American Thanksgiving: A Reflection for Nigeria

“Good leaders don’t care about getting credit for good intentions but they’re envisioned by the courage of their convictions.” – Yahaya Balogun

Every time you go out of your comfort zone or house here in the United States or travel to other States of the Union, it’s a sad reminder of the sorry state of our roads in Nigeria. It’s like our leaders are under a spell. How do you expect leaders to rehabilitate the roads when they have not even rehabilitated their own mindfulness? A state of anomie in the Banana republic of Nigeria? No! The reverse should be the case in a nation flowing with milk and honey in the households of her handlers.

On a thanksgiving day in America, every American counts his/her blessings in various forms. Millions of Americans were on the roads transiting from coast to coast. Interestingly, no =N=20 police checkpoints or anticipation of armed robbery on the roads; in actual fact, it is more splendid or splendor traveling on the road than by air in the US with your family, most especially on a long distance travel. Prices of basic household goods and other essential consumables come down deliberately for the yuletide; and they are within the reach of ordinary man in Arizona or California or Texas or other states of the federation. It is an organized society with the rule of law and compassion.

We are in an Hobbessian state in Nigeria. Leaders don’t care except for their immediate families, spiritual and political cronies. Life has been short, brutish and nasty for a long time in Nigeria. Nigeria is going through spiritual and political anomie. The ugly picture and daily news from Nigeria are very concerning. Confusion is everywhere. Hunger, pangs, pains, diseases, religious deceits, hopelessness etc dotted everywhere. Judiciary is full of corruptible judges with graveyards of currencies in their backyards and bedrooms, the Executive is ineffective with inefficiency, Legislature is an association of corrupt people and NASSTY noisemakers, the plebeians are helpless and nonchalant in helping themselves. It is all “confusion breaks the bones” in a “yeepa” nation we call our own country.

The current state of Nigeria is a state of dystopia. Friends do not want other friends to succeed or grow. To have most Nigerians as friends, you better don’t crave for enemies. In Nigeria, the man next door is not your neighbor if he doesn’t share your political or religious beliefs. All he needs is to do rankadeede and get crumbs from the sociopaths next door who is a politician at the center. The height of hypocrisy, resentment, selfishness and hate amongst the people continue to grow unabated.

There is urgent need to convocate a national conversation where everyone will be stakeholder. The challenges are daunting. Restructuring of Nigeria is inevitable if we’re to see developmentally changes. Every geopolitical zone in Nigeria is aggrieved with the center. Young and old people, religious leaders, political elites, students, farmers, market women, artisans, veterans and other assemblage of people should come together to truly discuss about Nigeria going forward. Let’s use the zukerville and the media to revolutionize the consciousness and conscience of the nation. The potency of social media is grossly being underutilized in Nigeria. The efforts of some Nigerians in the Diaspora must be commended. The likes of Adekunle Al Miftau Adeite, Tony Nammor and a host of others who are mobilizing the Diaspora-Nigerians to be more involved in building a viable and egalitarian society.

Nigerians do well in other organized countries because of the conducive templates in place in these advanced countries. Kudos must be given unrepentantly to resourceful and emerging young entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Nigeria is an unusual place to habitate or transact honest business without compromising your personal ethics and values.

The naughtiness of all Nigerians is becoming a recurrent national tragedy. Something needs to be done fast to redirect the travellers on this famished road to perfidy. There seem not to be savoir faire or any tact on how to tackle our gloomy economy and other mundane problems in Nigeria. President Buhari should henceforth desist from walking a fine line and bring corruption to its kneel. All he needs is a sacred cows as deterrent to potential other corrupt individuals. The circumlocuted politicians and men of ‘yesterday’ will continue to clog his intention to change the corrupt values of all Nigerians. Buhari should take heed of these political associates; come not near any government in power (AGIP), have an eye with men of yesterday, they love thee not!

Buhari’s body language when he came to power seems to have been neutralized by the mighty power of corruption. He seems helpless with his fragility and septuagenarian status now. Auspiciously, I strongly recommend one-term for Mr. Buhari as Executive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In this one- term, he must be seen to have fought corruption to a standstill to etch or imprint his name and legacy for posterity. Whoever will take over from him must continue his envisioned legacy. Good leaders don’t care about getting credit for good intentions but they’re more envisioned by the courage of their convictions.

Though, Buhari has his SWOT (shortcomings, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), those of us who can read beyond parochialism have seen his unfettered dreams and vision for Nigeria. We are taking the opportunity from his SWOT to support his government to overcome his shortcomings, weaknesses and threats around him. The threats (corrupt people and their children) around him are not resting in their corruptible oars to derail his administration.

This writer unrepentantly still bonds and stands by/with Buhari to rewrite our ugly history. If Buhari fails in his one-man battalion of fighting corruption, this “wasted generation” of Nigerians may not be pardoned by the next coming generation for complacency. Like I have said in another medium, our midnight or graveyard can still be turned to dawn of a new era in Nigeria. The recommended national panacea is to come together like a united country and collectively rebuild the rich but moribund country for the common good of all.

We can do it!