1959 to 2022: Going round in circles

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Presidential candidates of the leading political parties and their supporters have been inundating the nation with their plans for the people should they win the election coming up in February next year. But the more I hear them, the deeper my heart sinks. They have all promised to improve electricity, education, housing, health services, roads, security etc. But the fact is that these issues are the same the founding fathers of the country such as, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello and DrNnamdiAzikiwe, raised during the electioneering of 1959.

When Awolowo led the campaign of the Action Group (AG) to all the nooks and crannies of the country in 1959, the promises he made to the people were free education, free health services, employment generation, reliable infrastructure and industrialisation. Azikiwe, leader of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), also promised to ensure social regeneration, economic determination and mental emancipation. Ahmadu Bello and the Nigerian Peoples Congress (NPC) promised quality education, industrialisation and welfare for the people. The import of this is that the same challenges the country was facing as it prepared for independence in 1959, are the same ones it still encounters more than 62 years after independence, an indication that the country has not gone too far from where it was in 1959. As we were in 1959, so are we in 2022. How sad!

It is not every country that has been this unfortunate. In 1959, Nigeria and Singapore were at par, development wise. The two countries had similar challenges and they were both colonies of Britain. However, 63 years later, one country has become a first world nation while the other has remained a third world. What is the difference?

In 1960, Ghana, which had become independent three years earlier, was not better than Nigeria; the two countries were at the same level in terms of development. Despite Ghana having economic challenges that spanned about two decades which precipitated the exodus of Ghanaians to other countries, including Nigeria, the country has bounced back and is making steady progress. Why is Nigeria sliding while other countries are advancing?

It is impossible to absolve the leaders of the blame. The prime mover of progression or retrogression in a society is the leadership. A nation is a reflection of its leadership. If little endowed Singapore became a first world country in 30 years and an immensely endowed Nigeria is still battling with the challenges of pre-independence, it is a reflection of the quality of leadership in the two countries. If Ghana that could not take care of its citizens in the 1980s is now a refuge to Nigerian corporate organisations looking for steady electricity supply as well as Nigerians seeking greener pasture, it is a commentary on the quality of leadership in the two countries.

However, it will be grossly unfair to heap the blame solely on the leadership. The leadership in a society mirrors the society. The leadership amplifies the values of a society. By our actions and inactions as a people, we have contributed to the state we have found ourselves as a country.

I believe two factors are responsible for the way things are in this country and the two are inter-twined. The first is that we do not have a culture of asking questions. If the same promises made before independence are the ones still being peddled now, should we not ask what happened in between. If in 2019, we were made the promise of a particular road being constructed or repaired and in 2022 we are still being served the promise, should we not ask questions? If in 2019, the campaign issue was improved power generation and three years later that is what we are still discussing, should we not raise a query?

The second reason is that those of us outside government envy those in government and want to be like them. We see a reflection of ourselves in those who govern us and since we will not want to be questioned for our misdemeanours, we keep quiet about their misbehaviours. Each of us is prayerfully awaiting an opportunity to get into power and improve our lot as well as those of our immediate family members and close friends. So, we are not quick to ask questions and condemn the non-performance of those in power so that we will not come under condemnation when it is our turn “to come and chop”. Majority of us see leadership positions not as a platform for service and bequeathing a legacy, but an opportunity for serving self and amassing wealth. We would rather convert funds meant for a project to personal use and give out an insignificant portion of it as charity to people’s acclaim.

When will things change? When will Nigeria become a great nation? When will we have regular electricity supply? When will we have good roads? When will we have a functional education system? When will we have a reliable health system? When will we have reliable infrastructure? The answer is when we change. We cannot solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created it. Our country will get better when our thinking changes, when our attitude changes and when we resolve to do the right thing. It can be in 2050, 3000 or February next year. The decision is ours to make.

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