I don’t know if you watched CNN as the New Year meandered and navigated
its way from one continent to the other and a geographical location to
another. If you did, you would have seen, and possibly witnessed, some
spectacular displays, the type never paraded before. You would have been stunned, like me, about the advancement of science and technology in these interesting times.
You would probably have marvelled, and seriously wondered, if indeed we
live on the same planet or we are the original inhabitants of the
Planet of Apes...
I first visited Dubai over a decade ago and returned two years ago to see the eighth wonder of the world. I could not believe or imagine the complete transfiguration that had occurred within the decade. It then dawned on me that it should not take a thousand years to build a Rome if Rome would ever be built. And that every innovation or development requires some planning, pain and determination...
Back home in my country our idea of celebrating the Christmas and New Year was limited and restricted to distributing cows, bags of rice and vegetable oil as a form of gratification and political patronage.
Our governments, at all levels, have resisted the necessary change from this archaic way of doing things. I heard authoritatively some Ministries were instructed to contribute huge sums of money towards the purchase of these gifts. Some wealthy politicians and especially political office holders went beyond the gifts by offering cash donations as part political strategy. It is an indication of our state of poverty, ignorance and desperation. The leaders believe they don’t owe the citizens any more than these token and tawdry gestures. The followers on the other hand are grateful for this pittance or crumbs from the masters’ tables.
Unfortunately, the bulk of the money allocated for these gifts often end up in the hands of favoured contractors or acolytes who are never capable of delivering quality services. The gifts also go to the wrong people who really don’t need them. Why on earth will any reasonable human being send cows to billionaires? Isn’t it senseless to bestow cows on people who can afford to buy elephants? Why would any rational government official approve an allocation of a cow to the fiery preacher, Pastor Tunde Bakare, who would naturally not only return to sender but also alert the public about the recklessness and financial prodigality on display?
This money could have been spent wisely on fixing some of our glaring problems. The way we blow money here does not reflect the true state of things. It is as if our governments exist only for all manner of endless jamborees and nothing tangible can ever be conceptualised, executed and delivered. We spend billions of Naira every year on funding pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem. I’ve not read it anywhere that the people who brought these religions to us made it mandatory that our governments must fund what is at best a personal communion with Creator or Faith. I see nothing wrong in government facilitating a smooth journey for intending pilgrims but paying money that should have been used for our collective development to a few individuals is overkill.
The problem is very simple. No Nigerian leader is ready to think outside the box or take the compulsory risk for change. Change must of necessity cause some discomfort. Change will always make a leader unpopular. Change is likely to step on powerful toes. Change may even consume the changer. But it is a risk worth taking. If properly executed, the worst critics may soon become the biggest fanatics.
A leader who maintains the status quo with all his energy will never go far. A leader who desperately craves a second term in office will ultimately become imprisoned in his gilded cage. It is sad and saddening that this is how we have been configured. We waste too much resource on things we can do without. Why would a nation in crisis allocate a chunky part of its budget on increasing the number of aircrafts on the presidential fleet? In Ghana, President Rawlings sold off most of their planes and flew on passenger flights. It did not diminish his stature or status in any way. The world actually applauded his prudence and saw hope in the horizon for a country that was once on its knees. The elites, moaned, groaned and changed his name from Junior Jesus to Junior Judas but Rawlings knew some sacrifice had to be made.
He was able to set a new stage for future leaders. When President John Agyegum Kufuor came to power, he lived in his personal home for eight years and went to office from there. President John Evans Atta Mills lived for most part of his tenure in a private Estate and avoided wasting Ghana’s scarce resources. Even the current President John Dramani Mahama has tried his best to maintain a low profile. He’s been able to tackle a major energy crisis while we’ve not been able to even stem our perennial power outages, after squandering trillions to boot.
The President is the barometer by which a country’s seriousness is measured. In Nigeria, most of our Governors are like mini Presidents. You can’t blame them if they copy only the bad habits from the very top. Things would improve when the Presidency sets a new tempo of austerity measures that are very visible and not hypocritical. It can be done if the President and his team decide and agree to downgrade their lifestyle and block the drainpipe. I’m reasonably convinced that they know what to do but just find it hard to compromise their personal comfort by discarding some of the appurtenances of power. I pray it is not too late for such a miracle to occur.
Unfortunately, no one can help a government if is unwilling to help itself. Despite promises upon promises to the contrary, the present set of leaders are likely to be remembered for the wrong reasons. History is likely to record them as a group with great potential who threw everything into the trash bin. It smacks of chronic lack of ambition for leaders to be distributing cows, rice and oil to some privileged citizens at this time and age as if we are a colony of refugees. I believe we can do much better than this. All tiers of governments must have mercy and compassion on Nigeria.
