The battle rages on as contending forces in the minds of sane Nigerians confront the rationality of actions by the government regarding critical issues of national interest. I exercise restraint not to join issues with the handlers of the government on the conduct of governance and its impact on the state of the nation and general well being of Nigerians, but, the presence of a restrictive mechanism anchored on moral value says NAY.
The primary purpose of a responsible and responsive government is to protect and promote the general wellbeing of its citizens and not to impose the will of the leader(s). Nigerians do not deserve any less, rather, should be encouraged for their level of understanding and support to any person or persons that eventually form the government in power at any point in time and by any means. A historical analysis based on either local or global index proves that Nigerians remain a people that show tolerance and understanding in the midst of obvious ineptitude and impunity by their so called leaders. That does not negate their undisputed right to good and acceptable living standards.
Comparatively, the state of the Nigerian nation places a distant far from its contemporaries in all ramifications and there is no sign or conscious effort in sight by the government to effect a positive change in one chosen area or more. At a time when other nations of the world are contemplating incredible advancements in all facets of life in years to come, we are still enmeshed in unnecessary and laughable controversies ranging from insecurity,epileptic power supply, accident prone road networks, unemployment & under employment, inadequate healthcare system and facilities and other basic amenities, to mention a few.
Unfortunately and saddening as they are, these negative indicators have become recurring decimals in the life of the nation over the years. When other governments across the world struggle to bequeath "Legacies" of pride to incoming governments, our own culture is that governments handover debts and other forms of liabilities. The reason for the serial blame game that is now a national anthem. Every form of ineptitude and confusion is attributed to the previous government. How long shall we wallow in such lack of focus and direction? The best we get from the handlers of the government and agencies is the unjustifiable justification of their incompetence and lack of political will to handle salient issues even when they are glaring to us as a people.
While other broader issues may seem complex to fix, it remains irreconcilable, the statement credited to Mr. Femi Adesina, official spokesman of the Presidency who in a bid to exonerate the government of inaction on the abated killings of unarmed and innocent Nigerians and wanton destruction of property and farms in the North Central Zone by the marauding Fulani herdsmen, made reference to the number of people killed under the former government led by the PDP as a measure of performance on a comparative basis. This by no means justifies the killings that took place under the GEJ led government. Killings remain unacceptable and inhuman irrespective of the government in power. It is also pertinent to remind Oga Femi Adesina that the address of his principal as C-I-C is not just a title ,but, a responsibility.
When did Nigeria as a nation degenerate to this point of hopelessness and despair that we adopt performance of governments on a comparative basis, by the number of Nigerians killed or when the life of a cow is of more value than that of a human being? It is a clear indication that the SANCTITY of human life is not a priority anymore as shown by the disposition the government and its relevant agencies to the careless and incessant loss of lives. A more worrisome dimension to this the ugly trend is the fact that some Nigerians have become internally displaced in their own country.
Emphatically, this is totally unacceptable, irresponsible and callous of a government that rode to power on the mercy of the masses who surrendered their collective rights and placed their total trust in such government in a supposed reciprocation of protection and promotion of their lives.
The government needs to be reminded once again that its duty to its citizens is non-negotiable and must do all within its powers as a matter of very serious business to deliver the goods as expected or even work smarter rather than harder to surpass expectations...such is not a Taboo!
Nigerians have lived each day in the hope of a better tomorrow and it seems the tomorrow is not in sight yet.
We must transit from "Nigeria go better" to "Nigeria is better" now.
UGO MADU
nkosisonga@gmail.com
Abuja, FCT.
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