Ending the blame-game, fixing the problem

The perfect paradigm for the above heading can be clearly seen in my dear country – Nigeria, as virtually everyone refuses to believe we have all, in one way or the other, contributed to the present misfortune of Nigeria. The cliche on the lips of an average citizen is: “This is not the Change we voted for.” Some even said Buhari and APC deceived us but could there be a change without pain? Tough time never last but tough people do, so they say. Nigerians simply forget this fact and prefer to relish the acronym – Giant of Africa – preferring to enjoy the privilege without responsibility.

Giants are known to be tough, and in a tough time, tough people soar and rise above the tidal waves of excuse. Real men, don’t blame others for their misfortune. They don’t even give an excuse when calamities befall them. They are drivers of their life. Tough people accept their failures without trading blame, as fixing the problem remains paramount to them. Faithful and strong Nigerians are indeed needed in tough time. Yes, we are witnessing economic recession and everybody is pointing an accusive finger at one another.

This is the time when the ruling party tends to put the blame for the present predicament on another party (the exited party), just as the Peoples Democratic Party blames the All Progressives Congress for all the woes that have befallen the nation since its defeat, refusing to take responsibility for any of its past deeds, actions and inactions – good or bad.

Citizens, on the other hand, do not help matters. Rather than brace up to the challenge, they take to despair and refuse to see any good in the government efforts, no matter how well-intentioned. While some are guided by primordial sentiments in their pessimism, some people’s cynicism is influenced by party sentiment, yet some are goaded by selfish aggrandisement. Rather than co-operate with the government to address the problem, we simply resort to an era of crook marketers who
needlessly inflate prices of commodities, yet we hypocritically engage in lamentation as it holds the key to our problems.

Nobody seems to be free from this, as we all have a share of the blame, especially on corruption. Corruption should not be erroneously pinned to diversion, misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds. Misuses of power, time, resources, stealing, injustice and discrimination are all within the domain of corruption. But does it befit a giant to cry aloud in the presence of smaller creatures? No, of course. We are expected to set the pace for others to follow but the question is: what kind of foundation do we lay for the future?

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Dr Robert Schuller said: “The uprightness of tough people can come only through “possibility thinking”, that is, positive thinking. The power of positive thinking is practically lost in the midst of Nigerians. It reflects in their actions and reactions. Many have completely lost hope and do not believe in the future of the country. And of course, do you blame them. What do you expect from a poor – hopeless man?

Nigeria at this critical period truly needs hopeful revivers and incurable optimists to restore the power of positive thinking in the people. This negative attitude has led us to where we are – fixing the blame rather than fixing the problem. We just need to wake up from our slumber and eschew defeatist attitude. Here comes a baffling question: Who will fix the problem for the despondent populace? Without a doubt, it is important to note that fixing the problem is everybody’s work. Twilight and darkness cannot coexist. Let all us drop our ego and sacrifice for our nation.

Let the East jettison religious and tribal sentiments. Let my West abandon superiority complex, let the Middle Belt or North Central eschew sectarian violence, let the North stop discrimination and let the South-South abandon militancy, vandalism and economic sabotage. It is high time we understood our individual differences and work as a single entity – for the betterment of Nigeria as a whole. Let me quickly paint a scenario on the futility of fixing the blame which surely leads to nowhere in particular – vanity upon vanity.

As a student who lives in a hostel, let’s assume your room-mate slept off without locking the door and you woke up to discover that your phone is gone and gone forever. I am very sure your next reaction would be to blame your room-mate but can the blame return the stolen phone?

The very deficiency in our basic foundation and values makes it difficult for others to help us. If the foundation is faulty, how
would a builder assist in erecting an enduring edifice? If the world gathers to help Nigeria and we are not ready to help ourselves. What miracle could they perform?

A problem well defined is half solved. We are all in this together and we are definitely going to solve it collectively.