What shall it profit a leader who spent four to eight years recycling the madness he inherited and left the country the same way or worse than he met it?
I first visited Dubai over a decade ago and returned two years ago to see the eighth wonder of the world. I could not believe or imagine the complete transfiguration that had occurred within the decade. It then dawned on me that it should not take a thousand years to build a Rome if Rome would ever be built. And that every innovation or development requires some planning, pain and determination...
Back home in my country our idea of celebrating the Christmas and New Year was limited and restricted to distributing cows, bags of rice and vegetable oil as a form of gratification and political patronage.
Our governments, at all levels, have resisted the necessary change from this archaic way of doing things. I heard authoritatively some Ministries were instructed to contribute huge sums of money towards the purchase of these gifts. Some wealthy politicians and especially political office holders went beyond the gifts by offering cash donations as part political strategy. It is an indication of our state of poverty, ignorance and desperation. The leaders believe they don’t owe the citizens any more than these token and tawdry gestures. The followers on the other hand are grateful for this pittance or crumbs from the masters’ tables.
Unfortunately, the bulk of the money allocated for these gifts often end up in the hands of favoured contractors or acolytes who are never capable of delivering quality services. The gifts also go to the wrong people who really don’t need them. Why on earth will any reasonable human being send cows to billionaires? Isn’t it senseless to bestow cows on people who can afford to buy elephants? Why would any rational government official approve an allocation of a cow to the fiery preacher, Pastor Tunde Bakare, who would naturally not only return to sender but also alert the public about the recklessness and financial prodigality on display?
This money could have been spent wisely on fixing some of our glaring problems. The way we blow money here does not reflect the true state of things. It is as if our governments exist only for all manner of endless jamborees and nothing tangible can ever be conceptualised, executed and delivered. We spend billions of Naira every year on funding pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem. I’ve not read it anywhere that the people who brought these religions to us made it mandatory that our governments must fund what is at best a personal communion with Creator or Faith. I see nothing wrong in government facilitating a smooth journey for intending pilgrims but paying money that should have been used for our collective development to a few individuals is overkill.
The problem is very simple. No Nigerian leader is ready to think outside the box or take the compulsory risk for change. Change must of necessity cause some discomfort. Change will always make a leader unpopular. Change is likely to step on powerful toes. Change may even consume the changer. But it is a risk worth taking. If properly executed, the worst critics may soon become the biggest fanatics.
A leader who maintains the status quo with all his energy will never go far. A leader who desperately craves a second term in office will ultimately become imprisoned in his gilded cage. It is sad and saddening that this is how we have been configured. We waste too much resource on things we can do without. Why would a nation in crisis allocate a chunky part of its budget on increasing the number of aircrafts on the presidential fleet? In Ghana, President Rawlings sold off most of their planes and flew on passenger flights. It did not diminish his stature or status in any way. The world actually applauded his prudence and saw hope in the horizon for a country that was once on its knees. The elites, moaned, groaned and changed his name from Junior Jesus to Junior Judas but Rawlings knew some sacrifice had to be made.
He was able to set a new stage for future leaders. When President John Agyegum Kufuor came to power, he lived in his personal home for eight years and went to office from there. President John Evans Atta Mills lived for most part of his tenure in a private Estate and avoided wasting Ghana’s scarce resources. Even the current President John Dramani Mahama has tried his best to maintain a low profile. He’s been able to tackle a major energy crisis while we’ve not been able to even stem our perennial power outages, after squandering trillions to boot.
The President is the barometer by which a country’s seriousness is measured. In Nigeria, most of our Governors are like mini Presidents. You can’t blame them if they copy only the bad habits from the very top. Things would improve when the Presidency sets a new tempo of austerity measures that are very visible and not hypocritical. It can be done if the President and his team decide and agree to downgrade their lifestyle and block the drainpipe. I’m reasonably convinced that they know what to do but just find it hard to compromise their personal comfort by discarding some of the appurtenances of power. I pray it is not too late for such a miracle to occur.
Unfortunately, no one can help a government if is unwilling to help itself. Despite promises upon promises to the contrary, the present set of leaders are likely to be remembered for the wrong reasons. History is likely to record them as a group with great potential who threw everything into the trash bin. It smacks of chronic lack of ambition for leaders to be distributing cows, rice and oil to some privileged citizens at this time and age as if we are a colony of refugees. I believe we can do much better than this. All tiers of governments must have mercy and compassion on Nigeria.
What shall it profit a leader who spent four to eight years recycling the madness he inherited and left the country the same way or worse than he met it?
If such is the epitaph they want written about them; who are we to alter it?
Such is life. Happy New Year. God bless you. God bless Nigeria.
By Dele Momodu
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