WHITHER NIGERIA?

I try my best to look at the brighter side of things each time I think, speak or write about Nigeria. I consider it a service to my country not to be a doomsday provocateur. But these days maintaining one’s sanity and positivity is becoming increasingly challenging. I have posited time and again that we have focused too much on electoral politics and that it weakens the same institutions we elect our leaders to superintend. Can there be democracy without the rule of law? Can the rule of law be upheld without a strong, independent judiciary and police force? If something urgent isn’t done to savage the situation, all plausible indices show that our dear country, Nigeria, is nose-diving into the abyss.

The big lie that we are is taking the shine off our potential for greatness; we have become a source of comedy to the international community. We are the laughingstock of the world, yet we seem clueless about it. It is only in Nigeria that a registered private jet would take off from the Presidential Wing of an international airport stacked with $9.3 million cash (a society preaching cashless economy) and land in another sovereign country in total disrespect for all known international protocols on money laundering. And when the authorities in South Africa arrested the two Nigerians and one Israeli in possession of the confiscated sum of money, a real Pandora’s Box was blown open: the three men were meant to procure weapons with the money on behalf of the Nigerian government! It turns out that the South African government didn’t license the company they intended to do business with! The whole thing stinks. Who are these people? Who are the arms intended for? Are these some of the arms we find with terrorists and cannot explain how they have arrived in our land?

If we were a sane society, we should be asking the airport authorities, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria and security agencies how they managed to miss what the South African authorities intercepted. We would have seen some high-level resignations and arrests. We should be getting answers on how the Nigerian government had to “borrow” a private jet belonging to a man of God to procure arms when there are 10-12 jets in the Presidential Fleet. Yet, we cannot ask questions or raise concern because we don’t have institutions strong enough to provide answers. Our legislators have stood down a debate on the matter, as they see no need.

  

While we were breaking all protocols and conventions known to man and flouting the local laws of a fellow African country, back home, a church building has collapsed, killing around 115 people on religious tourism. Of that number, 85 people were from – guess where – South Africa! An apparent case of negligence and violation of set regulations was twisted into a cock-and-bull story of terrorism and perhaps a witch-hunt. No protection for the believers; no information for us.  Even if our government is insensitive to the criminal and/or diplomatic implications of its actions in the $9.3 million scam and its inaction in the issue of the collapsed sanctuary, shouldn’t it at least be mindful of the wellbeing of its Diaspora citizens? The South African media has commenced a sneer campaign on Nigeria and Nigerians. We should be mindful that our own silence makes us complicit in it. 

Nigerians in South Africa are being targeted afresh for attacks because back home the recklessness continues and even if there were a probe, it would amount to nothing, as our rule of law continues to be trampled upon with impunity.

We may never know what brought down that Synagogue building. Nigeria is a country of absurdities and we seem OK with it.

So long as ethnicity, religion and venality are thrown in the mix of our extractive socio-political system, core institutions responsible for checks and balances will continue to be defeated. If we cannot speak the truth or protect our laws for fear of being labeled, then greater injustices will continue to ravage us. The power play unfolding in Taraba State is a microcosm of the corruption of our government and the weakness of our institutions. There are two governors in Taraba and no government. A parasitic cabal has retained an evidently incapacitated governor, thereby preventing the constitutional process that would have paved way for the transition of power to his deputy. The biggest losers in this distasteful opera are the people of Taraba whose state has been floating for the better part of two years.

Meanwhile our President is silent, but represented us at the United Nations Security Council meeting and gave an address on terrorism and how to prevent it.

Heaven help us!