Article published in The Nation Newspaper
21/10/2009
For any serious politician, political group or moneybags, 344 days is a long enough time to execute a few good projects that will positively impact on the country and citizenry by Nigeria@50. So they should get moving on positive life-changing Golden Jubilee Projects in every ward, LGA, state and Abuja. All citizens still need infrastructure for life in spite of the politicians’ massive failures and inadequacies and self-congratulations for a job badly done with $400b.
It is enough time to plan the largely wasteful and thieving multi-billion naira stupendous social activities which will inevitably accompany 1-01-2101 with billions spent on adverts in the media, massive firework displays contributing to global warming, and exclusive flamboyant social parties laden with expensive designer ‘gifts’ funding from the budgets at every level of government. Neither the public nor the private sector will be left out of tax evasion and profligate spending using this Nigeria@50th anniversary tax loophole. Imagine the cost of 10 million yards of ‘aso ebi’. The estimated 30-40 million flags for buildings, offices and in childrens’ parade hands, are excusable and will contribute to national pride in ourselves in spite of the failings of our country to move forward as we struggle with the decade of decadent democracy, spectacular failures and shamelessness in delivery of democracy dividends.
What Nigerians will be looking for is ‘do we have uninterrupted power supply by or even on that day nationwide’. The answer must be ‘Yes, we have 24 hours power everywhere, everyday’ or this government would have followed its predecessors into the abyss of failure as another of ‘Nigeria’s Incompetent Governments’. ‘Total Power by October 1st 2010’ is not an option. It is available elsewhere even in war-torn African countries and we have enough engineers, manpower and money to provide that power and lift the multibillion naira burden of supplying ‘generator power’. The right to power is a human right and its denial is a ‘human wrong’. Power is not just for the political class and well heeled companies and individuals but for all Nigerians.
If anyone is in any doubt that power is a right and necessary to 2009 life, remember the burden of reading on the students of Nigeria. They deserve a collective National Merit Award in the face of powerlessness. Our students cannot read at will, day or night. Traditionally undergraduates and students in final year of GCE and NECO read during the 12 midnight to 3am or 3-6am shifts when it is deadly quiet with no visitors. But our 30million students are denied such opportunities for 30 years. Yet they manage to shine and those who do not do well can point to government for failing to provide power in 2009.
Remember a young girl, Sally Tilly, saved a hundred lives in the 2002 tsunami. Now another young lady, Abby Wulzier, saved another hundred lives in the 2009 tsunami. Is it not disgraceful that we still depend on luck and students to save our lives at a time when the media spends $20billion+ throwing out, 24 hours of advertisements daily. The Indomine Young Heroes Award, the P&G Adopt a Child and other programmes are good but many others are cheap publicity stunts disguised as Corporate Social Responsibility. For the 10,000th time the world’s advertising media should stop being selfish and have a ‘World Corporate-UN Advertising Summit’ to agree to a new world wide media programme ‘Adopt a social message’ in every electronic advert, poster and package. This will cheaply educate the world’s 6+billion citizens on life skill messages from the UN, UNDP, WHO and UNICEF and save billions of lives as they get educated about commercial products.
Police and government now say doctors must treat gunshot injuries without a police report. Let us racall all the medical personel who have been harrassed, forced to pay illegal bail and been intimidated for doing just that. In fact, Nigeria is one such patient. She has been shot and faces certain death if we do not get correct treatment for Nigeria’s ailments –incompetence and corruption. The ridiculous planned political celebration at the so-called ‘success’ of the ‘amnesty’ is frightening even in its conception let alone its execution. Fellow Nigerians are reeling in horror at the amount of arms and the needless suffering of other Fellow Nigerians. There is no difference in the greed of a general, governor or LGA Chairman. History will prove that ‘The Decade of Democracy’ has in fact been ‘A Decade of Democratic Decadence’ and we learnt nothing from the preceeding military-led ‘Dark Ages’ and the ‘Thirty Years War against Nigerian Development’.
The provision of water is not a ‘mere’ contract but life vs death, sickness vs health, cleanliness vs dirtiness, saved time vs wasted lives. From cholera to corruption, latrines to toilets, the absence of potable water not ‘portable’ water at home, costs as the family allocates hours to water or buy water at N10+ a gerry can N3,000/month. Household water saves time and money. Women get robbed, raped, abused and are under considerable hardship.
In summary, neither the politician who ‘get [s]elected’ nor the military, have the answer to Nigeria’s nothingness@50. Our preoccupation with persons vs performance, self vs services, greed vs goals, brawn vs brains, thugs vs thinking, My Devilish Greed vs MDGs vs will continue to undo Nigeria@50 but there is still time to get MAD and make A Difference by Nigeria@50. Just 344 days left to get moving.