My 'two cents' on the state of Nigeria

There is a seasoned journalist of over three decades experience that I know, his name is Samuel Ajayi. He is one writer I admire and how he manages to constantly write on the State of Nigeria  still amazes me. With no conflicting yet unflinching headlines every other day on his face book timeline. 

Unlike him, I often consider this a frustrating thing to ponder on for too long, I see no reason why I should bother over what seems to have no immediate lasting solution.

But as Nigeria goes to the polls yet again, I have to drop this on what I feel about her.

Routinely, we complain about incumbent leaders just because they have not been able to satisfy the needs of the masses. And in almost all the sectors in the Country, there’s always a glaring inadequacy staring us right there in the face.

The Health Sector is under performing.

There is no proper Insurance in place for necessities.

 Quite a higher population of her youths are not employed, yet we cry foul of a rise in the Nation’s crime rate.

 It is estimated that Nigerian Tertiary Educations produces up to 500,000 Graduates every year, they flood the labor market in droves only to discover that Government job is grossly inadequate.

 Where are the private jobs even?

The incumbent Political Office Holders from the grassroots to the apex claims to be working tirelessly. Their seeming ‘best’ obviously is not enough for the environment to be conducive, at least for the majority.

Some persons that we had targeted in the past to take us to the Promised Land had all failed very woefully. Prior to being elected, they’d presented realistic ideas; spoke convincingly, openly criticized all of the ideologies of the incumbent, only to end up being ‘worse off’. And as soon as they fail we (the masses) begin the routine act of back lashing them. We still await the messiah though, one maybe yet unborn.

All of these are the reasons why I particularly consider very boring having to complain over the same ‘ills’ of the Nigerian State all of the time, when solutions appears not to be near.

 #Not my kind of life please!

For how long do we continue to complain about every single government that the majority has voted into power? But can I blame us? They have all refused to measure up to the standard that is expected of them.

According to older Nigerian Citizens however, I mean those who witnessed the once upon a very beautiful Nigeria, they would relish the good  old days when life as a Nigerian was enviable. Especially the fact that employees could afford to walk out on companies that were making their lives miserable. They said jobs were readily available with varying offers to select from.

Take a look at what we have now; loads of frustrated employees having to deal with ‘horrible’ bosses who constantly wear them out under very unfavorable working conditions. You dare not resign, when thousands are out there waiting for that job you’re complaining over.

And how does it not bother those at the helms of affairs that the citizens are grossly in lack of the basic amenities of life that makes life 

worth living in; the roads are generally bad, pothole-ridden such that it puts the life of the Citizens at great risk. Many of her citizens still go to bed hungry with no hope of the next day’s meal. Adorning shreds and are even homeless. Electricity hasn’t stopped being epileptic, Academic value has degraded over the years and the fact that good grades could simply be ‘bought’ from some institutions is saddening.

  The lives and properties of the people are not as protected as it should be. Not with Boko haram menace refusing to go away. And like a salt to our injury the political circle keeps making a mockery of our intelligence by being extra, and unduly dramatic.

Away from the political circles by the way, has it ever occurred to anyone that our leaders are somehow the replica of those of us citizens? Bad leadership asides, an average Nigerian fairs badly in making life easier for those generally beneath him.

So before you point accusing fingers at the political circles of being corrupt, know this that corruption cuts across all classes of Nigerians.

 A nation of people where ordinary party meats and jollofs are hoarded by caterers until the last guest exits. #that was to lighten up though. But really, put an average Nigerian in the capacity where s/he is supposed to render genuine life changing assistance to people, bribes would promptly be compelled on the helpless, or no favor at all. Every palm has to be greased before major public works are contracted too. 

Genuine selfless services are becoming old fashioned,  dishonesty is rife.

I was embittered the day I saw touts digging up a freshly tarred road just to cause a gridlock, a plot to  extort motorists. Which legislative arm of government do we blame for this though?

In all, I am of the opinion that our politics remains a dirty game because it is too lucrative, that is the genesis of our problems.
 So when I listen to candidates contesting for public posts, I often get carried away initially by the speeches of the very intelligent ones especially. But on a second thought, I always imagine if these crop like the present 31 presidential candidates contesting for the 2019 polls be willing to contest still, if Nigerian politics wasn’t so money spinning?

          
    We hear of millions of dollars being amassed, shrouded in unimaginable places by our ably politicians, yet a larger proportion of the population languishes in abject poverty. Irrelevant and outrightly incredible  allowances are being paid as salaries/pensions to incumbent and erstwhile lawmakers respectfully. Little wonder even the aged who are supposed to be retired and inadvertently suffered partial memory loss, still struggle to remain in the helms of affairs.

I pray the best leader wins, and please don’t remind me of the fact that elections in Nigeria are always marred by ‘riggings’.

Finally, I sincerely look forward to the day only a very insignificant number of the Nigerian populace would complain about the state of the country.

 I wish that happens in my generation.

But hey!

If having to complain this bitterly about the state of the nation persists more than these few years, then Nigeria itself might consider missing this country from abroad.

Picture source: Google