Nigerians’ short attention span

Nigerians are a people that are easily blown by the wind. Our retention span is very low; we are hardly able to follow matters to an end. We are not in agreement regarding what is wrong or what is right; our decisions are steeped in ethnographic-jingoism.

We suffer low attention span, we suffer focus delinquency, like a one-year-old baby, so easily excitable, we pick on every matter and like a toy, after a while we drop it and move to the next one. Most times what makes us cry brings us so much humour; like did you see that “Old Ruga” is dead and gone to his grave jest or did you follow all the deriving jokes about the now rested Krest drink from the soon to be forgotten COZA episode.

This is the orchestra of Olodos. The Olodos naturally chose their battles based on sentiments and bias, so often that it doesn’t last, as very many times they forget why they choose the stand they took. So, we have forgotten the drama of Salisu Buhari and his fake age and certificate; David Mark and Bukola Saraki were instrumental in making us forget when we had one Senate president almost every year.

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We have forgotten the impeachment era, Dariye, Boni Haruna, Fayose and co; we have outgrown all that ambush drama whether at executive, legislative or judiciary level. One that comes to mind must be Justice Salami and like many have forgotten, how about Justice Onnoghen, the NJC, and all the noise. The man finally retired, will get his benefits and the real story will remain untold. All part of the entertainment called Nigeria.

Our leaders take governance tours. We see midterm report, and all the unnecessary policy somersaults. We only grumble a bit but soon we forget, the potholes remain death holes and these days they are as big as the Nigerian map, yet we are not in agreement that governance has failed and can do better, we make the noise, collect the names of those responsible and soon we forget. We are still torn by unresolved conversations that leave us complaining Nigeria is a secular state that prays more than even religious states.

Everything with us is treated with a touch, another small touch and we move on. Is it surprising that we even played with the idea of removing history from our schools, we don’t want to remember some, we don’t forget some, and therefore we cannot heal.

We pray, steal, debate and then end with a prayer and still we are in circles. We are yet to define why we are Nigerians, what Nigeria is or wants to be.

Which one thing have we stuck to and done well and achieved its purpose without forgetting why we were even on it, are we really ready to change?

Prince Charles Dickson PhD

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