Are We Dangerously Intelligent?

It was in August 1998 at the NYSC orientation camp in Girls Secondary School Kabba, Kogi State that the camp commandant once said that “some of you are dangerously intelligent”, when coppers revolted against inadequate facilities at the camp, poor quality of food and bullying young graduates by soldiers in the camp.

We agreed on total boycott from the foods, the morning exercise, the military training, sports, everything. After 36 hours, we were summoned, this time for a peace talk on how facilities in the camp will be improved on. That was when the camp commandant confessed of his frustrations in handling the matter and openly confessed that some of us are dangerously intelligent with respect to the strategy we adopted.

As I look back to events in the country in the last two decades; the political crimes, economic crimes, religious crimes in the name of God, examination malpractice, corrupt practices, embezzlement and subsequent cover ups, fraud at the immigration offices and embassies, international money laundering and unethical business practices, I marvel at the mastery of these scientific and sometimes crude art of scheming, conniving, deception and alacrity with which we act that am left wondering; Are we dangerously intelligent?

We figured out that the economy is failing, that the local industries can no longer remain viable and competitive due to epileptic supply of power, near absence of loan from the financial institutions and no support from the government, so we went to Asia. We started importing low quality good and drugs into the country. Most times, we even tell the firms to further reduce the quality of the products so as to maximize gains.

Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) were meant to monitor and ensure quality goods, we bribed them to approve substandard and fake products. We banned the importation of some goods through our ports but sent corrupt customs officials to the porous boarders to collect money from dangerously intelligent business men. Today, more than 95 % of the cars on sale in Nigeria are either smuggled in or escorted in by the same law enforcement agents who make millions for themselves and their bosses on daily basis. The dangerously intelligent police men end up extorting money from innocent Nigerians on the roads as if they are not aware of where those cars are displayed for sale at Berger.

We stopped funding our public schools and watched the educational sectors collapse. The academia that went abroad for graduated studies refused to come back and political office holders started sending their kids abroad. Soon, the rich and even the middle class followed suite and somebody somewhere figured out that private schools is the solution. We gave license to corrupt politicians and some influential power-thirsty dragons that care little about the poor and the unprivileged in the society that education has now turned to luxury in Nigeria.

We look dangerously intelligent to the eyes of the world that most foreign consulate in Nigeria milks us in a bid to make us stop coming to their doors, but we surged forward.

Aided by fraudsters that camouflage as immigration and visa experts, we faked family names, business names and trips, bank accounts and scheme again with the consulates, if everything fails, we fake the visa. We go to immigration offices and bulldoze our way to getting passports in 24 hours. The corrupt immigration officials hide under the cover of scarcity of e-passports to exploit and in the process frustrate law abiding Nigerians that were willing to follow due process by long delays. So everybody tries to cheat and bribe their way through, and corruption and corrupt practices becomes the norm.

We have dangerously intelligent thoughts; EFCC that has been performing below standard and being selective in prosecuting corrupt officials suddenly found the courage to touch some untouchables, so Rabidu, he has go. When Orji Kalu, Nnamani Chimaroke and co were arrested and arraigned, we clapped, but when the big masquerade Ibori got into the net, the IG suddenly remembers that Rabidu has not gone to NIPSS in preparation for his being promoted to AIG and eventually made IGP – story. Okiro believes he is doing Rabidu a favour – dangerous favour.

It was in their young and evil adventurer’s imagination against the good people of Anambra state that, some exiled illiterate political touts of the Dragons Congress who will stop at nothing to recapture power resorted to blatant rigging, kidnapping and arson! Incredibly strong and dangerously intelligent, the Uba family took political godfatherisim to a different level when they communed and took vows with the deadly Arusi Okija.

These oversized, meticulously crafted dragons are slowly but systematically taking charge of proceedings in Umar Yar’Adua’s administration. They have surrounded him with a crop of cabinet members that cannot distinguish their left from their right, they have stalled or failed to initiate any meaningful progress in all sectors be it economy, energy, education, infrastructural development etc. Now, they are extinguishing the small candle that suddenly found enough light to illuminate and uncover a small percentage of the corrupt public officials. And darkness is creeping in.

“An utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.” – Herman Melville. Are the likes of Ubas, Adedibus, Odilis, Iboris, IBBs far more fearless and dangerous comrades to Umar Yar’Adua’s that we are made cowards? It was William Osler that said “By far the most dangerous foe we have to fight is apathy – indifference from whatever cause, not from lack of knowledge, but from carelessness, from absorption in other pursuits, from contempt of self satisfaction.”

My questions thus are; Are we so dangerously intelligent that we always manipulate the system in our favour to the detriment of the good, larger community and the rule of law? Is being indifference part of being dangerously intelligent that we take the easiest way out or worse still join the dragons in the dance of shame? What is the root or cause of this dangerously evil mind and deeds? Has it got any thing to do with our value system? What can we do? How can you help?