation's creed (Our Anthem and Pledge). To the naysayers, unbelievers and the unrepentant goons of saboteurs, Nigeria remains an idea sponsored by God himself. Surely and assuredly, her tomorrow is greater than her yesterday and her today. This is because she will make the right choices from now on. She will do the right things.



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