A Medley of Life and Madness
By japheth on September 30, 2009 | Category: Featured Articles, News | No Comments
by Japheth Omojuwa
Let’s start from the fact that it’s been a while since we last had any intercourse but a lot has since happened since then or has it? I’ve been pregnant with a few ideas but somehow despite my foetus coming of age, I haven’t been able to put my ideas to bed but not for want of contractions, more on that sometime though. Let’s start with an unusual foreplay.
Nigerian students remain at home after almost four months of a forced holiday which would have been more than enough to complete another academic gestation period. I don’t like to blame leaders because I always have this belief that there’s a whole lot of challenges they are forced to deal with which ordinarily are not brought to the fore of the public , but I can say without fear or doubt that this government i.e. Yar’ Adua’s is easily the worst we’ve had in ten years of democracy. The President is slow but more importantly the organs of government ain’t moving except only backward. Whatever seems to be still is actually moving backwards atleast in relation to the world. On Independence day, I intentionally set out to see Nigeria’s cup as half filled but how do you interprete a cup with a seemingly invisible leaking base? The basic foundations of governance are in shambles. Whoever is thinking of free and fair elections in 2011 only has to get a foretaste of that via the various re-run polls .it’s been business as usual except for the fact that things are getting even bloodier. Setting off from home to cast your vote is still actually a ‘do or die’ affair like one self acclaimed father of modern Nigerian made us realise during the last general elections.
Have you watched any Nigerian soccer team lately? For your own good you shouldn’t especially if you are allergic to watching a bunch of journey men trying so hard but looking obviously inept. Our players may labour all year but one thing is obvious and that is the fact that ,we no longer have world class talents in our fold. There hasn’t been any concerted effort to rebuild the national team since Clemens Westerhof’s relatively successful five year project (1989-1994). We had a team in 1994 that could have won the FIFA world cup but for pettiness and sheer naivety. That’s history.
If one takes a myopic look at the Nigerian picture, you may be forced to cry for a nation so blessed yet so plaqued not by uncontrollable natural disasters as it is elsewhere but by our own greed, wickedness and mediocrity. What takes a young man in some other climes to achieve in a year takes the young Nigerian a decade. What business has a student not studying medicine or any special discipline spending 7 years and counting at a Nigerian public university. How many fathers if they had children in such schools would allow their children stay at home with them for over 100 days if they had the means of avoiding that? The first word in leadership is ‘care’ and that I can assure is some sort of remote jargon to whoever has been the President of Nigeria since the strike started. They can authorise the payment of $10,000.00 (i.e. $20,000.00 for the two drawn matches against the real Eagles of Tunisia) to a bunch of lame duck footballers who have done nothing but hurt the psyche of this nation while they battle day and night against folks that are laying the blocks of national development through the provision of qualitative education even when every thing suggests the best we can achieve through our education are unbaked rather than the so called half baked cakes.
When you look at the BIG picture you will find that Nigerians as individuals are not giving up on this nation and as long as that is, We will get to the Promised Land. We have to keep the belief ,hold our faith trusting that Nigeria will outlive these Cannibalistic Cabal of Charlatans who have nothing but death and pain to offer. Funny enough ,I have met a few ambitious folks who desire to lead Nigeria sometime in future but theirs is worse as they have nothing to offer , needless to say I belong to a heritage that was intentionally birth to provide sound national and global leadership and I believe without an inkling of doubt we will. Someone once told me to tone down on the words I use in describing our failed ‘leaders’, If I did not imbibe that advice I would have called every elected office holder who is not serving the electorate a ‘disgusting retard’ but I won’t. Depending on how much I achieve my goals in a given year, I chose to celebrate or just recognise My birthday. This year I won’t be celebrating My birthday (Saturday , 3rd October) because I am way behind schedule in My year plan. Like me, I believe Nigeria should just calm down and rethink the essence of its nationhood. Spare a thought for Nigeria and say some prayers for our beloved country . I need your prayers too. God Bless Nigeria and God bless you all. I love you. Thank you.
