Nigeria: The good, the bad, the ugly

Nigeria, our country, cannot be jaga-jaga as one rapp singer wanted the world to believe. The singer just sang the way he did to capture the attention of his fans but naturally he hurts the feelings of many. Actually, it is not only Edris that ever talked-ill about Nigeria, the late Fela also did his best to highlight the bad things being done by the then military administration by then. Fela Ransome Kuti had his own reasons for insulting people at the helm of affairs by then, particularly the military regime that attacked his shrine and destroyed his property to which even his beloved mother was a victim. So, one can see the ugly part of the situation that manifests itself to which spurred a singer like Fela Ransome Kuti to express disappointment with the then authorities.  

I do not know the reason behind Mr. Edris’ assertions of Nigeria being jaga-jaga even though those who listen to the real lyrics might find it amusing and amazing at the same time, for me, I find nothing of interest. Therefore, the more we condemn our own country the more wrongs are being done which is the bane of our Nigeria today.

If all Nigerians will be good, if all Nigerians will be loyal to the country, the 60 years of its independence will be of developmental heights more than we are witnessing today. Nigeria, like any other developing nation, must undergo some unpleasant moments both economically and other sectors of human endeavours.

Former military ruler IBB did his best to debunk the constant attacks on the military for being the cause of Nigeria’s slow-progress, economically and politically. General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida had said that people are always accusing and castigating the military for the slow-down of its progress while the military were instigated by the civilians to overthrow whatever government was entrenched, especially civilian government. One is quick to fault such an assertion. But politics aside, this assertion by IBB might be true as we witnessed the causes of the first coup ever in Nigeria on January 15, 1966. The politicians in Nigeria by then were behind it because they failed to be patient and wait for their turn as we see in Europe and America. America has a sophisticated army but no one will dare to approach them to overthrow whoever is there as president no matter how bad he performs.

In the United States, the whole scenario remains very cordial and the political atmosphere bearable until a new election where people will decide with their overwhelming votes whom to elect. This is the actual civilization that we all believe has been going on in Europe and America for many decades up to this time. But in Nigeria, the politicians seem intolerant to the actual provision of democratic norms for everyone of them wants to be at the helm of affairs

We cannot condemn the whole military regimes for they did their best in actualising the oneness of Nigeria from 1966 – 1979 and it was only the military regime that enabled us to have 36 states in Nigeria. This was the desire of Nigerians to avoid domination as being chanted by many Nigerians alive. So, the military had their good part. I hope you don’t take me as a military apologist, but this is the real thing we ought to know and it did happen. The military cannot find their way to government unless they are called to duty by certain lazy politicians who cannot penetrate their people and get overwhelmingly elected by the majority of the people.

Nigeria has seen the good, the bad and the ugly from 1966 to date yet not much has changed with the amount of education and the elite within our midst. Nothing tangible to show for each one for himself and neck deep at the scale of hopelessness.

It is high time we thought twice as Nigeria will be as it is without progress for such a long time; nothing to put on our hands as tangibly as practically; economically, socially and politically too.

Nigeria is recycling like a finished product and still we have people who are considered educated elite with no system and plan. At the good side of it, we have few people who pray for Nigeria and who also want to have a better future for the country. Among them are those whose quality for good governance earned them some kind of rejection from the people who could not differentiate between their fingers.

And the bad ones are those who only know a taboo to them for they earn nothing if majority enjoys the necta of their country. The ugly ones are those who want to destroy anything of their country believing that when they have the upper hand to control everything by their side that is enough for them to cultivate their own desire. Such is what is now going round and nobody could predict when this country will be great on the quest to which other countries with similar growth did get their channels of greatness. Nobody wants things to be good, for to me anything Nigeria is saddled with sadness and the future seems very gloomy.

I hope that the happenings from 1991 – 1998 and 2015 will usher certain mechanisms to open wide our eyes to get to the promised land. One remembers good people who died either for the country or otherwise, especially late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua whose death was announced while in prison. People knew him as a strict military man with certain reputations. But he died in prison and only good people remember him today.

 How about late General Sani Abacha who died while still in office as the head of state? Only people with great minds do remember him. What about multi-millionaire late Kashimawa .O. Abiola the great philanthropist of his time? He also died in prison and only his lovers today remember him and from then on very many Nigerians died as a result of either road accidents or armed robbery either. Also, we witnessed the death of victims of the Bell-View and the honest Stella Obasanjo, the wife of our then Nigerian president.

All these victims were human beings whose positions must be seen as great as the tragedies. To this end, therefore, it is God Almighty that shows to the living ones to behave well and do good to humanity. After all, nobody knows whether next it could be him! May God bless the souls of the victims and may all Nigerians come to them with the actual scenarios at the moment. Nigeria needs prayers and the ugly one should think heavily of tomorrow and allow the country to chart a beautiful future for the next generation of Nigerians. God Almighty, we pray and be at our side for Nigeria is all that we have, nowhere else.  

Comrade Ibrahim Abdu Zango,

Kano, Nigeria – 08175472298   

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